Back to Schoolin': What Led Zeppelin Taught Me About Music

This, from Kevin Courtright:

"Stephen Mitchell has been, and continues to be, a tremendous asset to me as an author. When I first mentioned to Stephen back in early 2008 that I'd begun writing my book, Back to Schoolin': What Led Zeppelin Taught Me About Music, he instantly began verbalizing a plethora of ideas for how to market the book. From creating a blog dedicated to the book, to shooting a short but informative interview video in which I am able to clearly articulate what are its contents as well as its value, to the pursuit of numerous avenues for targeting a potential buying audience on the internet, Stephen's immediate and impactful ideas were, and continue to be, a tremendous encouragement to me.

Writing a book is a daunting task, but Stephen's encouragement and belief in my ability proves to be exactly what was needed to finish the job. Publication takes place in October 2009, and the book is presently available on both Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. In other words, mission accomplished. Once my first copies arrive, it is a given that Stephen is to be the first to receive one as a "Thank You" for his contributions. And even then, he again unleashes a number of steps to take next in order to market the book. I am extremely grateful to him for his enthusiasm, his practical advice and his support and encouragement."

Buy Kevin's book here.

http://backtoschoolin.blogspot.com/

Virginie Picot talks about Véronique Reno (Interview) version française

Q: How would you describe Véronique Reno?

VP: Véronique is a woman who has been hurt and who has overcome her shyness by playing the game of woman/objet and is a bit of chameleon. She wears lots of different masks, by that I don't mean she has split personalities as such. She just wears a mask that fits the situation and people she wants to be around and wants to use. Despite this primary layer of being superficial and cold, she has a lot to give financially but even more so emotionally, though she may have lost sight of this.

Q: What part of you have you brought to this role?

VP: Before the interview, Stephen and I briefly talked about my life in order to bring a few personal elements to humanize Véronique a bit more, such as my hometown, my family, a few references to my career path. It was interesting to apply those facts of my life to this fictitious character, and create a merger, a blurred juxtaposition of Virginie and Véronique.

Q: Were there any obstacles while performing this exercise?

VP: No, apart from ensuring I could express myself correctly and fluently in French. Having lived in London for nine years, French has sort of become my second language!

Q: How did you work with Stephen?

VP: Stephen had a very clear idea of the character he wanted to interview. We first discussed my past and present briefly, then Stephen built Véronique's life around it, while giving me the main directions he wanted my answers to take. I did enjoy, however, being a bit more provoking and arrogant!

It was very interesting to have to reveal someone's fictitious life in the setting of an interview, where the concept is about being "honest" with the journalist (Stephen). Véronique is very different from me. Her thirst for wealth, the facade she has built around her to protect herself and this woman/object she has created. At the same time, some aspects of her life did resonate with mine. It was a very interesting exercise and I very much liked working with Stephen. I liked giving life to this character who remains intriguing. Stephen has a great imagination and knows what and how to get from the actors very quickly, while allowing them some freedom to play the role.

What is the difference between product placement and product integration?

Consider that a 'placed' product is like a background extra in a scene and 'integrated' product is like the star. The best job of product integration I've ever seen was in The Castaway where both FedEx and Wilson became characters in the telling of the story. We were so sad when Wilson floated away!

The James Bond series has been a veritable placement/integration franchise hitting both with skill and elegance. By the way, integration has an element usually lacking in placement--implied endorsement.

So here's a quiz: Was Manolo Blahnik placed or integrated into Sex and the City?

The three kinds of actors...

In response to the "How to Start a Hollywood Career Without Having to Go There" entry, Wesley Harris asked: "Since there are no more than 3 kinds of actors, I want to know what are the 3?"

In order to answer this precisely rather than in general terms, I had to check with Kathi Carey who had a copy of the book handy. The three kinds of actors, therefore, are:

1) The lead, whose job is to secure funding for the producer and excite box office results owing to his/her popularity with the public;

2) The antagonist, whose job is to upstage the lead so as to make him/her seem more heroic when he/she wins at the end of the story (remember how well Anthony Hopkins did this for Jodi Foster?);

3) And everyone else, whose job is to be credible without distracting from the interaction between the lead and the antagonist.

This differentiation is meant for strategic purposes to help an actor kick-start a career (bear in mind the title of the book). One can see that, normally, it takes some exposure to be a lead though there are exceptions that become more frequent as the budget gets lower. So, it makes sense to analyze the qualities of an antagonist and incorporate them into one's signature as an actor--or brand, if you will. Making a mark as a good antagonist is also a great way to move into the lead category with the benefits that go along with that status.

Now, imagine how this applies to launching an acting career.

"How to Start a Hollywood Career Without Having to Go There"

A recent email correspondence recalled this to mind. The book I wrote with Kathi Carey is long out of print, but I'd forgotten about the FAQs that got a lot of attention:

An Excerpt from "How to Start a Hollywood Career Without Having to Go There"

FAQS(Frequently Asked Questions)

Do I need an agent? No.
Do I need a SAG (Screen Actors Guild) card? No.
Should I shave my moustache? No.
Do I need implants? Probably not.
Should I bleach my hair blonde? No.
Should I get rid of my accent? No.
Should I have my tattoos removed? No.
Should I keep my days free for auditions? No.
Do I need a manager? No.
Do I need pictures/new pictures/color pictures/composite? No.
Do I need a resume? No.
Do I need to lose weight? No.
Do I need to join a workshop? No.
Should I leave my wife/husband? No.
Do I need to attend Hollywood parties? No.
Do I need to sleep around to get jobs? No.
Do I need to read the trades (Hollywood Reporter/Daily Variety)? No.
Do I need to go to Hollywood to start a career? No.
Are there more than three kinds of actors? No.
It is "who you know"? No.
Do I need to take singing lessons? Yes.
Do I need to take dance lessons? Yes.
Do I need to read the rest of this book in order to understand the answers to all of these questions? Yes.

"You're General Wilmot?"

Wesley Harris and I spent the afternoon with General Wilmot and his wife Julia discussing a movie/book deal. They were delighted by the previous evening they spent with us at the Elysée and felt a keen affinity for all with whom they met and interacted: John Murray, Jeanetta Dumouchel, Wesley and his wife Diane Kirkland, Eilon Amir (who I've known for a year but met last night for the first time face-to-face), Peter Liapis, the incomparable JT, Ferrari-chatters Carbon McCoy, Rick Mitchell, Jerry Macaluso, Nathan/sanosuke689 and Chad Glass.

Tom Meade (of Thomassima fame) said to Richard, "You're General Wilmot? I'm General Meade!"