So yesterday I checked out casting director Wendy McKenzie's (Notorious) new casting seminar at Ripley Grier Studios and I gotta tell you fam...It was an awesome experience for me!
As luck (mine of course!) would have it, I was delayed at my previous appointment and wound up late for the seminar. Now I THINK Miss Wendy cut me a break (cuz she didn't chew me out) but I quickly found out that tardiness is one of her major pet peeves (lol...and mine too!) because she gave THE NEXT person who came in the rules of her seminar:
1. No Excuses (Mama ain't interested in WHY you were late!)
2. To Be Early is to be On Time.
3. To Be On Time is to be Late.
4. To Be Late is Unacceptable.
I LOVE IT!!!
Anyway, she invited down some guest speakers who graciously came up and spoke about their experiences in the entertainment business. Natori (3LW) who makes her movie debut as Lil Kim in the upcoming biopic on Notorious B.I.G., spoke about her experiences with her former group and how she overcame the crushing depression that comes with being unfairly booted from a successful project. Her story was very interesting and definitely struck a chord with me. I enjoyed her immensely. She also asked each participant to submit two questions to be asked during the seminar. She took the liberty of forwarding some of the questions to her partner Twinkie, who PROMPTLY ripped them to shreds if they weren't "on point".
She also had the packed room do various exercises and "cold read" for her. She gave us a glimpse of what goes on in the minds of casting directors when they are casting projects. She broke down some of the terminology for us and she forced us to delve deep down within ourselves to try and get out real emotions for the characters we are portraying. She did NOT take it well if you tried to BS your way through the exercise. Who KNEW that Miss Wendy could be a drill sargeant when it comes to her trade??? (lol...I found it absolutely refreshing and it's definitely the way I like to work...it's hard but invaluable!)
I found this seminar valuable because if you are kinda shy (yeah...I try to hide it too) and HATE auditioning like myself (and I really do believe that most people are) then you already know how hard it is to expose yourself as a human being in a room full of strangers to truly get in touch with your character. It takes extreme courage and determination to make it as an actor. To put yourself out in the open for constant criticism is NOT easy. Not at all.
For more info on Wendy McKenzie and her acting seminars check her out at:
If you are trying to get a foot in the biz...this seminar is NOT to be missed!
Thanks for the invite Wendy!
"Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you've got it made."
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