Cupcakes, Burgers and Acting Reels

So my friend forwarded me an email he got about a $5 class we could register for and find out about how to be "camera ready". Basically it would be a preview seminar for classes that were offered but they would also film you and give feedback to you - so for $5, why not?

I got myself looking "camera ready" and debated on shoe choices - flip flops seemed a little TOO casual, I debated on wearing them and changing them out, then I just decided to wear shoes I had worn a couple weeks earlier at a wedding with little problem. BIG MISTAKE. Before I even got on the subway I saw a piece of skin had been rubbed off my foot. But I was determined to tough it out, even though my friend offered to wait for me to go back and change if I needed to. I didn't want us to be late.

Before we went to the class we stopped to eat at Burgers & Cupcakes. Now the cupcake I had wasn't as good as those from Magnolia Bakery (I just did a search for Magnolia Bakery and discovered this blog - http://becksposhnosh.blogspot.com/2006/06/magnolia-bakery-bleecker-street-new.html - totally unrelated but thought it was worth sharing! ;)) but the fresh cut fries were wonderful!

Then it was off to the seminar. It was informative, yet infomercial. Much like other sales pitch type things I've been too, they knew how to build excitement and it had kind of a cult vibe to it with his students touting the class. The "instructor" does know his stuff - I'll give him that. He knows how to tweak a performance to make it change dramatically.

A couple things he said was to relate to the person you talk to, draw them in and you'll draw the audience in. Movement towards causes more of a reaction than just standing there. Kind of basic things but some tactics definitely illustrated the differences in approach to film vs. stage.

I was the 2nd person to go up and read on camera. I failed to wait for "cut" and broke early. Oopsy. Rookie mistake. But even after I'd done that others went up and STILL did it, so I guess I couldn't feel that bad. Then as the class went on, he looked at me and asked if I'd gone up. Er...guess I left a HUGE impression. Later, he talked about how he never forgets a person after he has seen them on film and then remembered his boo-boo with me and emphasized "on film" I guess "in the class" doesn't count.

During the session he told a few people how they looked great on camera and he'd cast them, etc.

My friend never got to "audition" in the class and in order to sign up for future classes you have to, so he had to stick around for after the class. In an effort to get my friend out quickly - I went up to the instructor and asked him if I was a thumbs up or down for his class (you have to get approval to be in his private class) he said he thought that I would do well in the core class and then we'd talk private...only THEN adding, "You look great on camera, by the way...." Uh-huh.
I then asked if he'd audition my friend first. He did.

Cost for the class is probably reasonable compared to other costs to put together a demo reel and what not, but without a job I really don't feel like I should invest my money there right now. Plus, there were cons to balance the pros...it will be a thinker. They followed up by calling - "to make sure everyone gets a chance to register that wants to" which makes me think that not a lot registered in the first place but I could be wrong...my friend got a call too.

When the class was done, I got up to walk and it wasn't good. My feets were hurtin'. So my friend and I stopped at a Duane Reader (aka Walgreens type place) and I got bandaids made specifically for blisters! And of course discovered a stick that you can buy to rub on your feet BEFORE you get blisters that adds a protective layer. (Will use that once my current feet issues heal up. ) We stepped outside of Duane Reader and couldn't find a spot for me to sit so instead I was left to balance like a flamingo and lean on my friend and some sort of brick cone thing that was built around a tree while I was covering my ouchies.

Then it was time for a treat before heading home. Tons of Dunkin Donuts in NYC and it had been FOREVER since I'd been to one personally so we stopped at one. And we discovered that the staleness of the donuts probably meant that maybe the mustached man from the commercial ain't making them as often as he used to...

When I got home I chatted with my roommate about the day and she said that there's something about New York and shoes. She said that she had shoes that never gave her feet problems until she wore them to walk around NYC. Then she showed off her own remnants of ouchies on her feet.

So I will probably become one of those sneaker people/Mr. Roger's types that hauls the "good pair" along to save my feet. That means I may have to go shopping...for a bigger purse! ;)