On the Other Side of the Table

I never imagined that all of the things one needs to do to get a film done, even an 8 minute short like “The Sketchy Artist”, would be so intense. There are piles of paperwork, schedules to juggle, money you didn’t think about, and talent to deal with.

I hate casting things because I am the kind of person who wants everyone to learn something and feel special. This means that I often have long and grueling conversations with people who can do me and themselves no good, just because I am polite. I have been learning the hard way that if I want to get something done I have to sometimes just be blunt, but still polite, otherwise I would never shower, never eat, and never sleep. Because let’s face it, even a super low budget project seems to attract wierdos who think they are going to make it big on a one day shoot. Insane but true.

I have to laugh a little because the projects I write are always changing. Not to say that they will never make it off the ground but that there are a lot of things that I start that I take my time with because I am a perfectionist. I had put off “The Sketchy Artist” in California this summer because of some events that took place, like my wallet going missing, making it difficult to even get paperwork filed, but at the end of the day also because I want to make sure that everything I do is to the best of my ability. Even if that means putting things off.

In this case I am glad that things have worked out the way they have because I have a very talented female that signed onto the project who I can’t wait to work with. She is first in line for the younger version of the main female role in the feature I have written and want to produce this coming spring. She really caught my eye the first time I met her because she has such a vibrent personality and although she is young and the character she will be playing is a few years older than herself, she has the chops to pull it off!

My main actor is no acception. He is a fun character in life as well as in the script and I have no doubt that he will play this role well. It struck a chord with me that he is from Los Angeles trying to make it in the big and bad Chicago…sounds familiar. And although I was not born in LA I lived there for so long I now consider it my second home. I miss it often. And it will be nice to have someone on set with me that can understand my complaining about the weather. I am so spoiled.

It is never easy having to tell people “no” and it is never fun having to turn people away from the roles you cast. I truly have a new found respect for Casting Director and Producers…and those poor directors. I wonder how long it took the big wigs to figure out that “no” just needs to be said sometimes. I wonder if I will always feel this guilty about turning people away from the projects I do? I hope not because it hurts.

At the end of the day though it is time and money and although money is not everything when it comes out of your back pocket than making sure that the people you put on board are the right fit is so important. This will be my first Directing project, Producing Project, and Writing Project. It is a lot of firsts for me. I am type A and it is not that in this case I wanted to do everything myself but having waited over a year for someone to help me with other projects I had written I decided to just buckle down and do it myself. Trust me I would love an extra hand right now, but I have started it myself and will end it myself as well. I can’t wait to see the final project and I am so happy that I have this time to create something that is not only fun but will be an open window into the lives of so many!

New Endevor

Yes I am still working towards my dreams of being an actress, but in the mean time I have decided to travel down a path that some of you may know is also dear to my heart…health and wellness. This week only you can get 10% off the sales of my brand new food journal. A journal you ask disappointed? Why yes!

This is no ordinary journal. Rather than spending your time worries about how many calories and what you ate and then feeling sorry for yourself, spend time writing about what happened in your day, how you felt, and the goals that you want to set for yourself the next day to help you make better choices and reach the goals you set.

The most important element of this journal though is the part where you get to reflect on something that you did good that day, no matter how horrible you feel. That is right! The power of you own positive thinking is going to propel you into places that you never thought you could go!

To go along with new journal, starting September 6th I will be taking free consultation appointments for my new company, “Light As A Feather”.  The purpose of my new company is to provide wellness coaching and professional  organizing to those who are in need or want of the extra help to getting where they want to be.  The focus will be on achievable goals and I will be there to help keep a client on track.  Please visit “Light As A Feather” a division of my “Allergic To Cooking” brand, for more information.

So give it a try. Sixty pages that can be used any day of any year! This will soon be something that goes along with the new side business I will be starting in September, Light As A Feather Wellness and Organization! So the start to a new beginning.

Light As A Feather- A Food Journal

What A DIVA!

I know this post makes it sound like I am going to talk about the attitude of someone on set but nope.  I wish as that would be a much easier post to write, however I want to talk about YOU as a performer.  That is right, You.  You’re more than likely thinking, “But I am not a diva!” and that may be true but let’s just find out for sure.

Being a Diva is not always a constant condition, sometimes it can just be a situation, and yes men can be diva’s too.  The name diva has been used as a positive and a negative but as of late the word has gotten a negative wrap.  The word “Star” has become the more prevalent use for a talented person who is loved by the people who watch them and those who work with them.  Being a star is a great thing…being a Diva…a good way to get you put on a “don’t work” list.

So what makes a diva?  Attitude, snottiness, late, world revolving around them sentences and never having a two way conversation involving the people with whom they are speaking with, emotional roller coaster?  Yes all of the above but what people are over looking is that a Diva can be made by chemical make up and not just by the conditioned learning they have had over the years of people pampering to them.  I am talking about the foods they eat!

Normally I save my nutrition posts for my other page, www.allergictocooking.com, however as I am learning more and watching more and more people go through these situations, I have decided it may be a good idea to reach out to other actors in the hopes that we can be more responsible in our diva-isms.  Making others deal with your emotional baggage and problems is certainly not kosher by any means and it is down right rude!  You may not mean it that way and are actually hoping to get a release some of your tensions, cry, laugh, be mean, and at the end you think, “Wow…thanks I feel so much better.”  But what about the person on the receiving end?  How have you made them feel?  Every action and energy that we put out will last forever and that person is going to remember you like that forever.  Even if they have known you your entire life you have forever changed the relationship with that person.

Humans are territorial and the more we close our living spaces, large cities with small amounts of personal space for instance, the angrier humans become.  They begin to have “short fuses” and are more often frustrated than those who live in a rural area.  Now this is not saying that living in a city is a bad idea and we should all move to the country in order to clear our minds, no, but I do mean that we should be aware of our emotions.  Do you have a short fuse today?  If so…take note of that and do your best to make sure you do not jump on some unsuspecting person who does not deserve your pile of crap.

Another factor are the foods we eat.  Everything that enters our bodies causes a chemical reaction, oxygen, water, and yes food.  If you eat items that are perhaps not the healthiest choices you will become sluggish and irritable.  When casting directors talk about being fit to be an actor they are not just talking about weight and body image but also about mental and emotional health.  No one wants to work with an emotional roller coaster never knowing how a person is going to react to another.  And why should we have to?  If we have our emotions under control and can be professional than why should we have to deal with someone who is not?  It makes production slower and less efficient and it makes for a bad work environment.  This can be applied to any job not just acting.

Let’s say for instance that yesterday all you ate was birthday cake and ice cream and then had a beer with friends and some oily greasy tapas for dinner.  More than likely the blood sugar will be low, essential nutrients needed to make the body function on a day to day basis are going to  be missing more than likely giving a head ache and a feeling of just sheer sleepiness.  This person will then be crabby and irritable and difficult to deal with all because THEY decided to make a bad choice in food and not eat items that will help keep their energy level up and blood sugar at a normal level.  A good rule of thumb, for every sugar or carb counter with a protein to keep blood sugar levels from spiking and crashing.

The next part I would like to address is food allergies.  I consider myself somewhat of an expert on this as I have so many.  Those of you who follow my other web page know all about them but to sum it up I have  gluten, soy, milk protein, allergies as well as histamine intolerance which is a whole other sack of worms.  To top it off, Hashimotos Thyroiditis (an under function of the thyroid) and Dysautonomic Function specifically POTS which is a condition where the heart does not pump on a level beat system, mine is specifically attached to my food allergies.  The foods I eat aggravate  these conditions, including the thyroid condition.  There are some things, simply put, that I just can’t eat.  This being said I have an extreme case and take a great job of caring for it and make sure that no one else is responsible for my choices.  I don’t let it effect the way I am with others and I when I do slip up I make sure I keep myself in check and don’t allow my actions to directly effect someone I may be working with or meeting with.  I would also never choose to eat something I can’t have before I have to go to work.  Rule of thumb: REACTIONS CAN TAKE UP TO THREE DAYS SO THAT BEING SAID THREE DAYS BEFORE I SHOOT I AM SUPER CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT I PUT IN MY SYSTEM!

I personally believe that everyone should be tested for food allergies.  And you say, “but I don’t have any symptoms.  My throat doesn’t close up.”  I have news for you, SOME PEOPLE DON’T HAVE SYMPTOMS…except well emotional problems such as depression or mood swings, weight gain or loss, or inability to thrive in children such as in growth or mental development, and swelling in the body that may seem like a weight problem.  Can you imagine if you were a person who was like that…guess what?  I WAS!  I had no real symptoms except the occasional pass out and sometimes flighty thought process although I am really smart.  Sometimes I would do really irrational things.  I started to become sicker and sicker and finally when I was diagnosed, staying away from those foods made me to a much better person!  I couldn’t believe the change.  The fact that someone could ask me a question and I wouldn’t get flustered was huge.

If everything we put in our bodies is a chemical reaction than why would that NOT effect our emotional well being?  What if you had something that you should be staying away from that you didn’t know about and it would change your attitude to a more positive outlook on life and general ability to be less emotion driven in life…what if?  The world could be a much better place where we could be more thoughtful.  These allergic reactions stunt our ability to think clearly and on our feet.  To be able to stop and think for one second longer, “do I really want to say that?” could save your job!

I suggest that every one should get a scratch test done.  Some allergy specialists have a less conservative  way of looking at things and will tell you that a positive reaction to something does not mean you are allergic.  I beg to differ.  If it bothers your skin why would it not bother you when inside your body?  You may just have a sensitivity and not a full on allergy but does that matter?  The fact is that any reaction to something messes with your chemical reactions and throws your entire body off balance.  And our bodies change constantly.  I know someone who is in her 40s and just developed a peanut allergy!  Full on fatal too.  Sad but true.  We should take responsibility for our bodies and make sure that allergy tests are a common thing.  Stop making the people around you deal with your attitude problem and find out what is causing it.  It may be something more or it could be as simple as illuminating a food.  But let me ask you this, what would you rather have….the label of DIVA or worse yet HIGH Maintenance or the ability to chose how you are perceived.  I like the way things are MUCH better.

 

 

NOTE-  Allergy tests should be done with a doctor and remember that you need to find out EVERYTHING that came up positive on the scratch test.  If you test positive for Barley and not wheat than you may have gluten intolerance or just a simple barley intolerance.  You do not have to argue with the doctor on weather or not the result means you should stay away from that group.  Simply take note and for a month elliminate the items that came up positive.  Take notes and see how you feel.  Then every week administer one item back, giving three days for reactions.  Then take it out and add the next one doing the same thing for each one.  If you have emotional mood swings, tummy problems, hives, trouble sleeping, too sleepy, swelling or weight gain, extreme weight loss, or closing of your breathing passages you know the culprit.  Check www.allergictocooking.com for more information.

ProScout Review

This past week end I went to the Chicago ProScout invitational. While it was fun and interesting I wanted to talk a little about what went on. ProScout is most certainly NOT a scam. I have been scammed before and this was not that….the question that I would ask myself again before I would go again is, “was it worth it?”

I think if you are 20 years or younger and have amazing model looks than this could be right up your alley. I am 27 and 5’7. I have an athletic build and a great personality but I am not interested in modeling. Even though models act now and actors model I felt like a lot of the emphasis here was still on the modeling. Stars model because they themselves are a brand and much of what went on at ProScout was simply off of weather or not they could market your body.
Not that there is anything wrong with that, but if you know that you are not a model perhaps this would not be the best fit for you, save your money and do the mass mailing.

The information given out at the invitational was great for those who have not done anything in the business before, but being a veteran of auditions, agencies, and even working on set once would make most of day one super boring to you. They give out great tips and the speakers are inspirational and funny but the information is not new and it is nothing that you can not find on the internet through a search.

Day two on the other hand is great. It really gives you the feel for what a large audition is like, because that is what it is. You get up and walk the cat walk, you walk and talk to the agents, and then if you were picked from day one’s auditions for monologues you perform your monologue in front of a huge crowd of people and the agents. Then right then they announce who got call backs and if your number is not called you go home.

At my invitational there were 50 agents, most of them for models, and I did not get one call back. I watched as mostly children were called back and models there were not many actors called back at my event. This is not saying they do not deal with actors it just means that at my event they were not looking for someone like me or the others who were not called back.

I did find that it was nice to be able to get more information about some of the acting agents that were there…we got their names too, and for those that accept through mail materials a thank you and comp card was sent to that agent the next day just to keep my name and face in their mind.

I also did a mass mailing the next day and got interest from another agency that was not at the event. ProScout only has a select few agents that come to this event and they change all of the time. Simply because this event had so many and those agents does not mean that they will be at the next one and if so it could be someone else. It is all about luck of the draw.

So no I would not say they are a scam but know yourself as a product before you go. If you have gotten no interest in a while and have no agent and think that you may have that it factor that gets you noticed, perhaps you could land something there, but do not be dissapointed if you do not because even if you do get a call back they do not hand a contract out right there and then. They could still change their mind in a week. My advice would be try the mass mailing and if that does not work then go ahead and try ProScout, but dont have grand dreams that are out of this world because you may end up disappointed.

Body Image Continued

After some careful thought in regards to the body image issues that the world is making acceptable, I decided it may not be a bad idea to perhaps talk about this issue more in detail. How many of us at one time or another have been made to feel poorly about ourselves by someone else or even ourselves. EVERYONE. And I ask…why should this be acceptable? Why should we allow ourselves to feel like anything less than what we are?

The reason is because society deems it ok for us to place people into social stereotypes. The blonds are dumb, the brunettes are rude, the red heads…well lets not get started on them! The fat ones are depressed and the skinny ones anorexic.

We should stop these stereotypes before they start and it starts with YOU! To be successful in anything that requires confidence and confidence is something difficult to come by. Now when I say confidence I don’t mean being angry and rude to everyone just to get your point across…no that is not confidence and anyone who tells you otherwise needs to go look up the dictionary what it means. That is just being mean and rude to get your point across.

Not all people who are confident do so blatantly. Confidence means knowing what you are capable of and what your self worth is. If you have decided that you will never do something….don’t EVER allow someone to tell you, “well this is the only opportunity you will ever have” and other choice words and phrases that allude to the same thing. If you feel that it takes away from your self worth sand up for yourself and say NO. Be polite about it and an explanation is not necessary. If the other person then becomes angry and tries to beat you into submission with words or anything else…you have come to find they are not someone to work with in the first place.

Here is the other thing, actors and actress all want to be someone who turns heads. Well, if all the roles out there were for that type there would be a lot of famous actors and actresses who are famous now that would not be. People who claim to be big in the world of Hollywood like to say things to you to make you feel like they really know what they are talking about, and like it is now or never so just do it. Steer clear of these because the legit people will just pick the next one, no questions asked.

This goes for any job. In today’s society there are at least 50 people up for the same job as you, if not more, and if you decline the job they will just take the next person. Directors, Agents, Producers, Bosses in any job do not need to gratify themselves by telling you how to be better and what to change about yourself to get the job. Most of the time you have to ask them personally for the feed back because lets face it, they are simply too busy to be bothered with yelling at you that you are too fat, too tall, too short, too skinny, not smart enough, or too smart. They just dont!

I know we all like to think that being the sexy bomb shell, male or female, is the best way to be, and you know what it is nice to be called that every once in a while, but know your type too. Know what roles you fit and put in for those not things that do not fit you and then you will not be as disappointed. And learn to stand in front of the mirror and own who you are because guess what….no one can be you but you!

As an actress I hear things for illegit people all of the time. “You can’t act”, “You’re too fat”, “Your not blond”. And I have done the, “I can change” routine….you know what…anyone who ever said these things to me, their project I saw NOWHERE! People that have to claim they are huge in the industry and drop names are more than likely not as big as they claim.

I had a few sets of auditions recently for my own film that I wrote and have been working on and never once did I tell someone who came in what I thought of them. I said “thank you” and that was the end of it.

Take the time to make sure that the next time you talk to someone about their body image, including to yourself that you stick to what is positive. It is hard to do, I work on this as well, but in the end if we can rewire ourselves to be positive about who we are, we can move onto the next step which is….SHOWING who we are!

Hospital or BUST!

So, it has come to my attention today that I need to address a serious issue in the world of “Hollywood”.  Apparently there are some “casting directors”, “directors”, and “producers”, that want actors and actress to head over to the hospital quickly.  What am I talking about you ask?  BODY IMAGE.

There are sick people out there who think that we as people need to be stick skinny to be beautiful. I am here to tell you, THIS IS JUST NOT TRUE.  People are made in all shapes and sizes and it is how talented, confident, and how well you fit the role that matters, not how big your boobs are and how skinny you are.  If this is the kind of people you are dealing with run now!  Women do not need to exploit themselves as sexual markers in order to be successful and I think that if we are being asked to do so then those that ask are feeding into a large problem.

When are we going to take a stand and say what we think?  When are we going to quit starving ourselves and pushing to be something we are not just to fit a view from someone we don’t even know?  FYI, the people who really work this industry and are legit are never going to tell you that you are fat.  If you simply do not fit the role they wont respond.  They are not going to tell you that you need to reapply when you have lost weight, no they will either cast you or not.  Now if they are interested in you for the role and feel that you would be a good fit they may request or put it into a contract that you need to loose x amount of pounds but they will never do this in a first initial meeting or casting call….OR EMAIL!  Don’t let the jerks that prey on body image screw up your view and allow them to make you feel low about yourself.

Some of you may know and some may not, that I am currently studying to get a certificate to be a nutrition specialist.  It is a passion of mine, health, and in my studies I have learned a lot about what the “normal” body looks and functions like.  Most of the people that we see  on screen do not look that way all of the time but more for the role.  There are things they do with wardrobe as well to create an effect and most of the naked butts you see do not belong to the person that they claim to belong to.  It is all an optical illusion and if you think that you need to be like this then we need to talk more about what a normal body looks like.

Two years ago I had a kid and my body image of myself was seriously messed up.  Oddly enough the thing that bothered me the most was when you bend to pick something up and you get that crease in your tummy…yeah…I wanted THAT gone!  Like no one has that.  Everyone who bends creases.  It was stupid but I felt like I had never had that before.  Besides that having  a kid really changes your body.  And forever but in a way, after getting over my initial shock and losing the baby weight, I feel better now than I did before I had a kid.

Remember that if you want to lose weight to make YOURSELF feel good that is up to you but be educated about your weight loss and weather or not it is safe.  If you are 5’8 and want to weigh 100 pounds that is unhealthy.  Also know what YOUR body is capable of.  If you are built to be athletic you will never have a small and petite frame.  There is nothing wrong with that because everyone out there wants something you have that they dont.  Maybe it is hair color, height, waist size, eye color, personality…whatever it is you have it and they will never have it and vice versa.  Be comfortable with who you are and if you are not….get there before you are willing to audition and put in for acting jobs because this can be brutal.  There is nothing worse than being psychologically scarred because you were not ready to deal with the comments of another.  Take them with a grain of salt and know who you are.  Remember that if a person makes you feel bad about yourself, no matter how “big” they are in this industry, they are probably someone you don’t want to work with in the end anyway.

There is only a small percentage of working SAG members and of those working members an even smaller amount of people make enough money acting to support themselves.  If you want to be an actor awesome, but know that there will be trials and tribulations and be ok with knowing that you more than likely will be the working actor who gets a big job locally in podunk midwest town once a year than that person who lands a large gig doing an Oscar nominated film.  Know that if that dream does come true that is a plus not the only option.

Being healthy means both mentally and physically.  If you cry every time you get a rejection or you didn’t get the job you wanted perhaps you need to become stronger and healthy in that aspect before you continue.  And if you are the kind of person who starves themselves because they want to be skinny and faints all of the time, stop doing that before you continue because you will get fired from your job if you can’t meet the physical requirements.  Learn to eat and eat right.  Get a balanced diet and exercise routine to make sure that you feel good about yourself.  And NEVER allow someone to tell you who to become and how to be.  Love yourself for who you are and own it!  Nothing is sexier!

A Quick Look At “Freaks”

Funding for my upcoming feature that I wrote and will be producing and acting in has been having a slow start, but we want to light the fire! I am so excited about this project and I want everyone around me to be excited too.

I shot this short teaser to help get you ready for the indie film of the year…pass it on and be a part of helping create something great!

Casting of “Freaks”

As most of my friends and family know I have finally started the pre-production process for my film “Freaks”. This has been in my head for two years and haunting me so I decided to take a leap of faith and just do it.

Casting is starting in the next couple of weeks and I can’t wait to see why type of people come in. Being a movie about a circus it should be interesting.

Despite my attempts to keep the film buzz small and contained to friends, family, and the people in my immediate filming area, I am getting submissions from as far away as Bulgaria, France, and England! Unfortunately I can’t take these people on, our lack of budget keeps me from taking home a pay check too, but the enthusiasm is contagious!

As of late I have been working on the pre-production with my director Chirstopher Dillard whom I am happy to say is just as passionate as I am. He really has the heart and vision to bring this project to life and I am so excited to see how it turns out in the end.

We are still looking for crew members so those interested in crew positions please send your resumes to freakscasting@googlemail.com with the word “Crew” in the subject so Christopher can give you a look.

If you live within 150-200 miles for Lafayette IN we want to see you! Please visit here for information in regards to characters and casting times and places and better yet character descriptions.

UPDATE

Not long after the blog Now ENTITLED FISHY BUSINESS was posted I recieved this e-mail;

“You made a huge mistake.  You are angry because we offered you another way to audition your final audition for the same role.  Your role was not withdrawn, it was still the same but, as I stated it was a good way to test your temperament.  We are more legit than you will ever know and you made those statements betting that we were not and that such statements could not harm your career.  But, did you ever think about the consequences if you were wrong? Please do not email us again.  Any further correspondence would be considered harassment.  As I stated, the role offer did not change, just the audition per your request.  You should have considered what you were hearing before making such insults. “

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When I spoke with them on the phone I was told that I would have to “Start Over for a different role”  I am not stupid and I know what I heard.  I was told that the auditions for the main roles would be in DC only and side roles would be in NY at this open call with a casting company, (which is actually listed on IMDB as a distribution company).

If you remember from my last e-mail to them I stated that I feared they were not legit because there were red flags?  If they were he would have no reason to say, “You made a huge mistake.” and “We are more legit than you will ever know.”  If that were the case he would give me the production company name and the list of actors and films he had worked on before!  It is a simple request.

Also at the end of my last mail I stated that I would decline further contact of any kind and here they are flipping the tables saying that if I contact them again it would be considered Harassment.  Really?  Because I am not the one yelling in e-mails and yelling over the phone.  I have been nothing but composed and polite and yet they are telling me that I will be the one in trouble.

Now my wonderful husband doesn’t like to leave anything on a negative note…a trait I admire in him because I will just walk away when things get weird.  He writes this e-mail back in response.  NOT MY CHOICE!  : )

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I am sorry about the development of this situation.  You could very well be a legitimate company.  With the information you have provided there is simply no way for me to know.  Given your reservations about me bringing my husband to Washington, I hope you understand, the safety risk involved for me.  I could be wrong but given that I have a child of my own I would rather be safe than sorry. I do wish you the best in your film endeavors and your upcoming productions.

On one more serious note, please acknowledge that I still hold the copyright for the picture and video material that I provided.  Please do not publish them without my permission.  If you choose to do so, I will have to take legal actions, as I hope you understand.

Thank you,

Whitney Wickham

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RESPONSE

When you asked to bring your husband and stated that you had been molested (both personal issues), we simply suggested that rather than meet for a cast dinner with the other cast members and have a table reading alone (call back audition), we could offer you the option of an open call where your husband could attend and you could feel safe.  We would have given the casting agent your name and informed them that we chose you to portray Elizabeth and to extend an offer letter if you were consistent with your video auditions.  No other actors had these personal concerns or issues.

We initially turned you down because you did not have the look for the role of Chris.  We cast a perfect candidate for that role last week.  Because of your persistence, I searched the script over and over to find you a job.  I could not locate a role for you, so we added a character that was removed from the final draft of the script to extend you a role in the film.  This was done simply because I liked you based on previous conversation.  I sometimes sympathize with the struggle of actors and extend such grace only to regret it later.

We will not use your photos for anything but, a reference in our file of this incident.  Our brand has worked with Oscar noms and household names.  We withhold information for the very reason of incidents like today.  When casting low-budget projects or seeking new talent incidents like this occur and emotions have a proclivity to get a person blackballed.

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FIRSTLY “Cast Dinner” was never mentioned in the converstations on the phone or in e-mail.  I was told simply that I would do another reading and if they wanted me they would hand me the contract then and there.  Which should not have been a problem being as I was already HIRED right?

SECONDLY The role of Elizabeth had been explained to me in a previous phone conversation and I stated that I would not be interested in that role because of the sexual extremities that she was required to partake in.  AND I was told I was going to be getting a larger role than the character Chris so really how pivotal could a role like Elizabeth be if she had been cut from the scrip and re placed in it?  She must not be as important as they say.

Thirdly “No other actors had these personal issues or concerns”  MAYBE THEY SHOULD!

Fourthly They say they had cast the role of Chris a week ago.  Why was I then still in the running for that role days ago and was told that I would have the role if I went and got a blond wig and showed them that I could have the look they wanted?  Days…not weeks.

Fifth If this “brand” whoever they are has worked with Oscar Noms and Household names why can’t they tell me who they are again?  Because I can tell you the sets I have been on and with whom I have spoken and worked with.  Seems simple enough right?

Emotions run high yes, when someone feels they are having their time wasted or like they are going to be scammed, but I must say I was very calm.  My e-mails were never emotionally charged and always had great explanations.  Saying the opposite in e-mail of what one says on the phone does not make the e-mail the truth.  Keep this in mind.  If someone can not keep their story strait something is up and proceed with caution.

My husband then wrote this response

_____________

I think that especially in the phone conversation we had, there were a lot of misunderstandings.
I understood that you invited me for another round of auditions and did not want me to bring my husband.
When you told me to go to NY for an open call, I understood that you told me to start from zero again. The fact that the call back audition in NY was just to prove that I am consistent with my video audition was not mentioned in the call, which I think led (together with me being careful) to this misunderstanding.Why you would have me start over and why you hung up on me when I asked you why I could not bring my husband to Washington was very confusing to me and I also was not able to find any information on your company as part of my safety research online.I understood that you talked about having this same issue with other actresses as well. From my point of view, I think that it is not to blame on any kind “diva-behaviour” but on the sad fact that in times like these, it is rather dangerous for any young woman to trust anybody they meet online and meet them in person without making preparations. For all I know, you could have been someone trying to take advantage of a lonely young woman away from home.

I hope you understand that.

Thank you for beeing understanding about my photos.

I wish you the best for your production,

Sincerely,

Whitney Wickham

________________

Remember how my loving husband likes to leave things positive.  : )

If people feel they need to threaten you with black balling and never working again or giving you the desperate feeling of, “now or never” it is not a good choice to proceed.  I close this information now and leave you to the decision.  If you have been cast by them before or are cast in their upcoming production I wish you the best of luck.  Keep your wits about.  To those who have not I say to each his own.  Perhaps it would have been the chance of a life time but do we want to work with people who threaten us and try to make us confused by saying one thing and then something else?  I say no…but that is just me.

(These posts have been written as opinion and not fact.  There is no intent to slander anyone and any and all information here is from my point of view.  This has simply been an attempt to educate others about how to formulate decisions when working with a company in the basis of what seems plausible and safe.)

UPDATE AGAIN

Weeks after I felt this situation had been settled…this company wrote me an e-mail stating that they are going to sue me for slander.  In all technicality this blog has been written in the form of opinion…learned it in ENGLISH CLASS as to how to write opinion statements.  That is what keeps us safe when blogging.  But in other regards what legit company goes after a starving actress for writing a story about what happened to them?  Seems over the top right? Well it is.  Know your rights…and I know that opinion statements are not slander.  Sounds to me like salt is being rubbed in the wound and someone is upset.

In this recent email from them they accuse me of slander and throwing a fit because I was not cast.  PLEASE.  I have been not cast more than enough times it doesn’t phase me.  But I also know when something is too good to be true and this was right on the money.  I am just sorry I let this drag on for so long and I hope that my fellow entertainers out there have learned some valuable lessons from my mistakes.  Not being cast does not mean you are not good and it doesn’t mean that you will not get another opportunity because you will.  There is no such thing as a black list in Hollywood…if there was I know there are plenty of actors that would be out of work right now…or should be but are not.  You may not get your chance with that company again…and you dont want to burn bridges that you know could be helpful but know when to care and not.  If the company is throwing as many fits as the one I have been talking about….you know they are up to something and it is not a good idea to be involved.  Large companies don’t care what others think of them because in the long run they have a large enough following to not be affected by these incidents.

All the best my friends.  I hope this is the last your hear from me on this matter.

Fishy Business

ATTENTION!

This is a very serious matter.  If you look to my “How to Audition Safely” blog you will know that safety in this business is of up most importance to me.  I am writing this post to inform everyone of a safety issue.  On Actorspages.org, there have been numerous posts in regards to casting out of a DC and LA based “production company”.  The film that I had been auditioning for was claiming to be a large hollywood film that was to go up for distribution at AMC and through netflix.  I am sure many of you reading this now have either seen posts from the company I am talking about or simmilar, or have put in for something because they are on many casting sites often.  In my opinion these people should be watched and stayed away from in my opinion.  Here is my reasoning why.

There were over 40 e-mails between this company and myself, my particular casting was through actorspages.org.  What one needs to remember is that ANYONE can make a profile for any of these casting sites and post a casting notice, so we DO NOT KNOW these people.  And especially since the film was listed as Non-Union it makes it even more difficult, because we can not check with SAG for syndication or any kind of legitimate proof of company existance.

When I decided to go ahead and try and find more about these companies the links that I found were simply self written press releases through sites that you simply sign up for…much like word press.  No web page and no information on this producer at all!

Firstly…the press releases that were written were written March 16th not long after the audition processes began.  Obviously someone was noticing that they were being searched for and ran a quick “Press Release” to make sure that when the name of the company is searched for “something” would come up. The particular web pages that have these press releases are simple sites just like word press where anyone can go in and write whatever they want for viral marketing.  THIS IS NOT A LEGITIMATE WEB PAGE OR PRESS RELEASE!  If you read these and think that, “oh well…there is a press release here, they must be real.”  Look at the way they are written.  It is mostly name dropping and no real information about who is involved or what they are about.  Sure some companies are small and do not have web pages if they are just starting out, however when speaking  over the phone he assured me NUMEROUS times that he had worked with academy award winning actors and actresses, and yet he could give me the names one that he had worked with.  (He later explained this in a final e-mail that he didn’t want anyone blackballed for mentioning them).  If they are such big actors and you can not name them they must not be so big because if the simple drop of their name is getting him in trouble something must not be right.  When I asked him for a quick list of previous films he had done he quickly changed the subject.

This particular company has worked with a distribution company, so they claim, but the company that was mentioned is one that has only distributed 3 films in the past and they were all films that were old and were a re´release of some kind.

Secondly…I did a video audition for them and they told me it was great.  Awesome….So I was sent to the second round.  I was told some of the characters…and yet the names for the story lines changed with every conversation we had.  One minute the character’s name is Alice then it was Chris.  It was listed as Alice in the post I answered.  Then I was told I was not sexy enough for the role of Chris/Alice and that they did not need to see me further.  I was fine with that but wanted to try for something else.  then he tells me that he really likes my acting and my attitude and wants me for a role he is just not sure where he wants to put me yet.  Over the phone he told me he was casting only 4 roles and all of the other roles were being cast by a casting director.  When I spoke with him in our final phone conversation he was casting 7.  When I asked him about the number change…he changed the subject.

Thirdly…I scored another video audition but I had to go get a blond wig.  I was told that this character needed to be classy and yet I was told to look more Marylin Monroe.  Opinions vary on what classy is, but if you ask me only Marylin and a few hand full of people can pull off her look and not look trashy.  When Pamela Anderson was the next name dropped I knew they were not looking for classy.

I did the blond photos and now after 4 video auditions and numerous photos they were saying they did not need to see more of me and they would not need me to come to DC for the next round of auditions because they were giving me a role for sure but needed to place me.  Suddenly, after two days, I am getting a phone call, from a female, saying that the producer has been trying to reach me.  Now my phone is a prepaid and I was out of minutes so there was a handful of hours where my phone was off.  I get home and find an email that shot up a red flag.  He had gone from nice to angry in about 60 seconds.

REAL E-MAIL

“I have attempted to contact you several times unsuccessfully in spite of you saying you will be there.  Is this going to be an issue?”

_________________

Now we had missed calls from each other before and we simply left a message or wrote a mail…why was this one so different?

The producer called me today and tried to tell me of a different character that he wanted me for.  A “larger more prominent” role.  I was excited but I always keep my guard.    He has now told me in the last emails that he would like to hire me…I am assuming that this phone call is going to be the offer.  Instead he tells me that he had sent me an email stating that I need to come to DC in May for a recall.  Didn’t I get an e-mail saying I am NOT to go to DC? Rather than walking blind into a possibly dangerous situation I ask him some questions.  “What is the production company?” (It gets really quiet)  I can hear the hand go over the phone and he is talking to someone. “Can I bring my husband to DC?” (“Um…what you want to bring your husband to the audition?”)  “Yeah…because I would be going across the country and I am a female and I was molested on another audition that was even in a public venue so yes I would like to have an escort.” (“Ok…well we are not interested in you anymore.  I can give you the name of the company doing the open calls in LA and New York, you can go through them and start over and get a role that way.)  There was not a second of hesitation after this question to write me off. He was sounding irate and angry.  So I replied with, “Well…I would really like to go for the larger role.  I am very professional and would like to not have to start over after all of the auditions that I have already done for you.  It would be a waste to start over.”  (I was very nice when I said this…it sounds bad when I write it out but trust me…I was nothing but nice.)  “Um no.  We are not interested after what you just said.  Why would you ask that?” “Because I am testing to see if you are legit…” HE HANGS UP.

So let me get this strait.  He wants me for this role…after all he said I was “hired”…and then because I ask to bring protection he tells me to forget it.  THIS IS A RED FLAG.  IF YOU HAVE NOT FIGURED IT OUT BY THIS POINT WELL THEN DO NOT AUDITION ANY MORE, FOR ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU WILL GET HURT or worse KILLED! I call back the same number and get an assistant.  I ask her if I can speak to ____insert name____ and she says that he is on a conference call with someone else.  I say that he hung up on me and she says that he had to go and that he would write me a mail latter.  So I asked her if this is legitimate or if they are wasting my time and she hangs up.  Then I get this email no more than two minutes after she hangs up.

_____________

Dear Whitney,

Until today we worked very hard to cast you in the film by including a role that was originally cut out of the script due to your efforts.  However, the information you gave us today is something we are very cautious of and quickly decided to place you in an audition process that would better fit your needs.  In an attempt to save you from making statements or emotional responses that may cause us to change our mind about working with you, my boss excited the phone call to attend a conference call.  However since then you allowed your emotions to respond in a manner that is very concerning and we must consider the words and response to not getting what you desired.

My Response

_________________

My response is not because I did not get what I want.  I am concerned that perhaps this is a fraudulent company.  It is completely normal for an actress to have an escort to the door of any audition and there is not an agent in the world that would suggest for a female to fly across the country alone to unknown territory and meet with people that she has never seen before.  Quite frankly the sudden change from “We really want you” to “Forget it…go to the open call” is a red flag.  I have no reason to believe that this is a legitimate film when the casting story, we want you, we dont, yes we do, nah go to the open call, changes every time we write or talk.  I am a very professional person and believe that perhaps I shall stick to union affiliated films for the time being, since one question can cause the director to hang up the phone.  There was not a word said to me about needing to take a call and if that was the case perhaps calling when there was more time would be more appropriate.I have gone through this motion a thousand times and I have been to many auditions and never had the issue of someone changing the names of the characters, the desires of where to place me and let alone not telling me the company affiliated.  I have the right to know with whom I am meeting and where I am going.  I do not believe in simply walking blindly into something that may not be safe.  Actors union or non have the same right to know with whom they will be working and meeting with.  This has no bounds and is common sense.  If this company is simply searching for someone who does not know what is safe or not than I am not the one to be contacting.  This does not make me a diva or a bitch it makes me smart.  There are too many girls killed every year for doing just that…going across country with the promise of fame and fortune.  I think the problem has not been trying to find people who will work well but rather that one can not find stupid people who will be blind to the red flags that are flying.  There are too many things that point to danger that I must say I am going to have to decline further contact of any kind.Whitney Wickham

_______________

The reason I placed this information in this post is because I feel that it is important to see that a people who mean you no good will change their behavior drastically when they do not get what they desire from you.  What that was in this case I have no idea.  I will never know and I don’t want to.

When the producer and I would talk he would talk about actresses who were not professional, who did not want to do nudity (As if that makes an actress professional or not)…who were wasting his time.  I think it had nothing to do with that, well maybe some, but I think there were more instances like mine.  Girls who smelled a rat.  It makes more sense.

After looking through actorspages.org and looking for other posts by them , I noticed a trend.  All of their posts were similar but different names.  They have the story line strait but not the names of the characters or they would leave out the characters names all together.  This is not particularly odd for a larger film, they want to keep things top secret, but it matched all of the weird happenings that I had experienced.  I started to feel like a detective sniffing out the lies and deception and was starting to feel grateful that I didn’t go.  I would be very cautious as to what information you give these people and I would steer clear of anyone who has to put a fake press release out there just to get their name out.

Now this is not saying that Non union films are bad or even that this company is not legit, I just can not see any reason to believe them.  Any true company will have no problem giving referrences, names of pervious work titles, and the production company involved.  No one walks around saying they are a huge deal and won’t boast as well about who they worked with.  It does not add up.  Check IMDB.  If they claim to have worked with someone in a film they directed, it will be on there.  Guess what….this particular person  is not on there at all. For someone who worked with stars he should be prominently on there union or not.

If companies you are auditioning for are legitimate they will make you feel safe and will answer your questions to the best of their ability and not yell an hang up the phone when questions are asked.  If they do…do you want to work with them anyway?  Let’s be mature in our work places and show the actors that they are not going to be verbally abused when they take a job.  When you are unsure go with your gut.  We as people never do and we really should because it is an instinct that God gave us.  Be safe!

UPDATE