MORE MONOLOGUES!

Hey guys!  So, I just realized I added two more monologues to my YouTube page since that last time I wrote them out for you!  So, here they are:

Scream 4 - Jill
My friends? What world are you living in? I don't need friends. I need fans. Don't you get it? This has never been about killing you? It's about becoming you. I mean, for fuck's sake, my own mother had to die, no great loss there, so I could stay true to the original. That's sick, right? Well, sick is the new sane. You had your 15 minutes, now I want mine! I mean, what am I supposed to do? Go to college? Grad school? Work? Look around. We all live in public now, we're all on the Internet. How do you think people become famous any more? You don't have to achieve anything. You just gotta have fucked up-shit happen to you. So you have to die, Sid. Those are the rules. New movie, new franchise. There's only room for one lead, and let's face it, your ingenue days, they're over. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Anya
But I don’t understand. I don’t understand how this all happens. How we go through this. I mean I knew her, and then she’s, there’s just a body, and I don’t understand why she can’t just get back in it and not be dead anymore. It’s stupid. It’s mortal and stupid, and, and Xander crying and not talking, and I was having fruit punch and I thought, well, Joyce will never have any more fruit punch, ever. And she’ll never have eggs, or yawn, or brush her hair, not ever and no one will explain to me why.

Another Showcase!

Oh hey guys!  Happy Summer!

So for those of you who have read my blog before, you can skip past this paragraph.  But, if you haven't... Hi!  I'm Anna and I act a lot.  I go to these acting classes and occasionally I go on a showcase.  For those of you who don't know, a showcase in acting is basically an event you can go to where you and several other actors will sit in a room and listen to a certain agent, casting director, etc. talk about themselves and their company and, then, one by one you will meet with them separately and preform some sort of piece for them (it kinda depends on who you're meeting with... for example, if you're meeting with a commercial agent, you will prepare a commercial).  So yeah that's a showcase!

Well, I just went on another one!  Yay!  This one was also in NYC, but it was for a commercial agent from the FBI... no jk... from FBI (Frontier Booking International).  So, I drove up to NYC with the family, went to a theater like place, sat in a small room, listened to the commercial agent speak, did my commercial for her, and left on my merry way.  Sounds good right?  Yeah, nothing's ever that simple.  Actually, long story short, I got the wrong address for the showcase, so me and two others, who also got it all mixed up, had to walk for like ten minutes in the city on a really super hot day to get to the place it was actually being held.   As it turns out, one of the people who missed the memo with me was the agent!  Oops.  That can go either way for me, because I got extra time to talk to her on our longgggg walk to the next building, but TECHNICALLY I mixed up the places, so that looks unprofessional... yikes.


Anyway, the actual showcase went great!  I was really happy with the experience and it turned out to be really really fun for me.  I'm not sure whether or not she liked me enough to contact me, but, that's the thing about showcases, however it turns out for you, it's an experience to learn from!



So, I am going to impart my knowledge on you... muhahahaha... If you've read my blog before, I did a post on showcases before with some really super stellar info that would've been really nice to know the first time I did a showcase, so I suggest going back to read that.  In this one, I will cover some things I didn't talk about in that one.  So, here you are friends, a list of things to know for a showcase (or really any type of thing where you are going to try to impress somebody with your mad acting skills):

1) Appearance... Apparently, you shouldn't wear black and/or white.  What?  I know.  Why can't anything just be easy?  Because, it's not.  I guess certain colors like black and white and gray and stuff make you look "washed out."  You want to wear things that will make you stand out, like brighter colors or prettier colors.  UNLESS YOU'RE TOLD OTHERWISE.  Though, the most important thing is to look like yourself and make sure you aren't wearing anything that takes away from your beautiful talent!

2) Preparation.  Be prepared!  You should have all the information you need about the showcase at least a week before it happens.  Otherwise, you won't feel like you are prepared for it and that will mess you up.  You obviously need to prepare your headshot, resume, and whatever you will be preforming, but you should also prepare a bag of things, especially if you are traveling far away.  Example?  Hairbrush, extra headshot/resume, extra pair of clothes (yikes to coffee stains), food, water, and anything you could possibly think of needing.  It also wouldn't hurt to look up information about the agency/agent/whatever you are preforming for.  As it weird as it sounds, knowing what you are getting into makes it less scary.  You want to make this process as easy as you can on yourself.  Being prepared will help you relax, so all you will have to do is act prettily!

3) CHECK YOUR EMAIL!  For goodness sake man, check the email!  Check it!  No seriously, verify a hundred times over that your information is correct.  If your like me, you'll be prepared in advance and ready to go... but, these things are always subject to random changes or misunderstood information.  Basically, problems will almost always arise.  So, just make sure you check your email the night before and the morning of to make sure no one has changed anything up on y'all.





Well, I don't have much else to say that I haven't already blogged about... Oh, except this:  Don't get upset if you mess up or things don't go so well!  Don't get discouraged!  It get's better and easier every single time you do it and, before long, you'll be going to these types of things with mad swag and total confidence!  So keep on keepn' on folks and remember to always be yourself!  :)

Yay inspirational picture!  Thanks for reading another blog post and I hope to talk to you soon <3

Advanced Acting Class 2

Cute bunny hehe.

Hey guys!

So, this picture is relevant, because I had my next acting class and it was WACKY.

We had to act like animals!!!

Okay, let me explain.

My acting teacher likes to give us all kinds of fun and embarrassing acting exercises.  He tells us that he doesn't do it so he can have a good laugh and make fun of us... and I wouldn't believe that if this method didn't work, but it actually kind of does.

Whenever you're acting, you're going to have to be able to portray a certain character, and there are numerous ways to do this.  The one we learned in class this time was the animal method.  Basically, you look at your character and you think "hmmmm what (if any) animal does this character remind me of?"  For example, a devious and sneaky character may be like a snake, an angry and intense one may be like a wolf, or a jumpy and hyper one may be like a squirrel.  Once you chose your animal, think of what that animal does and how it acts (like a wolf prowls, growls, and attacks people... scary) .  Take in those characteristics and think about how you can display them in little ways, like facial expressions, movements, and voices.  Again, a wolf may have a low, growling voice, stare people down, etc.  Keep that all in mind and try acting out a scene or a monologue.  You would be surprised at how much it changes the way you act.

The goal with this method isn't to see who can act like an animal best... in fact, you shouldn't even be acting like and animal, you should be acting like a person with some subtle animal characteristics.  This method actually works with other things too, like colors or weather.  Basically, you are drawing emotions and traits from things that you can observe.  It really centers your acting and gives you a solid thing to focus on while trying to develop a character.

It's definitely not for everyone.  Making animal noises and movements in front of everyone in my class was certainly not my cup of tea, but I have to say that it's a useful method that will surely come in handy one day. Having a lot of methods in your head is good because you will always have ways to deal with scenes or monologues, even if they are really hard to handle.

Well, that's it guys :)  Thank you for reading!  And, as always, if you have any questions feel free to mail me! Thanks <3 :)

Advanced Acting Class 1

Hey there :) 

So, the best thing happened to me the other day... Acting classes started up again!  In case you didn't know, I take acting classes at LaGuardia Acting Studio with the best teacher and the best people :)  This time, I started an advanced adult acting class.  It's basically a more serious version of what I was doing before.

On our first day, we each got a line on a piece of paper (mine was really gross) that we had to read normally and then with a certain emotion.  Next, we did scenes naturally and then with a certain scenario in mind.   And then we played with puppets.... okay let me explain.

The lesson this class that we really focused on was this: SUBTEXT.  Subtext is kind of like the meaning behind the words your saying.  Words and phrases can mean completely different things depending on what context you use them in.  For example, if you're with you're friend and you answer their question with "Yeah," it's going to sound relatively normal.  But, if you're mad at someone, you'd answer that question angrily and then you'd probably kick them or something.  Either way, you can see how the same word or phrase can have a different meaning.  

The important thing in acting is to read the scene naturally with the feelings and experience of the character in mind.  YES, this means that you do have to read the lines between yours.  Pay attention to what's happening in that character's life, how he/she is really feeling, and what is really meant behind the words being said.  Then, apply that knowledge in you emotion while acting.  

Anyhow, that's what the lines on paper and scenes were supposed to teach us to do and help us practice...  Though, I don't really know what the puppets were for... Actually, they're just creepy.  But, we get a good laugh ;)

Well, that's it for now!  I will be sure to post after my next acting class to fill you in.  Keep checking out the blog for more info and, as always, feel free to comment or mail me for questions/comments/random babble :) Thanks for reading!  <3 

Posted a new video on my YouTube channel!  It's me singing and playing guitar to cover Paramore's Only Exception!  Check it out? ;D  Thanks guys!  Feel free to mail me with anything of yours and I will return the favor :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSPXZs2_QLY

SHOWCASE 1

Hey guys!  So, the other day I went to a showcase in NYC for Avalon Artists Talent Agency with my acting class.  A showcase, in case you don't know, is an opportunity to show a talent agent or casting director your mad skills.  Usually, you will prepare a scene, monologue, or commercial (depending on who you are showcasing for), and after a short information session with the group, everyone goes one-by-one into a room to preform their selections.

So, anyway, I'd like to share with you what I learned from the experience and give you some tips on how to deal with it:

1) It's a lot simpler then I thought.  You actually do just go in, preform, and leave.  It takes like literally ten minutes.

2) Usually you and the agent will be alone in the room.  No parents, no friends, no coach, no fellow actors, in my experience, it's just you.  Which, in my opinion, really takes the pressure off.  No one is watching your performance but the one person who needs to see it.

3) There is a sort of "information session" in the beginning of the showcase.  This is basically a five minute period where the agent brags about their agency and then opens the floor to questions.  My advice = have some questions prepared.  You don't NEED to ask any questions, and I'm sure it won't make or break you, but I think they like hearing the questions their potential employees have, after all it is their job to provide the information.
 
4) YOU CAN USE YOUR PAPER!  What??? But, you were taught to have everything always perfectly memorized.  Yes, if you can memorize it, DO IT.  It puts you very far ahead of everyone who didn't and shows you are responsible and willing to work hard.  But, the agent I showcased for actually suggested I use the paper.  Using the paper allows you to focus less on the lines and more on the feeling.  My advice here is to bring the paper just in case.  Keep it in your bag.  If you think you'll choke, use it.  If the person mentions you can use the paper, it will be right there waiting for you.  Better safe then sorry.

5) The bag mentioned before?  Yeah.  Bring one!  Odds are, you're traveling enough of a distance where you aren't going to be able to simply go home for a new shirt when you spill coffee on your current one.  Get a medium sized bag and make it your acting bag, because you can use it for auditions, showcases, shows, and all that jazz.  Suggestions for things to put in it:  A snack, a water bottle, A HAIRBRUSH, an extra outfit, a cell phone charges, extra contacts/glasses, a copy of any paperwork you may need, and mint chewing gum.  Now, 'm a perfectionist, so that's only half of what I bring, but that should be enough to get you through.

6) Information.  Okay.  I might be dumb for getting confused about this, but I want to take fives seconds to go over the information you need to bring.  You need your head-shot and resume.  Your head-shots should be 8 x 10 and you should print your resume out on a separate sheet of paper, cut it to those dimensions, and staple it to the back.  And please PLEASE do not get all the way to the building just to realize you didn't cut your resume or staple it.  ... Pshhhhh, no I didn't do that... Just throwing it out there... It's not pretty.  Point is, be prepared.

7) It's okay to mess up.  Alright, if you go in there and forget your name and can't speak, that's probably not good, but little mess ups are okay.  Look, this person you're auditioning for is a human being.  They might work for some awesome agency that you would do anything to be a part of, but, and I kid you not, the person sitting in the room with you is a living, breathing person just like you.  They're just doing their job and you're just doing yours, so just go in there with the notion that you're just helping each other out.  Be comfortable and be yourself.  If you stumble on words or you forget your lines or you have to start over a few times, it's okay.  Just take a breath and move on.  If you mess up, you mess up.  No big deal.

8) Stay positive.  I know, with all of the auditions, showcases, and submissions, it feels like you're not getting what you signed up for.  It's like you have to do all of this extra work and your banging your head against a wall constantly to do it, because that's how you get into the acting business.  My acting coach asked me if I was nervous before the last showcase I had.  Uh, duh.  But, he told me something that I don't think I'll ever forget.  He said, "You just have to remember how much you love acting."  And it's true.  If you keep in mind that all of this work is part of what you love to do, it almost makes it okay.  Just remember, things are going to fall in place when they are meant to.   So, there is no need to be mad at yourself for messing up or forgetting something.  Go in there, do your best, leave, hope for the best, and move on.

Well, I think that's all the knowledge I can pass about this subject for now.  I'm not going to lie, it was nerve racking and stressful and I definitely screwed up more times then I'll admit, but going to a showcase, doing something to further my career by even just this little step, it made me feel really awesome.  I'm currently signed up for 3 more showcases so far this Summer.  Practice makes perfect, and you never know when something's going to work out in your favor.

So, if you're planning on hacking away at your career this Summer, JTC.  If you have any questions, pleases feel free to let me know or comment on a post.  Good luck and remember, dreams come true everyday, so maybe, one of these days, yours will, too:).

Monologue

Hi!  So, as you know, I have a YouTube channel with many many videos of me doing monologues on it.  Well, people are always messaging me to get the monologues I do (always feel free too: annamariejeanw@aol.com even if it's just that you need help finding a monologue to do).  So, I decided to type out all the monologues on my channel right now for you guys to try yourselves if you want!  I provided a link to my video below each one if you want to see how it's preformed!  Enjoy!

Imagine it's a coupe of years ago, the summer between seventh and eighth grade.  You're tan from lying out next to your rock-lines pool, you've got on your new Juicy sweats (remember when everybody wore those?), and your mind's on your crush, the boy who goes to that other prep school whose name we won't mention and who folds jeans at Abercrombie in the mall.  You're eating your Cocoa Krispies just how you like 'em-soused in skim milk- and you see the girl's face on the side of the milk carton.  MISSING.  She's cute-probably cuter than you- and you bet she'd think Abercrombie boy was a hottie as well.  You wonder how someone so... well... someone so much like you went missing.  You thought only girls who entered beauty pageants ended up on the sides of milk cartons.  Well, think again.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6QyiuvqDHQ

Bless me father for I have sinned... You see, lately I've been having impure thoughts about... Um... actually, I haven't been doing very well lately.  This is... the first time I've been in a church since my mom died.  I think about her everyday.  I just... I wonder what she would say to me right now if she could see me and how I've been living.  And I wonder if she knows that most days, I fall short of being the person that she wanted me to be.  Or... I wonder if she saw me do that line of coke last week.  And the thing is... I don't even know why I did it.  You know, my life is pretty good, it is.  Um... but... I was just searching for something to make it great.  Something to make it matter.  So... I don't know, I guess last week when I had the chance to change that and it was... it was right there in front of me, I guess I was just scared to let that go.  Um... but I know it was wrong.  And I want my mom to know that and um... I want her to know that I am not that person.  And I'm not going to be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox4t1l4Qcew

Funny , cause I look around at this world your so eager to be a part of.. and all I see is 6 billion lunatics looking for the fastest ride out. Who's not crazy? Look around. Everyone's drinking, smoking, shooting up, or shooting each other, or just plain screwing their brain outs cause they don't want them anymore. I'm crazy. Honey, I'm the original one-eyed chicklet in the kingdom of the blind, cause at least I admit the world makes me nuts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0CXuJGJ4kU

Why should Caesar get to stomp around like a giant while the rest of us try not to get smushed under his big feet? What's so great about Caesar? Hm? Brutus is just as cute as Caesar. 'K, Brutus is just as smart as Caesar. People totally like Brutus just as much as they like Caesar. And when did it become okay for one person to be the boss of everybody, huh? Because that's not what Rome is about. We should totally just stab Caesar!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3BHtIpKI3w

No, you listen. You turned out to be exactly who I thought you were. I never pretended to be somebody else. It's been me all along. And it was me who was hurt in front of everybody. Look, I didn't come here to yell at you, okay? I know what it feels like to be afraid to show who you are. I was. But not anymore. And the thing is, I don't care what people think about me... because I believe in myself. And I know that things are gonna be okay. But even though I have no family, and no job, and no money for college... it's you that I feel sorry for.  I know that guy that sent those emails is somewhere inside of you, but, I can't wait for him... because waiting for you is like waiting for rain in this drought. Useless and disappointing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4frYAuMwO0

 Do you remember sneaking over here the first time you told me about this place? I got home late that evening, and my parents were furious when I finally came in. I can still picture my daddy standing in the living room, my mother on the sofa, staring straight ahead. I swear, they looked as if a family member had died. That was the first time my parents knew I was serious about you, and my mother had a long talk with me later that night. She said to me,"Sometimes, our future is dictated by who we are, not what we want." And I know it was wrong of her to keep your letters from me, but just try to understand. Once we left, she probably thought it would be easier for me to just let go. In her mind, she was trying to protect my feelings, and she probably thought the best way to do that was to hide the letters you sent. Not that any of it matters, now that I have Lon. He's handsome, charming, successful. He's kind to me, he makes me laugh, and I know he loves me in his own special way...but there's always going to be something missing in our relationship -- the kind of love we had that summer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DEq_myMmp8

That's it, though I'll add more soon!  Make sure you have fun with these monologues, that's what they're for! Make them your own!  If you ever need any help working on a monologue or finding one or starting a YouTube channel for them, feel free to contact me or comment!  Either way, good luck and have fun.  TTYL :)

Acting Class 4

Hey guys!  So, last time in acting class, our teacher gave  us a list of accents to learn and practice for class this week: British, Australlian, Russian, and Boston.  After long, arduous hours of research, and many days driving my family and friends crazy with accents, I think I finally got them to the point where I don't completely suck! :D

So, I thought I'd go over some of the main characteristics of these accents on this blog.

Let's start with British.  The largest part of the British accent is a heavy enunciation on consonants.  Sometimes, when two or more vowels are put together in a word, an extra syllable is added (like in the word road).  Sometimes, letters are over emphasized in words (such that been would sound more like bean)  Most important to the accent, though, are these rules:
"U" is pronounced "Ew"
"H" is never dropped
"T" is dropped all together, with few exceptions

Australian actually sounds a lot like a British accent (because Australia has British roots), but a bit flatter and more sloppy.   A big part of the accent is that you put a large emphasis and stress on the vowels, rather then the rest of the letters in the word and sentence.  The sentences spoken in this accent are fluid and rise up at the end (like you're asking a question).  When speaking, you should utilize your whole mouth (cheeks, tongue, and lips), so that it seems the words are being "chewed."  Some examples of sound change from English to Australian are as follows:
"A" will become "Ah" or "Ay"  
"E" will become "Ee"
"I" will become "Ee" or "Eye"
"O" will become "Aw" or "Ew"
"U" will become "Uh"
"Er" when ending a word, will become just "A"
"G" and "E" when ending a word, will be cut out

The Russian accent is a monotonous accent, so when you speak it, try to stay level with your words.  Also keep in mind that Russians do not use as many articles or prepositions.  So, while you might say "I am going to my friend's house," they might say "I go to friend's house."  Remember:
"W" is pronounced as "V"
"U" becomes kind of an "A" sound
The "H" is pronounced with emphasize
The "R" is rolled

Last, but not least, we have the Boston accent.  The Boston is, in my opinion, the most difficult to prefect, because since it is spoken in America, it is very easy to slip back into the way you would normally say words.  But remember these tips:
The most important rule for a Boston accent is that "R" becomes "AH" (I'm sure you've all heard the "Go Pahk youah cah at Havahd meang Go Park your car at Havard.)
"O" becomes more of an "Aw" sound
The hardest part of this accent is knowing where to put the "R" back in.  It usually goes in between two words, especially if you have removed an "R" from the first one.  Otherwise, it's just random.

Okay, well I think that's it for accents today.  I hope my descriptions helped but if you still aren't getting the hang of it, use Youtube, movies, TV, or everyday interaction to actually hear people who use these accents.  With lots of research and practice, you should be able to pick it up.

Thanks for reading my blog again and good luck with the accents!

Advertising!

<a href="http://www.buzzerhut.com"
title="promote blog at buzzerhut.com"><img src="http://www.buzzerhut.com/images/widgetimages/buzzerhut1.gif" /></a>

Advertising my blog!

Well, as long as I'm advertising mine, I might as well give you some tips...

Advertising is easier then most people think!  There are so many websites out there for you to use, especially for blogging.  For instance, I am using http://www.buzzerhut.com/.  These websites make it easy for you to advertise your blog and check out other blogs.

Speaking of other blogs, you can use them for advertising too.  Find a blog with your particular subject matter (for instance, I would search theater and acting blogs) and read them.  When you're done, you can comment on what you think of their blog and leave a link to your own!  It's good to help other people out too.

You can also use social media.  Do you have a Facebook?  A Twitter?  Tumbler?  YouTube? Then, you're all set.  Just post a link to your blog on these sites and ask your friends to check it out and tell their friends.

To connect this back into acting, all of these advertising techniques can be used for that too.  Join some casting websites (like the ones on the sidebar), post your story on twitter (like Taylor Swift), or, and I can't stress this enough, USE YOUTUBE.  Do you know how many people get discovered on YouTube?  A lot.  It's crazy.  For my Twilight Saga fans BooBoo Stewart (Seth Clearwater) got a very big fan base from his YouTube videos that ultimately led to his enormous success.  But, no matter what you use, you are building connections and, most importantly, a fan base, just by sharing your experiences with people.

It's a very connected world we live in.  Use that to your full advantage.  A lot of people have succeeded by using media.

Well, thanks for reading!  See y'all soon :)

Acting Class 3

So, last week for acting class we were asked to make up our own characters using a technique of acting.  In this technique, we were supposed to think of a character and answer really in depth questions about them (like where does she work?  what's her favorite color? what's her deepest fear?  what's her favorite memory? etc.) Basically, we were supposed to be thinking like our character to answer the questions.

With these back stories in mind, we came in and told the class a little bit about ourselves (as the character).  Then, we did scenes normally and then with the character we chose in mind.  It was funny to see the difference a  well developed character can make in your acting.  It adds a whole other level to what your feeling and thinking, and subsequently makes your acting better.

So, that's all we did this week, but my blog for next week should be fun (we are doing accents)!

What's your favorite method for acting?

Thanks for reading another blog and tune in again soon!

Coming up: blog post about the Oscars ;)

Acting Class 2

The picture to the left is from the movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape, in which a young man, Gilbert, is left to care for his brother Arnie and his mother, a task which somewhat holds him back from moving on with his life (for a more accurate description go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What's_Eating_Gilbert_Grape).


Why is this relevant?  Gilbert's brother in the movie, Arnie, suffered from a mental disorder.  As you can imagine, this was a difficult thing to portray for young actor, Leonardo DiCaprio.  This is the basis of what we learned in acting class today. 

Last week, my teacher told us to look up one of these choices and study people with it: deaf, Cerebral Palsy, bad stutter, Parkinson's disease, drunk, or Tourettes Syndrome.  All of those afflictions on that list are very very very difficult things to portray as an actor.  You really have to study the physical/mental/vocal aspects of each disorder to get it right, which required A LOT of research on our parts. 

We all came in today with our research in  mind and acted out scenes as if we had the disorder.  It was REALLY hard.  I picked a bad stutter, and, even with all the research I did, it was hard to stay in character while trying to bring out this disorder.  You also have to keep in mind while doing this is that you're portraying a person who actually has a disorder, and you should do it with respect, not cruel intentions (haha that movie was pretty good).  But, I totally encourage you all to try it.  It's a way of acting that I would have never thought of, and I feel like it really broadened my ability.  

That's all we did in class today, it was pretty hard work.  If you try the activity, let me know how it went for you and what you think of it. 

Had to throw that in =>

Thanks for reading again guys and tune in next time for another exciting (well, at least semi-entertaining) blog!  

Monologues for my Monoblog

Hi guys!  So, this is a pretty short one today.  When I do monologues for my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/annamariejean?feature=mhee ... yeah I just plugged that ;)) or just for fun, I like to do cool modern ones.  I mean, the ones we do for auditions or professional things are good and all, but, I want to be on TV and in movies, so, I really like to do monologues from shows or movies that I like.  Well, that's great and all, but they are SO hard to find sometimes.  So, I thought I'd share the ones I found with you so you can do less Googling and more acting ;) :

The Hunger Games: http://dmwiki.reedschools.org/users/cagotz/weblog/d569f/
One Tree Hill: http://www.whysanity.net/monos/one_tree_hill.html
Mean Girls: http://www.monologuedb.com/comedic-female-monologues/mean-girls-regina-george/
The Notebook: http://www.whysanity.net/monos/notebook.html
How I Met Your Mother: http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/09/marshalls-burger-monologue-how-i-met-your-mother.html
The Dark Knight: http://www.whysanity.net/monos/dark_knight3.html
Dawson's Creek: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080106160559AAkJtsE
Twilight: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081212181144AAG2f65
The Vampire Diaries: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110518115554AAWaCgn
Easy A: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111029163619AAwAqD6


Okay, well my copy and paste buttons are getting tired, so that's all I'll post on this blog.  But, if you're ever looking for a monologue from a show or movie you like, or just a good monologue to do, feel free to ask me and I'll get it for you.  Thanks for reading the blog again!  My question for you: If you have any favorite monologues, what are they and how do you find them?  Come back soon :)

Acting Class 1

Hey guys!  So, I go to acting classes once a week (currently every Monday) for about an hour.  In my opinion, it's not enough time.  I love it so much.  I've been going for about two years now and basically we do  monologues, scenes, and a whole bunch of really wacky stuff.  I thought it might be fun to blog about my acting class when I get home every Monday so I can share what I learned with you guys.  Here it goes...

Today, the guy who runs the class asked us what film genre was considered to have the worst acting.  Take a guess.  If you guessed horror, you are right.  Apparently, actors and actresses in the horror industry have a bad rap for... well... sucking.  I don't know about you, but I've seen a lot of good horror movies with good acting in them, so I was a bit confused.  Basically, he explained that, unless your pulling out real emotions, your acting is going to suck, and if your acting sucks and you don't feel the emotion behind it, neither will your audience.  I think this was a good topic to bring up.  All of us have different methods to acting, whether it be imitating others, imagining ourselves in the situation, or so on, but, no matter what, we should always be feeling real emotions about the scene we are doing.  A good way to test this in yourself, which is what we did today, is to do a scene or monologue that's  horror based.  Before you start it, though, you have to think of something that really scares you, your biggest fear, and bring that out in the scene you are doing.  Here's a good monologue to try for a girl or a boy (technically it's written for a girl but, don't worry, anyone can do it).

http://www.whysanity.net/monos/blair.html




Whether you do this one or you pick your own, the point is the same.  If you felt genuine fear while doing it, you got it right.  If not, really try to pull whatever scares you into your head and let it effect your emotions.  Hard stuff, but it makes for good acting.


Well, I hope that was a little informative.  If it wasn't entertaining enough, I'll tell you what our "warm up" was.  We had to make a dating video, but we had to be really weird people that no one would ever want to date.  You can imagine that in a class full of spazzes, that was pretty funny.  But, it is an interesting idea for a party game...

My question for you today is:  Is it easy or hard for you to pull up emotions while acting and do you have any techniques that makes it easier?

Anyhow, thanks for reading again!  I'll be posting pretty frequently about random things and I will post every Monday about my acting classes.  Thanks for reading and I will talk to you later! :)

How They Made It

Hi guys!  I thought I’d start things off by talking about something that has always interested me as an actress:  How other actors and actresses made it in the business.  Everyone has their own story and background and I always thought it was smart to learn what other people did to get where they wanted to be so I could learn from them.  Every single working actor and actress out there right now has had to get from where they were to where they are now somehow, and my question is: How?  Well, if your anything like me, you’re curios too.  So, I've compiled a few popular actors and actress to show you the different ways that they’ve made it to success.    

One way to break in that pretty much guarantees you a good shot in the industry is having parents or friends who already have a foot in the door.  Here, we look at Chris Pine, most known for his role as Captain Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek, or, for my not so star trek savvy audience, the voice of Jack Frost in Rise of the Guardians.   He comes from a whole bundle of connections.  His grandparents were both super involved in Hollywood and, as a result, their daughter, Gwynne Gilford, became an actress.  She married Robert Pine, also an actor, and they had two children, Chris and Katherine Pine, who both became actors, as well.  Long story short, Chris was pretty much born right into the industry.  
 Another example of major connections is our talented, yet very connected, Troian Bellisario, an actress most known for her role as Spencer on the ABC Family hit Pretty Little Liars.  Troian saw her film debut at the age of three in the movie Last Rites.  Three-years-old and she was acting in her first movie.  Why?  Her parents, Donald P. Bellisario and Deborah Pratt, are both producers.  So, her career as an actress was pretty sealed. 




What about Jennifer Lawrence, the actress who is most known for her role of Katniss in the Hunger Games?  Where did she come from?  Jennifer was actually born in Kentucky, pretty far away from any serious acting work.  So, what did she do?  She decided she was going to graduate high school two years early so she could start her acting career.  From there, she spent a summer in New York, where she was discovered.  Jennifer said, “My mom and I were watching street dancing and some guy asked if he could take my picture. That picture got around to all these acting and modeling agencies, and when we went home to Kentucky I begged my parents every single day to let me try it,” (Wall Street Journal).  Basically, she went to NYC and got her face out there until someone decided to give her a shot.  She started by acting in small roles and then, finally, she landed a few big ones that would end up making her name.    

Jennifer’s counterpart in the Hunger Games, Josh Hutcherson, also has a pretty interesting story.  Josh’s film debut came when he was eleven-years-old, playing a big role in American Splendor.  After that, his acting career exploded, acting in big movies like Kicking and Screaming, Little Manhattan, Zathura, Bridge to Terabithia, and so on.  That’s a pretty big career for someone who only started acting when he was nine.  But, from four-years-old, Josh told his parents he wanted to become an actor.  So, he got into a local agency in Kentucky.  His acting coach told him that he should go to California for “pilot season.”  So, what did he do?  When he was nine-years old, his family picked up and moved to LA .  There, he landed himself a few small roles which would launch his career. 



Emma Stone, an actress who’s been in a wide variety of movies from Easy A to The Help, has a similar story.  At the age of fifteen she had been acting in small play groups her whole life and finally decided to make it a career.  Apparently, she made a power point presentation to her mom to pitch the idea of moving to Hollywood so she could become famous.  It worked.  Jealous?  I am.  She and her mother moved to LA and she auditioned and auditioned until she finally landed a small role that, like all of the other actors and actresses, would launch her career.  

So, what if your parents aren’t going to move to LA anytime soon and you have absolutely no connections?  Then, you’re like Josh Radnor, the actor who plays Ted on How I Met Your Mother.  Josh always loved acting, but he was on the college-bound path and put most of his focus into his education.   He finished high school and when it came time for him to pick a college, he decided he wanted to go for performance.  He got into an acting program at Kenyon College where he graduated with a B.A. in drama and then went on to receive his Master of Fine Arts degree for acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.   When he got out of college, he used his education and connections he made there to start his career, writing screenplays and auditioning for roles until, finally, his hard work paid off and he landed the lead role in a very popular TV series.    


Deborah Ann Woll, most known for her role of Jessica on True Blood had a similar story.  She was always involved in performing, taking acting, piano, and dance classes while attending high school.  After her high school education she went off to get her BFA in the USC School of Theatre.  During her studies at USC, she auditioned a lot in the area and actually landed a bunch of small roles, making her television debut in 2007.  Eventually, these small roles grew bigger and she landed her first big role on True Blood.  


So, what if you finished high school, but you need to start your acting career and college just isn’t your thing?  This is probably the most common pathway for actors and actresses to take.  Adrianne Palicki, for example, most known for the role of Tyra on Friday Night Lights.  She finished high school and realized that she wanted her primary focus to be on acting.  So, instead of going to college, Adrianne went to LA.  Here, she worked in a sandwich shop and pursued her acting career, going to auditions and sending in to agencies in the area.  Eventually, she scored small roles in shows like South Beach and Popstar, and, thus, her career began.



Ian Somerhalder, better known as Damon in the CW hit the Vampire Diaries, also jumped from high school into acting.  At ten-years-old, Ian started modeling (a great way to get connections in the industry by the way), but put it on hold to focus on schoolwork and sports in high school, until a few years later, when he was offered the chance to model in Europe.  But, by the age of seventeen, he was back and in New York.  He decided then to start seriously studying acting and, by nineteen, he was already working with an acting coach and pursuing his career.  Luckily for him, he landed the extra role of a life time.  In a crowd of four-hundred other people, Ian was spotted by a talent agent who immediately signed him.  Let that be a lesson that no extra role is too small if you’re as good looking as Ian Somerhalder. 

Well, that’s it for me.  Besides giving some very interesting and helpful info, the point I was trying to make in this first blog is that no matter where you come from, no matter what background or family or life or story, you can do what you love and succeed in it.  People all over the country are doing what they love to do because, one way or another, they worked for it and they believed they could do it, and they did.  The actors and actress I talked about in this blog stood out to me as people who worked with what they had in life to get to where they are today.  They inspire me to do the same with my life.   So my questions for you guys are as follows:  What’s your story?  What’s your plan to succeed in life?   What are some stories or people that inspire you? I hope you liked my first blog post!  Tune in soon to see my next one, I’ll be posting pretty frequently.  Thank you so much for reading and I can’t wait to read your comments J!