Tuesday, September 30, 2014

More Film

Hi Folks, it's been a busy couple of years and I have been working on not only various musical projects but have also taken on a wee bit more acting. When it comes to the acting, I have been involved with some pretty small roles but they have been fun and afforded me the chance to sit and watch and see how others who have been around the traps longer do it, this should set me up for when I do more lead roles - I like to learn and to enjoy the processes of seeing things coming together.

Here's a few thoughts about some of those film projects I have worked on:

The Cure (2014)
Director: Alex Gould
Role: Security Officer (Extra)

I feel very privileged to have worked with a chap named Ray Florenz Goldstein, sadly he passed away from cancer before our feature film work in The Cure was released. I hope that my future work will be things that I think he would approve of. One thing struck me is that he was a very giving person, giving of his time and advice - definitely one of those people who made an impact and gave me the confidence to keep moving forward. People in Wellington, New Zealand knew him as an extra actor - to me he was a superstar. It was very moving to see he made it into the promo for The Cure.

I decided to take my mother to the premier of The Cure, it had taken until I had reached 40 before my first film came out. I didn't know if or when I would do any other feature film acting, so I figured that if it took another 40 years for something to come to bare that my Mum wouldn't be alive to see it. She really enjoyed the experience and loved the film. I was particularly pleased with how it turned out, getting to act alongside John Bach was definitely something I will never forget.

Consent: The Louise Nicholas Story (2014) Director: Robert Sarkies
Role: Reporter (Extra)

This was a film that needed to be made, I particularly enjoyed working with cast and crew on this film. Although my role was very minor, I played the part of a reporter who had to hassle a couple of the lead actors. It amazed me how very into their roles the lead actors were, they were very intense and hard to make laugh, of course I tried to make them laugh and break from character but it didn't work.

Always The Bridesmaid (2014, Short)
Director: Stephen Riddell
Role: Erik Lindstrom (Lead)

Working on this short film was great fun, we had a young crew. In fact I was the old man on set. I really liked the dynamic between Lee (played by Frederick Pokai) and Erik, my role. We were able to throw in our own ideas and basically riff off one another. I have a lot of respect for Frederick as an actor, he made me think less selfishly about how I was to play my role. I decided early on that seeing as he was playing his role rather dramatically that I would subscribe to the less is more theory.

Erik I think says more with his facials than he does with words even, he is a misunderstood character. Essentially he has a good heart, but his wealth of experience has taught him that he has to watch how emotionally invested he is with things in life. I can relate to that. Originally when I auditioned, I didn't think I would get the job, I had a feeling that I was going to be told I was too young or that someone else I knew had got the job, but thought I would give it a crack anyway as I really liked the premise, the script was great too. I based my character partly on Russell Crowe and Clint Eastwood, although I would never put myself in their league as an actor. There's a subtle nod to Clint in the bathroom scene that I hope makes the final cut.

The Great Maiden's Blush (2015)
Director: Shane Loader
Role: Opera Patron

I just had a very small extra's role in this film, all I did was sit in the audience while this chap performed an opera, it was a lovely piece of music, very soothing. I knew a few of the other extras and we had a great time hanging out on. it was a privilege to be involved. I really liked the premise of the film and indeed could very much relate to it. In fact we shot this scene in the afternoon and then I had to leave and go and start work on "Always The Bridesmaid" that evening, so I literally left one shoot to head straight to the next one.

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