My name is Jen, and like many people in our modern world, i have decided that i want to be an actress when i grow up, which means i have to start doing something about it right now.
If anything, i am certain of one thing, i defiantly want to work in no business but show-business, preferably acting, but i am rather partial to the odd bit of make-up artistry. Because of this fact, i have a lovely looming deadline of an unconditional place at York College to study Media Make-up and Hair Design for Film, TV and Theatre, due to commence in early September 2011.
Don't get me wrong, i love make-up, especially the special effects side of it (i should maybe upload my severed head?) and the course at York looks amazing, all run by professionals and the like. And if i go to York, i get to lead the fascinating life of a full time student, living with my childhood friend Sam, oh what larks shall ensue!
And this is where problems arise, i'm starting to side more with acting, ever since i signed up to take part in CCAD student films and got my first "break" at playing a (not-so) sexy secretary, all shot in flattering black and white, and apart from the occasional accidental eye-flicks to camera, it all went quite well!
My love of acting had been reborn, so to say. All those years of not being able to project to the audience, or convey theatrical emotion were behind me, and could be happily forgotten, for this was screen acting, and a totally new (for me) art form.
For a while, make-up and acting went happily together, hand-in-hand, and i was offered make-up work outside of college, with a brand shiny new business called Writers' Block (a story for another time), and i was going to create goth makeup for some plays and Sherlock Holmes make-up for a "Discover Middlesbrough" film, which was really cool, until none of the actress' turned up for the Sherlock Holmes auditions and i was asked to fill in.
I suddenly went from "the girl making the beards", to having a supporting role in a short period drama-type film, all to be filmed in Preston Hall.
Unfortunately i was really terrible in the film, examples include me not knowing i was on camera therefore looking asleep staring into space while the main, shocking climax of the film occurred in front of me. But just being on an almost professional set, and in front of professional cameras, on a really nice set, all just felt so right!
It was probably around then i found myself an agent, having previously decided to take a year out in order to pursue my acting dreams.
At first, having an agent was great. I auditioned for a main role in Emmerdale, shortly followed by a last minute audition for the role of Isabella in the upcoming remake of Wuthering Heights. But after that i could only seem to get extra work on Waterloo Road.
Meanwhile, i was furiously finding my own short films to act in, including a Cannon 7d camera test type film when Marc Price came to play at Writers' Block (again, a story for another time).
Around mid-September, i managed to successfully audition for a Halloween event called Fright Night.
After this, and many long days as a Waterloo Road student, mostly spent on the roof, i was called upon to be assessed by my agency.
That night i drove away from Castleford and from my assessment very angry, and even more determined to make something of myself.
I had been told that i had an utter lack of confidence, and that she would not be putting me forward for any more auditions for another eight weeks. All i can say is, "Bitch!"
Even if i say so myself, i believe i am confident, and to be any more confident would be to appear cocky. I was reassured of my confidence after a very successful Halloween weekend of scaring children at Stockeld Park. Gary even told me he was very impressed with me! (Thank you Gary, you saved me and Dave in the dark woods!)
I am also getting practice at improvising, thanks to the James Harris School of Improv. and our award winning film, The Woman Who Loved A Tree, and our good-enough-to-win-awards film "Jump - Will Bill Fellows Do It?"
And so i am here, after missing lots out, if you can believe me going by the length of this, and i hope i have covered enough so that things make sense.
Basically i have:
- a place to study Make-up at York, and around seven or eight months to decide if i want to go.
- a bitchy agent that clearly hates me (she wanted to make me cry, she told me that!).
- seven to eight months to get a decent paid acting job to justify not going to uni.
- a good agents contact number and email address, with a recommendation from a friend.
- an audition in Leeds tomorrow for a horror feature film (that i got for myself).
- and very cool group of people at Writers' Block that i would definitely call friends, that i am helping write a feature film.
- a part in a live studio student project in January.
I'm too tired to put all that into a conclusion, but it's fine because i'm the only reader of this, and i happen to be the writer, so can therefore understand my own ramblings as i was there for all of them!
I warn you, there is more to come!
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