Slow week

Last week I had three auditions. Just a word of advice - if you ever get an eco-cast audition through Actors Access, don't try to do it on your iPad. The uploader is flash and is not supported on iOS devices, causing a very stressful auditioning process when your perfect take is on that iPad. It just takes too much time to memorize sides, do makeup, do the work, get the right clothing for the part, and then not be able to actually submit your audition tape. UGH. Lesson learned. My class has about 4 more classes of superlatives before we move on to our third and finale First Year SCENES!!!!!! Ahhh - I am so excited to see what scenes we get and how we are cast in them!!! After scenes we are going to spend about a class or two on impediments, and then the First Year of Meisner is OVER! Talk about a crazy fast year. I can see how far we all have come over the past several months, and it is truly incredible. I guess I can't say for myself, as I don't watch myself act and can't compare to myself now vs prior to the training, but I can say for everyone else in class, the transformations have been phenominal! We are all looking forward to what amazing actors Second Year turns us into. I am such a night owl. It's nearing 3:30 in the morning and I don't want to go to sleep. I have been dead tired for like two hours now and I've been fighting it. must....not....sleep....(but really, I really really should...like negative now.) But all I wanna do is sit here with my Love Story scented Scentsy warming...and my Colbie Caillat Pandora station playing...and read all my kindle books related to the acting business, and the craft...and read my Book of Mormon...and write out circumstances and back pocket objectives, and make a list of Preset knocks, and superlative activities...and just plain enjoy the simple little relaxing setting I set up for myself. It's not often that I feel super girly. But this is one of those nights, and I just want to enjoy it, darn it! Ok well as much as I hate to say it, for the sake of my sanity tomorrow, I guess I will head off to bed. Goodnight, all! xoxo

My how things change

hello everybody! Allow me to apologize in advance, as my iPad keyboard has been acting up this evening and my shift key wants to only sometimes work, meaning there may be some letter not capitalized that should be. Anyhow, i did not hear back concerning my first audition that i last wrote about, however for my second audition, I was cast right on the spot! It is called A Mother's Touch, and I am Emily, a quirky, goofy friend of the lead. The CD told me I was perfect for the part, and upon filming i was told by the crew that I 'sold it' and 'you are HILARIOUS' - two things I very much love to hear!! I was certainly a bit nervous as I did not know how it would go, as I certainly was goofy. I just received an email that it will be screening this coming Saturday - YAY so exciting!!! I had another audition yesterday, which I feel went well. I haven't heard anything regarding a callback just yet, which is always a bit disappointing, however I fully believe that if I am not called back in, it will not be bc I did not do well...I felt very connected to it...so I really truly believe that I am not the best match for the role. Of course, I hope I receive an email late tonight asking me to come back in tomorrow, but if I don't, I know I did my best!! I did receive a couple of small redirections for the first scene (there were two) and before leaving I was asked whether I play soccer or could kick a ball around, and how I feel about some of the physical aspects of the film (both of which I am fine with)...I like to think I was asked these questions bc they were considering me for the part, but nothing I am spending much time thinking about, bc as Bonnie Gillespie would say, it's all actor mind taffy!! Oh and another awesome thing - my coach has been making it a note to tell me lately how amazing it is that I have such a great gut instinct. That is a really great thing to have when acting, and I am so grateful!! I have another audition Friday - woooop!! And I received another alert asking whether I am avail Fri afternoon and if I have specific clothes I could wear to shoot...now, this second alert is casting off headshots, however the problem is the person who contacted me did not provide me with any contact information to be able to reply! I ended up looking his name up online and looking for an email address that way. I found one, but the problem is that I don't know whether I emailed the right person. But hey it was worth a shot, right?? I recently bought a book The Eight Characters of Comedy, written by Scott Sedita. This is one book I have not been able to put down!! It is a guide for sitcom writing and acting, and I absolutely love it. I can recognize the characters in each sitcom I watch, and have become familiar with looking for and recognizing the way the jokes are written. Absolutely amazing how I have been watching sitcoms my entire life and never picked up on the pattern in which these shows are written, and the familiarity between the characters from show to show to show. This is something I am very excited about! If you are an actor and interested in getting into sitcoms, or if you are a writer thinking of doing the same, I absolutely hands down recommend this book. Funny enough, my coach just wrote an article yesterday on prepping for an audition, and she mentioned recognizing which character you are of the 8 characters of comedy (if auditioning for a comedic piece) Good info to know, people! Also, it's available on Kindle. Just sayin ;) Upon speaking with my acting coach regarding sitcom classes after graduation, she said there will be no need to take them, as the training I am currently in will suffice. SPEAKING OF WHICH!!! Graduation!!! Holy moly - our guest speaker was not an alum of the studio, however his cousin is. Anyway, our guest speaker was TOM CRUISE!!! Mad respect. He spoke from his heart. He was real. And truthful. And inspiring. And I cannot say enough about how incredible it was to have him talk to us about perseverance. About loving what you do, and learning as much as you can about the entire process. I am so thankful to be a part of such an amazing studio. I am so entirely grateful to be able to live in Los Angeles, and to do what I love. It is tough, because I am broke. I am not currently getting paid for what I do. I drive so very far and sit in hours of traffic to go to and audition that I might not gain anything but auditioning experience from (That's a great thing to get though!). I am so very lost in the business aspect of show business - but I am learning! I am reading what I can, and watching webinars, and networking, and doing all that I know how to do in order to succeed. And I AM THANKFUL! (Hm, why do I suddenly crave Cafe Gratitude? :P ) Those are my latest updates! If you are interested in hearing from me more often, feel free to follow me on Twitter! @SarahSavin . Ciao!!!

Headshots, audition, workouts and such

Happy mid-July, everyone!! Here is a little update on my end - I re-joined The Actors' Network last month, and attended several events at the studio, which included a few guest speakers. I am so sad that the studio has now closed, but it's wonderful that Kevin E. West is now able to fully focus on his acting career again. Hats off to Kevin for putting things on hold for 22 years so as to help other actors have success pursuing their own dreams and goals!! I finally got new headshots, and I LOVE them!! I think that as the years go by I will get better at getting shots that really capture my essence and scream my brand, (and these might, I just haven't gotten feedback on whether or not these new ones do) but I do know that they look like ME. And if you are an actor, you know how difficult that can be to achieve. Often times they look like a much prettier you, but I looked at mine during the shoot and the first thing I said was, THEY LOOK LIKE ME! Wow! Haha. I've also received a lot of compliments on them (and how much they do look like me) from other actors, and I've even had a couple ask for his info so they can contact him for their own headshots! So head on over to www.failsafephotography.com and check out some of his work! Or if you're on an apple product like I am, he also has a Facebook fan page under the same name :) He is a really nice guy, super chill, amazingly easy to work with, funny, he works with agencies all the time so he already has an idea of what works and what doesn't, and he gets stuff done. I also love that he works with natural lighting, which wouldn't seem like a big deal to some, but I really like that. He is basically everything an actor would want in a headshot photog :) I started submitting on Actors Access and LA Casting. I had my first audition yesterday since updating my headshots! Super fun. I wonder if I will ever stop getting red in the face and kinda sweaty when in an audition? Haha. Anyway, driving back, I thought...man, people really have got to love acting to do this! Sounds stupid...but really...It took me almost an hour to get to the audition, and then coming back there was SO MUCH TRAFFIC!!! It took me close to two hours to get home and I think it's only about 19 miles from where I live?? Three hours of my life just driving to and from the audition, for a role I may not be cast in, and if I am, it's unpaid. That's love...haha. But if I get it, it'll be a great credit to my resume, and I am always happy to add credits!! But even if I don't get it, it's always great to have experience with auditioning, and that's kind of almost our job...to audition! Heck knows we actors go on tons more auditions than we get bookings! So yesterday, I went out and did my job - and it was fun! Today is the Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown studio graduation for second year students. I have two months left of first year (WHAT!!!!) however we are all encouraged to attend the graduation today. I am super stoked for it, I hear it is going to be CRAZY good! They typically have a pretty high profile alum come and speak - and by the way my coach is hyping us up for it, this is a graduation we will not want to miss! Workout wise - I'm starting the Turbo Fire / Chalean Xtreme Hybrid tomorrow. I love the programs as a hybrid, I just haven't been able to fully commit to them in the past. But I'm ready to shed some of the weight I have put on over the past year, so all vegan diet with the workout program it is! I'll be back down to 120 before I know it :) (disclaimer - it isn't about the scale - I don't even own one - it's about being healthy and fit - but just having been there before, I know that my default, natural, healthy weight is 120, however the number doesn't mean a thing as long as I am fit and healthy!) Now that I've got my new headshots, I am looking for a commercial agent. I've been told that I shouldn't have any problem finding one and signing with them, so I am going to pray about it, because that would be amazing! I'm interested in Daniel Hoff Agency, but I am trying to compile a list of several agencies I would be interested in working with and go from there...we shall see what happens! Also...I think I already know what classes I want to take next! Besides like a million others, because as actors we never stop learning, growing, fine tuning our craft, etc, but the next order of business class-wise will be Lesly Kahn's class. Not only is she highly reputable and respected, but she also helps with sitcoms which is what I am told I am great for. Now don't get me wrong, I really want to do film, but if I am good for sitcoms, it is def worth looking into, because who knows, maybe I will love it! That about wraps up my most recent updates. I will update again with progress in my workouts and if/when get cast in this film! Or if there is anything else I feel is worth updating for. In the meantime, what are you doing to pursue your passion? Or have you decided not to pursue it? And if not, why? Have a fab week, everybody! Toodles!! xoxo

Update Shmupdate

I know it's been a few weeks since my last update. Things have been a little crazy around here. Class has gotten so much more interesting...we moved on to relationships, and just tonight we had our first class on shared circumstances. Talk about a curveball! It's a lot of fun, but there is so much more preparation involved now...It is quite the workout for our creative selves. As the person inside (we are on domestics), we are Daydreaming about our circumstance, coming up with a superlative activity, why is it urgent? What do I lose if I don't achieve my objective? What is my justification or negation of my shared circumstance with my partner? What is my relationship with my partner? Daydream about the circumstance that caused you to see them that way. And as the person coming in, we have to come up with the shared circumstance, set the general relationship (siblings/cousins/spouse/etc) and daydream about it. Figure out a life goes on activity or a superlative activity related to the circumstance. But rest assured, it really isn't as complicated as it sounds! It's just a crap ton of coming up with circumstances and taking the time to daydream about them. This is the last month The Actors' Network is going to have the studio open, so I've signed up for practically every class/workshop available this week, making the most out of this last month of studio membership. I believe I will be there 5 days this week haha. I feel like I am always cleansing....hah but tomorrow I am starting the Kaeng Raeng cleanse again. On my way to a happier healthier detoxifidier me! In addition, I will begin the Chalean Extreme/Turbo Fire hybrid once again. Love that workout! Plus, a couple friends and I will be doing Runyon a couple times this week. Still working on those new headshots. Hopefully not too much longer now... I did get an alert on LA Casting from Michael Zanuck's agency, asking me to let them know if I'd be interested in representation. Well, I did a little research online and I think I'll pass. Legit or not, any agency that has a history of being searched with the word SCAM following their name, is not one I am interested in associating my name with. Thanks but no thanks! While it would be nice to have representation, I want to sign with a reputable agency. But then again, don't we all? It's 1:30 in the morning and this girl is getting tired. Nighty night, interwebs!

Cleanse a la Kaeng Raeng

Tomorrow (ok well, today) marks day one of my third run of Kaeng Raeng cleanse. I love this cleanse. If you are ever looking for a gentile, all natural, vegan cleanse, check out Kaeng Raeng (www.KaengRaeng.com). It is pretty tasty, and you can eat all the raw fruits and vegetables you want! I will be doing the 6 day Master Cleanse. Sticking with water, ice, the powdered mix, and if I get hungry I will munch on some veggies or something, however these cleanses are pretty filling by themselves. Drinking water is also very important while doing Kaeng Raeng (actually, let's be honest, water is important to drink all the time!) I am hoping to reset my diet again, to where once the cleanse is finished, I will go back to a Superhero diet (Don't know what that is? Check out www.thekindlife.com) Never in my life have I felt as amazing as a superhero diet has made me feel. No joke. Kaeng Raeng has the same effect. I feel clean, less bloated, full of energy, and get better sleep. Plus, I feel kinder to the environment. It is incredible. BUT, guess who fell off that health wagon? Yours truly. Why do we as humans do that? Why do we find something that we love and makes us feel incredible, that we know is good for us, yet we stop doing it? Ugh, dummy Sarah. So back to the vegan life I go. I am ready to get my superhero powers back!!! Plus, after my teeth whitening and hair cut last week, I am so ready to be camera ready again. So, here's to a fresh start. Happy cleansing!

Validation

Yesterday I met up with my scene partner and we were able to get a really rehearsal in. We went through the scene as normal, we improvised, we switched roles and improvised, we did the scene in repetition. It must have paid off, because today we both trekked over to Santa Monica and had an artistic with Talia. We started off basically doing an exercise...I was on the inside doing a superlative activity that paralleled the emotion I start off with in my scene...and my scene partner came in with her starting emotion from the scene also. Then she had us begin the actual scene. We improvised it, and then afterwards we did it normal. By the end of our scene, Talia said that she cannot believe how much I have changed. She said that there was not one moment that she did not believe me, and that "I'm doing it."
Wow.
What a complement.
Tomorrow I am having lunch at a local vegan joint with my scene partner, and a couple friends of ours. One of which is a writer, the other a very established director/writer. I am feeling very, very happy right now :)

Decisions, decisions

I was recently asked by a cousin to join her and my other cousins on a trip to Michigan this summer. They have rented a cabin on the lake for a week. If I go, I will only be able to stay for a couple of days due to commitments with my acting class. I could go Monday and return Thursday, and it is during a week that I have my son with me so I would not have to go without him or have to rm wrestle with his dad to see about taking him on a week that is not mine. On the one hand, would it be hurting my career to go? Would I be throwing myself off track? Would I be giving myself a vacation in the middle of the time I need to be hustling the most? On the other hand, I rarely see my family. Once I start getting work, it will get even trickier to get home and see my loved ones. Here are my thoughts. I think I am going to go. I want to shed a couple pounds that I picked up over the past year. I need to do that before I get my headshots updated and get my actor slate (since I don't have a reel). Once I do those, it will still be a couple weeks before they are complete and edited and I will be able to submit for work. Plus, being that it will be a week with Noah, my time to sit around and work on my daydreams, rehearse with other people in my class, etc, will be very difficult at home. Perhaps if I am on vacation, Noah will be distracted with his cousins enough to allow me to have a little bit of time to work on my craft, something I have a difficult time doing when it is just the two of us. Also, I think I would regret not going, much more than going. I can't believe what a tough choice this is though, and this is just the beginning. Imagine once I actually start getting work. Then I think I will be too afraid to ever leave the county, haha. Good thing that I love LA! Today I was able to daydream, took a little while to get to my emotion though. I tried again several minutes later and was able to tap into tears of joy, this time full blown sobbing, within a matter of a couple minutes. So either there were some residual emotions from the first time I had done it, I am finding what works better, or I am just getting better at reaching tears of joy bc of practicing. I think what I might do is randomly daydream thought the day. Like if I think about it, I have to do it, right there, on the spot, so I can just grab it when I am in class or on set and bam. Do it. I am focusing on tears of joy right now because it is the emotion I need at the top of my scene. Through the scene I change from tears of joy to trying to be happy for my best friend but I am really heartbroken, but I do really come to that emotion through the reality of doing, so no need for daydreaming there. I am trying to come up with one or two superlatives. Going down a list I have of "ways of doing things", I am trying to find something I can do in the most casual way, and something else I can do in the most innocent way. Why do these seem to be so difficult? Yesterday I came up something to do in the most direct way, and something else in the most assuring way. Any suggestions? Leave em in the comments! My scene partner will be here in 40 minutes to rehearse for our scene Friday. Gotta get to work before she gets here! Ta-ta for now!