My TV Auditions for 2008 so far...

2008 has started off with leaps and bounds career wise. Seems to be another decade ago that just before Xmas I was musing over what I would have to do to get the ball rolling for myself. Mind you dear readers I tend to be impatient and never satisfied that I am doing enough even if that is not the case. Getting work is not a problem for me as a performer, it is one of the oddest of circumstances that it does take time to prepare and develop a career and I have done that quite well in my opinion and I am happy with my progress. The catch 22 is that for some reason the instant gratification and result I derive from doing stand-up has some warped manner of creeping into the reality of setting up and preparing for future projects and shows. Ridiculous as it may seem a performance is simply that and is nothing to do with the 'admin.' side of the business yet it has the tendency to interfere with my happy demeanour.

Here I am nearing the end of February and so far have eight tv auditions under my belt this year and two feature film auditions coming up in March. I made a decision in late 2006 to start a concerted effort to do more tv and film work as a goal and this has been well worth the effort. It is a long way from success be sure of that but the progress from doing tv commercials to getting a screen credit took eight years of work and has made the results of the past 12 months possible.

The most important ingredient is professional feedback to be able to gauge my progress. Not being a particularly talented actor and with a limited range in my skill is not a problem. That can only improve and fortunately I have been auditioning with a production company and their review team for the various roles I have gone for have been sensational to say the least. While the early reviews were simply encouraging and a basic recognition of my ability to do better, now they are concise and push for me to discover and develop my performances to new levels and complimenting the bits they find to be good and at times excellent.

Wishing you all a happy and fruitful 2008 and here are some auditions so far, the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff
The Directions for the auditions in their order on my blogg were

1) J.O. is a very bouncy and jovial character who likes nothing more to string along gag after gag. However, being a lawyer, his approach is not always in the best taste. J.O. hosts a phone in consumer legal service, like you might find on a radio programme. His Eddie Murphy style delivery contrasts inappropriately with the sober nature of the enquiries. One thing is for sure, he does not respect the law.

2) Dave Grohl is famously "the nicest man in Rock", however we all have limits... Now that Dave is a successful rock star, he wants to use his considerable influence to do good in the world. Dave wants to spend more time offering his sage advice to vulnerable celebrities, and to encourage them to help him with numerous worthwhile causes.

3) Public Member 7 asks a question to Richard Branson

Pole dancing ad - wowsers antsy about nothing...

http://www.crackthemyspacecode.com/?vip=2520

I watch Foxtel to avoid the never ending commercial breaks and to get a choice and variety in my viewing time. The Nando Commercial that is currently running has caught my eye as have the others over the past year or so. Simply I have no idea what Nando is!

These ads have always been quirky to my mind, given my ignorance to the product being supplied. It has resulted in me definitely able to recognise the Brand name if I ever came across it. That is what TV ads and their ilk are supposed to do, it is called Product/Brand recognition.



Today I read that there have been dozens of complaints about the current Nando commercial. This features a woman at work, pole dancing and in her off work time wearing a corporate suit and casual clothes when out to dinner with her husband/partner and children. It is an M rated commercial and is only aired after 8.30 pm.

I find this all a little bemusing there are far more explicit scenes in tv programs both visually and with language use that does not even raise a murmur in the complaints of viewers. Does this mean that tv watchers pay more attention to the commercials than the programs that are on? If so then tv programmers have done a fine job. There was the recent commercial taken off air which featured a spruiker in a rabbit costume being tripped by a rival store owner, the Insurance commercial which was taken off air for making fun of telemarketing phone calls from India, just to name a couple.



The same edition of the paper has a large article on how swearing is virtually unheeded in a current TV drama series, yet a commercial which features a mother at work and socialising with her family has created a storm in the teacup of some people. Geoff's opinion is very simple in understanding this commercial. I have worked with poledancers and strippers and socialised with them as well. This commercial actually is REAL I have seen mothers who work as pole dancers dressed in corporate suits, with their families and at work dressed in the way the ad depicts the character.



We have some seriously screwed up people living in the shoe boxes of their lives that keep the curtains drawn so they do not see outside. Reality, ladies and gentlemen is not what you dream it to be. Reality is what actually happens in the world without your conditions of right and wrong applying.



Thankyou for your time and attention, Geoff