Yo yo yo yo. I'm taking an acting class. The first one was last night. It was fun. Some cool people in the class.
One thing in particular I wanted to blog about quickly.
Our first assignment was given to us last week. We were to come prepared with a 30-second commercial spot that they assigned us. There were three different spots. I was given the Bank X spot. The idea was to be filmed close up while you were giving a break up speech. It was supposed to be personal as if you were breaking up with a gf / bf, but it turns out you're "breaking up" with the bank. That was my task, and I came prepared. I memorized it and all.
The best part about it, however, was not the spot. It was that they had us write down our first impressions of our classmates as we watched them do their spot. It was supposed to be nice, positive things that you thought about when you saw them. It could be "cute, sexy, nerdy, reminiscent of Tina Fey." Something like that.
It was totally anonymous.
We have eight classmates. Here is what they said about Groundswell upon first seeing my mug close up...breaking up with them. (We didn't get the feedback until after the class ended.)
Classmate #1
Funny man
Careless
Go-with-the-flow kinda guy
Kinda animated (animated underlined)
Intensity is in the eyes & eyebros (that is how they spelled it, and eyes and eyebros is underlined)
Commands the camera
Classmate #2
Lovable looser (their spelling)
Sweet guy next door
The guy that always gets walked on
The adorable boyfriend
Classmate #3
Player - (you playwell)
Great eye contact
Classmate #4
"Every man"
Interesting speech pattern / tone: unique
Kinda like a Chandler Bing / Joey Tribbiani from "Friends" (cross between them)
Classmate #5
Speaks with eyes
Very boyish / boy next door
Expressive
Classmate #6
29-34
Discombobulated but nice office employee. Shows up late and is messy but very likeable.
Dorky police offices?
You look like a victim to me, I can see you getting broken up with and struggling along.
Classmate #7
29-31
Lovable boyfriend
Mid-west Chicago guy
Miller Lite punch line guy
Guy who you want to see win
Young husband
Likes dogs a lot
Classmate #8
Nice guy
Pizza guy
"Luke Wilson" type
College student - office worker type
That's all eight of them, and I love it. My favorite is Pizza Guy. Seriously? I feel like I should go into porn. "Pizza delivery for you...oh shit...where are my pants?"
Is Luke Wilson the one with the big nose? Or is that Owen? Either way...
How random is "Likes dogs a lot"?
It's pretty funny to read peoples first impressions as you're "breaking up" with them on screen. In general, it's usually pretty funny to hear peoples first impressions of you when you get to know them well and you share that stuff. I've never been in a situation like this where you don't know anyone and they tell you what they think of you based on your appearance. It was pretty interesting.
The best part of the actual class came later in the night when we were given a script from a "Medical Pilot" and were assigned either the "Intern" or the "Admissions Clerk." I got the intern. We got to make up their back story. Who were they, where were they in their profession, etc.
I decided to make mine an arrogant, playboy, intern who thought he was chief of the hospital, and for the first time ever, people got it. And loved it. The teachers loved it. The students loved it. Another student actually changed the way he played it to copy me.
We just ran through it once rehearsing it, and then we taped it. We'll bring it back in the third week when we'll have it memorized and more fully developed, but it was nice to finally be able to develop a character who had some depth to it.
The commercial stuff doesn't have any real depth to it. It's always so ludicrous and unrealistic that most of the time I have a hard time getting into it.
Overall, a great experience, and I'm looking forward to getting into it more. It brought me back to when I was ten years old, in fourth grade, and playing Mr. Zuckerman in our rendition of "Charlotte's Web" (which I basically wrote for the class). I loved it back then. I've wanted to act ever since, but have never had the cojones to do it. Well, I'm doing it.
Follow your heart. You'll end up where you're supposed to be.
Remember I said that kiddies.
Peace,
Groundswell
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