Category Archives: My Projects

What’s going on professionally and maaaaayyybbeee personally.

Sometimes I forget how awful people can be. Call it naive, call it rose-colored glasses, call it what you want, but displays of utter lack of decency take me by surprise.

This past weekend I was on two overnights for a shoot (call time was 6:50 PM, I was getting a ride back to my apartment at about 4 AM). The first day (night) went really well. People passing by wanted to know what we were doing, what all the lights and equipment were for, etc. I’m sure they hoped that they had stumbled upon Chicago Fire (me too y’all, me too), but were totally cool when they were let down.

The second night had a visitor who was less than thrilled at our presence. Before I begin the story, let it be noted that all permits were in place.

It started when he had to maneuver around a camera set up to parallel park his gigantic truck. He let us know we were less than welcome by screaming “This is my house!” OK, dude, whatever, no one’s stopping you from doing anything. He parks and unloads his truck while his mortified teenage son tries to disappear into the sidewalk. We don’t think anything else of it.

Then, about half an hour later, when we’ve changed set ups and moved down a little bit, he comes barreling down the street in his truck, having un-parked and driven around the block.

He yells that he doesn’t care about the little “Art Film” and that this shouldn’t be happening on “his street” and he’s going to call the cops. Our fabulous DP replies to go ahead, call the cops, and shows him the permits.

At this point, the man gets angry and DRIVES OVER a traffic saw horse in order to speed through the set. He then parks in exactly the same spot.

Luckily there was no damage to equipment or person besides the horse he drove over, but that kind of behavior baffles me. What kind of day or life did that guy have to make him so angry? In other words, “What is your damage, Heather?”

Screenplay: 6 Days Later

My cousin’s wedding was this past weekend (beautiful ceremony, incredibly happy for her) so I was home visiting with family and friends. Before that, my dog had an appointment with her primary vet. The office she goes to is nicer than my doctor’s office. There are slate looking floors and a coffee machine for all the pet parents. She even had a chiropractic adjustment. It was rather bizarre to me, but she immediately stopped dragging her back foot so I will call it money well spent.

Smooshed in between all the wedding festivities and visits was me typing away on my laptop, finishing the first draft of my script. It’s rough. But it’s there. The next step is to take my shoddy word document and turn it into something that looks like a screenplay. This will be finagled somewhere in the midst of rehearsals and line memorization, and planning an epic itinerary for when another cousin makes her first visit to Chicago.

In other news, I finally saw Guardians of the Galaxy. I will admit that, for the first third to half of the movie, I was a little disappointed. This was the movie that I was looking forward to the entire summer and it just wasn’t doing it for me. However, they hit the halfway point and I was there. I ended up loving it. I’d like to see it again just to determine if I was in a weird mood that was keeping me from falling into the movie immediately or if it really was just inconsistent.

I also caught up on Outlander. The wedding episode. Gah. That show really knows how to work the slow burn. And the costuming. And the scenery. And the Jamie.

Burning the Midnight Oil

As I begin this post, it’s 4:50. In the AM. I don’t actually remember the last time I’ve seen 4:50 from staying up all night. Oh, yeah I do. The last time I was awake this late it was a result of subjecting myself to a horror movie featuring terrifying ghosts. I couldn’t go to sleep until the sun came up. Yes, I realize that I have an over active imagination and that my emotions are easily manipulated by movies.

Today, however, I am still awake because I’ve been pounding out a screenplay. I’m trying to take the advice to create my own content seriously. I am posting this here because, allegedly, if I shout it out to the world I am more likely to follow through (that’s what the internet told me). The story is in its very preliminary stages. I have a rough outline and some dialogue. That’s not much, but it’s certainly better than nothing. Hopefully, in a year or so from now, the film will be on its way to being produced. Or, I will have learned so much from the process that I wrote another, better screenplay and it’s being produced. The way I see it, those are only two option. Success or success.

Here’s Peter O’Toole singing “The Impossible Dream,” from Man of La Mancha, to inspire us all.

In other news, I have been cast in another student film that shoots the first weekend of October.

P.S. If there are typos please be a doll and ignore them. I’m so tired that my eyes are doing funny things.

Whirlwind

It has been quite the busy past couple of weeks.

I started a new class; The Hamlet Project Chicago opened; I auditioned for and was cast in another short film; and I had a dear friend come in from Tennessee. She had never been to Chicago before so I was playing tour guide again. I have another Tennessee friend coming in tomorrow for the second week of the show. Absolutely amazing. I am beyond thrilled that they were willing to make the trip north to see this crazy, weird, and fun show I’ve been working on. Seriously, you should come check it out. I will love you all forever if you do.

This post is a check in to tell you all that I haven’t forgotten about this blog, and I have some things that I’ve learned in voiceover class that I want to share and I’ll be updating my “What To Do When Friends Come to Visit” list.

Wannabe Super Villain or My First On Camera Acting Course

By K Whiteford

I’ve not done a lot of film work. Fifty percent of that work happened around three weeks ago. I’m gearing up, however, for a rather hectic schedule over the next month. I’ve been cast in three short film projects that all start shooting this month. I’m pretty excited. Baby steps and all.

Tonight I started my first On Camera course. I’ve taken a seminar before, but nothing as in depth as this class. The first meeting was interesting. It’s a mix between the business of acting in Chicago, and working on audition technique for film. This evening we did an interview style audition, something that would happen if the spot (commercial) called for someone to merely be reading a book or sleeping on a couch, for example, rather than having a copy (script) with lines.

My question was what super power I would have if I could have anything, except flight “because everyone picks that.” Well, I was going to say flight, obviously. I chose invisibility instead and launched into an explanation of how I would use this power to become a super villain cat burglar.

“So you would use your power for evil?” The instructor asked.

“Right, evil,” I replied.

Evidently I also require henchmen to carry out the “fine” art I steal and a driver who drives an invisible BUT cream colored Bentley for me. I’m not really sure what this says about me, other than my adoration of Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer 4eva) has carried on into my adulthood.

Anyway, we watched the playback of our interviews with one question to answer, “Were you genuine?”

Yep, I think, that’s me, making weird faces and plotting world domination.

Playback was invaluable. I now know: I need to keep my chin down, that was not a great angle for me; I will never, ever, wear that outfit again on camera; though hair my looked fine in the mirror, it did absolutely nothing for me on screen.

So, how am I going to use the next seven weeks? Learning to audition and auditioning different hair styles and outfits. I hadn’t thought to do this, but what a great way to determine what translates well to the monitor and what doesn’t. Live, learn, and fix it.

P.S.

On my way from class I got lost on my way back to the bus, which runs along Michigan Ave. How? Well, let me tell you. Where I was at, you had to go up some HIDDEN stairs to get back to the street. Absolutely baffling. I figured I just needed to head in the direction of the lake. False, silly country mouse. City engineers, how do you do it?

8 Hours, a Bloody Tub, and How to Get (Fake) Blood Stains Out of Clothes and Skin

I spent this past weekend sitting in a tub of cornstarch, chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, and food coloring. It’s an actor’s life for me ya’ll.

In celebration of the gory little short, I’m going to share tips on removing fake blood from clothes and skin. I hope this comes in handy for you all around Halloween. But first! a still from the production.

STOP! IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE A LOT OF FAKE BLOOD!

***********

Photo Credit: Cassie Kranz

As you can see, there was a lot of fake blood. It was horribly sticky. We kept having to apply water because I would stick to the tub, my left elbow, which was bent, kept adhering to by bicep, and my hair got plastered to my face.

Supplies

1. Baby wipes. Absolutely wonderful for removing the fake blood from my face. I didn’t even look sunburned after gently wiping away the excess blood, latex, and makeup.

2. Baby oil. I didn’t end up using any, but in general, it’s really good for getting the stains off of skin.

3. Shampoo, conditioner, face soap, and body wash. I used baby soap and it worked pretty well, though I did look a little sunburned around my knees and on my arms. (I didn’t use the baby wipes in these areas).

How To

1. I primed my face with Benefit Stay Flawless primer and followed up with Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW Foundation. I wanted there to be a buffer between my skin and the blood.

2. Cassie Kranz then did an awesome job of applying some FX makeup (broken nose; swollen cheekbone; cute little cut above my eyebrow). She blended with some latex and the Physician’s Formula foundation that I brought. (Read, more stickiness).

3. Shoot, shoot, shoot. So much blood on everything!

4. SHOWER immediately. I think that this is what did the most for the blood removal. As soon as we finished shooting, I stood up, in my clothes, and hosed down. I lightly wrung out the clothes and double bagged them, still pretty wet, in a couple of plastic bags. They stayed like that all night, and then this morning I threw them in the washer. All of the pink is gone, even from the white threads in the rips of my jeans.

5. As for skin, baby soap worked just fine for me, if you don’t mind being a little pink the next day. To get the stains completely off of my face, I, as mentioned above, used baby wipes. They also removed the remaining latex from my skin and hair.

Things I’ve Heard But Didn’t Try

1. Vaseline can be used as another barrier between the skin and the blood. In theory, it should make it easier for the blood to be wiped away. I didn’t try it because I was afraid I would break out.

2. Lemon. Supposedly, you can half a lemon and rub the juice on the stains. To me, this sounds painful and like a last resort.

My First Week in Chicago

What a whirlwind of a week it’s been. Moved, auditioned, unpacked sporadically, had a callback, went out with friends, saw a show, and said goodbye to my mom one week later.

Saturday 3/1

The move turned out to be a lot less stressful than I was anticipating. (This is, in large part, thanks to New City Moving, who I researched and read about on Yelp! More about them later.) I might have mentioned it before, but I’m a worrier. I constantly envision things that could go wrong in a scenario. I’m talking events ranging from things that could happen to horrible freak accidents. (I blame the latter on seeing Final Destination as a child.)

Anyway, the plan was to meet the movers at a giant block store about 18 miles away from my apartment. Me being me, was stressed that security guards were going to swarm my vehicle and tell me that a dirty loiterer like me couldn’t be there, get out, etc. Luckily, that didn’t happen. What did happen was a blown out tire on the trailer that my dad was driving.

We were pretty close to the meet up spot, around 5 hours into our drive and about an hour out, when I noticed that little black chunks were flying at my car. (I was driving behind Dad). Damn trucks, I think. It’s super lucky those black rocks they are throwing up aren’t busting my windshield. Then, the chunks get bigger. I realize what’s happening and frantically try to get my blue tooth going to call Dad, since ya know, handheld cell phone usage is now illegal in Illinois. Siri doesn’t cooperate, instead asking whether I wanted her to look up an article on something. NO! Siri, obviously not! By the time I get her dialing Dad the tire has blown out. Luckily, it just kind of rolled off the wheel frame rather than exploding and sending the truck careening into anything. Also luckily, we have a spare and Dad has important life skills, like knowing how to change a tire.

Once we’re back on the road I get a call from the movers. They’re about an hour out from the location. How convenient I tell them, I am also about an hour out.

Nothing else of note happens, thank heavens, and we arrive whereupon the movers unpack a trailer that took Mom and I about 6 hours to pack (at least) in about 20 minutes. Color me impressed.
I say a tearful goodbye to Dad, who is driving back the same day to try to beat the impending ice storm scheduled to hit our area, get in my car, and hit Chicago traffic.

The truck beats me. I try to find parking. I attempt to parallel park. Let’s hope I get better at that real fast.
By the time I make it to may apartment the movers have already unloaded a bunch of boxes. Things progress pretty smoothly until they try to get my seven foot couch through the door and around an exceedingly tight corner. Initially they’re like, it won’t go. And I’m like, No! I cannot tell my dad that he was right about the couch.

Them: We’ll take off the legs.
Me: Great.
Them: Well, that didn’t work because you see this back leg, it’s like glued to the frame, not just screwed in.
Me/Mom: Give us a hammer, we’ll rip it off.
Them: Let us try it again at a different angle.
Me/Mom: Thank you.
Them: (Grunts, groans)
Me: Yay!!!

They got it through with some impressive twisting. If not for the couch they would have probably been finished a good half hour earlier. As it were, they came in over $300 dollars UNDER the estimate that they sent me. Moreover, with all the stuff that I had the only thing that broke was a single piece of stemware. Granted I’m not thrilled about that, but in the grand scheme of things I was extremely happy with what they did for me. Everyone was incredibly polite and efficient. Thus, if you’re considering moving to Chicago, I recommend New City Moving to get you settled into your new place. I have no regrets in hiring them. (Note! Nobody paid me to say that. My blog’s not that big…yet.)

The rest of Saturday was spent putting my bed together and crashing.

Sunday

Sunday Funday was largely spent unpacking. My apartment is rather small (studio) so it was a bit of an issue trying to place things when Mom (who graciously agreed to stay for the week to get me settled in) and I were crawling over boxes, the dog, the cat, and each other. Slow going to say the least.

Sunday afternoon I had my first audition since moving to the area. I was a tad bit frazzled. I left my apartment with what I thought was plenty of time to spare. I was wrong. I was about five minutes late. In fact, the auditionors were walking out of the theatre when I was signing in. They filed back in when the proctor told them there was one more. Despite my tardiness, I felt good about the audition. The director worked with me a bit on my monologue and we chatted about my recent move. I was asked if I was available for Wednesday night if I happened to be called back. Yes.

Monday

More unpacking. Still can’t really see the floor. It’s like playing hot lava all the time. Get a lovely surprise that makes my day.
No word about the audition.

Tuesday

Unpack. How do I have this much stuff! I cut down!! Get an email inviting me to the callbacks.

Wednesday

Unpack. 3M Command Hooks are possibly the greatest home organization invention ever. Other than, like, nails, which I can’t use…a nail that is.
Callback! For which I am incredibly early since this time I overestimated the commute.

Thursday

Unpack. I get my Comcast box. I set it up. I get internet and cable and proceed to watch 3 episodes of House with Mom. Then I spend an infuriating two hours putting together a breakfast table. Pretty sure that I pull my bicep trying to force the castors into their designated slots.
No word about casting.

Friday

Unpack. Then, joy of joys, we leave my apartment and go see Gypsy at Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier.
It was awesome. I’d never seen the show before. I loved the music, I loved the costumes, I loved Herbie, Louise, and the real live lamb! Performances were beyond solid from ensemble to Mama Rose. It was a very enjoyable show and both Mom and I liked it.

Take a cab back. Pull onto my street and see the flashing lights of a fire truck. Proceed suspiciously. They’re at my building. Someone’s trapped in the elevator. This happens a lot according to a neighbor Mom and I meet in the stairwell. Hell. I suppose if I’m being honest my quads can use the strength training climbing stairs provides.
No word about casting.

Saturday

More unpacking, I feel like the end is kind of in sight?
Later in the night I go see Tim Ipsen, the boyfriend of one of my best friends, play bass at a cafe. It was a really nice evening. Great music, good food, and wonderful company.
No word about casting.

Sunday

Sleep in a little late. Walk to a restaurant to get lunch with Mom before she leaves. Another tearful goodbye. This growing up stuff isn’t always so fun.
Still no word about casting.

Monday 3/10

Friend in town. Pretend I know more about Chicago than I do.
As of this post, no word about casting.

First Year Goals

From Zazzle

New Year’s Goals (My new year starts March 1.)

I read somewhere that it’s important to share goals. Something about accountability. Mostly I think it works because if you tell people you want to accomplish something, and then don’t even attempt to put in the work required, shame pops up in uncomfortable places.

So, if you talk to me and I’m doing nothing to pursue these goals, “for shame” me.

I’ll update as I think of more and achieve or fail the goals.
[Note, not all of these goals are acting/career related.]

In no particular order:
1. Move to Chicago –> One week and two days out.
2. JOB! I need a job.
3. Take some acting classes. (Preferably On Camera and Voiceover (VO) classes to start. I have less experience in these mediums.)

a. Other classes I’d like to eventually take, finances permitting: Sketch Writing at Second City; Dance (ballet, tap, hip hop); Scene Study; Improv.

4. Find a reasonably priced voice teacher.
5. Finish screenplay.
6. Hold reading of finished screenplay.
7. Revise screenplay.
8. Develop pitch for screenplay.
9. Start pitching screenplay.
10. Audition, audition, audition.
11. Book it.
12. Agent.
13. Take boxing classes.
14. Network. (I’m an introvert. I’d much rather be at home reading a book than trying to talk to people, but I realize connections are important. So it’s something I’m going to struggle with, but I’ll hopefully get there.)
15. Finish novel. (Current count is 44,000 words. Half way there!!)
16. Visit the major museums in the City.
17. Take Ki to the doggie beach.
18. See some great theatre.
19. Find a Swing Dance club.
20. Find a Ceili group.
21. Brush up on my accents and dialects: German; Irish; RP; Various Southern
22. Teach myself some new accents and dialects.
a. Accents: French; Russian; Italian; Polish; Indian; Jamaican
b. Dialects: Australian; Cockney; Scottish; Bostonian; New Jersey; Brooklyn
23. Keep up with this blog!