Feb 07 2012
4 Comments
Acting/Producing

Thank You, Jane Lynch.

Today, I bought Jane Lynch’s autobiography Happy Accidents, and opened it up to these words of gold:

If I could go back in time and talk to my twenty-year-old self, the first thing I would say is: ‘Lose the perm.’ Secondly I would say: ‘Relax. Really. Just Relax. Don’t sweat it.’

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t anxious and fearful that the parade would pass me by. And I was sure there was someone or something outside of myself with all the answers. I had a driving, anxiety-filled ambition. I wanted to be a working actor so badly. I wanted to belong and feel like I was valued and seen. Well, now I am a working actor, and I guarantee you it’s not because I suffered or worried over it.

… Turns out I just had to be ready and willing to take chances, look at what’s right in front of me, and put my heart into everything I do. All that anxiety and fear didn’t help, nor did it fuel anything useful. Finally releasing that worry served to get me out of my own way. So my final piece of advice to twenty-year old me: Be easy on your sweet self….

Thank you, Jane. Twenty-year-old me appreciates the advice. And I am excited to read about the rest of your journey.

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Jan 26 2012
1 Comment
Acting/Producing

Character Demo Version 2

It’s been a few months since I posted my first draft VO demos. I got a ton of great feedback and I made some changes, added some new voices, re-recorded, and remixed it. A few of the voices are still the same, but check it out and tell me what you think!

CHARACTER DEMO (Version 2) [Click to play, or right click to download.]

Next up, commercial demo.

Edit: I am still changing a few things around, but I just posted a slightly updated reel with a few different variations. This seems to be the final edit. At least for a few weeks ;) .

Also, just made a VO site! Still under construction, but check it: www.teresadecher.com/voice

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Jan 07 2012
2 Comments
Acting/Producing

Self Promotion

I’ve never really sent post cards. Except for like 1 week randomly. I always just sort of expected that they got thrown in the trash.

But with Superseeds and Red Scare coming up in the next few months or so, I want to be ready to reach out, both to established connections and people I want to work with.

I started doing some digging, and what did I find? Casting directors (with blogs!) who wrote whole articles on the art of post-carding. Sweet!

And let me say this right up front. Yes, ultimately we toss them. Ultimately we toss your headshots, too. That’s just practical. I can’t store all your headshots in a warehouse forever. You send us your materials. We consider you. Eventually we toss your materials in the trash. Nothing personal… If someone looks interesting and I like their resume I might pull them out and put the post card with my submissions…

– Mark Sikes, “Post Cards“

… success because a relationship went from stage one (she knows me but I don’t know her) to stage two (now I’ve seen her commercial, so I know her work, but I don’t know her name so it’s not terribly helpful yet) to stage three (I’ve gotten her postcard, so now I know her work and her name) to stage four (we’ve met in person and now I know she’s not a “whactor”…

– Bonnie Gillespie, “Cross Pollination“

And not just that, but both Bonnie Gillespie and Mark Sikes have blogs dedicated to helping actors, with tons of secrets and tips:

Bonnie’s blog: The Actors Voice

Mark’s blog: The Casting Corner

I also highly suggest checking out Bonnie’s article “The Delicate Art of Self Promotion”.

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Jan 04 2012
4 Comments
Acting/Producing

Pro[ACT]ive

I ran across an article in Filmmaker Magazine entitled “Seven Overlooked Indie Films of 2011″ and instead of just breezing through, I decided to actually look a little more in depth.

I watched trailers for all the films, and then IMDB-ed the filmmakers. Just about half of the writer/directors, are also actors as well. How cool is that? I love seeing other proactive actors! Very motivating.

All right. So some of the trailers on that list looked awful. But not all of them.

I was super excited when I ran across Miranda July (apparently she has been around for a while). I have yet to actually watch one of her films (high on my list), but I was totally hooked after watching the trailer for The Future. You can tell that 1) she is actually a strong, solid actress and 2) she tells stories well using her own unique, quirky vibe. It is always cool to see people cross in to multiple fields, but when they cross over and do it well? Well… that is just kick-ass.

Anyways, watching a bunch of trailers is always a good motivator. This year has been starting off strong with a number of VO auditions, improving my demos, and I’ve even been dabbling in writing.

But we’ve really been itching to start working on our own projects again. So stay tuned. Fun projects are coming down the pipeline.

Guess we better make it quick since it is 2012 and all… ;)

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Dec 31 2011
1 Comment
Acting/Producing

New Years Resolutions:

  • Act in More Projects (shooting for at least 2 features this year)
  • Make Money
  • Get a VO Agent
  • Give Back

Happy 2012!

Hey, hey. Check out my sweet feather earing.

 

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