We have all been there. You use google to search for someone you just met, to verify something a date told you, to find info on your favorite actor. But what happens when you do? You normally get both sides of the story. The good and the bad harsh critics. So if you are thinking of searching for yourself…be ready.

The obvious dangers of looking to see what others say of you is of course; finding something you dont want to see. Worse than that, you might even find things written from people you DO know and who might have even once been considered your friends. Or nasty little critics who may have absolutely nothing in common with you but still claim they know you, or they dated you once, or they know your ex…so on and so on…

In very few cases, if you have started to actually be known for your work, the worst you will find is a not-so-good review of your last role. But more often than not, an actors life is going to be surrounded by negativity, criticism, skepticism and even lies. The greater an actor, normally the worst it gets. You have to deal with it if you chose this profession, but if you rather not hear it, then dont google yourself, or read the gossip magazines, or try and find out who is talking about you…

On the other hand, curiosity killed the cat. So in my case at least, I cant help it. I just want a glimpse at what is put out there. Granted, I take in the good AND the bad, and take it all with a grain of salt because you never know whats coming next. So my advice to all you curious actors out-there trying to know what is said about them, their work…etc, is NEVER take ANYTHING on the internet TO HEART. The good can be just as harmful to you as a person as the bad, so it goes for those wonderful fanblogs out there that claim you are a natural star and sooo underrated! Dont believe that either. Let it feel good to know others think it, but dont think it yourself. You will be setting yourself for disappointment. And the bad stuff? Well, its just gonna “keep on coming’” so I would just try and get over it as soon as possible. But try and use what you can of negative critics. For example: did a critic say no one

can understand you and the tone of your voice is as false as can be? Well maybe he is the one with the problem, or simply a jerk. But…could it also be possible that you could benefit from taking some good voice classes? Think about what positive things you can get out of even the most horrid criticisms.

A note on gossip: mostly Ive been referring on “professional” comments on google. But what about those pictures of you on a date and a note saying its your lover when its just a friend. Or the picture of a “not so good day” on the beach where they make fun of your “Love-handles”? Well ladies and gentlemen, if you cannot deal with those things (And I in no way think they are right. There SHOULD be a law to forbid it) but being the way show-biz is now a days, then you probably shouldn’t be in the biz. It comes with the title and as hard as it is, you need to be graceful about it, and ignore every single piece of gossip that comes out. On you OR on any other actor. Dont get sucked in.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder—68 different beholders in the case of Tommer Leyvand’s new “beautification engine.” The software, featured in a story in the New York Times, takes preferences from a poll of 68 men and women from Israel and Germany who looked at pictures and chose the most beautiful subjects. Measuring common traits like smaller eyes, rounder chins and higher foreheads, it applies those rules of attractiveness, Photoshop-style, to images of other faces. If need be, it can do a full-on virtual nip-tuck-and-slice yet in some cases, the beautification engine won’t change a thing.

In the top shot, you can see how the girl’s face has been radically altered. Many people I know would of course find the face on the right beautiful, but you can’t help but be shocked at the overall impact that a few minor feature alterations can have on the appearance of a face.

In some cases, it’s just funny, like Woody Allen here:

In case you couldn’t tell, the machine judged that Allen is, for the most part, devastatingly handsome, but that nose of his just had to be trimmed.

I am not sure what that says about the panel of judges. I wonder what would happen if a beauty poll of 100 different countries was used to create the rules. Maybe we’d discover a universal concept of beauty. Or maybe we’d learn that with so many opinions of beauty, nothing would need changing.

In the short term, the computer doesn’t say a lot that Hollywood can’t already tell us. Shots of James Franco, for instance, go through the process untouched, while the nerdier Michael Cera gets more of a going over. Check out these shots and more, plus the full story of Leyvand’s software.

[Source: Gizmodo]

Free application Zviewer is a one-stop shop for all your web video needs, integrating everything from Hulu and YouTube to Netflix Watch Instantly in a full-screen interface. The app lets you browse listings from different on-demand video sites and launch any video instantly. Apart from aggregating all this on-demand video, the cool thing about Zviewer is that it supports most Windows remote controls, so if you already have a Media Center PC, you can control the app from across the room. Unfortunately Zviewer is a little less of a full-service solution than we’d like, since playing a video simply launches a customized version of Firefox instead of handling the video itself. The company that develops Zviewer also sells an outrageously priced set-top box that does works similarly to the standalone app while adding more computer-to-TV functionality, but if your computer is already hooked up to your TV, Zviewer does the trick. Zviewer is a free download, Windows only.

Demo reels have one purpose and one purpose only: Showing you (I know you love it!). And that means it is of no importance who feeds you the line, their response, their shot, only you, you, you. Here is how a proper reel should look:

• Your name and a headshot (still-image) is generally the opening.

• The first 20 or 30 Seconds (the average time you have to make an impression on the Casting Director) should be small cuts of you: by that I mean, you sad, you from the side, you from the back, you from the front, you with your head up, you crying, you laughing, you looking great, you looking completely different, you turning to look at the camera…etc. This is where you let them wonder about you. If they see something they like they will keep watching, sadly otherwise, that’s when they press STOP.

• The next part (45 seconds to a minute) should be the best scene you’ve got. This time if you can, also focus on your shots, but if you cant just leave the scene as edited, complete and make sure it’s The Scene; your best one. Never put mediocre work on a demo, but if it’s the only one you have atleast leave it for the end.

• The rest should be other scenes in which (if possible) you are using very different resources and portraying different characters.

This gives you a perfectly decent demo reel. But two things to bear in mind: First: the casting directors go over thousands of reels each week so respecting this basic form, always try to use your imagination and give your personal touch to it. Whether it be with the music or amazing features… Second: EDIT EDIT EDIT. And then EDIT some more. Most actors (especially new comers) tend to want to put ALL their material on their reel. DON’T. Please realize its not about quantity but quality here guys, and its important to be selective. Take advantage of the fact that normally you will have no say in what image is chosen to portray you except now. So choose wisely.

If you want to see the website (I couldn’t really understand much)...click here.

Here are some of my favorite applications and their PC counterparts for all you non-believers out there:

MAIL. (PC: Outlook). For obvious reasons this is something EVERY actor needs: access to email accounts and good backup and archiving possibilities. The great thing about using this instead of sticking with hotmail or gmail or any other service is that once the mail has been received, then its yours for the taking. Even if you have no internet connection you can access all your emails with a click. Plus, you can back them up, and also sync them with any calendar or address book. Which brings me to my next app…

ESPY (PC: WinPIM or similar Address Book). The difference between Espy and Address Book (which is also a great free option if you want to save some cash) is that it files your contacts by picture! So instead of looking through a bunch of lists of names and companies, you can see pictures. I think it is also clearly useful because I put a picture of the company logo or production company logo and add all my contacts from it in one simple file. Then when I am looking for them but don’t remember their name exactly I can search for the company image. Obviously to me this is handy because I find it easier to remember visuals. But there is also an easy search bar for you to type. Be sure to write down when you last emailed, called or sent a thank you note to someone to never forget if its time to make contact again…etc

ICal (PC Outlook). I love the simplicity of the calendar app. And how easy it syncs with my Mail and PDA/iPhone, or how seamlessly it can serve as both a professional tool AND as a personal reminder. In PCs you don’t need a separate app, Outlook will do it for you or you can try the SunBird app from Mozilla creators).And for a cool extra download “Desktop Reminder”.

FINAL CUT PRO (PC Avid). Any actor with enough material and money should always make it a priority to hire a proffessional editor to edit your demo reel. BUT it is also fundamental that you know how to cut pieces of your work or other video snippets to analyze and study, and understand that time is money, so the less “padding” you give your editor the faster he can work (hence cheaper). Or even if you are bold enough to try and make your own demo reel. These are the programs to do it.

VLC. (Both systems). It is hands down the best media player you can have. I have yet to encounter any file extension that another media player can play but VLC cant. Yet viceversa, I have converted so many people to VLC. It works flawlessly and is very fast loading files (none of that endless waiting until you finally see anything on the black screen).

Wikipedia says of Image Metrics:

“The Image Metrics proprietary facial animation system is a Markerless motion capture method in which an actor’s performance is filmed and a 3D animated model is generated directly from the raw images.The process uses pre-existing or newly recorded video of an actor’s facial performance shot with a video or High definition camera. All detail seen in the recorded video is then analyzed and mapped onto a computer-generated 3D model, including the detailed movements of teeth, tongue, lips and eyes.

The Image Metrics animation process captures facial details like eye movement, lip and tongue synching, subtle expressions and skin textures that can be compromised in the use of traditional motion capture methods. Advanced mapping technology allows Image Metrics to deliver facial animation results up to five times faster than motion capture methods and ten times faster than key frame animation.”

Its amazing what technology can do now-a-days and how the studios and film-makers are using it  leaves us in awe. Every year some new form of CGI or motion-sensors showed up. But now we are going to witness a whole new level. 3-D animation movies with people-like characters will no longer take years to make…and who knows what more developments this will lead to!

For more info go to:
http://www.image-metrics.com/

www.yourname.com

May seem very silly to you now, but give this some thought. IMAGINE: You’ve actually made it big, you are known in the industry and with the general public. You have fans and millions of people are using google to look for info on you. The first thing that comes up? Yep: www.yourname.com that some fan bought and now has all the information people are looking for…but…you haven’t approved it, or contributed to it, or even like what they are saying!!!! AND not to mention that the person owning the site is making thousands of dollars with the visits it gets on you!!!!

So to avoid all that, make the decision to buy your domain NOW. Its much simpler than you think:
1.    Go to www.godaddy.com
2.    Look up your domain name: www.yourname.com
3.    Buy it for 1 ($9.99), 2 or 3 years…
4.    Set up your email.

You can also decide that you want to buy the .net, .org or .me of your domain, so just repeat the steps. Also you can host (buy the space for a website) and build a website with GoDaddy.com in minutes, or leave that for later. Its up to you. But as long as you own it, nobody can use it, and if they want to, you can sell it (You decide for how much) eventually to say…a fanclub?

Not to worry though, the rate at which technology is evolving in order to make OUR life easier is astounding. And that’s just perfect for people like us who need to be alert 24/7 for our big shot! Here is a list of things all actors need to be alert:

1. A cell phone.This is a no-brainer. In the 21st century there really is very few people who don’t own one or two of these. Just remember to always have it on, charged and with a voicemail set up.
2. A laptop. There really is no telling when you might need to email a resume and head-shot or even receive a script to look over while you are out of the house.
3. A GPS device. Knowing important details like how far a place is and how long it will take you to get there factoring in traffic, accidents..etc is a vital tool to prevent you from being late ever again. Not to mention those of us who might get lost on the way!
4. A day-planner. To write in all those great opportunities and never forget, or simply remember when you have to pay your classes, rent…etc.
5. An address book. Don’t be caught off-guard without it when you need it. Its one of the worst feelings ever.

So obviously you cant just jug all this aroung with you when you are going to the grocery store or the gym!!! The solution?

iPhone, Blackberry or any other PDA!!!

It’s the all-in-one solution. My personal favorite is the iPhone hands down, but whatever works best for you. This is THE best investment you will ever make. Having email, phone, GPS, day-planner…etc in the same palm sized device is what people have been asking for and now its at an affordable price for the general public! So do yourself a favor and invest in one so you are never unreachable. The next call can be your big break!!!!!!

Get more info on:
iPhone
Blackberry