Commercial Callback for Expedia

Today I was called back to Broad-Cast for Expedia.  I felt great about my audition!  There was a variety of ages and types at the callback.  Afterwards Dan Cowan asked if I could stick around and read for a different Expedia Commercial with kids. 

Thanks again to Dan Cowan for calling me in!

Two Auditions for Jennifer

Lucky me, I had 2 auditions today. 

First audition was  a commercial audition.  Dan Cowan at Broadcast called me in to audition for “Expedia”.  This is a great spot and I felt really good about my audition, so I am really keeping my fingers crossed for this one.

Next I was off to Bass Casting in West Hollywood to audition for a short film.  The best thing is that I met Lauren Bass at a casting workshop a couple months ago and she called me in for this audition.  I’m not sure if this is the best role for me, but I did my best at the audition and I hope that Lauren will call me in again.

Overall, today was a great day.  I love having one audition in a day, let alone two!  That’s the life of a working actress!

On-Camera Make Up Class

I missed class last Tuesday because of a rehearsal for “A Simple Conversation”, so I made up my on camera class on Thursday.  My scene was from “CSI New York”.   

I have been really overwhelmed for a couple weeks now:  rehearsals for the AFI Film, 2 days of filming, moving to a new apartment, finishing up my job at AIA Studios, and starting a new job as an apartment manager.  I prepared my scene for class, but I have to admit, I did not have the time to work on it as much as I usually like to.  So when it was time for me to work on my scene in class, I was a little nervous.  But overall, it went well.  I tripped on  a couple lines, but I just kept going. 

I really enjoy my craft and will look forward to my next scene in class.

Casting Director Workshop with Freddy Luis

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Freddy Luis at AIA Actors Studio. Freddy is a Casting Director at Engine Media Group, a big office casting office.   Freddy gave us great tips for auditioning.  He said that an actor should always know who is going to be in the audition room.  If the writer is going to be in the room, do not change a thing.  And always be confident with your choices.

Afterwards Freddy passed out sides from films he has cast.  I was given tough sides from a Sci-Fi Film where I played a character who was visually half a 60-year-old man and half 20-year-old woman and speaks like a 60-year-old man. This character is a manifestation of the imagination of the main character.  In this scene I was also threatening the main character. Freddy said to be confident with our choices, so  I just went for it.  Hopefully I made a good first impression!

On Camera Class With Christinna Chauncey

Tonight I returned to class with my comedic scene from “The Class”.  I was excited.  This was a fun scene to work on.  My character, Nicole, has just run into her old flame.  The problem, she is a unhappily married woman now. 

I really enjoy working on comedy.  Christinna has been pulling a lot of great comedy scenes for me to work on.  I want o perfect my comedic skills and I hope to work professionally in a great comedy someday.

Print Audition for Jennifer

Aurora at KSR Models sent me to Katie Taylor Casting for a print casting.  The Print Campaign is for National Rent-A-Car. The audition was held at 201 Ocean Park Casting Studio.

This is my first time auditioning for Katie Taylor, so I was thrilled to receive the call.  The audition was the same day as my last day of filming for “A Simple Conversation”, but Aurora gave me a range time and asked me if I could make it before 6PM.  Luckily I was able to work it out.  I finished my last shots for “A Simple Conversation” and rushed over to Santa Monica for the casting.

 The Casting notice said not black and white, so I arrived wearing a cute red shirt with polk-a-dot sleeves.   There were a number of girls of different ages and with different looks.  When it was my turn, I met the photographer and posed for a  couple of photos.  Lets hope they are looking for a blonde!

Second Day of Filming for “A Simple Conversation”

Day Two of  ”A Simple Conversation”.  Another 7am call time, another cold day.  Today we jumped right into filming.  We picked up a couple of close ups, but really the creative team wants one contiuous shot for the entire film.  We shot the film over and over, 30 takes I believe. 

Here is a shot of my co-star, Anthony, and I with our “wedding pictures” in the background:

Jennifer Keller (Kitty) with co-star Anthony Cran (Richard)

First Day of Filming for “A Simple Conversation”

I completed Day One of filming “A Simple Conversation”.  What a day. My 7am call time came too quickly.  I woke up and when I left the apartment I was greeted by brisk cold air.  I drove to our lovely shoot location in Pasadena where the crew was setting up for our day of shooting.  By the time it was my turn for make up it was 9am.  After a turn in the make up chair, I hit up the craft table for a cup of hot tea.  Soon it was time for rehearsal.  We ran the scene and set up the camera shots until lunch.  Instead of setting up a series of shots, the creative team decided to shoot the entire film in one continuous shot with a steady cam.

After lunch it was time to shoot! 

I play Kitty Olsen, an uptight family oriented woman.  My husband, Richard, is the man of the house, but has a terrible secret. 

Here I am with our director:

On Camera Class with Christinna Chauncey

This Tuesday in class I was given a dramatic scene from “CSI New York”.   In my new scene I play guest star Isabelle, a woman dying of cancer who knows the reason of the recent suicide/murders of her friends.

This is a  tough scene.  A lot of “romantic” language.  But what a good exercise this will be for me.

Next week we return to class for the “call back” with the same scene, dressed appropriately for the character.

AFI “Wedding Photo”

 

A sneak peak of “Rich and Kitty”

Commercial Callback

I had a commercial callback for Truegreen!  The callback was at a new casting facility, 2601 Ocean Park Blvd in Santa Monica.  There was a huge accident on the 405 and the highway was backed up all the way to the 101 entrance onto the 405, so it took me an hour and 40 minutes to drive to Santa Monica.  Not only that, I had a dreadful day that I cannot even being to blog about.  I finally arrived in Santa Monica and quickly found a parking spot.  I often audition at 2701 Ocean Park, and I was on “autopilot” and automatically went to that studio.  Luckily 2601 was right next door, so it didn’t take long for me to walk to the correct studio. 

When I arrived there were a couple girls in front of me so I had a few minutes to calm down.  I took a few deep breaths and reminded myself how blessed I was to be there.  I started to think about the spot and how exciting it is to get a callback.  When it was my turn to go in the room, I was ready!  

The spot for Truegreen is really fun.  Again, I had one line of dialogue and gave several different interpretations.  I left feeling pretty darn good. 

Thanks again to Ross Lacy Casting for the opportunity!

New Role for Jennifer!

Exciting News!  I have been cast as Kitty in “A Simple Conversation”, and AFI Film Project!  Filming begins in two weeks.  Check back for updates!

Callback for “A Simple Conversation”

Today I had a callback for ”A Simple Conversation”, a short film produced at The American Film Institute (AFI). 

I was called back for Kitty, a wife and mother who learns her husband has an awful secret.  Today I read with two different actors who were called in for the role of my husband.  Both actors were really great and gave 2 very different performances.  It was nice to be able to play off of each actor’s unique performance. 

Again, the director, Jon, gave us all sorts of different ideas to play with as we ran through the scene.  What a fun audition (even though the material is heavy)  I left the callback feeling really happy with my performance.

Keeping up with Jennifer

 

Thank you for keeping up with my journey as an actress! I’ve had almost 19,000 hits to my website since starting it less than a year and a half ago. 

Now there are two more ways to keep up with me: on Facebook http://tinyurl.com/JenniferKellerFanPage  and on Twitter http://twitter.com/JenniferKeller1

Thanks for the support!

Sincerely,

Jennifer

Commercial Audition for Jennifer

Today I had a commercial audition for Ross Lacy Casting.  This is my first time auditioning for this office.  I am always excited to audition for a new casting director!  

Today’s spot was for Truegreen.   I arrived at the casting facility at 200 South LaBrea for my 2 PM audition in good time.  I signed in and waited my turn to audition.   I was given one line and asked to say it a couple different ways.  I used the process that Megan Foley spoke about in her workshop 2 weeks ago.  I left feeling good about my audition.

Thanks to Ross Lacy for calling me to audition for the first time!

Casting Director Workshop with Kendra Castleberry, Week 2

Tonight I attended the second week of “Adjusting your Audition for Different Genres” with Casting Director, Kendra Castleberry, at AIA Actors Studio.  

This week:  The Procedural.  I was given sides from “Castle” and asked to read for the part of Detective Beckett.  I love the show “Castle” and was glad to see that I was not only reading sides from the show, but they were also sides from an episode that I have not seen yet.  The last thing you want as an actor is someone else’s rendition of a scene running through your head.  So, I was able to make it my own and I received some nice feedback from Kendra.

On Camera Class with Christinna Chauncey

After a short hiatus for my European Vacation, I returned to my weekly acting class with Christinna Chauncey.  It felt to great to be back, even though there were a lot of unfamiliar faces in class.   

Christinna alway pulls the best scenes for me!  The characters she gives me are the types of roles I would be called in to audition for.  Tonight she did not disappoint and I was given a great scene from “CSI: NY”.   The character: Summer Hamilton, a high spirited, blonde chatterbox from Idaho. Summer is a new applicant to the program who has been sent over to the crime scene to meet Detective Mac Taylor.

Next week I will return to class for the “call back”, using the same scene, dressed appropriately for the character.

Casting Director Workshop with Eric Souliere

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Eric Souliere, a casting associate at UDK.  This busy office casts great shows such as “Nip/Tuck” and “The Mentalist”.

When I received my sides for the evening, I was speechless.  I was given sides from “Nip/Tuck”, a show known for its edgy material.  My character was a 40-year-old divorce have a very personal procedure.  It was the dialogue I had trouble saying, I just do not speak that way. Hind sight is always 20/20 and I wish I would have asked for another scene.  But I did not, and I couldn’t even look at Eric in the eyes for a couple of my lines.  That’s the hard thing about casting director workshops.  You never know what kind of scene you are going to get and if it is going to suit you.  You’ve got to make it work.

UDK is such a great office and I really enjoy “The Mentalist”.  I hope I have a chance to read for them in the future.

 

Casting Director Workshop with Tara Tracey

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Tara Tracey at AIA Actors Studio.  Tara is the Casting Associate at Valko/Miller Casting, a huge Casting Office.  This busy office casts great comedies such as “Two and a Half Men”, “The Big Bang Theory” and “Hank” as well as “Sons of Tuscan” and “The Secret Life of an American Teen”.

Tara was so sweet.  A Midwest girl as well, I immediatley felt like someone I could be friends with.  Tara talked about the different casting process for each show.  She also gave encouraging news, that co-star roles and under 5’s are often cast from actors who she has met at workshop! 

Tara passed out sides from “Two and a Half Men” and “The Big Bang Theory”.  I was given funny sides from an episode of “Two and a Half Men”.   I played one of Charlie’s “latest conquests”, a starstruck girl who happens to work in Allen’s office.  Comedy ensues.  My scene partner and I received some laughs and Tara told us that we would go “straight to make up”.  Yay! 

Thanks to Tara Tracey for teaching on a Friday night!

Casting Director Workshop with Kendra Castleberry, Week 1

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Kendra Castleberry at AIA Actors Studio.  Kendra casts “Castle”, a show I like a lot, in Donna Rosenstein’s Office.

Kendra’s workshop is in entitled “Adjusting your Audition for Different Genres”.  This will be a 3 week workshop. 

This week: The Dramity.  I was given sides from “October Road”, a show that Kendra previously cast.  I played a guest star named “Melanie”.  This was a great scene and I got some laughs, which is always a good sign!

Commercial Audition at Broadcast

Today I had a commercial audition for Dan Cowan at Broad-Cast. I am always glad to be called in for an audition for Dan Cowan.  

Today’s spot was for Monster.com.  The attire: casual.  I arrived early so I could audition before I had to work at AIA Studios.  Everything was running on schedule and I was in and out. 

Audition for “A Simple Conversation”

Today I had an audition for ”A Simple Conversation”, a short film produced at The American Film Institute (AFI).  I was called in for a lead role, Kitty, a wife and mother who learns her husband has a terrible secret.

The director, Jon, and the producer, Kristina, were both so sweet.  Jon was a very hands on director and we kept playing with different interpretations of the script.  He would say, “let’s just play with this…”, which was great.  It gave me a chance to try all sort of different tactics to get what I wanted in the scene.  I walked out of the audition feeling really happy with my performance.  What a good experience!

Casting Director Workshop with Megan Foley

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Commercial CD Megan Foley. The workshop was at AIA Actors Studio in Burbank.

I auditioned, and was called back for, a Clairitin Commercial that Megan cast over a year ago, but have not auditioned for her since.  So I was really looking forward to meeting Megan again. 

Megan was all about the Q&A’s, and since there were various level of actors in the workshop, there were many questions that were answered.  Megan’s tips for commercial audition was to always “pick 3 different ways of saying a line” and “think about saying it to 3 different people in your life”. 

Megan passed out a series of commercial lines from an Acura commercial and each person in the class was asked to choose one line and prepare it 3 different ways.   I chose the line ”They give excellent service and after the repair someone always calls to ask me how the service went.” My characters: a casual friendly woman, a valley girl and a “Desperate Housewives” gossip.   When Megan told me I had a Bree kind of feel, I knew I hit the nail on the head!

Thanks to Megan for teaching and answering so many questions!

Audition at Champion Casting

I am still pinching myself!

I took a Casting Director workshop with Fern Champion last month and she returned to the studio to teach again.  When I saw her, she asked me for a headshot for consideration for the film she is casting.  Fern is an incredible Casting Director!  She has cast huge films such as “Eraser” and “The Mask”.  Actress Cameron Diaz had her big break in “The Mask”, so it was an honor to meet Fern and even have consider me for a role.

 And lucky for me, the next day I was invited to audition for a supporting lead role in a film that Fern is casting called “Sex Tax: Based on a True Story″.  The role I auditioned for was journalist, Nicki Daniels, a young reporter who is the first to jump on the Cottontail Ranch and quickly moves from the local station to reporting for the National News.    

I received the sides the night before and had a 11:30 am audition.  There were 8 pages of sides and the script was also available,  which I read, of course.   At the audition, Fern Champion was in the room, as well as the Director, John Borges.  The audition was also on tape.  There was another friendly face in the room, a AIA member was working as the reader that day.

Overall, I felt really great about my audition!  I really did.  I was a little nervous at first, but I felt like I hit the highs and the lows in the different scenes.  No matter what happens, I felt great about my audition!

I am so thankful to have had this experience!  Special Thanks to Fern Champion for the opportunity to audition for her!!!

Big Audition News!!

Big news! I met a casting director at workshop last month and I bumped into her again at AIA Studios last night.  She is casting a film and asked for my headshot.  And sure enough, she CALLED ME FOR AN AUDITION FOR FEATURE FILM! And it is a nice supporting lead role! Wow!!! Keep me in your thoughts Wednesday morning!

Casting Director Workshop with Jennifer Lurey

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Jennifer Lurey at AIA Actors Studio.  Jennifer is the casting associate at Paul Weber Casting.  This busy office casts for the Stargate franchise as well as a number of Movie of the Weeks.

Jennifer passed out sides from Stargate Atlantis, and a couple MOW’s she has cast for a cold reading exercise.  My scene was from “Stargate”  I read for a character named “Carter”. 

I had a good scene and I felt good about the workshop!

Commercial Audition

I had a commercial audition today at ASG Casting.  Today’s audition was for Quest Internet.   The spot called for a group of friends chatting over lunch.  The attire: Fun, Stylish, cool daytime dining out attire. I wore a yellow dress and heels.

This is a great comedic spot.  And the 3 women I read with were top notch.  I felt like the 4 of us had great chemistry.  And I felt great about the audition.

Thanks to Randi at CU for the audition!

Rome

Admiring the Pantheon in Rome

I spent 2 1/2 days in Rome.  What a grand city! Everything is larger than life.  Though, I didn’t feel quite as safe in Rome as in Paris. I was constantly cornered by locals offering discount tours or dressed up in costumes asking for photos for a price, or street vendors and beggars asking for money. And surprisingly, there is a lot of graffiti on the city buildings and subway trains.   Though once I arrived at the tourist sites, I felt more comfortable.  Most people spoke English at the large sights.   

 

The Colosseum

The Colosseum was  an amazing sight.  It is mind boggling to think that the Colosseum is 2,000+  years old and is still standing so majestically. Within walking distance of the Colosseum are the ruins of Ancient Rome.  I followed the “Roman Forum Walk” spelled out in Rick Steve’s “Best of Europe” Book and viewed the ruins of the Basilica of Constantine, The Curia (Senate House), and the Arch of Septimius Sererus.  I even walked the path that Julius Caesar himself walked thousands of years ago.  Next we visited the Pantheon.  The Pantheon is an incredibly well preserved Roman church with huge granite columns.  Surrounding the Pantheon are adorable Italian cafe’s, just like the one referred to in my American Express Commercial!  I also ordered the best gelato I’ve ever had at a restaurant near the Pantheon.  Melon and Pistachio…yum!!

Tossing a coin in the Trevi Fountain

Afterwards we took a night walk in the city (Thanks again Rick Steves) and visit the Trevi Fountain and Piazza di Spagna, AKA the Spanish Steps.  The Trevi Fountain was built in the 1700’s and is amazing.  It is so grand, including a statue of “Ocean” and “King Triton”, with water gushing from 24 spouts.  The Spanish Steps are a hang out for locals and tourists alike. 

The second day in Rome, I went to Vatican City to see the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel (a 328 foot tall dome painted by Michelangelo) and St. Peter’s Square.  And, very importantly, I went shopping for leather boots later that afternoon.  I was successful in my pursuit!  That evening, it was back to the Spanish Steps, where we enjoyed music, ate pizza from a local vendor and people watched on our last night.

Paris

A photo by the Eiffel Tower before the rain starts

Oh, how I love Paris!  Let me count the ways.  I love the sights, I love the food, I love the cute little cafe’s on every corner!  The Parisians were so friendly.  Many spoke English and made us feel right at home.

 

 The London Rain must have hitched a ride with us because the first day in Paris it was cold and rainy. First stop was the Eiffel Tower, which I was in awe of. It is so grand, so beautiful, it did not disappoint! As you can see, I was able to get a quick photo just before the rain started!  We retreated to an adorable creperie/cafe where we dined on delicious crepes served on china plates and tea .

 

Next we visited the great cathedrals, Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle.  Both were majestic with beautiful stained glass windows that I could just stare at for hours.

 

While in Paris I also visited several of the top museums. It was nice to leisurely stroll down the halls of such great museums and take in the  paintings and sculptures.  I peered at the “Mona Lisa” (hidden behind bullet proof glass) at the Louvre; I admired Monet’s Impressionistic Paintings at the Orsay and I contemplated ”The Thinker” at the Rodin Museum.

 

The Eiffel Tower at night

We always found time to visit the Eiffel Tower. Day or night, I could just stare at it for hours. There was a long line to travel to the top of the tower, but it was worth the wait.  The view is amazing (900 feet above the ground).  We decided to visit the tower in the early evening and stayed at the top of the tower and watched a glorious sunset.  Afterwards, we returned to the ground level we walked across the bridge to Tocadero Square.  Were we sat on the lawn and admired the tower.  Once evening falls, every hour on the hour, the Eiffel Tower is lit by hundreds of  blinking lights for 10 minutes.  It is quite a sight!

 We also took advantage of the “Hop On, Hop Off” Double Decker Busses and were able to visit a number of sights in a short time.  We took both the route through “The Latin Quarter” and the “Montmartre Area”.  On the bus we drove by infamous The Moulin Rouge.  The area seemed pretty sketchy, so we did not bother to get off. I did take a couple pictures of the building as the bus drove by.

 

We did visit the Sacre-Ceur in the Montmartre.  The Sacre-Coeur is a church on Paris’ highest hilltop.  There is a great view of the city from here.  One block from the church is the place du Tertre, which is a street filled with tiny tourist shops.  We came across a little stop where a local street artist was selling painting of the city and bought two.

 

Coldplay in Paris

 That evening we had a special treat.  We rented a flat in Paris and the owner had 2 Coldplay Concert Tickets that he could not use, so he sold them to us!  It was exciting to see Coldplay in Concert for the first time, and in Paris!  The Concert was held at the Soccer Stadium and we were standing in the field for the show. The crowd was electric!  What a great concert.  It was a thrill!

 

The next day I visited Napoleon’s Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs-Elysees.  On the Champ-Elysees, I visited LaDuree, an amazing tearoom/desert shop with an antique feel.  It was so elegant and I felt very underdressed, so I picked out a delectable desert to go.  It was quite pricy, but when I took a bite, it was well worth it! 

 

The Seine River at sunset

 Our last evening we took Le Capitaine Fracasse,  a dinner cruise on the Seine River.  It was incredibly romantic.  I dined on salmon and drank a rose wine.  After dinner, it was up to the top of the boat to catch the sights at night.  I found myself singing “Our Love is Here To Stay” just like in Gene Kelly’s movie “An American in Paris”. 

I wish I could have spent more time in Paris.  There was so much more that I wanted to do.  Alas, five days in Paris just flew by.   But I have wonderful memories and hope to return again.

Next Stop…Rome

London

The rain stopped just for a few minutes to catch a photo of Big Ben and Parliament

I spent 2 1/2 days in London.   What a fun city. Though it rained most of the trip, I still had a great time.  

We took in all the sights on a Double Decker “Hop on, Hop off” bus.  The Queen was away, so we were able to visit the state rooms in Buckingham Palace.  No Photos allowed, however.  Due to the rain the first day, we mainly stayed on the bottom level of the bus.  But we were able to see Parliament and Big Ben as well as Westminster Abby.  That evening it was off to The Globe Theatre for a show.  Sadly, there wasn’t a Shakespearian Play while we were in town.  The Globe was premiering a play called “A New World: The Story of Thomas Paine”.  Though I was hoping for “As You Like It” (which was scheduled to start 2 days later), we decided to stay and enjoyed the show.  It rained the whole evening (those poor actors).   

 

Playing in the Red Phone Booths in London

Day number 2, we hopped back on the Double Decker Bus.  It was much nicer the 2nd day.  It was actually partly sunny, but windy and cold.  Needless to say,  I did not bring enough warm clothes (It was 100 when I left LA) so  I was very cold.  Good thing I brought my rain jacket, a last minute addition!

 

After taking the Double Decker Bus throughout London, over the Tower Bridge, past Trafalgar Square, we decided to stop at TKTS to purchase tickets for ”Les Miserable” .  I have been dreaming about seeing ”Les Mis” again for 10 years.  “Les Mis” was the first musical I ever saw and I fell in love with the show (though we were sitting in the nosebleed seats at the Cleveland Playhouse).   After a little shopping in the Piccadilly Circus and a yummy Fish and Chips Dinner at a local pub, it was finally time to see “Les Mis” at the Queen’s Theatre.  It was too cold to wear my cocktail dress, but luckily I had packed a pair of black pants.  I felt very underdressed, but thrilled to be there.  What a wonderful production. I cried throughout the show:  I cried because I was so happy to be there, I cried because the cast was so talented, I cried at the end…yeah, I’m a crier. 

 

I wish we had another day to spend in London.  My how our time flew by.  But our next stop was Paris, so I managed to perk up!

Casting Director Workshop with Beth Holmes

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Commercial CD Beth Holmes. The workshop was at AIA Actors Studio in Burbank.

I audition often commercially, but I have never auditioned for Beth, so I was really looking forward to this workshop.  Beth was great.  Very laid back.  She told us that she had started off as an actor but realized that it wasn’t really her passion.  She had gone to graduate school for theater, but ended up getting her first job in casting through this experience.  Now Beth casts comedic commercials.  Recently she has also opened up her office for theatrical work and cast a pilot.  

Beth passed out sides from various commercials she has cast for a cold reading exercise.  I was paired with another woman in class and was given commercial copy from a McDonald commercial. It was a quirky kind of commercial and I felt really good about my reading. 

Thanks Beth for sharing your expertise!

Casting Director Workshop with Stacey Rosen

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Stacey Rosen at AIA Actors Studio.

Stacey casts the majority of Movies of the Week (MOW) in this Industry.  Many of the films that she casts are seen on the Lifetime and Hallmark Channels.  It was fascinating to hear her journey as a casting director.  And she really broke down step by step what the audition process is like in her office and her likes/dislikes when it comes to actors. Very helpful and interesting.

Stacey was very prepared and had prepped sides for each actor prior to arriving to class.  Each scene was from a MOW she had cast.  I was given a scene from a MOW based on a true story.  In the scene, the character is talking to a therapist about a terrible event that she recently endured. Stacy did not pair us with a partner, instead she read with each actor, just as she would in a casting session.  I received very good feedback from Stacey.  She gave me a couple notes and redirected me for the “second take” and I felt even better about my performance.

I wasn’t going to stay for class because I was feeling SO jet lagged (it was my first day back), but I am so glad that I pushed through it.  Stacey was so informative and I felt great about my scene.  What a nice evening.

I’m Back in the USA!

Two wonderful weeks in Europe has just flown by and here I am, back in the US and very jet lagged.  I took over 400 photos, so I promise I will blog about my trip later this week.  Keep checking back!   ~ Jennifer

I’m Leaving On A Jet Plane; Don’t Know When I’ll Be Back Again…

I am gearing up to leave for a trip to Europe.  It will be my first time overseas and I will be traveling to London, Paris and Rome for 2 whole weeks!   I won’t have a computer overseas, so I will blog when I return!

 ~ Jennifer

Casting Director Workshop with Dylann Brander

Last night I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Dylann Brander at AIA Actors Studio.  Dylann casts two great shows, ”Hawthorne” and “The Cleaner”.

Dylann is awesome.  She made me laugh and I liked her right away.   After Q&A’s, Dylann passed out sides from both shows she casts for a cold reading exercise.  I was given a great scene from “Hawthorne”.  I read for a character named Candy, a nurse with a big heart.  My scene partner and I did well our first read and Dylann did not re-direct us.

Audition for “The Chicago 8″

I am still pinching myself.

I took a Casting Director workshop with Erica Silverman (casting assoc in April Webster’s Office) last week and she called me in for a small role in a film that she is casting called “The Chicago 8″.  The film is based on the Chicago 8 trials in the 1968.  The Chicago 8, as they were called, were all tried in response to the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention. I was called in for the role of the Court Reporter.  A role with few lines, but lots of screen time.

I researched the Chicago 8 trials before the audition so I would be familiar.  I even found a couple videos on You Tube, which were very helpful. 

I was asked to dress for the era, so I arrived in a peacock blue sheath dress with a scarf in my hair.  I was also wearing blue eyeshadow.  I definitely felt like a little 60’s girl.

I received the sides the day before.  There were 2 lines in the audition sides, which I memorized.  Actor trick of the trade, even if you have the lines memorized, always hold the script.  You may get nervous and lose your place.   So, I brought my sides in and felt prepared.  The audition was on tape for producers, so I did not see Erica again at the audition.

Overall, I felt like I did a good job.  However, I looked at the shoot dates and it looks like the movie start filming the day after I fly back from Europe, so I would miss any wardrobe fittings or table reads of the script.    So, we’ll just see what happens.  I can’t worry about that.

Overall I am so thankful to have had this experience!  Special Thanks to Erica Silverman for the audition!!!

Incredible News!

Big news! I met a casting director at workshop last week and she CALLED ME FOR AN AUDITION FOR FEATURE FILM! It is a small role, but it is a start, and I am so excited!!!  Keep me in your thoughts Friday morning!

Callback for “Wait Until Dark”

Tonight I had a great callback for “Wait Until Dark”.  “Wait Until Dark” is a wonderfully tense play about a blind woman name Susy who is terrorized by a trio of con artists while they search for a heroin stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment.

I was called back for the role of Susy.  There were a number of women called back for the role.  Each of us were paired with a scene partner. I read with a guy named Ben who was called in for the role of Mike and I felt like we worked well together.   After our audition, each of us was asked to stick around, which is always a good sign. 

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for this one.  Though regardless, I felt great about my callback and that is what is most important!

On a Personal Note…

Today I celebrated my 2 year wedding anniversary.  My husband and I went out to dinner at The Tam O’Shanter Inn.  We had a lovely meal and delicious souffle for dessert! Our big celebration will be a trip to Europe next week.

Casting Director Workshop with Sunny Boling

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Sunny Boling of Morman/Boling Casting at AIA Actors Studio.

I really liked Sunny right away.  She really enjoys her job and is really funny.  Sunny has been casting for 10 years and formed Morman/Boling Casting with her friend Meg Morman 5 years ago.  

Sunny passed out sides from various film and television projects for a cold reading exercise.  I was given a quirky sitcom scene from an unnamed show.  I’ve been working on my comedy skills and this character was a great character for me . My scene partner and I got a lot of laughs from the audience.  I even heard Sunny laugh out loud, which is a really good sign!

What a great evening.  Thanks to Sunny for braving awful traffic and teaching at AIA!

Callback for “Wait Until Dark”

I am so excited to write that I have been invited back to Glendale Center Theatre for a callback for the thriller, “Wait Until Dark”!  The callback is Wednesday at 5 PM.  Keep me in your thoughts and prayers!!

Thanks!

Jennifer

Exciting News

Wow, I got a callback for “Wait Until Dark” at the Glendale Center Theatre!  I am so excited.   Especially since I felt just so/so about my originial audition.  Oh, I am so excited.

Casting Director Workshop with Erica Silverman

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Erica Silverman, Casting Associate at April Webster Casting.  April Webster’s office casts a number of successful TV shows and movies such as LOST, Criminal Minds, Fringe and the new Star Trek Movie.  Erica works specifically on Criminal Minds. 

Erica was so sweet.  Prior the class she chatted with me and my fellow co-workers at AIA.  When class started Erica passed out sides from various projects that she has cast.  I was given a mother/daughter scene from a Indie Film.  It was a dramatic piece with a lot of tension between the two characters.    I felt like my scene partner and I gave a really good cold-reading. 

Erica also gave a bunch of great tips for audition for Criminal Minds.  She said that they have anywhere between 8 and 25 co-star and guest star roles to fill AN EPISODE!.  Wow!  I hope that I will have a chance to audition for Erica sometime in the future!

Casting Director Workshop with Pam Dixon

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Pam Dixon, CSA Vice President and top film casting director.

Pam is casting the new “Green Lantern” as well as several other feature films.  I liked Pam, she loves what she does, and casts both independently and for a company called.  She is also very maternal. 

Pam was so busy in casting today that she asked if AIA would provide sides for her class. I was paired with another guy in the class and was given a comedic scene.  I feel pretty confident about my comedic skills and was excited about the scene.  Though my scene partner just didn’t seem that into the scene. In our first performance for Pam, that pacing was really off and way too slow. Pam gave some notes and we were given another chance.  I can only worry about my own performance, so I took her notes.  The second time the scene was much better, but I still don’t think it was where it needed to be.  It was disappointing.  But that’s the way things go sometimes at these casting director workshops.  You’ve got to take the bad with the good.

Overall, it went fine.  But I know that when Pam teaches again at AIA, I will surely take her class again to show her my skills as an actress.

Commercial Audition

Today my commercial agent, Randi, notified me of a same day commercial audition at Kathy Knowles Casting.  The casting office is in Santa Monica, so I made the mad dash from work in Burbank to Santa Monica in record time!  I was even 15 minutes early, as I should be of course!  Lucky for me a parking spot even opened up as I pulled on the street.  What luck!

Today’s audition was for a Bounty Commercial.   The spot called for young mom spending time with her friend, so I arrived at the audition dressed in a casual black dress, a bright blue cardigan and flats.  I felt good about my read for this super cute spot.  Though today I read with a girl who looked just like me, who was also named Jennifer.  Not good.  As an actress, you always hope to read with someone with a different look then you.  Two girls of the same type would not be cast in a commercial together.  But, I can’t worry about that.   But my job as an actress is to audition and audition well. And if I am one the client is looking for, then that is just the frosting on the cake.

Special thanks to my awesome agents at CU for believing in me and for sending me out on great auditions!

Audition at Glendale Center Theatre

Tonight I auditioned for a production of “Wait Until Dark” at The Glendale Center Theatre.   Rehearsals start September 8, 2009. Performs October 22nd to November 21st.

I have been excited about auditioning for “Wait Until Dark”  for months.  It is such a great play.  I saw a production about 5 years ago and I re-read the play right before the audition.  Though I was excited, I am disappointed to say that this probably wasn’t my best audition.  It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t my best.  Every actor has an off night from time to time, and tonight was mine.  Besides, I am travelling in Europe next month and will not return before rehearsals are due to start.  We’ll see what happens.

Tweet, Tweet

So I have decided to start “tweeting” on Twitter.  Follow my journey: http://twitter.com/JenniferKeller1

Thanks!

Jennifer

Casting Director Workshop with Michael Testa

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Michael Testa of Shaner/Testa Casting.

Michael casts for the hit show “Cold Case”.  And it has been my goal to audition for a co-star or guest-star role on ”Cold Case” for 2 years now.  So I was excited to meet Michael at AIA.

I could tell that Michael really enjoys his work on “Cold Case”.  He also casts a number of independent features and passed out sides for a mock casting.  The sides were tough for a cold reading, meaning each of us was given about 10 minutes to look over the sides before our performance, but I gave it my best and was actually “cast” in my group.  Yay!

Let’s hope that I get that big auditon sometime this year.  I would love to play a murder victim!

Casting Director Workshop with Lauren Bass

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Lauren Bass of Bass Casting at AIA Actors Studio.

Lauren was really great.  Down to earth and had a lot of great things to say about the Industry. Lauren passed out sides from one-hour dramas that she has cast, but instead of pairing us with someone else in the class, she read with each of us.  I was given a really great scene with a guest star role from the show ”Everwood”.  

This character was a good character for me and I felt like I gave a really good cold-reading.  Lauren even said she liked my read and it had a “Bree Van DeKamp kind of feel”.  And I will take that as a compliment!

What a great evening.  Thanks to Lauren for teaching at AIA!

Casting Director Workshop with Fern Champion

Tonight I attended a Workshop with veteran Casting Director, Fern Champion, at AIA Actors Studio.

Fern is really spunky.  She has cast big films such as “The Mask” and “Eraser”, but now prefers to work with up and coming talent in smaller budget films  and Movies of the Week for Hallmark and Lifetime.

Fern passed out sides from various films she has cast.  I was given sides from a movie called “Blind Date”-funny scene.   I felt good about my reading.

Commercial CALLBACK!

What a day, what a day.  First of all, I was thrilled to receive the call from Randi at CU that I had a callback for a Walmart Commercial.  The day is supposed to go perfect, right?

This morning I woke up and our apartment didn’t have water!  I called my Apartment Manager and he said it would be back on soon. He didn’t say why it was off, but we do have a couple open apartments in our small complex that are being upgraded.  So, when the water was finally turned back on, I rushed to get showered and ready for work at AIA Studios. I called my boss to let her know I would be a little late to work.  I needed to getready for my 2:15 PM callback that morning!

When the time came, I left AIA for Castaway Studios on Beverly Blvd.  I gave myself plenty of time for travel and arrived at 1:45 PM.  When I arrived the lobby was filled with girls my age in cocktail dresses.   One of the first rules for commercial callbacks is to dress exactly like you did for the original audition.  So I arrived wearing Khaki shorts and a tank for my “young mom” role.  My first thought was, “had the spot changed?  Uh oh, I did not get the message about the change in attire.”.   But you can’t let things like that throw you off your game as an actress.  So, I just signed in and waited for my turn.

However, I soon realized that the girls in the cocktail dresses were at the studio for a different Walmart Commercial.  And all the of cocktail dress girls needed to finish their auditions before casting moved on to the spot I was called back for.  All I can say is thank goodness for cell phones!  I was able to play around on facebook while I waited.

At 5:00 PM, casting was ready for my spot.  The Casting Director called all the women in the room for a brief explanation.  I looked around the room and there were only about 12 of us callback for the commercial.  It made me feel really good to know I was in that small group.

After the explanation, we were asked to  leave the room and the callbacks began.  I was the second to audition.  I went in for my callback, greeted the Walmart Execs and did my thing.  This spot did not have any dialogue, but was about interacting with a small child, who was playing my daughter.  This is a really cute spot and I would love to be a part of it.  I am a lucky girl to have been called back.

Hosting Intensive with Kat Raphael

This morning I attended a Hosting Intensive with Casting Director Kat Raphael.  The Workshop was AIA Actors Studio.

In the workshop Kat covered the basics of hosting: the responsibilities of a host, finding your expertise, and incorporating this expertise into promoting yourself.  We were also given time to to prepare a 30 second pitch for ourselves explaining what we felt our brand represents, and what we uniquely brought to the table.  Last we worked on camera in a mock casting session.  Afterwards Kat gave us notes about our pitches. 

This class was very interesting and eye-opening.  I would love to host a show on a great  on a network such as TLC or HGTV.  Also, after walking around on the Entertainment Tonight set, I can help but daydream of the day I might work as a correspondent for ET.  Let’s see what my future holds

Upcoming Auditions

Good News!  I have been invited to audition for a production of “Wait Until Dark” at The Glendale Center Theatre.  Auditions are in 2 weeks.  Not only that, I have been invited to audition for the Actors Co-Op Theatre Company.  My good friend Tawny is a member.  Check back for updates!

Casting Director Workshop with Cathy Henderson-Martin

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Cathy Henderson-Martin at AIA Actors Studio.

Cathy is such a doll.  She is funny and down to earth.  Cathy is working on a 5 picture deal right now and still took the time to teach at AIA. Amazing.  She said that she has been casting for 35 years and has a reputation for finding new talent.

Cathy passed out sides from various films.  I was given sides from a movie called “Monster in Law”.  I never saw this film, but I know it is a comedy.  In the scene my character, Charlotte, has met her menacing mother-in-law for brunch.  It was a treat to work on and I got a few laughs (applying those tips from Nick Anderson’s “Rules of Comedy” class). 

What a great evening.  Thanks Cathy for teaching at AIA!

Commercial Audition

Walmart must be rolling out a huge commercial campaign because today I had my third audition for a walmart commercial!  Different spot, different casting directors.  In fact, I auditioned at a new casting office today, Castaway Studios, where I auditioned for Marisa and Ray

The spot called for a young mom. I’m so glad I cut my hair.  I feel like I fit the “young mom look” now.  The attire: upscale casual young mom.   The commercial is a non-dialogue spot, but super cute!

Special thanks to my agent Randi for the audition!

On set with Entertainment Tonight

Today my friend Jamie invited me to the Entertainment Tonight set.  I have visited her at work before, but this is the first time I was allowed to check out the stage.  Visions of being an ET correspondent dance through my head.

Here are a few pics:

 

 

Commercial Workshop with Casting Director Michael Sanford

Tonight I attended a Casting Director Workshop with Michael Sanford, a Commercial Casting Director.  The workshop is at AIA Actors Studio in Burbank, CA

I first met Michael about a year ago.  He is a great teacher and a really nice guy.  He makes everyone feel at ease.

Michael passed out sides from various commercials that he has cast.  I was given sides from a Budweiser commercial and paired with another person in the class.  The scene was funny, a guy trying to hit on a girl at a party.  I enjoyed reading this scene in class was received some nice feedback from Michael.  I hope he will keep me in mind for future projects.

Commercial Audition

Today my commercial agent, Richie, notified me of a same day commercial audition for Walmart.  The audition was held at the Ocean Park Casting Facility in Santa Monica.  The attire: upscale casual young mom.  I arrived at the audition dressed in a blue cardigan and black capris.  The commercial was a non-dialogue spot.

On-Camera Acting Class

Tuesday night means On-Camera Class with Christinna Chauncey.   Tonight I returned with my scene from “The Wedding Belles”.    In this scene I play Amanda, a frantic bride who is on the verge of a meltdown minutes before she is supposed to walk down the aisle.  I arrived for class in a white sundress and veil! This was a cute scene and a treat to work on.

Making a Change

 

So I did it.  I cut my hair.  Believe it or not, I actually cut off 4 1/2 inches!  What do you think?

Here is a quick photo of me on the way to The Ford Theater for “An Evening of Indpendence”, a benefit concert for Donate Life .