Seeing yourself on the big screen

[once a month]

Posted: 11/21/09 at 10:53pm

I recently has the great fortune to be a featured actor in the film Socrates, written by Frederick Olessi. Funny, but I memorized my lines in both scenes and never expected it to actually get released. lo and behold this past week, I was invited to the opening at Rider University in NJ. The film was only 32 minutes long, and it was far from sterling, but I was shocked to see myself so large! There were moments when all you see is my BIG HEAD, and it was the entire damned wall! Being a theatre baby, I never thought about cinema and me in the same sentence, but it was actually pretty cool. The experience was priceless, to be honest, especially the question/answer session afterwards. The buffet was a treat and expertly catered, making me feel quite special indeed! I'm sure there are others out there who share my experience.
Updated On: 11/21/09 at 10:53 PM

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 11/21/09 at 11:10pm

I was a professional child actor, sticking mostly to theatre but dabbling in some film. I HATE seeing myself on screen (either the movie or tv), it is just a very strange thing to witness. I think it is why I prefer theatre, and decided to stay in the business after leaving acting.

Because I am my hardest critic, the worst thing about it is that the performance is always there. Whenever I am flipping the channels and come across myself (and it happens surprisingly frequently for the small amount of work I did, I start criticizing a performance that is 10 years old.

[Jane2]

Posted: 11/21/09 at 11:14pm

When I first saw myself on the big screen, I was in shock (not in a good way) and started taking valium for my commercial classes each week. No thanks.

[once a month]

Posted: 11/21/09 at 11:17pm

WOW,I understand completely. When I first saw the scene, I wanted to melt under my chair...and they showed it twice. The playwrite/screen writer loved what I had accomplished...but all I think is "butch it up mary"!. He gave each of us the DVD which was extremely nice of him. The graphic is gorgeous, and I'll probably frame my DVD...for posterity!

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 11/21/09 at 11:28pm

I also saved the DVD. I don't know what level your film is, but I also saved the first SAG residuals check I got (sixteen cents). Since then they have gone up to around $30 per check, not bad for a small amount of work.

[Jane2]

Posted: 11/21/09 at 11:32pm

I got a residual check for $.83 the other day.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 12:53am

It's very strange seeing yourself on the big screen.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 12:55am

It wasn't something I sought out, but I never minded.

[scott68]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 1:56am

I've never seen myself on the big screen, just in the free previews of subscriber websites I can't afford, but I empathize!

[HollyGolightly2]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 3:38am

I've never seen myself on a big screen, but I'm sure I wouldn't like it, since my voice sounds STUPID when it's recorded, for whatever reason. I don't mind the way I look in recordings, but I sound like a little kid in them. I did voice overs when I was young, and they used my 8-year-old voice for quite some time, so I was still hearing little kid me on TV when I was 14, and that was irking enough. The terrible thing is, I probably would sound exactly the same today, if only with better diction.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 3:50am

Too many times for it to matter any more.

That's just the way I look.

[tazber]

Posted: 11/22/09 at 10:27am

I didn't know they showed porn in cinemas, diva.