Interview with 'Battlestar Galactica' legend Richard Hatch

Interview with Richard Hatch

By Lauren Honeycutt

1. How did you get involved in Acting?

It was a long process because I didn’t set out to be an actor, I was going to be an architect, I studied classical piano. I loved the arts but never thought I could have a career in acting. I was going to school waiting to take more specific electives. I was wandering like so many people, taking anything, trying to find out what I was going to do. I was dating a girl and got to meet a lot of the people in the business through her. I started learning more about show business. I had never done theatre in high school. I got to know a man who had a radio show, who was a press secretary for Yoko Ono. He would always give me insights into things I should look into; he is the one who said I should go to an acting class. I was shocked! Me? Are you kidding? I had never thought about it. I went to the class dealing with the method; it focused on progressed method and refinery. I learned acting techniques but more than that I watched the actors in the class learning to deal with their own stuff, it is really all about connecting with yourself in a deeper way. I thought this would be something that could help me, whether I wanted to be an actor or not, it would help me as a person. After a year I came to understand that I could be an actor when my teacher brought me aside and said if I really wanted too I could be an actor. I started hanging out with production groups, delivering scripts to Sally Field’s house. I played an extra on a soap opera, getting my foot in the door. I was living in my car, sleeping on people’s couches, and it slowly grew into something that I realized was a passion of mine. I love the art of the acting, the spiritual journey.

2. How long have you been an actor?

45 years

3. Are you working on any current projects?

Many things, I finished a bunch of films, the Pod, Dead by Friday, a pilot for Mind Bender, Dark Season, Little Matchmakers. I love writing. I’ve been working on developing a novel called Magellan, I am adapting it into a screenplay.

4. Which has been your favorite project you worked on?

Battlestar was the best experience of my life. Getting to play a complex multilevel character, I had an extraordinary time working on that show.

5. What are your strong points as an actor?

I have a combination of strength and sensitivity I am very empathetic, I feel very deeply into the characters, I connect in a profound way to the characters I play. My intuition, my instinctive part of which I am, I connect to who I am. I perceive things in a different way than many people. I can play scenes that require a lot of depth.

6. What have you learned from the directors that you have worked with throughout your career?

I’ve learned that every director has very distinct differences; some are good with technical aspects, some are good with character, some are good at both. You need to listen to their feedback; they have something valid to say you need to take the criticism. They can bring a stronger performance forward, I have learned to listen and take it in, and bring that into my performance. At the end of the day you have to trust your own gut, if something isn’t working for you and you have tried to do it differently sometimes you have to trust your gut and it doesn’t feel right to you you’re the one who’s up on the screen. You’re the one that is going to take responsibility for the performance. Take what the director says learn from that, but if you can’t do what they want after multiple tries go with your gut. You have to follow your instinct and the director can help you reach the place you have never been. I don’t want a director to leave me alone, I want a director to inspire me to give me feed back, I look for direction. At the end of the day your talent gives you the truth of that and you have to honor that.

7. What are your educational qualifications?

First of all I don’t think you need educational degrees. A degree doesn’t make you a great actor. It is an award of accomplishment but you can learn all the same things and more than the person who has the degree. I have studied in multiple classes all over the nation. I did it all independently in various places.

8. What kind of roles do you prefer?

I like character roles the most, the leading man, the romantic thing. I like the more complex characters. Deep profound characters, rich back-story, something to grab onto. I love doing comedy but I love doing comedy with a heart. Art to me should move you, should touch you and leave you with hope at the end of the day.

9. What are your weak points?

I was very insecure about my looks, I never felt like the more charming good-looking lead. That has gotten easier for me over the years but when I was younger I never thought I was good looking or sexy.

10. How do you work to improve your acting skills?

Acting is an extension of life. Every single day I begin to embrace who I am. I stop trying to be perfect, I embrace who I am with all my flaws and my self-love quotient grows. As fear diminishes you get far more bold and courageous and you become freer, your not so worried about what people think. I find that everyday I work on myself, loving and forgiving myself, allows me to have so much more confidence in myself as an actor. So as I grow as Richard Hatch I grow as an actor. I know all the acting techniques but you have to work on you. That’s the heart of the creative experience.

You can find more info about Richard Hatch on his imdb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0368745/

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Tom Hanks Electric City Review

Review by Ron Phillips

Edited by Amanda Blake Sutter

The idea of a web-series is to tell an intricate story in a serial format. However, with the attention span of the current average web user this proves to be a difficult task that must be accomplished in an average of seven minutes or less. Tom Hank's animated webseries Electric City has been all the buzz in this social media generation and for good reason. The story encompasses you in the tale of a post apocalyptic world where the luxury of living in bright lights and heat is a treasure. The series is about 20 episode long averaging around five minutes per episode. The show not only captures the audience with its premises, but it's delivery in conveying the story as well. This show has become such a success because the show creates traffic and makes people want to become part of the world created.

The series launched on July 17, 2012 with 10 episode out the gate.  Each episode gave the audience just enough to whet their appetite while managing to leave them always wanting more. The careful marketing stratagies assisted in making this possible. Careful consideration was used in deciding placement on the web and the accouterments that would be used. Collaboration with the Yahoo website allowed the show to be hosted on the Yahoo screens. This was the first plan to gain exposure. With Yahoo being many of today’s go to search engine and email carrier, the advertisment for the show was constantly shown to the website's users.  The second marketing plan to gain exposure was the gaming aspect. Hanks teamed up with iTunes and Google Apps  to create little games that corresponed to the show. The games were fun and addicting and helped the players becomes part of the intricate story.

Hank's project used every means to help make the series so inclusive that just seeing the first 10 episodes leaves the audience begging for more. By using himself and other big name actors such as Ginnfer Goodwin to help back up the show through voice acting, fans were already stirring up chatter. However, Hanks knew that fan chatter would lead to media chatter on shows such as Good Morning America. He also created buzz by Comic-con. Its is only natural for a collaboration such as this to get so much attention. This is a marketing concept that creates opportunity that can not and should not be ignored. Learning from this concept would be very benficial because it brings the community in.

These statagies show that the time you invest before the show actually airs come to fruition. The website hosted by Yahoo is so elaborate and detailed that the maps go along with the show. Instead of doing a full screen view, the page shows things such as the sun setting as it sets on screen. This is so engaging becauase the game downloaded from the app store serves a distinct and integral purpose to the flow of the show. This keeps users on the page and keeps them clicking on all the available snippets of the story that can be used to be a citizen of this new world. This generates more buzz through the best marketing tools available which is word of mouth. Others are brought on to be a part of this new feeling and community. The share button is hit on facebook and tweets are made about the show. Others make comments to add to the conversation and then more exposure is created. It becomes a cyclical  cycle in the method of human on human exposure to the show.

If a webseries is to be successful it must pop and shine out the gate. But sometimes that is not always enough.  By using social media as a means of exposure, the cycle begins and then starts anew.

Series can be found at http://electriccity.yahoo.com

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5 Questions with Brevard Talent Group’s President and Owner, Traci Danielle Part 2

1. Q: What do you say to actors who think the only way to have a career is to pick up and move
to Los Angeles? Is it possible to take your career to a high level living in Orlando?

A:  I would say good luck! Orlando is a great place to start your career and build up your credits before you move to a larger market. In the long run it really depends on what type of work an actor wants to pursue.  For film and television Los Angeles is the place to move to further your career.  For theater it is New York. Before an actor decides to move they need to be prepared financially and must have the talent to compete. The Southeast has more film incentives than anywhere else in the country.  It is a great place to build your resume and reel before you make the decision to relocate. It is also a great place to make a living as an actor and have a quality of life that most actors can’t afford in California. Actors are moving to the Southeast for opportunities they don’t have in Los Angeles.  Los Angeles and New York are both tough markets to break into. You need to be realistic and know the level of competition you will be competing with.  It could take years to get established and find the right team behind you in order for you to be a successful working actor.  

2. Q: If an actor is dead-set on moving to LA, what do you recommend they do beforehand in a smaller market like Orlando to prepare?

A: Save money, build up your resume and reel, continue to train and save more money. Make all the connections you can so you can build up a list of contacts. 

3. Q: Can you describe the “it” factor of your top booking talent and what you believe contributes to
their success?

A:  Actors are born with the “it” factor.  I believe either you have “it” or you don’t. They light up a room and the camera loves them.  If I could bottle and sell “it” I would not be an agent. 

4. Q: What things do you look for when you meet with a potential talent for representation?

A:  The process starts with submitting your headshot and resume to the agency. Find out who you should submit to. If I get a submission addressed to "Whom It May Concern" it leaves me to believe that the actor did not put a lot of effort into their submission.  Strike one against you with the submission ending up in the trash can. I do not accept on-line submissions.  Submission information can be found at www.brevardtalentgroup.com. Send a brief cover letter with your headshot, resume and contact information.  If I am interested I will schedule an appointment.  I interview each actor and depending on their type and goals I will have them read a scene or two. I evaluate if they would be a good fit for the agency.  They must be as good or better than whom I currently represent in order for me to work with them.  Their essence plays a big role in deciding if I want to represent them.  I think it should be a law for agents to interview actors that they are interested in representing. It baffles me an actor would put his career in the hands of an agent whom they have never met. 

5. Q: What are your hopes for the future of film in Florida?

A:   I wish we could compete with other states who have an unlimited cap on incentives. One of the main reasons Florida’s incentive is limited  is because we do not have a state income tax to help fund the program.  I believe the market would explode if we had an unlimited cap like Georgia and Louisiana.  Florida has fantastic locations.  From the beaches to the Space Center to South Beach to small town America. We also have great actors and crew. Florida started as a location state and continues to be a location state. Over time it has become apparent that the studios in Orlando are theme parks and not working studios. The days of Florida being “Hollywood East” have come and gone. Is it possible to get that back? Yes, but it is a constant struggle with our government to keep the incentive funded. Our fantastic film commissioners work hard to promote Florida. The bottom line is, if a producer can film elsewhere and save money by taking advantage of a better incentive, they will. 


You can find more info about Dark Elf Films @ www.darkelffilms.com and follow us on facebook @  www.facebook.com/darkelffilms and on twitter @ www.twitter.com/darkelffilms  

JourneyQuest The Webseries Review

JourneyQuest Review

By

Amanda Sutter

Journey Quest is an over the top fantasy web series that follows a group of characters on their epic quest for glory. Along the way a series of unforseen events leads the characters into a whirl wind of mischeif, battles, and awkward moments. From the creators of "The Gamers" and "The Gamers: Dorkness Rising," the series is a goofy comedy that leaves the viewers laughing continuously.

    Although the language takes a bit getting used to and the many subplots require careful attention, the series definitely has a unique quality to its story that will create a following in certain audiences.  The series has an overall good production value and intricate costume design. The series uses a combination of clever humor with slapstick comedy throughout its entirety that hit at the right moments in the plot line.  The actor's bring a lot to the table with portraying the character's humorus moments organically. Watching their performance is entertaining and is successful in creating an emotional connection with the audience.  The episodes are also kept short and the plot continuously advances at a steady, but fast pace. Journey Quest will deffidently gain support through specific cult followings, comedy lovers, and fantasy lovers.

    The pilot is a bit slow and confusing, however, the series as a whole is definitely worth watching.Ultimately Journey Quest is a fun and unique expereince for all viewers following this magical journey.

You can find more info about this series at: http://www.journey-quest.com/

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