In the Mix with Aaliyah Miller

Hello all, With Christmas soon approaching and the end of the year not far off, I figured I let my last blog for 2008 be one of reflection. When I look back at 2008 I realize I've done a lot and in some cases things I didn't expect to be doing (acting in two plays and shooting a short film). These special events were on my radar, but with work and school I wasn't actually sure what I would be able to fit in and have the energy to complete the projects. I continue to surprise myself with the energy I seem to muster up for my artistic endeavors. I'm grateful that I had two opportunities to get back on the stage this year. While I planned for No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs , Anton in Show Business was a complete surprise. Each play was different in its genre and scope. The plays required that I use different skill sets to get solid performances and that was a challenge for the actor in me. I definitely feel like comedy is much harder to do then drama, because timing is ever...

I wanted to have a more upbeat and positive update about After the Headlines for my blog and while it's nice to want things that isn't the case. I think that's why it's taken me so long to write this entry. By now I thought I would be half-way to a rough cut of the film, but the disappointing reality is that I'm currently missing a pivotal scene for my film. Yes....I am missing a scene. It was shot, but it is currently missing in action? How did that happen I really can't say. The DP believes that there is a tape missing, but I disagree because I know every time he gave me a tape I gave it to my production coordinator and at the end of the shoot we counted six tapes not seven. I also think that if there was a missing seventh tape, it would have popped up long before I started logging and capturing footage for the third time. I must say I've gotten really good with organizing and capturing clips. What's next? Well, I have to drop the external hard-drive ...

Today I thought my blog would read, After the Headlines : Logged and Captured. Unfortunately that is not the case, and I'm definitely freaking out about it. Last night I had my nervous breakdown, I'm doing slightly better this morning, but I'm still very somber, but Karim has told me to have faith and that things will work out. I hope he's right. This Saturday I got my DP's camera so I could start logging and capturing the footage into Final Cut Pro (a linear editing software for film and video). During the week I wasn't looking forward to logging at first, I haven't had to log video footage since college and my early days as a production assistant (PA). After some thought I thought it would be good, because I would see the film scene by scene and that would give me a good sense of what I have to work with when I meet with the editor. Since it's been a while since I logged I enlisted Karim's help. He helped me set up my external drive (which is what...

Thank you, thank you, and thank you. I would be remiss if I didn't start this blog by thanking all the people who helped me out on my film shoot this weekend. A BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE CAST AND CREW OF AFTER THE HEADLINES (and yes I know each of you deserve so much more) . Although I'm really tired, I'm on my fourth, maybe fifth wind. If I actually shot on film, I would say After the Headlines is in the can, but since it is shot on digital video I'm saying its a wrap. The Martini shot (last shot on set) is done and I still can't believe it. I shot my first short film. I know I've said it before, but I feel the need to say it again, film is a collaborative art form (thank God). There is no way I could have done this on my own. From the cast to the crew, we all came together to tell my vision of a story. Although it was only two and half-days of shooting, it felt so much longer. I guess that's because I probably got a total of 15 hours of sleep this weekend. F...

Hello all, I'm getting down to the wire, three days until "sound rolling....lights, camera,and action." I feel fairly calm with the production around the corner. I thought I'd be more antsy, but I'm not, maybe it's the calm settling before the storm. There is no doubt in my mind that my previous production and current events planning experience has come in handy. I'm trying to be as organized as possible, because when you get on set and are in the midst of production you see real fast where the holes in pre-production were. I'm working hard to try to minimize the holes. I know I can't do it by myself either. Filmmaking is a collaborative process ( some people tend to forget that point), there are no room for egos if you want to have a successful production. Things are rolling along, yesterday I hit some retail stores picking up odds and ends for the set. I'm trying not to think about what this is costing me, if I did, I'd probably would ha...

Hello all, I had planned an Anton in Show Business wrap-up blog, but I didn't get to it. My apologies. The three week run of the show went extremely well but after the run I was spent. It took a lot out of me, but at the end of the day, I can say it was worth the sweat, colds, and tiredness I experienced. Being on stage is one of the best feelings in the world and when you know the audience is on the journey with you, that feeling goes from good to great. The last few days I've spent recuperating in Vegas. I welcomed the warm weather but I think I came back just as tired as when I left....lol. I'm going to miss the cast in Anton in Show Business. I had the pleasure of working with a talented group of women. It was an enriching experience for me. I really pushed myself with the roles in the play and think I'm a better actor having had this experience. It's going to be a while before I'm back on stage. Right now my focus is on After the Headlines. I have a little ...

Anton in Show Business had a stellar opening this past weekend at the OddFellows Playhouse in Middletown, Connecticut. Both nights was almost sold out, which is always a relief for actors, since we crave audience response. The New Haven Independent, http://www.newhavenindependent.org/ , an online New Haven-focused newspaper also published a favorable write-up, New Theatre Breaks Legs, http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/10/new_new_haven_t.php%20 . I probably already sent it to you on Friday, but here it is again just in case. While I was backstage I kept peeking through a crack in the curtain to check out the audience. I was lucky to have friends and family come both nights. I wanted to see where they were sitting so I didn't look directly in their direction when I was on stage. I had a bunch of nervous energy, I worried I would forget a line or maybe flub on the blocking. Earlier in the week I was still finding my bearings in the theatre space. Right up until the...