What SAG-AFTA can do for you.

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The Winter Park Public Library  hosted a talk about SAG-AFTA. I had not been to the new library building, so I decided to go.

There is a huge arched structure in front of the very modern building so I walked through those arches into one of two adjacent buildings that sweep outwards a precarious angles from the base.

I masked up and entered the building which turned out to be an events space. There were no books to be seen. I felt I was on the wrong track, so I exited and went to the other building which actually did have books inside. There were tow computer consoles inside the entrance instead of a receptionist. I would need to search around for the talk in question. Luckily it was right behind the computerized reception desk. Off to the left was a recesses staging area with chairs set up and two actors seated at a table center stage. Video cameras were set up at the top of the mini amphitheater taping. The event had started 15 minutes early, so I felt I would not have much time to sketch. I decided not to sketch the cameras and instead walked half way down the seating area. I wanted to show that there were a few people in the audience.

SAG-AFTA is an actors union. Carol Baily and Adam Vernier have both done lots of commercial work as actors. Much of their talk was about doing work as extras on sets. Adam was particularity upset since Florida once had incentives for film production companies to shoot in the state. Rick Scott then became governor of Florida and he killed those incentives. Georgia offers incentives and so they get all the film production work instead of Florida. Even if a film is supposed tp take place in Florida it is usually shot somewhere else.

Carol listed instances on a film set where a production company ignored guidelines by not offering breaks for actors for instance. She listed the infringements and called SAG-AFTA. A union representative then came out and quietly pulled the producer aside and made sure things were set right. She noted one instance where she was an extra but was then upgraded since she was in so many scenes. Once lines are delivered salaries can jump up to six figures. Royalties are offered any time a commercial is shown. Royalties are an actors bread and butter, but they can be just a fraction of a percent, meaning a check might arrive for just a few cents. But hey as an artist every penny counts.

A question came from someone in the audience. He said his daughter had caught the acting bug and wanted advice on how she might someday get her SAG-AFTA membership. Adam was blunt. He said she should  get out of acting while she can, but if she really has the bug there is no stopping her. Actors are born not made.

I looked up Carol and Adam on IMDB to see their credits. I had no luck finding information on Carol but found plenty on Adam. Adam Vernier was born in Manassas, Virginia. While living in Chicago at 5 years old, Vernier auditioned for and was the second choice for the part of “Danny” in the movie The Shining. Adam has worked for years on stage (Equity), television shows (SAG-AFTRA), feature films (SAG), straight to television movies (SAG-AFTRA), commercials (SAG), industrial training videos (SAG) and on and on. He is often cast as an officer or military guy. Now I am wondering if either of them are in one of the films being shown at the Florida Film Festival.

Danny Loyd who did play the roll of Danny in the Shining, retired from acting at the age of 10. In 2019, Lloyd appeared in a cameo role as a spectator at a baseball game in the Shining sequel Doctor Sleep, his first acting role in 36 years. I do not know if he was in SAG-AFTA.

Facebook for some reason has recently started flooding the social media site with photos of celebrities. Because of that I have started to ignore the platform.

Central Florida Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar Song Circle

Posted on by Thor

Musicians gather monthly on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:00 P.M. til 8:30
P.M. in the community room of the Winter Park Public Library  (460 E. New
England Ave. Winter Park, FL 32789 for the Central Florida Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar Song Circle. The public is invited to stop in and enjoy the music. I stopped in to sketch. This was a relaxing evening in which each musician in turn would perform a piece and other musicians could join in if the mood was right.

Any person interested in acoustic fingerstyle guitar is welcome no players can attend if they wish to listen and bring any friends along. All levels of players can join in because everyone will be exposed to many styles and levels of skills. The circle is very casual. They sit in a circle and share one at a time.

The group recently established some guidelines. By default, if it is your turn to play, then others in the circle are welcome to join in and play with you, as long as they don’t drown you out. If you do not wish to have accompaniment that is OK, but you must tell people this before you start playing.

For me this was a relaxing, casual sketch opportunity. I did two sketches on this evening and it would be nice to return to do more. Everyone is literally seating in a large circle as if around a large camp fire and each song sets the mood for the next. Check the groups Facebook group page for the next song circle.

These are the date through the end of the year…

September 19, 2018

October 17, 2018 (Children’s Story time Room – 2nd floor)

November 14, 2018 (2nd Wed)

December 19, 2018

Also the group has been  been asked to perform for an
event on Saturday afternoon, September 29, 2018 for the
writers in Elaine Person‘s class also in the Winter Park Public Library.

The Central Florida Fingerstyle Guitar Circle

Posted on by Thor

I used to live in Winter Park. The city used to mail out a community bulletin along with the water bill. In that bulletin I found the Winter Park Guitar Circle which meets at the Winter Park Public Library, (460 E New England Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789). I arrived pretty early to a room with a circle of chairs. Gradually, musicians arrived, and I placed them in the sketch as they sat down. The seats directly in front of me eventually did fill up, but I left the seats empty for the sake of opening up the staging.

Each guitarist in turn would perform and if the mood was right others would join in. One performer had a harmonica while another had a small head microphone since he felt his voice didn’t carry. Others joked that he might electrocute himself as he got ready to perform. The folk songs and music was relaxing and heart felt. It was a great free concert. There were varying levels of talent and experience but anyone who came and performed found a supportive and safe place to play. Similar song circles sprout up all around Central Florida and they are always a great sketch opportunity.

The Central Florida Fingerstyle Guitar Group meets on the third Wednesday
of each month at 6:00 P.M. til 8:30 P.M. in the community room of the
Winter Park Public Library. It is open to the public and free. Any
person interested in acoustic fingerstyle guitar is welcome and please
do come if you wish to listen and bring any friends with you. This is
always recommended to all levels of players because you will be exposed
to many styles and levels of skills. Bring your guitar if you wish.
The circle is very casual. We sit in a circle and share one at a time.

A whale rolled into Orlando.

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Poncili Creacion presented Ballenarca at the Winter Park Public Library. I believe Ballenarca is derived from baleen, which whales use to strain and eat krill,and ark, as in a large sea vessel. They had just come from Miami’s Art Basel where a Whale Arc seemed quite in order. The whale was constructed on a boat trailer.  Car jacks held up the whales massive jaw. Large metal ribs were covered with fiberglass. There was a wide cast of foam characters in the show. Orlando has a strong puppetry community thanks to Heather Henson’s Ibex puppetry.  Hannah Miller and Jack Fields were there. I would say that half the audience were puppeteers and the other half were excited children. There isn’t much of a difference between the two.

The show was colorful and surreal. There was a four legged dog fish, a red character that looked like a cross between a tooth and a heart, and an eight foot high centipede. When the centipede interacted with the kids, the squealed with delight. Kids easily accept the characters and can quickly imagine the world they inhabit. This was no longer a parking lot, but a magical under sea world. Kids don’t react the same way when high tech movies force feed every digital detail.

After the performance, kids were invited inside the whale’s open mouth. The puppeteers needed to drive the whale to Heather Henson’s warehouse where it would stay for the night. They would be on the road the next day to their next open air stage. I was invited to have dinner with the cast at Loving Hut and I jumped at the chance. On the drive to the restaurant I ended up driving right behind the whale. The tale had to be removed for the drive, but the whale still grinned at me. You don’t see a whale in traffic very often. At Loving Hut, one member of the cast was fascinated by one of my brush pens. He did a drawing of a mysterious dark haired girl with straight bangs, in the back of my sketchbook. He signed it Poncili.