An Eventful Birthday Weekend

I have had a very busy birthday weekend, and I wouldn’t have it any other way 🙂

On Friday night, friends and family came out to watch some gory body horror shorts, all to support me. They did an amazing job, because at the end of the night, Lonely Ninja won Best Film at Mascara & Popcorn’s Body Horror Contest 🙂 Horror and gore may not be my favorite genre, but I had an amazing time filming both shorts, and am so grateful for the opportunity. I met some awesome people and created some genuine, incredible contacts. Looking forward to what comes next 🙂

On Saturday, I filmed a short called No One Loves Me Like I Do. It is a student film, but the footage I saw looked really cool. To prove a teacher wrong, our fearless director/writer/camera man decided to film the entire scene in one shot, so it took quite a few rehearsals, and then we had to restart from the beginning whenever something wasn’t perfect. It definitely put my theater and improv experience to good use, and was so much fun to do. I can’t wait to see the finished product and share it with all of you!

Sunday, I got to make my cake, because eating the batter is kind of the best part. Then I had two auditions to get to, one for a webseries, and the other for a short with the potential to become more. I actually had to sign a confidentiality thing for one of them, so I won’t be revealing more about the projects, but I think the auditions went okay. The first one was actually going really well, until I started talking like I was making a speech to a crowd instead of into a PA system, like the script implied. Blame it on too much Dale Carnegie and not enough auditions lately. I’m thinking they either saw it as me being completely unintimidated by the crowd of people watching me audition, or as being way too inexperienced. Only time will tell, and luckily, I hope to be auditioning and working more in the next few weeks 🙂

I am so excited about the second audition that I don’t want to jinx anything or hinder my chances. I love the idea for the project, the writing is good, I really like the characters, the people in charge are so nice… I think the audition went pretty great, except for a little part that I could have done differently/better. We also got to talk more about the project and other films in its genre and it all just made me want to be a part of the project even more. I am thinking positive thoughts and keeping my fingers crossed 🙂

Today it was back to my day job, which is pretty awesome, since it also involves acting. Although I vary between moments of optimism for my career, and moments when I feel like I need to find a Plan B, right now, life is looking pretty good 🙂

“There are people who never make mistakes because they never try to do anything.”

-From my grandfather’s birthday letter to me ❤

And now I’m 24…

Hey everyone! Today, my age is important, not so much because it is my birthday, but because it means I only have a year left to complete my list of 25 Things To Do Before I Turn 25. Here’s how I am doing on that:

1.Have an imdb page with a credit  🙂

As of a few months ago, I have an imdb page with 2 credits, and I believe more to come. If your haven’t checked it out yet, you can visit:      www.imdb.me/amandalynnpetrin

2.Become a member of ACTRA

Still working on this one. I have enough background credits to be an ACTRA background perfermer, but then I would not be able to participate in any non-union projects, which make up the entirety of my repertoire. So, I will wait until I get an upgrade, or win a role that gets me into the union, so I will have a nice body of work behind me when the time comes.

3.Replace all high school and CEGEP credits on my CV

I am definitely getting close, and could remove my CEGEP credit, but it is the only theater credit I currently have, which is why I am keeping it. I am not necessarily aiming for a career on the stage, but I have found that having it on the resume shows that I have stage experience, which translates into film. So, until I have an overwhelming amount of leading film roles, or get a new theater credit, the CEGEP one stays. I guess that means I need to get busy or get on the stage in the next year!

4. Get my website up and running 🙂

After much debate, I kept my blog as my website, adding headshots, my CV and some videos to it. You can get here by the blog link, and http://www.amandalynnpetrin.com also links here. Just need to figure out how to get one of those link buttons for my imdb page 🙂

5. Get to my goal weight (Be healthy)

Almost there 🙂

6.Finish writing a book

I hate to admit that I have been letting the book slide, in favor of writing short screenplays. Regardless, the book is on my resolutions for this year, so I will have it done by December 31st!

7. Get a paid acting job 🙂

As previously mentionned, I filmed a short in February that was paid, which was incredibly exciting, not just for the money, but mostly for what it means, and how it validates me as an actress. In addition, this summer I will be filming a feature for which I have an offer and is also paid. Things are looking up and I am so excited!

8. Make a demo reel 🙂

From the scenes I have, I have created a demo reel for myself. Most of it is from classes or the 48 Hour Film Festival short I did years ago, but I should be getting a lot more recent footage in the coming months, so I will work on updating it and improving it until it is so good that I want to post it for the world to see!

9. Get an agent 🙂

This is a tough one, because I did complete it, but then we parted ways. So, it is checked off, but I am still agentless. I sent out my package on Monday, but most agents are looking for union members. I believe it will be a snowball effect, for the ACTRA and the agent, as in once I get one, the other will not be far behind.

10. Take a voice/diction class 🙂

Check 🙂 Julia Lenardon was amazing, and I am much more conscious of how I speak. Vocal exercises are now a part of my audition and class prep, which my dad finds hilarious. Next, I would like to take classes to master a British accent, or Southern U.S. 

11. Do a role with an accent (can be for Tom Todoroff or Suzanna, student film, etc) 🙂

I had originally put this because I wanted to do a role with a british accent, but instead I did multiple roles in class where I had to have a Southern accent, as well as an audition with a British accent. However, if I had gotten the part, or for any future role that isn’t for class, I would definitely go see a voice coach so as not to massacre an accent.

12. Be on Being Human

Unfortunately, Being Human’s series finale aired last Monday, so this will not be happening. I could cross it off the list and admit defeat, because it kind of is, but that wouldn’t get me anywhere. So, new goal is to be on a show that films here in Montreal, or in Toronto. Reign would be awesome, but Helix or any show would be amazing as well 🙂

13. Go to a gun range and learn how to shoot 🙂

I did not go to a gun range, but as you know if you follow the blog, I went shooting with Michael and Sarah last summer, which was a whole lot of fun, and something I would definitely like to do again 🙂 

 

14. Complete Tough Mudder

July 12th 2014. I am registered and am not letting a workshop get in my way. Unless there is a paying part on that day, I will do Tough Mudder with Beauties and the Beasts 🙂

15. Fall In Love ❤

Any takers?

16. Finish the stunt class

This one is still scary, because the class is kind of intense. The new session starts this week, but with Dale Carnegie, I may have to wait until a possible summer session, or join in the fall. We shall see!

17. Visit a country I have never been to

I have this one slotted for January 2015. Grenada maybe?

18. Wait Tables 🙂

Tonight, Lonely Ninja will be one of the shorts in the Body Horror Film Contest. In it, I play a waitress who encounters said Ninja. I won’t spoil the ending again, but I did wait tables.

19. Quit my day job 🙂

As of last June, I no longer work at the campground, and just a few months after that, I started working as a standardized patient for McGill. I have had multiple ultrasounds, played a multitude of patients, met incredible people and had an amazing time. Very happy with this decision 🙂

20. Go Scuba Diving

Apparently, some scuba diving instructors would much rather you never learn how to scuba dive, so this will have to wait for my next trip. 

21. Re-become fluent in Spanish

This was a silly one because re-become implies that I only need to get back to the level of fluency that I had. I practiced while in Punta Cana, and have watched a few Spanish movies or TV shows, but this is definitely something I need to work on.

22. Spend a Weekend with Friends in Vegas

The opportunity has yet to present itself, but if by next April I haven’t done it, we will head to Vegas for my 25th birthday.

23. Go on a Road Trip

It kills me that I have no plans for this yet, but with most of my friends having actual jobs, leaving for 3 weeks to a month is not something they can do. For now, it looks like my road trip will come once one of my projects gets into a film festival that is road trip distance away, or if we do a TT Summer Intensive this summer in New York. But I still have my fingers crossed for the road trip to New Orleans 🙂

24. Do Insanity

I have it on a USB, and have done one here and there, but definitely need to get a move on actually sticking to it and completing it. It is just so much easier to get on the elliptical instead of hooking up a laptop and what not. 

25. Learn how to dance

Ballet classes start in September 🙂

So, I have 10 done out of 25. That’s 15 left in 12 months, but I have most of them figured out, and the others, I am doing everything I can to make them happen. I should have a lot of them done by July, when I do Tough Mudder, and the trips are mostly planned out. It is the ACTRA that I have the least control over, but my fingers are crossed and I am working on it.

 

As for my past week, it seems the universe wanted to make up for my cancelling auditions and work by having auditions and workshops reschedule on me. I did get to do a rehearsal yesterday for the short we will be filming tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it, and it is going to be shot in one take, which will definitely be a challenge.

Tonight, I am off to Mascara & Pocorn’s Body Horror Film Contest. Hope to see you there 🙂

 

 

I’m On the List!

If the rest of the weeks of the year can be as productive as the last few, I will be a very happy girl 🙂

For starters, last Tuesday and Wednesday I got to be a part of a short horror film aimed at the Body Horror contest in April. Living on the South Shore, I have this fear of getting caught in traffic and being late, so I leave my house before traffic starts, and get to hang out in my car from 7 am, until my call time of 9. Luckily, I expect this downtime, and manage to be productive while waiting, by doing voicework, writing, reading, and learning the monologue for my audition on Friday.

Once I got to the pub where we were filming, I met the crew and the actors. We all went around introducing ourselves, with only one person that I had actually met before. It turns out that the one person I knew from class with Suzanna and Fastforward to Shortalucion was the Producer. The first day was supposed to be a rehearsal, with filming on Wednesday, but once everyone was there, we did some theater games, then got into filming. 

Within the first minute of the scene, something happens to me that requires screaming. I had been warned I would have a speaking part, and was worried it was because I had taken stunt classes. I had been mentally preparing myself, trying to remember everything I had learnt, while completely forgetting that horror movies and excruciating pain lead to agonizing screams. I was kind of terrified that I would have a horrible scream, or that my voice would crack or die or something, up until we did a sound check, and everyone stopped to stare. Apparently, I am a natural-born screamer, which bodes well if I wanted to take after Jamie Lee Curtis and be a scream queen. While it is not my intention, my awesome scream still got me on the Producer’s list. Marc told me that if ever he needs an actor to scream in one of his movies, he will call me 🙂

The rest of my scene would be filmed the next day, but I was still needed on set. I find it really difficult to react to things that only happen in my imagination, like when a director tells you to pretend you see someone walking towards you or something. I believe I am getting better, but the first time, my imagination was not at all in sync with where the camera thought the imaginary person was going. This is why I was really happy when instead of making a girl pretend that my scream was cutting her off, they actually had me scream. Well, maybe I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the end of the day with all of the screaming, but I still had an aswesome time, and would definitely have appreciated her screaming had our roles been reversed.

The next day, we filmed the rest of my scenes, as well as a final one with everyone. This whole thing had started with me signing up as a Volunteer extra, and ended up with me having a blast, meeting a bunch of awesome people, and being involved in a Short that was going to film festivals. When I got home, I checked out when the Body Horror Contest was and so on. It happens to be on my birthday, which will hopefully give us some luck for the voting, but I also discovered that M is for Mien is one of the other movies entered. Which means I have small parts in two of the 10 movies entered 🙂 Not to mention that movies from the Body Horror Contest will also be shown at the Mascara and Popcorn film festival. As far as my newfound desire to mostly be a part of projects that will be in film festivals, I think I am doing pretty good! And since, I was a waitress asking for peoples’ orders and such, I believe this counts as Waiting Tables (even if it’s in a movie) so I can cross that off of my 25 things to do before I am 25 🙂

On Friday, I had two auditions, an hour apart, in the same room. I have mentioned my tendency to get places early, so when I went to find the room so I would be ready when my audition time rolled around, I was let in. The role required an accent, which I spent a lot of time trying to figure out, deciding that the most realistic one I could pull off would be British. As you can see from the fact that I can’t define it any better than that, it is not a formally acquired accent, and I generally don’t use it in public. I did, however, spend my day watching The White Queen episodes to have it fresh in my mind. I had planned to walk in with the accent from the get go, but I completely forgot once I stepped into the room. We talked about my experience as well as aspirations, before I did the monologue. I had worked so hard on making the circumstances real, on remembering the events that I was mentioning, but as far as I can recall, once I was in there, a lot of focus went into the accent instead of living the life. I am hoping this is me being self-critical, because when I try to remember what I did, I can’t, but she did tell me that I had a good British accent, so at least there’s that. I got out of the audition before it was supposed to start, but I left really hoping to get the part, not just because I really love the part and think it will be really challenging and fun to play, but also because the girl was just so nice and I really want to get to work with her!

After a little over an hour spent reading and writing and planning (since I had nothing to learn for this audition) I went back into the room. I am thinking I must be getting better at talking about myself than I was the summer I graduated, when I had nothing to say and the question totally blindsided me, but I still feel like I am reciting more than sharing, especially when I have two auditions in the same day and find myself nearly repeating the same story verbatim. Something to work on. For this audition, he introduced himself, asked about me, then had me do some facial expressions and say some lines. There isn’t a lot of dialogue in his project, but the dialogue he has, he knows exactly how he wants it to be said, how he wants it to be shot…it was truly interesting to act with someone who had such a clear vision of what they wanted, but I am also not sure if I truly got what he was asking, or if he gave up on me. I should find that out in the next couple of days, but for now, I see these two auditions as utter successes, because auditions are victories in themselves, and because I just auditioned with a British accent. Next step is to actually see a voice coach so I am not just winging it.

In other news, I got tickets to 8 Ways My Mother Was Conceived, which should be great and I am really excited for, as well as the Veronica Mars movie. I also nabbed two more auditions 🙂 Ready to live the life and join the hustle!

 

 “As a girl, you’re supposed to love Sleeping Beauty. I mean, who wants to love Sleeping Beauty when you can be Aladdin?”

-Ellen Page