PERFORMANCE: The Actors' Roundtable: "Previews"

Each week, Paden Fallis poses one question to a group of professional working actors from a variety of backgrounds. Our goal is not to demystify the work of the actor or explore their careers, but to dig a bit deeper into their artistic working process. ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: “PREVIEWS” Previews. Sometimes they can last for weeks or months. Sometimes you get one night. The bigger the show, the better chance you have of previewing in different cities before setting foot in the Big City. More often, you get a handful of previews in the theatre between dress rehearsal and opening night.  But what do previews mean to an actor? Is there a distinction from preview to performance, even though an audience is in attendance for both? Is your prep different from preview to performance? So, I ask, how do you approach previews?

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PERFORMANCE: The Actors' Roundtable: "In Character"

In our new Actors’ Roundtable series, Paden Fallis poses one question each week to a group of professional working actors from a variety of backgrounds. Our goal is not to demystify the work of the actor or explore their careers, but to dig a bit deeper into their artistic working process. ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: “IN CHARACTER” In John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation, Quisa says to her husband that she fears turning the young hustler Paul, who had entered their lives, into a “punch line you’ll mouth over and over for years to come.” She fears becoming a “human jukebox.”  I think of this when I think of how actors speak of their work. I feel that we “mouth over” things we’ve read, been taught and conditioned to say. It becomes rote. And when it becomes rote, then we become “human jukeboxes.” Specifically, I think of this anytime I hear this phrase… “I was in character.”  In character. In character?

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FILM: Edward Burns' Newlyweds & The New Social Cinema

Much has been written lately about actor/writer/director Edward Burns’ latest film, Newlyweds. The buzz has largely centered around its unconventional approach to production and distribution, which makes a strong case for a new model of indie filmmaking. Burns shot the film over 12 days on a $9000 budget with a Canon 5D Mark II (a high-quality, but essentially consumer-grade DSLR). As he outlined on YouTube, Twitter, and an interview with Mashable, $5K of the budget went to the cast—who wore their own clothes, did their own hair and make-up, and shot around other commitments—and the remaining $4k was split between insurance and food.

That in itself is remarkable, but the film is also notable for its unprecedented use of social media crowdsourcing and digital distribution. Burns involved his Twitter followers in every step of the process, including seeking advice on music and returning the favor with his own advice to aspiring filmmakers. Newlyweds was only released in a limited number of theatres in major cities for a short run, with the bulk of its distribution focusing online through iTunes, Vudu, and Amazon.

All of the above is remarkable and surely has Hollywood studios a bit nervous.

But it would all be for naught if the film itself didn’t also happen to be among Burns’ best work. Newlyweds tells a sweet, funny, and immensely relatable story about relationships between husbands and wives (and ex-husbands and wives), brothers and sisters, and friends. It’s an honest take on the mistrust and miscommunication that can creep into even the most grounded relationships when outside forces—however well intended they may be—get involved.

Definitely worth checking out, both as a celebration of the indie spirit, and simply for the intimate, character-driven story it tells.

VIDEO: Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" Trailer

Watching this trailer for Wes Anderson’s forthcoming return to live action, Moonrise Kingdom, is like reuniting with an old friend. A friend who lives in an oddly semi-retro-kind-of-set-in-the-60s-even-though-it’s-modern-times kind of world. Granted, this time it apparently is set in the 60s, but still… It’s a world that belongs uniquely to the films of Wes Anderson. If this trailer is any indication, Moonrise Kingdom will be a true return to form after the excellent, but animated Fantastic Mr. Fox. The cast lineup includes several stalwart Anderson regulars, including Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, as well as new blood Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton.

May 25th can’t come soon enough.

What films…ahem, movies…are you looking forward to this year? Let us know in the comments, and on Facebook and Twitter.

VIDEO: Arcade Fire Gets Weird in "Sprawl II"

Truly bizarre and great video for Arcade Fire’s “Sprawl II” off their Grammy-winning The Suburbs. Also be sure to check out the interactive version.