Radical Resources

After celebrating my year anniversary living in Los Angeles, I feel fortunate that I've gathered some acting-biz knowledge that I can pass along. Today's edition -- LA Audition Websites:

LA Casting - The commercial side of the agents' breakdowns, also extra work, student projects, independent shorts and features, etc. This is a great place to start if you are building your online presence.

Actors Access - The theatrical side of the agents' breakdowns. Your profile allows you to submit to listed projects. A must have - and get your reel up there!

CAZT - Check out the CAZT job board for a list of LA auditions. Your profile is also searchable by casting directors, and you have the added benefit. When you audition at CAZT you also have the opportunity to watch your addition and view feedback from the casting director.

Casting Frontier - Build a profile and self-submit for auditions. Post your reel & headshots, plus get your Casting Card that includes your personal actor ID barcode that you can take with you to auditions

Just catching up

It's been a busy few months. Here's a brief catch up:

In March, I signed with a new agency for both theatrical and commercial representation, First Class Talent, and I got a callback for a national commercial through them. I also was signed as a promotional model through Productions Plus and worked as a receptionist at the Porsche World Roadshow in April.

May was a busy month. The trailer to the short film Asshole Robot was released and I'm excited to see the completed version soon. The pilot episode of the webseries Tute Voller Kinder was also released online, and is also being featured in the Hollywood Fringe Festival as the lead-in short to the cinematic feature. Check out the details for its 4 screenings and how to get tickets here.

I was thrilled to land a role in my first American Film Institute (AFI) short Home, directed by Eric Yandoc. I played the role of a young pregnant mother. AFI has a great reputation and history, and I am happy to be making connections there.

Just a few days ago, I played the role of Dale Arden in Flash Gordon as part of the 4th AFTRA Radio Play (ARP) at the Autry National Center. See David August, who played Flash, and me before the show.

I've also been working on marketing myself as effectively as possible. Updating my website, finessing my online casting profiles, attending workshop, screenings and other networking events, have helped continue the branding process, and expand my network of contacts. I'm also working on narrowing down my target list of casting directors that I want to get to know and attempting to streamline and target my brand.

With the goal of getting some new targeted looks in my portfolio, I got some new headshots this month from Bradford Rogne, who is amazing. Here are two of my favs.

McDonalds? OK!

With the showcase over and pilot season in full-swing, I've been particularly anxious about my lack of auditions. It's my first pilot season in LA, but this period of time feels like perhaps the best chance to make career strides this year. While I'm working hard to submit and network, and am as prepared as I can be for opportunities that do come up, I was beginning to feel discouraged.

Along comes a commercial audition, for McDonald's no less. I had already booked some work for the day, but decided it was worth canceling. This audition is one of the first my commercial agent has sent me out on, and with an office that has seen me once before (perhaps I am now on their radar?!). As with many commercial auds, it was all improv-based and the description of what to do was vague (pretend you are sitting on a crane, enjoying lunch, peaceful, etc.)

I invested in a private session with Killian McHugh of Killian's workshop (http://www.killiansworkshop.com/), voted best commercial workshop by BackStageWest. It was an awesome 60-minute one-on-one that reviewed some nuts and bolts of commercial auditioning and presented some new ideas to me as well. The biggest concepts I took away from our work together were to go after the overall feel of the spot and find a way to make it your own.

So I took the vague suggestions given by the McDonald's casting associate and tried to let myself be my quirky wonderful self. I left feeling ho-hum, not really knowing how I did, and tried, as I always do, to let the audition go and move on with my day.

The audition was on Wednesday. By Friday afternoon, I had all but forgotten about it, entertained throughout the day by out-of-town friends. Then the message came from my agent at just before 5 pm. I was on avail! While this doesn't mean that I've booked it yet, it does mean I'm under consideration and that I did my job.

I'm liking this "just be myself" tone of things these days. It's been a process getting back to this point, and I aim to stay and enjoy it for a bit.

No Candles

I'm very proud of this festival short film. An extended version is due to be released later this year!

NO CANDLES -   An official Lost Zombies short film that documents the great acts of horror an heroism that exist at the frayed ends of survival.

Showcase Teaser

In Search of a Pilot..

I can't be happier that the industry is back up and running again now that the holiday season has passed, and now we jump right into the busiest time of year here....PILOT SEASON!!!!!!  It's my first pilot season in LA, and my first as a full-time actor. I'm all giddy with anticipation.

To prepare, I've just shot new headshots with Bradford Rogne and I'm thrilled with how they turned out. I've taken my time picking my favorites and have taken in lots of opinions, and have finally landed on 3 that I will print for auditions and mailings. And here they are....

 

Today I rearranged my closet to organize audition outfits and set up a new desk area. Can't you tell I'm just a little excited.  I'm really looking forward to being on stage later this month too in an industry showcase called Six Actors in Search of a Pilot: Come Get Your 10% of This.  It's going to be a fun evening of scene and monologues designed to give agents, casting directors, writers and other interested folk an opportunity to see us work in a variety of genres.

Ok bloggies, I gotta run, but I hope to be back soon with lots of exciting Pilot updates.

A "Festive" Holiday Poem

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=10150142645299045&comments

Auditions and Reels and Extras, Oh My!

While the industry is winding down for the holidays, I'm in full pilot-prep mode, determined to hit the ground running as soon things come back to life after the new year. I've garnished my resume with care, organized my headshots, postcards,and such, and just completed an updated theatrical reel. Thanks for taking a look!

Rebecca Honett 2011 Theatrical Reel from Rebecca Honett on Vimeo.

I was thrilled to be seen by Valko/Miller Casting last week for a co-star role on Two and a Half Men last week. And while I didn't book this time, just getting in to read for this office was great! I'm asking Santa for more of these types of auditions for Christmas!

To round out the finances before everything goes dark here, I've been picking up some work as a background extra. Recently, I've been on the set for Love Bites (with my dog, Ozzie!), Cougar Town, and Parks and Recreation. Extra work is certainly not glamorous, and there are always a handful of strange characters thinking this is their opportunity to break into the biz. But for most of us, it is a decent days work, an opportunity to network with other extras and a chance to catch up on a favorite novel.

In other news, we have a Xmas tree up for our first holiday together, with just a few choice ornaments so far, but it is going a long way toward putting us all in the spirit, despite the lack of snow. Happy Holidays everyone!

Holidays Honett-Style

This holiday season is the first for us together as an official family. And with the recent moving, wedding and traveling, we are taking this opportunity to lay low and create some new traditions of our own. While we haven't completely decided what this will entail for us, we do have a few ideas of what we'd like to do.

This weekend we are going to spend preparing a bunch of recipes we've always wanted to try and also add in a few we can't live without.  The menu so far consists of gluten-free stuffing with fresh cranberry sauce, homemade gnocchi, lamb curry, bacon-wrapped chestnuts, and soy icecream.  Dee-lish!

Between being away at school, traveling and visiting others for holidays, neither one of us have ever had a Xmas tree of our own. We recently inherited a fake tree and we're looking forward to shopping for decorations. I don't think of myself as at all sentimental, but this feels like a significant opportunity for us to discover what the holidays mean for us as a family and begin to create new traditions. Perhaps some homemade hot cider is also in order for the occasion.

Today, Thanksgiving day, is filled with small pleasures. A walk this morning all together to get coffee, a big hearty breakfast, an anticipated Harry Potter matinee at the Vista, and an early Xmas present for the pups. Despite their apparent feelings for Santa (see below), I think we are all looking forward to this season of being together.

 DOGGIE THANKSGIVING

We hope everyone has a safe, happy, and abundant holiday!

Asshole Robot Teaser

Check out this teaser for "A$$hole Robot" put together for me by writer/director/producer Eric Castleton. Watch out for the completed film in 2011.

Hello Again

As you may notice, my last blog entry was May 29th. Yes, that's right. Shortly thereafter my blog efforts were abandoned to other pursuits that I will describe herein. But first, the short story: I moved to LA, adopted a second puppy, got married, landed an agent, earned my SAG eligibility and performed in a play.

The story starts in July, when I decided it was time to escape northern Cali for the prospects in LA. Shortly after arriving, I joined The Groundlings School for some Improv training and started scene study classes at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio with Michael Monks. I also landed a political spot named "Let Me Decide." Check out the footage below.

Shortly after, I also filmed a small role in a Garnier Commercial for break.com. Check it out here:
http://www.break.com/the-better-way/the-better-way-to-take-your-own-profile-picture.html.

After submitting and meeting with some agencies, I signed with Howard Talent West for commercial and print representation. I earned my Taft-Hartley in August filming a project for www.lostzombies.com. A short version of the film has been sent to Sundance and a longer version will be out after the new year. Check out some clips here:


Clips from Lost Zombies Shoot from Rebecca Honett on Vimeo.

Shortly before the wedding, Chris and I decided it was time to add another member to our puppy family. Raddish, a chihuahua mix came and joined Ozwald in the Honett household. Ozzie loves having a little brother and they are endless entertainment for one another.

Most of September was spent up in Northern California preparing for our wedding at Camp Arroyo. The weekend was absolutely amazing. We had so much fun with all of our family and friends, and the ceremony and reception was more than I ever could have asked for. Thanks Evan from Oui, Three Queens for our awesome hair and makeup! (http://www.ouithreequeens.com/). Check out some pics from our wonderful photographers at Memoire Studio www.memoirestudio.com/blog.

We've been back in LA less than a month and I just completed a run of the show Marat/Sade at the Underground Theater in Hollywood, my first theatre production in too long. How great was it to be back on stage!

Now that life is starting to feel like it is getting back to normal and we are getting settled, I'm looking forward to fully refocusing on my career. Stay tuned in the next few months for a newly-edited reel, updates to my youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/rebeccahonett), and more regular blog updates;)

To come:
Eskihoes and THE Hose


-- RedbeckaJP
Post From My iPhone

Long Away, but not Astray

I'm sorry I haven't been back in a while. But rest assured - my time was not wasted. I've been working on my very first acting reel. (see below). It's self-edited (yes, this means I learned a whole heck of a lot about file formats, exporting, HD codecs, etc), and while I will have more footage to add shortly (I've been filming lots and lots), I think its a far start. However, I've seen it so many times I am far from being objective and I would love to get your feedback, and don't worry -- I'm a big girl.


Rebecca Honett Reel from Rebecca Honett on Vimeo.

Zombie-fying

Some pics from last week's life-casting session for Bloodstained Canvas:
















-- RedbeckaJP
Post From My iPhone

Good to myself

Productivity, exercise, adequate sleep, casual reading, career momentum - many things moving in the right direction here. And despite the random bouts of doubt and frustration, I've been proud of myself lately for pushing through and moving on.

I started two good reads this weekend. One, Infinite Jest, has been sitting on our bookshelf for over a year, ever since we saw a display about the author, who had recently killed himself, at New York's Strand. I also picked a new collection of plays with all women casts in hopes of finding some new monologue ideas. I've just started both, and am already eagerly wanting more time with each of them.

I collected almost all of my footage to date and am delving into them to pick material for my reel. It's been an adventure, both because it is an interesting experience to examine yourself, and because I have little knowledge about file types and programs and codecs and all sorts of other hurdles one must leap over to successfully view and edit video. But I'm making progress and am finding that, surprisingly, I can do more of it myself than I thought I could.

I've been prepping the role of Elena for the upcoming short Bloodstained Canvas and the male lead and I met with the director Friday for our first rehearsal. It's an intense script with little on-camera time for character development so it is especially important for us to develop our parts as fully as possible before we get on set. We spent the rehearsal improvising scenes that lead up to the beginning of the script and, I feel, really made progress in making our characters alive and connected to one another.

I'm especially looking forward to the special effects in this project. My character, who dies in the script, comes back to haunt her ex-lover. I spent all Friday afternoon with the FX gal making life casts of my face and neck. This involves a silicone under layer poured and dried and then a plaster layer on top of that. For the face mold everything was covered except for my nostrils, and as the process took about an hour and I am a bit claustrophobic, I practiced lots of deep breathing, meditation, and visualization. Panic creeped up in waves, but I put it aside. (All for the sake of art, right?)  It will all be worth it though, I'm sure.

So, I'm well-rested and recovered from my last blast of filming, and am moving forward on other career planning, including an extended visit to LA - soon!!!


-- RedbeckaJP
Post From My iPhone

Catching Up and Looking Up

I'm nearing the end of a long string of short film projects that I have been doing to flesh out my resume, expand my repertoire of role types, and get footage for my reel. Today I'm heading to the first rehearsal of the last of these projects for a while. It's time to do some catching up.

First, I need some rest. I can definitely feel the toll the long days have had on my mind and body - you know that haze that sets in. But that's easy enough to solve. A day or two of sleeping in and relaxing will do the trick.

What is more difficult is deciding where to go from here. Lots of decisions, including thoughts of whether or not it's time to check out the LA market, weigh on my mind. And as I begin to study the footage I've received, I go through a rollercoaster of emotions. I know I want it, but do I have what it takes? How do I play on film? What is really my type and how do I best capitalize on that? What is my on-screen age range? (can I still play a teenager;)???) Is there a place for me in the industry?

I think no matter how well I am trained and how hard I work, questioning will always creep in from time to time. Certainty, though, that this career is what feeds my soul, keeps me going today. And on days that are harder than the others, this will keep me chugging along.

-- RedbeckaJP
Post From My iPhone

Accessories

I'm on location today, shooting the final day of "The Coffee is Bitter" and I realized I have a funny, yet quintessential collection of items surrounding me as I wait for my scenes to be up.

And let me share them with you;)

1. Healthy Snacks








2. Books




3. Shoes




4. Crew



5. Crazy co-stars - thanks Zach Brown.






-- RedbeckaJP
Post From My iPhone

Not all, but Something

It feels like I've been creeping toward progress lately, picking at projects here and there, but crossing none off my list. A few boxes are unpacked, and while I finally found my stilettos, I have yet to locate the kitchen knives. Wedding planning is creeping forward, but as soon as I finalize something I realize there is a whole list of other things I didn't even know needed to be done. And after three really good days of working out and eating well in a row, I was side-railed by craft services (can you say peanut m&m's?)

A highlight of this week, however, has been working on a master's thesis film called The Coffee is Bitter, about a young woman dealing with her impending death and how best to prepare her lover. My friend Zach Brown and I are playing opposite of each other and I feel like we are really doing some good work. The crew is filming on a new red camera that promises some beautiful footage too.

I've also had three commercial auditions this week, and while I haven't heard back from any yet (one was just on Friday), it does indicate the industry is picking up and perhaps good things are on the way. I'm also SO CLOSE to having the right footage for my reel. I mean, so close I am all giddy with excitement. Chris and I have plans to sit down and map out the scheme for it very soon (keep your eyes out for updates!)

It's a lovely end of the week. It's raining outside, but I'm warm inside with the family, watching old episodes of The West Wing - a wonderful way to gear up for the week.

A Case of the Mondays

Somehow this week flew by with a whole hodgepodge of things accomplished, none of which felt very productive. The exception to this might be that I finally got the puppy groomed (it's been a REALLY long time) and the evidence is shown below.

I do have to give myself a little credit for getting anything done at all considering I am still mourning NYC;) and our life is still packed up in boxes from our recent move. Each day is an adventure to find a new pair of socks;)

I met Malcolm Jamal Warner (aka Theo Huxtable) while working background for the new ABC pilot "True Blue" and was completely awe struck. I managed to keep my composure while he made casual conversation with me, but all the while I was thinking, "Theo, I kinda miss the dreadlocks but I must say you haven't aged a bit since 1995." Lucky for me I kept my mouth shut and simply smiled and nodded.


Thursday marked my last day of shooting on "Robots" and Saturday I worked a crazy promotion for the new Iron Man movie at the Wondercon convention.  Those were some sights to see!


Today feels like the first day of the new reality - new house, new goals, new questions.  It's also really about time I got back to the gym...

Real Life

After a jam-packed weekend of friends, food, new music and wanderings, I have mixed feelings about being home. My dog greeting me with his wiggly butt and lickey kisses helped ease the transition but I still feel melancholic after such an idyllic visit to the city.  The thoughts of living there again taunt me in my dreams ... And  I remind myself that living there and visiting at a time when you are free to do completely as you please are two very different things.

Our time there was perfection - I couldn't have asked for anything better. Dinner and drinks with dear friends at Flatbush Farm and Bar(n), watching the sun set in the American Wing of Metropolitan Museum of Art, partying with lovely people to live Jazz at the Tea Lounge, and enjoying the best homemade crepes with my man and two of our best friends lead up to the original excuse for our trip: the premiere of Chris's piece for the ensemble counter)induction. The Tenri Cultural Institute was packed to max with interesting people who wanted to hear new music. How cool is that?

Chris said the experience of hearing his piece played was "amazing and surreal. The performers did a fantastic job and it was incredible to see them make music out of what I had given them. The whole frame of the concert was beautiful and really well considered. It's exactly the kind of project a composer likes to be a part of."

Tonight Chris and I relax, recuperate, and enjoy his recent success. But starting tomorrow its time to get to all those odds and ends I've been vacationing from. I'm finishing up filming a project, I have a whole list of errands I aim to complete, and its time to hit the gym. Yes, its back to real life for me!