Getting us more film people

[Spots]

OK, here's my outline for a project I'm working on. I've been laying the infrastructure for this since August. Getting feelers out there. Playing match maker.

My plan is to marry the Austin Improv Collective with the UT film community.

Some Background:

When I arrived at UT in 2002 I dreamed of having access to quality performers. I cast my friends in films and wasted mucho time getting a mediocre performance out of them. It took years to get a good group together. Turns out that this process is typical in UT film. Finding a boom operator is no problem but finding good actors is a pain in the ass.

On the other hand, AIC has the opposite problem. We got tons of performers but very few tech people. We need cameras, audio equipment, but more than anything we need know-how. We need manpower. We need to make more sweet, sweet videos.

So this is plain obvious. AIC needs to reach out to UT film.

Everything about this union is beneficial. Improvisers will get to have fun on more film projects. They'd get a wider range of experience. Students will be able to shoot their films in half the time. They'll end up with committed actors in all their films. We'll all party together. We'll hear about each other's projects through the grapevine. A dialog will open up between the 2 worlds.

My only concern is that we might end up with better videography AND less and less desire to pay for the service. So we'll have to come up with a fair market price per hour of videography in that eventuality. You already see how photography is taken for granted, and I have no interest doing the same for the local video industry.

No matter -- I REALLY want to invite film students to get involved. Today I announced this concept to a studio production class of 30 people. The professor and the TA really liked the idea. A group of them came with me to Trudy's and discussed it. Last month I made a similar announcement to a room full of 60 younger students passionate about film. There's a lot of folks just waiting.

Every film person I talk to says it's the greatest idea ever. So I'm just going to keep pumping our material their way and raise awareness. Gain momentum. (you'll start to run into more film students at your shows etc.) The next phase will be to ask for performers/theaters to comp some tickets so students can come see some shows and hang out with the performers after shows and pitch ideas. We might even plan events for this marriage specifically. I will eventually host 24 hour film contests at improv theaters around town, and that will be bad ass. Might even go so far as offer casting assistance. Hell, there's a lot of possibilities.

Right now, the way I see it all I can do is get both parties in the same room together. The rest is up to fate. But we all know how much fun improv is. Filmmakers will discover that too. We just gotta invite them in and the magic will happen. But we need that first push to get over the hump.

Email proposals or ideas : jessespots URT gmail DART com

[Aden]

I like this post.

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

great idea. this was a common problem back when i was a theatre major at UT, getting performers from that department together with crews in the film department (and vice versa). that situation, as i understand it, has improved. so this seems like a good step as well.

shame i don't act for student films anymore. i KEED, i KEED! ...kinda.

[KathyRose]

Finding a boom operator is no problem but finding good actors is a pain in the ass...

My only concern is that we might end up with better videography AND less and less desire to pay for the service. So we'll have to come up with a fair market price per hour of videography in that eventuality. You already see how photography is taken for granted, and I have no interest doing the same for the local video industry.

Of course it's hard to find good actors when you're asking them to work for free. They deserve to be paid, too.

The local acting community doesn't care to be devalued, either.

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

Finding a boom operator is no problem but finding good actors is a pain in the ass...

My only concern is that we might end up with better videography AND less and less desire to pay for the service. So we'll have to come up with a fair market price per hour of videography in that eventuality. You already see how photography is taken for granted, and I have no interest doing the same for the local video industry.

Of course it's hard to find good actors when you're asking them to work for free. They deserve to be paid, too.

The local acting community doesn't care to be devalued, either.

this too, yes. i'm happy to exchange favors and help people out if i know i'm making good contacts or getting good footage out of it, but if we're going to talk compensation then that sword's gotta cut both ways.

[sara farr]

I like this post.

Ditto!

[Spots]

The local acting community doesn't care to be devalued, either.

The alternative is that students will keep posting casting calls on Austin Actors and continue not to pay their talent. (more likely they'll give up on filming their idea) But this is because their films generate no income and they aren't familiar with the casting process. Most student filmmakers make it only so far in the process and then concede that the process is beyond them. They move back home or seek an unpaid internship at a studio. That doesn't benefit Austin acting either. But if a student filmmaker finds the inspiration, and makes a good film he/she will be more likely to stick around and make more Austin films in the future.

This is true of my friends "Lark the Beard." As soon as they were hired as independent contractors by Rooster Teeth they began to compensate their actors.Me included. Let's not forget the fact that sketches/films will be conceived by improv members too. This really isn't an us vs. them thing. I see it as an extension of everyone's education. Whether they attend film school or improv class.


Thanks everyone for your support/concern. Your suggestions are invaluable and I hope we can get this thing off the ground soon.

[Spots]

How could you not love these guys?



Studio Production Class! Encouraging as many of them as I can to come out to shows. Again, a comp ticket here or there would really help.

[kaci_beeler]

Oh, I see my friend Tavia in that photo!

This actually relates to what you're talking about, too...

We met because her and her boyfriend (also a UT student, and now our Thursday House Manager at the Hideout, his name is Michael) came to see us at ColdTowne almost every week for a long time, and then followed our weekly show to the Hideout. Because we started to recognized them, we invited them out to dinner after a show and then became friends.

They actually came twice to film a PGraph show with three cameras, and that worked out really well.
It resulted in this Dick & Jane show being filmed:
http://vimeo.com/12785670

They were excited to try filming an improv show and we were excited to have a show filmed in this way.
Mutual benefits!

[Justin D.]

They were excited to try filming an improv show and we were excited to have a show filmed in this way.
Mutual benefits!

Mutual what? Ridiculous!

[Roboprov]

A database of headshots is key for filmmakers to access. It is tedious holding a cattle call or just posting up on the forums hoping people will show up for more than free water and nutragrain bars.

We had an analog system back in film school which was clumsy but very useful in narrowing our searches and then cold calling people to see if they have availability. An online user access database would be even better. Hmm, a facebook group with maybe a facebook album of pics with resumes as comments?

I know plenty of improvisers who are not getting their expensive headshots out there for people to see.

I'm pretty handy behind the camera BTW.

[Spots]

Thanks Jared. You'll have to get involved.

I don't know. These things you mentioned have crossed my mind but I also think making it too complicated or bureaucratic could easily be the death of it. My goal for the moment is to get filmmakers and improvisers in the same room.

If there comes a demand for said database, there will be a database.

[Spots]

Got to say it. I'm really thankful to all the theaters who are reaching out so far. This is going great. Thank you thank you thank you.

This Monday I will be updating the biggest group of students (the youngest group, who I think has the most potential for a longterm friendship). We got some free tickets and invitations to shows just for them. Jeez, I'll really be hitting them hard with one of the warmest welcomes I could ever imagine.

Back when I was president all we ever offered were tickets to advanced screenings. These guys are going to shit themselves. In a good way.

Keep it coming. The more the merrier.

[KathyRose]

Other than creating awareness of the benefits of collaboration between student film-makers and improvisors, there really isn't a need to put any special mechanisms or databases in place.

Film students already post audition notices describing their projects on AustinActors.net and AustinFilmCasting. Improvisors who want to audition for films can easily respond to those existing notices, and can include a link to their headshot and resume (see next paragraph).

Improvisors who want to become actors can easily create an entry in an established headshot & resume database for FREE on http://www.actorsaccess.com. This gives them their own webpage address, like http://resumes.actorsaccess.com/KathyRoseCenter, which they can then include in their reply to the audition notices (above). This particular database lets you type whatever you want for the experience headings, so you can add "Improvisation" and list the shows and troupes you've performed in, even if you don't have any specific acting credits yet, and there's a freeform text box at the bottom where you can say whatever you want about your "special talents."

Jesse, if you're trying to shortcut the audition process, you're really doing the film students a disservice, in that learning to attract talent to their projects (by creating enticing audition notices) and learning to audition and select talent, is part of what they need to learn to do, to become a successful film-maker.

When I was looking for work to build my acting resume, there were many audition notices that I didn't respond to, because of how little care had gone into describing the project. You'd see a notice that basically said, "I'm shooting a film. If you're interested, please reply," without any description of the characters being cast or the film's content. Student film shoots are seldom efficient (which is to be expected), but they can be a tremendous waste of time when they are carelessly planned (or not planned at all). How the audition notice is written is an indicator (to me) of the care that the student will put into the shoot itself.

If you're trying to create an exclusive relationship between film students and the improv community, you're also doing the film students a great disservice by severely restricting the size, diversity and experience of the talent pool available for their projects. I know plenty of actors my age, for example, who still gladly work on student film projects, and I have done my share, myself. I still read the notices and audition for indie & student projects that pique my interest. A couple of the students I worked with have become accomplished indie film-makers. Case in point: Jack Prather (NightRain Films), with whom I've worked on a couple of post-grad films. I've also given him feedback on scripts in development.

The mechanisms are already in place for improvisors to be cast in films. They just need to respond to the opportunities that are already out there.

[Spots]

Jesus Christ.