Prop 30: For Red Rubber Balls Everywhere

Erica Rood is a Los Angeles public school teacher, a brilliant writer, and a good friend. She wrote this opinion piece on Prop 30 that I just had to share. It doesn't quote numbers - it comes from the heart.

Prop 30 isn’t an educational proposition. It is a financial proposition, and yet it affects education more than any other program. It is a last resort scare tactic to force the people of California into paying more money in taxes, to put ABC chewing gum into the hole in the bottom of the public education life raft. It doesn’t fix anything, it doesn’t prevent the money from being diverted to administrative costs, it doesn’t do anything except stop thousands of teachers from being fired, and countless others like myself, from taking another pay cut.

In an effort to prepare for the defeat of prop 30, California has withheld millions of dollars from schools this year. If it passes, the money will be returned, if not, then it will begin a chain reaction of continued cuts across public education.

Haven’t we heard this before? Cuts to education, and yet this time, I feel like there really isn’t anything else to cut. Sure you can fire teachers and combine grade level classes, if you fill comfortable with your child sitting in a class of 44 kindergartners.

I suppose your student can get by without technology in the classroom. I currently have 3 computers for 22 kids allowing them each a meager 15 min. a week. That’s okay though, they all have cell phones right? Can’t they learn computer literacy at home?

But I can’t tell you to vote for prop 30 because it doesn’t fix anything. It is a stopgap measure to prevent the worst from getting worse. It provides no reform to fix any of the existing problems. Problems of state channels that funnel educational funding elsewhere, and districts that are such a maze of bureaucracy and staffed with people so far removed from the classroom, but they may as well be in south equatorial Australia.

So I can’t tell you to vote for it because it’s bad legislation. However, it is such bad legislation that if it doesn’t pass, our students lose the most.

Bigger classes, less school days, mass layoffs of newly credentialed teachers, (highly qualified, ebullient, and tech savvy teachers at the bottom of the seniority totem pole), delayed facilities repairs, and even less sports equipment.

Call it hand ball, call it wall ball, call it fun at recess. The game where competitors take out their academic frustrations and energetic wiggles on an unsuspecting red rubber ball in front of cheering legions of classmates. If prop 30 does not pass, frivolities like sports equipment are the next things to go (after art and music of course).

So, if you can remember what it felt like to bounce that red ball high over your head, and the rubber thud it made as it touched back down to earth, consider voting in November. If you can remember how dirty your hands got from the skin of the ball as it licked the blacktop, register to vote. If you can remember creating obscure names like waterfalls and poppies and a whole host of other nouns for different ways the ball could bounce that left yard teachers scratching their heads, consider voting for prop 30.

It won’t fix education, but it will prevent thousands of teachers from being laid off and class sizes from doubling. It would keep my salary where it is, sitting modestly just underneath the middle-class demarcation, and save a red rubber balls for millions of students across blacktop statewide.

Consider voting yes on prop 30 for the red rubber balls.

Erica Rood is a third grade public school teacher. In her fifth year of teaching, she encourages her students to make their voices heard when they see a need in the community.

From Hipsters to Assassins

You know Christopher Tillman from his many guest blogs. I know him from working at the Disneyland Resort - we're bonded by survival.

We produced an award-winning short film together - Misusing Irony. He wrote and starred in it, I helped make the shoot happen with the help of Craigslist --



He went on to produce another short film - The Distance Between - that just premiered at LA Shorts Fest. I'm listed as an Executive Producer because I was a big Kickstarter donor.

Here's me looking very serious at the premiere --

And now we're reteaming for an epic new project - Early Retirement. Logline: A female assassin who long ago abandoned the idea of a normal life confronts her male counterpart who is still naive enough to think that there can be life after the job.

And guess who gets to play the female assassin?

ME!!!

That's right, I'm playing a hit man...hit woman...hit man woman...

The film will be directed by the kick-ass, award-winning Rajeev Dassani. I knew him as the visual effects king from Knight Rider - he and his company Master Key made this happen every week --



"You're nothing without your car!" No, we were nothing without the Dassani Brothers.

Currently he's directing features and trekking the globe directing second unit for Covert Affairs --

And now he's going to be directing Early Retirement!

The project is still in the early stages - we still need to fundraise, I still need to lose 10 pounds - but you can track all our progress by liking the Early Retirement Facebook page.

And watch for the Kickstarter campaign coming soon!

A Handful Of Sand

Guest Blog by Christopher Tillman

Imagine you go to the beach and pick up a handful of sand. You then have to transport this sand from where you are to somewhere else. No matter how hard you try or how careful you are, the handful of sand you have at the end of your journey will never be the same one you started with.

This is what it is like to write and produce a movie.

I recently finished production on my second short film as writer/producer. (That feels good to say.) Getting the first one done was a sheer act of will. After you finish, the question is - "Can I possibly do it again?" The answer is yes, but all the stuff you thought you learned on the first one doesn’t help you the second time around. You have to learn everything all over again.

But with the help of some very talented and wonderful people, I was able to make it through the second production and wind up with a film that looks nothing like what I imagined it would.

Pause.

That last statement is a bit of a Rorschach test. Do you read me saying that the finished film was nothing like I imagined it would be as positive or negative statement? The truth is, it’s not intended to be either. It’s just a statement of fact. It is not the movie I saw in my head while writing. That’s the nature of working in a collaborative art form. And make no mistake, movies are a collaborative art form.

One day while shooting I heard the director say, "Alright Andy take your shirt off and get oiled up for the next scene."

What? Excuse me?

I wrote a cute and innocent story about unrequited love and the director is oiling up the lead actor like a Chippendales dancer! But we were on a tight schedule and a small space and I didn’t think arguing with here on the spot was going to be a good use of time. "I’ll just make her cut it later," I thought.

Then I saw it later. It was neither sleazy nor salacious. It made perfect sense in the context of the movie and was actually a nice touch that I hadn’t thought of. The director always had the whole picture in mind.

It’s difficult to pass off your handful of sand. You think you can carry it better or if you do hand it off, you want that person to carry it exactly the way you would. But it’s just not possible. So you look for someone who cares as much about your handful of sand as you do. And you trust.

Because it’s not the other person you’re really worried about. It’s your handful of sand you’re worried about. The original one you picked up. You loved that handful of sand and that’s what you wanted to have at the end. But no matter how careful you are and no matter how hard you try it’s not going to be the same handful of sand you have in the end. Once you accept that, the journey becomes easier.

Christopher Tillman is an actor, writer, and producer. Follow him on Twitter at @christophertill

Why Does the Audition Room Scare Us So Much?

I acted with Joe Hernández-Kolski on a short film called Mr. President and have continued to run into him around town. He recently posted this fantastic advice for actors on his Facebook and agreed to let me re-post here. This is insight from the inside! Enjoy!

I had the good fortune of being a reader for Risa Bramon Garcia and Toby Guidry the other day. I had met Risa through one of her daylong acting workshops (I highly suggest taking her next master class). I read opposite of about thirty actors, both men and women.

Now, everything that I’m about to say, you probably already know but I’m gonna say it again because sitting on the other side of the camera is SO FREAKING INFORMATIVE.

First of all, when you walk into the room, you are walking into a room full of people who want you to do well. They want you to knock the crap out of the ball and send it screaming into the left field stands. And trust me, I get it. The insecurities, wondering if you’re good enough, the fact that this is your first audition in a while, the thought that, “This could change EVERYTHING.” But put it all away and get excited to play. Risa once said, when you walk in the door, you should demonstrate the idea that, “If I was on set right now, in this role, this is how I would play it.” No disclaimers, just stand behind your choices. That’s the most important thing – MAKE CLEAR CHOICES.

Give yourself way more time than you think you need to prepare. Yes, you’re incredibly busy between your job, your volunteer work, your late-night rehearsal and that unexpected thing that always pops up just because the universe knows that you have an audition. You say to yourself, “Okay, the audition is at 2pm tomorrow. I’ll work on it when I get home tonight and then I’ll do more work tomorrow morning. I’ll be fine.” Honestly, you might be. But I watched several actors the other day (and I’ve watched myself do it many a time) walk in and they were nowhere near prepared. They’re buried in the sides, the technical jargon trips them up, they have a great presence and delivery but they just don’t bring it.

The casting directors are dealing with a lot of different things at the same time. So if they’re not in your session, trust me, it has nothing to do with you. Just focus on your work. Be happy to be there. And use your reader. Make eye contact with them as soon as you get in the room so the connection between the two of you doesn’t surprise you when the audition starts. We’re there for you. With one actor, I could see that he was in his head. With a couple of others, we actually played. One actress came so strong that she threw me off my game and I missed my line. She was very well prepared. And last but not least...

Do not sabotage yourself. Very often, the casting directors are open to what you bring to the role. You are there for a reason. Just because you might’ve read the breakdown and said, “That’s not me,” play it with everything that you’ve got. If you're given this opportunity, know that the casting directors have already gone through a lot of submissions from actors who don't even get the chance to come in. But YOU DO. And I saw some amazing actors who just weren't right for the roles but, trust me, Risa and Toby made note and I know that they'll bring them back in. I was very impressed by the care that both of them took with their actors.

Throughout the day, I just kept coming back to the idea of living in your truth. Sure, you’ve gotta do the homework, find your beats, make your choices, etc, but, most importantly, just let them see YOU. That’s the most valuable tool that you have when you walk in the room.

Joe Hernández-Kolski is an actor, poet, and comedian. Follow him on Twitter at @pochojoe

Payment ≠ Paycheck

Guest Blog by Christopher Tillman

I found Teresa's recent blog post Five Things I'm Shocked Actor Still Do rather interesting. The day I read it, I realized I had just seen two actors doing number one (“Not Having Your Headshot Ready at an Audition”) the day before. And number four (“Refusing to Work for Free”) reminded me of some advice I received when I was just starting out -

You will never work a job without getting paid.

You will, however, on many occasions, work a job where you don't get paid money.

There are many ways to look at getting payment for an acting job. Contacts, experience, credit. Number three on Teresa's list reminds actors they must have a demo reel. How do you get one? Work jobs for free.

When I first got serious about acting. my first three steps were headshot, resume and demo reel. The first two were easy. The last one came from a year of auditioning for and working student films. Great experience and gave my some good film to put together a reel.

(Side note: USC and Chapman University have the best films schools for working on student projects in my opinion.)

The other advice I got – treat your payment like it is a paycheck. If you are doing a project in exchange for the footage, don't let six months go by before you start asking for the tape. If a paycheck was six months late, you wouldn't just let that go. Make sure you have an agreement in place as to when you will receive your tape before you leave set. If you are working for contacts, make sure you make a good impression and exchange contact info before you leave set. If you are working for experience, then put down your iPhone between shots and pay attention!

Perhaps you are beyond the “working for something other than a paycheck” part of your career. Time to put that advice in the closet, right? Wrong. This is advice you will always need to think about. Always think beyond the paycheck as to what you are getting paid. What else is a job getting you? Range, opportunity, contacts? If the only reason you are doing something is for the money, maybe you should rethink the project. Doing things just for the money is how movies like The Smurfs get made.

Fantastic advice! Thanks Christopher!
Christopher Tillman is an actor, writer, and producer. Follow him on Twitter at @christophertill

Fight On!

Guest Blog by Christopher Tillman

Shortly before Christmas, the University of Southern California’s starting quarterback Matt Barkley held a press conference to say he was not entering the NFL draft and would return to USC for his senior year. My friends all know - I love sports. I love the story lines and the analogies to life, plus I bleed cardinal and gold. But in case you don’t share my passion, let me tell you what this sports news means.

There are rules about when a collegiate athlete can go professional, and once they do, they cannot go back. It’s usually a big deal when one decides not to go back to school and rarely do the capable ones finish four years of school. And believe me, Barkley is capable. If he entered the draft now, he would go top ten and make millions of dollars. It’s a choice point similar to when an actor decides to join SAG, except if joining SAG meant you were automatically cast in the next Will Smith movie.

So why wouldn’t that be a no brainer decision?

While I was reveling in the fact that my Trojans are going to dominate college football next year, I heard something that made me think. A sportscaster said that Barkley’s decision showed that “he didn’t fear failure, but rather strived for success.”

You see, Barkley led USC to a 10-2 record this season when unnecessary sanctions led most people to think they’d be lucky to finish 6-6. And professional sports drafts are like the stock market - value is based on perception and you gotta sell when it’s high. Right now, Barkley’s perception is high because he was virtually perfect this year. In order to match or exceed that next year, he will have to be perfect. So why would he take on that challenge? Because he knows that while perception can bring you a pay day, only performance can bring you a career. He doesn’t fear failure, but rather strives for success.

As we enter the new year, ask yourself if you are prepared to do that same for your career. Are you willing to forgo fear in your decision-making process and reach for success instead. To put yourself on the line as opposed to playing it safe. Are you ready to switch gears? Put the day job on hold to pursue your dream? Add a hyphen to your title?

And if nothing else, are you ready for USC to win a National Title? I am.

You can follow Christopher Tillman on Twitter at @christophertill

DIY

Guest Blog by Christopher Tillman

While I’m furiously writing my pilot for CBS, my friend and colleague Christopher has offered to write a few guest blog posts for me. In this installment, he tells one of my favorite stories about taking the reins of your own career. In the wise words of Yoda, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

After finishing Misusing Irony with Teresa, one of the directors we had considered asked me how the production went and was I able to show her the finished product. After watching my short film, she brought me in to audition for one of the supporting roles in an independent feature she was producing called The Kitchen. I auditioned and got the part.

One day while hanging out on set, Catherine Reitman walked in. (I’m normally not a name dropper, but I love Catherine so much.)

"Can I borrow someone's computer?" Catherine asked.

Someone handed over their laptop. "What do you need it for?"

"My web show is posting today and I gotta tweet about it.”

“Web show?”

“I do a movie review show called Breaking it Down." (Plug intended.)

Another actress, Jillian Clare, chimed in with her experience about doing a serialized web show called Miss Behave.

The film we were shooting took place at a party and they needed a crowd of background actors to play partygoers. While hanging out and talking with the background, I heard a lot of "I got an idea for something like this" and "we should do that."

And just like that, it became clear to me – the principal cast had projects they were actively putting out, while the background were just talking about doing it. It was just that simple.

I have a good friend who will always listen to any idea I have, but I realized over time he was giving me less and less of his attention. He would always end every idea pitch by saying, "Great. Go write it." And the more times I came back without doing that, the less excited he was to listen to my ideas. The lesson he was trying to teach me is simple. An idea without a script is nothing, a script without a production is nothing, a production without a portal is nothing.

The days of being just one anything are over. You need to dive head first into something else, even if it is just to support your primary focus. Don't want to be a producer, fine, but you are probably going to have to grit your teeth and bear it for at least one project if you want a showcase piece for you as an actor. Might as well be now.

You can follow Christopher Tillman on Twitter at @christophertill

You Gotta Make It Shorter

Christopher Tillman, a friend and fellow actor/writer/producer, writes this guest blog about something he experienced at the Ojai Film Festival last weekend. I was at the festival too, but missed this particular moment because I was off looking for cookies.

Recently I was in Ojai for their film festival and attended a Q&A with screenwriter Steven de Souza. Really great event – the perfect balance of brass tacks and theory.

After the event was over, I (along with a few others) approached Mr. de Souza for a few follow up questions. One of these individuals was a gentleman who was literally clutching a screenplay to his chest. I knew this wasn’t going to go well.

The gentleman approached Steven and started talking about his screenplay. Steven snatched it out of his hands and turned to the last page. "140? It’s too long."

"You told me that last time," the man replied.

"It’s still true," Steven batted back. "If you show this to anyone they are gonna do what I just did – turn to the last page, see that it’s 140 pages, give it back to you and say it’s too long."

"I cut it down to 120..." the man started.

"Still too long," Steven interrupted.

"...but I felt like I lost the story, so I put the pages back," the man finished.

"It’s too long," Steven said as if the man hadn’t understood the first three times.

The man’s faced hardened and I knew what was coming next. 'Don’t do it,' I thought. But clearly the man wasn’t a mind reader, because he did it anyway.

"Would you say The Social Network was too long at 170 pages?" the man said, thinking he was being clever. Now it was on.

"You are talking about a movie based on already popular source material, written by an Emmy-winning writer and backed by an Oscar-nominated director. The studio will let those guys do whatever they want. James Cameron can write a 200 page script, ‘cause he’s James Cameron. Don’t even think you are on the same level as those guys!"

Photo / Creative Commons / Horia Varlan

Now some people might say Steven was being harsh. I chose to see it as being direct. Is it possible that this guy was holding the next break-the-mold, one-in-a-million story? Sure it’s possible. Is it more likely that Steven is right and every person this guy shows his script to is gonna turn to the last page and say "140? Too long." Yes, that is more likely.

The whole exchange reminded me of one of my favorite scenes from Sports Night. Sometimes it’s just as simple as you gotta make it shorter.



Now it may sound like I'm picking on this guy, but learning to edit is a hard lesson – one that I am not above learning. When I had finished the script for my short film Misusing Irony, it was 17 pages and I thought there was no way I could make it shorter, nothing I could lose. Enter director John Lopez who loved the script, but his first words were still, you guessed it, "Make it shorter."

John, Teresa (the producer), and I spent several breakfasts at Bob’s Big Boy hacking at the script till we got it down to its fighting weight of 14 pages. And even then we lost one more scene in editing to get the piece to just under 13 minutes. "Get to the nut," John kept harping on me. "It’s a short. You don’t have time to linger." And while I respected John, I didn’t always agree with him.

Until we went to our first festival and sat through the first of many half-hour long "shorts." Then I dropped to my knees and thanked God he sent me John and the idea to keep it short.

You can follow Christopher Tillman on Twitter at @christophertill