I'm That Weird Actor …. by Guest Artist/Blogger Patrick Elliot

Patrick Elliot

Who am I? I'm that weird actor on set who no one is quite sure whether or not he's joking or not, but they really, really hope so. (Hint: almost always yes)

I think I'm a pretty good actor, I write pretty well, and I know all about (some people who are experts on) cameras and lighting. I could tell you some pretty useful things about the business and the craft of acting and writing from my training and experience, but honestly there are people with better credentials who will hopefully be blogging about that here in the future.

I'm not here to tell you how to act. I'm here to tell you why I act. First we must go back into flashback land via the squiggles below.

When I was younger I was a fan of a certain series of books that will remain unnamed (The Chronicles of Narnia), but I was certain that if unsaid books ever came to pass as movies, that I would be one of the first to be called up to be in them. Thing is by the time the rumors of the actual films showed up I had never acted. And now I don't know if they'll even finish making those movies, but it's cool...I ain't mad.

But anyway, I decided the time was nigh to get into acting, which I did via an avenue in which I had some experience—singing. So I auditioned for Smokey Joe's Cafe at the local theatre. From the beginning it had many difficulties which culminated in changing directors. The show eventually turned out great, but I discovered something in the midst of those rehearsals and performances—I really loved the people I had worked with. That, in itself, may be what hooked me on acting.

When I moved on to screen acting I discovered the love of those people was no less. In fact, I've met many people who would do anything for me just as I would do anything for them.

These are people like Chad Farmer who I shared a high school with, but we never met until not long ago in some film related venture. All I can think is, how did I miss out on meeting this awesome, kind, and downright hilarious guy. People like Roger Franks Sr. who cast me in one of his projects early in my screen acting career and has since become one of my best friends and collaborators. And, of course, I can't leave out my current acting coach, Kevin Patrick Murphy, who is not only a talented teacher and actor but goes out of his way for me to help advance my career beyond the what is required for a coach. I could go on forever.

Crystal intercepting here: My next blog will be about Kevin Patrick Murphy coming down the mountain and blessing us folks in the Upstate with …. well, you'll have to wait to find out ;) Keep checking back in with JC! Ok, Patrick…Carry On….

All of this carries over into my acting. (Okay, here's an acting tip). I act sacrificially. I do what I can in a scene to make the other person(s) look better and in turn come across as more believable myself. And it carries over into the business aspect as well. I find myself wanting to help everyone advance their careers and projects.

There is plenty competition, squabbling, and heartache involved in the film and television business. And at the end of the day, all we have is the product we create, the experience we've had, and the relationships we've formed. Fame and fortune are fleeting and difficult to grasp. Do what you do sacrificially. Do it for each other. That's why I act.

Patrick Elliott is an actor who will do handyman work for you if you'll like his facebook actor page here--->Patrick Elliot on FB.  He would also request everyone not take up his offer at once.  You may email him at your leisure at 81pelliott@gmail.com

Artist Co-Op/ Studio Space

Many of you on my Facebook know about my plans to procure a space to be utilized as a personal production studio space, and also serve as a type of artist co-op.

If you're not exactly sure what an artist co-op is, basically,  its an organization jointly owned and controlled by its members.  Cooperatives provide professional facilities and services for its members, including : studios, workshops, equipment, exhibitions and educational resources.

Myself and several folks have looked into locations to be used as a shared space. I want this space to be a platform for any and all kinds of artists:

Filmmakers

Writers

Musicians

Dancers

Visual Artists

Photographers

Actors

Pretty much anything you can imagine that falls into a creative field.

I personally plan to use this space to facilitate workshops, classes, meetings and seminars to the public as well. I have been communicating with several folks that I plan to bring aboard once we have a permanent space. I would also use this space to hold events: art exhibitions, theatre performances, live music, etc.

Information and educational resources in arts related fields

My dream is to eventually procure a space to house all of this.

A kickstarter campaign is being planned for the near future.  Keep an eye out for us at Jade Castle.  If you would like to donate to the cause now, you can here:

Guest Blogger Joshua Mims

Hello Gentle Readers,

I’m doing a special Christmas in July tour, and Crystal offered me a chance to stop in and chat.

Now I’m about to take off my writer’s hat and put on my filmmaker’s hat. So, brace yourselves.

It’s a little known fact that when you say filmmaker and hat in the same sentence, Johnny Depp will magically appear. True story.

I actually got my start making movies, as I have an MFA in Film and Television, which believe you me, is a great degree…if you’re planning to open a coffee shop.

http://instantrimshot.com/?play=true

Thanks to the amazing development in technology, today’s filmmakers have a lot of great opportunity when it comes to what’s possible. Cameras are probably the best they’ve ever been, and it’s easy to make some pretty beautiful flicks for almost no money.

Yep, this beast was shot on 35 MM AND HD!

And that’s all well and good. But, don’t forget, the most beautiful picture of garbage is still garbage. Pretty pictures won’t make up for awful acting, poor lighting, and bad story. And don’t think that you can make a movie that’s so bad it’s good. Because that bar was set pretty high FIFTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO!

The golden standard. 

Intro

Hi all!

Welcome to the Jade Castle Productions blog.  Thanks for tuning in! I am new to blogging, so bear with me..

First, let me introduce myself.   My name is Crystal Tyler , with Jade Castle Productions, and I reside in Greenville, SC.  I am actively involved in film production, mostly here locally, and have been working in the industry in some fashion for about 8 years. On and off camera.

Some other passions of mine are music, visual arts, photography, theatre and pretty much anything else that's creative and arts-related.

The purpose of this blog is to document my adventures, share my knowledge and opinions, showcase local talent and hopefully enlighten, educate and entertain you in the process.

First on the agenda, I have a series of guest bloggers that I will be spotlighting here.

First up is Joshua Mims (Joshua Mims on Facebook).  You can follow his other blogs here:

This collaboration is a part of Joshua's "Christmas In July" blog hop. His guest blog to Jade Castle will be published this Saturday, July 13..so make sure to come on back to hear what he has to say!

My vision for this blog is a place where other folks like Joshua, and also other artists of all kind can share their own adventures, knowledge, opinions and talent. Here, I'll spotlight these artists, whether it be via interview style or the artist submitting material of their choice.

So if you are into anything artsy, you have come to the right place!

I want to be as interactive as possible with my followers.. so if you would like to be a guest blogger, guest artist, submit material, suggestions, etc. contact me: jadecastleproductions@gmail.com.

~Cheers~