Amanda Vink

[amandamarievink]

If I thought it was crazy before...

Things are getting wild! For the past two months (and the next two!), every single weekend is booked to the max!

I’m not complaining (besides maybe the lack of sleep) because things have been really productive. I feel like things are snowballing in a really awesome way. 

This weekend I’m finishing up filming Clairvoyant and then starting on a new project. I’m excited to see how Clairvoyant comes together. I’m also really excited about this new short film because I get to play an interesting character that I don’t often get to play. It’s really nice to stretch and grow and figure out how to go deeper into emotions. 

How are things going with you? Loving Fall? I was in Boston last weekend to go to the Filmshift Festival. I stayed with some friends and enjoyed the beautiful sights of downtown throughout some lovely days. We even caught some of a rowing competition on the Charles River. Check out the scene below:

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Went to the Filmshift Festival in Boston to see Long John.

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“Long John” by Joe Bellavia won “Best WNY Short” at the Buffalo International Film Festival!

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The Odd Couple Amanda Vink Cate Perschke

Frank Rossi 2015 showcase. Amanda Vink and Cate Perschke in Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple"

Footage from the showcase!

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The short 'Long John' is going to the Buffalo International Film Fest!

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Filming started this weekend. I'm feeling a bit like a Bond girl. Loving it! The shoot was awesome: I had some really great emotional moments, and from what I saw the shots looked amazing. And I really like having my hair and makeup handled by a professional. 😎

[amandamarievink]

Welcome, Fall.

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Rowing

While waiting for an audition yesterday, I was lucky enough to see some shorts done by the RIT students from last year. I love watching short films, as I think they're really a good representation of our culture and of the things that are important to us. One of them was an abstract rowing almost documentary- the dedication and strength of being a part of a team (interestingly enough, it mirrors what it takes to put a movie together). I just keep thinking about the value of being a part of it, and I'm glad I'm in the boat. But I digress. My audition went pretty well. It was for a role slightly like Kate Winslet's Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Convenient for me, as I actually worked in a scene from that movie in class and did a whole breakdown of the character. So the audition was good. When you do lots of prep, that seems to be the case. Go figure. The rest of the weekend I spent with one of my good friends around Rochester. I started some Fall cooking today and took my dog for a good, long walk. I'm trying to rest a little because I'll be filming the next few weekends plus the showcase is next Wednesday! In that note, I had a spectacular performance last Monday in class. I got there by trusting in my work. Beforehand I stopped thinking and ran around in order to get out of my head and into my body. Hopefully it will be that way on the 30th!

[amandamarievink]

Update, Rehearsal Yesterday

Things have been quiet here: I was actually on vacation in the Netherlands for a couple weeks, WHICH WAS AWESOME. It was a lovely time of rest and catching up with family. We travelled all over- spent time on the beach and in the countryside and one day in Amsterdam. 

But now that I’m back, work has picked up in a crazy way. Our showcase is coming up at the end of the month, and we’re almost ready for it. I’m working with my scene partner today to refresh it and get it back to where it was before I went on vacation. Then on Monday we’re planning to put it up for class again. 

Yesterday we had our first rehearsal for the next project that I’m involved in. It was the first time reading the script (although it’s still in the tweaking phase) and I must say that I’m really impressed with the character and the storyline. It’s going to be great fun. 

There’s a few auditions coming up, and I’ll let you know how those go! 

Hope you have a nice and relaxing Labor Day.

[amandamarievink]

Update - Two Roles

Been crazy busy these last few weeks! I was in a short film, where I was a scientist with a mission. I also practiced being sneaky. That was a wrap, and I'm excited to see the finished product. There was a really awesome shot with me in an auditorium. I also had two auditions that went really well- I ended up booking both roles, which are to be filmed over the fall. I'm really looking forward to both. The first role is with a local production company for a pilot. The second is a student film. Can't wait to start working on both! In the meantime, excellent news: I'm taking an extended vacation!

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Arms Training Weekend

I got to go to an arms training workshop for a role. It was so far out of my comfort zone, but what a blast! We learned some basic proper gun handling and at the end split into groups and tried to take each other out. I killed the hostage… twice. Obviously a career as a snipper is out of the question for me. But I did manage to look bad ass while doing it! I’m excited to take what I learned over the weekend and use it in the film.

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Just wanted to share the FB page! This short film is soooo funny. You'll love it!

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Went to the screening of the short film I was involved with, “Long John.” It’ll be in some festivals this year. 

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From The Museum of the Moving image. This is just silliness. Because cute mice always win.

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Over the weekend I went to the Museum of the Moving Image in Long Island City. The museum is in Queens, which is a little off the beaten path of museum-goers, but especially for movie lovers, very much worth the trip. Above some fun stuff- costumes that are relevant and necessary (Mrs. Doubtfire, Mork and Mindy and Star Wars). Also me and my girls hanging at the entrance.

One of the main and ongoing exhibits is called Behind the Screen, which takes the visitor on a tour of movie production. Very cool. They had all sorts of old movie cameras, lights, posters, set design prints and costumes. I could’ve spent hours there.

One essential thing that I must share is one of the interactive media stories I encountered. The game/story is called Pry by Tender Claws. This is a really cool design for a novella: chapter one starts with the main character lying in bed, unable to move. He is suffering from PTSD after coming back from the Gulf War. Using a touch screen, the reader pinches his or her fingers together to see/read his subconscious and pulls his or her fingers apart to see what is going on at the present moment. The first chapter was thrilling and a little scary, and I actually threw the headset away from me because I was so far into the character and the emotion. it was so cool. What also really neat is that you can download the novella and experience it yourself from your smart phone. It was totally worth it (although I will warn that the first chapter is by far the best thus far). 

So. Go to the Museum of the Moving Image. Yeah.

[amandamarievink]

Planting Seeds

Some good news: Found out yesterday that I was cast in a feature film! Filming is set to take place in July. More information to come later on that front. 

But the really interesting part about this is that this casting experience has been in the works for over a year. You see, I volunteered to help on some local commercials way back when I first decided to pursue acting (a year plus now!). It was a good experience: I met some local actors and got to eat some yummy food too! I kept in contact with the guy in charge of the project: a few months later he invited me to audition for his upcoming movie. I did the audition. The project was tabled for a time.

Cut to me, present day: yesterday morning I was thinking about how crazy this business is- one minute you’ve got nothing coming up and the next, well… by yesterday evening I had accepted a role that I auditioned for months ago and scheduled an audition for a few weeks out. 

The important take away for me here is that there is always a cause and effect. Even if I don’t get something right this moment, just going for it and meeting people places me in a position to do something later on. This idea seems really comforting. At its core is the idea that there is a purpose for everything you do, so getting really upset over messing up an audition or not getting a part is just not worth it in the long run. 

Other news from my life: acting class is going well. Yesterday we did our scene again, and great news- the emotion is all there and it’s starting to sing. It’s great fun. Now we’re working on blocking, and I think once we get that down it’s going to be great. I’m really looking forward to performing it for the showcase, which will be in September! I’m also starting to work on another scene with another friend in class. More updates on that as they come too. (I feel like I say that a lot.)

Another girl in class was focusing on an audition for a SAG movie coming to the area. She’s really a very good actress, and I really enjoyed watching her audition. She had all the work done. She had the emotion down. The next part was standing out. By the end of class she was coming in with emotion (which happened to be rage) underneath rather than head on - and it was way more effective. She had the whole scene to develop what she was feeling. I can’t wait to hear how she did- I bet she’s going to nail it!

[amandamarievink]

Great news! (Subtext: Excitement!!!!)

My scene partner and I performed our Odd Couple scene yesterday in class, and we did great! We’ve still got work to do, but our teacher approved our scene for the showcase that is happening for a bunch of agents and casting directors at the end of August. An opportunity: needless to say I’m a bit pumped, especially since he’s only choosing a few people to showcase our class.

We just decided to go for it: and the result was really nice. This funny bit happened: my partner blocked me off with a chair and I ended up going right over the chair. It was funny. The big thing that I need to work on is fluctuation right now. The emotion is there. The freedom is there. But now I need to bring the intensity of the moment up and down. I.e. When someone is in day to day life they don’t go at one speed throughout a conversation. To practice, we’re to spend two hours this week on subtext. As a writer and an actress, I have to say I’m a fan of subtext. 

Don’t know what subtext is? Well, let me just regale you. Subtext is the thing that is happening between the lines or between the words. It’s when someone is really not happy with the person they’re talking to but they say, “Have a nice day!” anyway. It’s not always so extreme. Subtext can be a happy thing. It can be: “Oh, wow! This sandwich is amazing!” when the line is, “Let’s come here again.” Got it? The great thing about working on subtext is that it allows you to find out what’s really happening in a scene. It gets right to the heart of the matter. It’s also always there. Dun dun dun.

So. There you go. Talk soon! xoxo