Tag: actor journey

Let’s Rehearse! The Finale.

Chasing The George

Hello, my fellow artists! I hope you’re all having a great week. For the past four weeks, I’ve been sharing my rehearsal process experiences for scenes I’m working on for my acting class at the Richard Lawson Studios. Keep reading below 🙂

In the finale, I wanted to quickly share the final 20 percent from the rehearsal process. 40/40/20 is a technique created by Richard Lawson to help us effectively utilize the time we have to work on something. The first 40 percent of the time you have to work on something consists of research and gathering information. The second 40 percent of the time you have to work on something involves implementing and applying the research and information you gathered in the first 40 percent (aka getting it up on its feet.) The last 20 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to locking in your product and coasting towards the finish line. Keep reading below 🙂

My first scene back as a returning student of the Richard Lawson Studios is going up on November 7th! It’s a scene from “Beverly Hills Cop 2”, and I am now in my 20 percent. I’ve made my choices. I’ve worked out my blocking. I’ve worked out my wardrobe. I know what I will talk about during my assessment. I am not changing anything around. I’ve locked it in, and I will continue working within this 20 percent with the remaining rehearsal(s) we have and when we perform the scene on Tuesday. (And with the other scene I’m doing from “Yellowstone”, which goes up on November 30th, I will also be approaching the final 20 percent soon.) Keep reading below 🙂

I’ll let you all know how the scene from “Beverly Hills Cop 2” went in next week’s blog entry!

Let’s Rehearse! Part 4.

Chasing The George

Hello, my fellow artists! I hope you’re all having a great week. For the past three weeks, I’ve been sharing my rehearsal process experiences for scenes I’m working on for my acting class. Keep reading below 🙂

In part 4, I wanted to share two videos from the rehearsal process. My scene partner (who lives in the U.K.) and I are working on a scene from “Beverly Hills Cop 2”, and we are in the second 40% of the rehearsal process. 40/40/20 is a technique created by Richard Lawson to help us effectively utilize the time we have to work on something. The first 40 percent of the time you have to work on something consists of research and gathering information. The second 40 percent of the time you have to work on something involves implementing and applying the research and information you gathered in the first 40 percent (aka getting it up on its feet.) The last 20 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to locking in your product and coasting towards the finish line. Keep reading below 🙂

In the first video, you will see one of the many improvisations we did to explore the history of our relationship. In this take, we decided to improvise Axel solving his first case, and the more celebratory nature of that event. This was the first time I allowed myself to relax and be a little more chill around Axel…so that was a good discovery. In the previous improvisations, I was more strict and tough with Axel. See video below 🙂

In the second video, we implemented some things like behavior and subtext frome one take to the next. The second 40 percent of implementation involves trial and error and experimentation. It’s failing forward. We are implementing the things we gathered from the first 40 percent to start bringing these characters and this scene to life. See video below 🙂

Let’s Rehearse! Part 3.

Chasing The George

Hello, my fellow artists! I hope you’re all having a great week. For the past two weeks, I’ve been sharing my rehearsal process experiences for scenes I’m working on for my acting class. Keep reading below 🙂

In Part 3, I wanted to share my experiences of going through the second 40 percent of the rehearsal process. 40/40/20 is a technique created by Richard Lawson to help us effectively utilize the time we have to work on something. The first 40 percent of the time you have to work on something consists of research and gathering information. The second 40 percent of the time you have to work on something involves implementing and applying the research and information you gathered in the first 40 percent (aka getting it up on its feet.) The last 20 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to locking in your product and coasting towards the finish line. Keep reading below 🙂

It had been a while since I last rehearsed a scene in person, so this second 40 percent was like learning how to ride a bike again. Here are some highlights from “Yellowstone”. Rehearsing face to face, in person, was a wildly different experience. I had to deal with another person in the flesh, and the level of energy and impingement was higher. More visceral. There was no Zoom screen keeping us apart or keeping us safe. We did a rough walk through and I blanked out on my lines. “Oh yeah. I need to remember how to walk and talk again!” I found myself being uncomfortable with stillness and feeling like I needed to move. I found myself being uncomfortable with arbitrary movement and feeling like I needed to be still. I implemented different ways of sitting at the top of the scene to discover which position would put me into the belief and experience of my actual event and moment before (I haven’t nailed this sitting position yet.) Keep reading below 🙂

Back at my office, I watched one of our recorded Zoom rehearsals, and took notes of what I wanted to change from my performance. Funny, I record all my auditions to see if my work is translating on camera, but this was the first time I recorded rehearsals for scene work. Duh! Recording the rehearsals and watching them afterward was invaluable. I spotted a technical and performance thing that I wanted to change. In this second 40 percent, we also had a couple of rehearsals over Zoom where we identified one emotional throughline at a time and played it throughout the entire scene to see what we could discover. Keep reading below 🙂

For “Beverly Hills Cop 2”, we did a series of improvisations to carve out our relationship and to implement some ideas we wrote down from previous rehearsals. It was great to see how several of the questions we asked and the research we did together made their way into our improvisations. Through these improvisations, we saw how the history of our relationship evolved and progressed to the present-day scene we are doing. I also began implementing the beginning of my character’s wardrobe and his physical stance in the scene. We implemented our subtext in a few of our run throughs and also implemented ideas into certain sections of the scene. I also recorded these improvisations and watched them back to study my performances. Keep reading below 🙂

See you all next week where I will share an improvisation or two from “Beverly Hills Cop 2” and continue the journey through the second 40 percent.

Let’s Rehearse! Part 2.

Chasing The George

Hello, my fellow artists! Last week, I mentioned being inspired by a series of rehearsal technique workshops at the Richard Lawson Studios and how I couldn’t wait to get into rehearsals for two scenes I’m working on for class. I also talked about utilizing the concept of 40/40/20 in my rehearsal process. 40/40/20 is a technique created by Richard to help us effectively utilize the time we have to work on something. Keep reading below 🙂

In Part 2, I continue going through the first 40 percent by sharing a few handwritten notes I took during my rehearsals! Think of it as a visual, inside look into my first 40 percent of the rehearsal process (notes aka the secret sauce I am using to create and make sense of what is going on before my scene partners and I get our scenes up on their feet.) As I mentioned last week, the first 40 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to research, gathering information, asking questions, and writing things down for further investigation and research. And please know that for each question or note that I wrote down in one rehearsal, I came back with answers and ideas for the next one. My scene partners did the same with their own questions and notes. (Also, a shout out to my scene partners for inspiring some of these questions and notes you’ll see below.) Also, there may be SPOILERS if you haven’t seen “Yellowstone” or “Beverly Hills Cop 2”. See you all next week where I will share my experiences with the second 40 percent of the rehearsal process. Keep reading below 🙂

Some of my notes from the “Yellowstone” rehearsals:

Some of my notes from the “Beverly Hills Cop 2” rehearsals:

Let’s Rehearse! Part 1.

Chasing The George

Now that I have fulfilled the required acting exercises as a returning student of the Richard Lawson Studios Thursday scene study class, it’s time to put up some scenes! I remember Richard working with two students earlier this year on the rehearsal process. Over the course of several weeks, the class got insight on how to rehearse effectively. Inspired by this series of rehearsal workshops, I couldn’t wait to start rehearsing my scenes. Over the next few weeks, I will be blogging about my experiences with the rehearsal process. Keep reading below 🙂

It feels good to be rehearsing and acting again with my fellow actors. Whether it be via Zoom or in person, it’s great to be working out again as an actor. I’m currently rehearsing a scene from “Yellowstone” (as Jamie) and “Beverly Hills Cop 2” (as Inspector Todd). My scene partner for “Yellowstone” is located in Los Angeles and my scene partner for “Beverly Hills Cop 2” is located in the U.K.! The training continues no matter where you are in the world. Keep reading below 🙂

Utilizing the notes I took from the rehearsal workshops, I knew that I wanted to apply the concept of 40/40/20 with these two scenes. 40/40/20 is a technique created by Richard to help us effectively utilize the time we have to work on something. Whether it’s an audition that’s due in 48 hours or a script that you want to have completed by a certain date, 40/40/20 can be applied to help you utilize your time sanely and successfully. The first 40 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to research and gathering information. The next 40 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to implementing and applying all of the research you’ve done. Get it up on its feet and work it out. The last 20 percent of the time you have to work on something is devoted to locking in your product and coasting towards the finish line. Don’t change a thing during this last 20 percent. Keep reading below 🙂

The first 40 percent of these two scene rehearsals was about research. For me, that entailed reading the script out loud over and over again with my scene partner. That entailed stopping and asking questions as we read the scene. That entailed looking up words and other things within the script that would help us make sense of the scene. That entailed writing ideas down. That entailed reading the scene out loud again and again with nothing on it and then reading it again and again with a singular choice in mind. That entailed identifying the Abbott and Costello (aka the differences) between my character and the other character. That entailed filling out the character chart for these scenes and writing in my subtext, my emotional through lines, and my chapters…and then modifying those things several times as I discovered more about the event of the scene, my character, my relationship with the other character, etc. I took notes during each rehearsal and gave myself homework to advance myself before the next rehearsal. Keep reading below 🙂

I remember my scene partner in the U.K. and I looking at the cultural differences between an American and an English person and how that can work its way into the dynamics of our relationship in “Beverly Hills Cop 2”. We looked at race and how that also affects our relationship since he and I are both people of color within this police department. We also devoted an entire rehearsal to researching Detroit, its police department, rankings within the department, crime statistics, etc. Keep reading below 🙂

For “Yellowstone”, we explored the journey of Jamie and Beth’s relationship as brother and sister over the course of this series. We looked at how and why we fight. We looked at our upward mobility and white-collar professions versus those of our other siblings. We looked at the Abbott and Costello of our characters. We looked at the dynamic of race and how that has come into play in the past because I’m Latinx and my scene partner is white. If you haven’t seen “Yellowstone”, I won’t give away anything about Jamie, but it works in the reality of us playing siblings. Keep reading below 🙂

I also wanted to share that I always feel like I’m a terrible actor when I read a scene out loud for the first time with my scene partner LOL. I always think to myself, “Let’s get this first reading out of the way as quickly as possible.” Once I get past that first reading, I’m good to go! And soon, I’m like, “Actually, I’m a good actor.” Reading it out loud and putting nothing on it is the first order of the day for me when I start rehearsing any scene. In this way, I can hear what is going on and start getting a lay of the land. I can also hear what my acting partner is bringing and providing in real time. And I’m not trying to act anything in the first few rehearsals. I’m trying to figure things out. Keep reading below 🙂

See you next week where I will share some of my handwritten notes from my rehearsals and continue the journey through the first 40 percent. (I’ve also provided links below to the next four parts of the rehearsal process and journey for your convenience.)

Let’s Rehearse! Part 2. https://chasingthegeorge.com/2023/10/15/lets-rehearse-part-2/

Let’s Rehearse! Part 3. https://chasingthegeorge.com/2023/10/22/lets-rehearse-part-3/

Let’s Rehearse! Part 4. https://chasingthegeorge.com/2023/10/29/lets-rehearse-part-4/

Let’s Rehearse! The Finale. https://chasingthegeorge.com/2023/11/05/lets-rehearse-the-finale/

My 2nd and 3rd Quarter Wins!

Chasing The George

Hello my fellow artists! I’m still pumped up after completing a 9-week screenwriting course at the Sundance Collab, and I’m equally pumped up to share some of my 2nd & 3rd quarter wins. A win is an accomplishment made through effort, and recognizing them is important. Wins mark the progress of your journey and goals. They let you know how much you have actually accomplished along the way. A win is a step forward in your life, no matter how small or large it is. I’ll ask my students at the top of every class, “Who has wins? Large, small, professional, personal, anything and everything in between.” When you go through your wins, they should make you feel really good. Here is a sampling of some of my wins, broken down into different categories. And these wins are connected to specific goals I’m working towards as an actor and writer. I’d love to read your wins too, so leave me a comment below! Keep reading below 🙂

Acting wins: *Filmed a self-tape audition for the SAG-AFTRA Casting Access CD workshop with Emily Fleischer. *I did the following exercises as a returning scene study student at the Richard Lawson Studios: Environmental With A Crisis, Song & Dance, Personal Monologue, Improvisation, Laugh/Cry/Laugh, Falling In Love. *Began rehearsals for two different scenes (Jamie in “Yellowstone” and Inspector Todd in “Beverly Hills Cop”.) *I’m also receiving awesome requests to do additional scenes from different actors in class. *Supporting the SAG-AFTRA strike. Keep reading below 🙂

Writing wins: *Got accepted into and completed a 9-week screenwriting course at the Sundance Collab. *Submitted my feature film script, “Love Returned”, to the following competitions: Austin Film Festival, WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Screenwriting Lab, Final Draft Big Break, Shore Scripts. *Submitted my half-hour pilot script, “The Anthony Comeback”, to the following competitions: Austin Film Festival, Final Draft Big Break, Shore Scripts, Screencraft. *My colleague and I finished the entire outline of a feature film and proceeded to write the script (we are now halfway through act two!) *Assisted in creating a book proposal for Richard Lawson with him and my colleagues. *I hit 200 blog posts on WordPress on June 25th. *Researched literary agencies I want to target. *Supported the WGA strike. Keep reading below 🙂

Ongoing wins: *Being fucking cool. *Weekly blog entries. *Relationship map outflow. *Social media posts and engagement. *Teaching the Professional Development Program 2.0 class on Monday mornings. *Weekly career administration group meetings. *Attending scene study class every week. *Feature film writing sessions with my colleague. *Building and editing two out of three books for Richard Lawson with him and my colleagues. Keep reading below 🙂

Personal wins: *Relationship with my partner is still going strong xoxo. *FINISHED PAYING OFF MY STUDENT LOAN!! *Purchased a work on paper from contemporary artist Braxton J. Fuller, and in the process, he sent me another work on paper for free! *Successful dental procedure with Dr. Ziv Simon in Beverly Hills. *Adopted three kittens to give them a better, loving life. *My alma mater, Vassar College, ranked #16 amongst liberal arts colleges in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges edition. Keep reading below 🙂

SAG-AFTRA On Strike.

Chasing The George

SAG-AFTRA has officially gone on strike, and I am providing links to resources and FAQs to help my fellow actors during this time. With SAG-AFTRA and the WGA striking simultaneously, this is a crucial moment for our collective future as artists. I support our efforts and determination to protect our work, worth, talent, and future.

For frequently asked questions regarding the strike, picket times and locations, news updates, work you can and can not do, etc., please go to: https://www.sagaftrastrike.org/

Strike notice and order to all members of SAG-AFTRA: https://www.sagaftra.org/files/sa_documents/Strike%20Notice%20to%20Members.pdf

An Important TV/Theatrical/Streaming Strike Update: https://www.sagaftra.org/files/sa_documents/SAG-AFTRA_Negotiations_Status_7_13_23.pdf

There are many articles out there regarding the strike, what it means, and why it’s happening. Here is one that breaks it down in a clean, simple way: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/politics/a44506329/sag-aftra-actors-strike-hollywood-explained/

200 Blog Posts!

Chasing The George

WordPress alerted me recently that I have written 200 blog posts on their site!! Wow!! Also, Happy (early) Anniversary to Chasing The George!! I’m celebrating early! On July 15th, 2015, my teacher and mentor, Richard Lawson, encouraged me to write a weekly blog where I would share my artistic journey, advice, stories, and interests with other artists. A “Hollywood 101” if you will that reveals and shares the sustained effort, work, and fun it takes to have a career in this industry. Thank you, Richard! What a journey it has been! Walking the walk as you teach us to do. Fun fact: My blog originally started on Tumblr before I moved it over to WordPress (LOL for anyone who is doing the math and wondering how it’s only 200 blog posts since 2015…I switched platforms and also took a few breaks with my blogging.) Keep reading below 🙂

Thank you to everyone around the world who has supported my blog over the years. Thank you to everyone who has read, shared, commented, and continues to be inspired by this one artist’s bravery to put himself out there and share his artistic life and journey. Thank you for witnessing how I found and strengthened my voice through this blog. Thank you to those who encouraged me to blog again when I stopped for periods of time. I’ve shared wins. I’ve shared lessons. I’ve shared highs and lows. I’ve shared so many things from how to get an agent to how I got my script to James Franco to how I feel I can’t act when I start a new rehearsal process (and how I combat that) to how I outlined a feature screenplay in two weeks to how I booked a national commercial by following my impulse to cry. Keep reading below 🙂

Wow! 200 blog posts!! I am so grateful not only because of the sheer amount of writing I’ve produced, but because I’m still in the game. I achieved 200 blog posts because I’m still in the game. I haven’t given up. I won’t give up because I can’t live without my art. I NEED to be an artist, and I have a healthy, supportive career bus that keeps me going and holds me accountable. I have a wonderful community that I can lean on and grow with. I’m grateful to still be an artist in this industry. I’ll see you all next week! Onward and upward! Keep reading below 🙂

My Major Revelation About Career Policies!

Chasing The George

Hello fellow artists! Here’s to another week of moving my acting and writing careers forward. My goals for this year are to continue booking theatrical and commercial work and to sign with a new literary agent. These goals are tied to a larger postulate of mine within my DOIN (Declaration of Independence aka business plan.)

As I pursue these goals, it’s important that I have policies in place. With any business, policies are essential to keep it running and operating on a high level. Policies keep it afloat and on track to achieving their various short-term and long-term goals. Here’s the definition of policy: a definite course of action adopted for the sake of expediency, facility, etc. a document embodying a contract of insurance. I’ve always understood this definition on an intellectual level and have had various degrees of success with implementing policies to keep my business (aka Jorge Ortiz Inc.) alive, healthy, and on track. Keep reading below 🙂

At the beginning of each year, I create a postulate DOIN for that year (A sub-DOIN from my main DOIN, if you will.) It’s a way for me to choose one postulate from the list and focus on it for the year. When I got to the policies section, I couldn’t help but feel uninspired and disconnected from what was there the year before. I had several policies listed that I wasn’t executing or honoring. These policies weren’t a contract of insurance. They weren’t things I had to do. Let alone, I didn’t even understand why I had to do them. For example, consume at least 50% organic food every day. Okay, I love organic food. I like being healthy. But WHY is this a policy? How is this policy connected to WHAT I’m trying to achieve as an artist? Why is this policy here in my DOIN? Keep reading below 🙂

And then, I had a major revelation. I realized that policies are connected to a specific postulate! BOOM! I am on a journey to achieve a postulate. A postulate sits at the very top of the mountain. So, what policies do I need to establish to help me get there? BOOM! It all made so much sense to me. Of course! Armed with this revelation, I identified five policies that I felt would support my journey towards my postulate. I understood the WHY behind these policies. I understood WHY I needed to do them. These five are enough for now. If I add a few more arbitrarily, I will set myself up for disappointment. I need doable, tangible, executable policies that SERVE my postulate. Below, please see the postulate I’m focusing on for this year and the five policies attached to it. Keep reading below 🙂

Postulate: I am one of the top, consistently working, bankable, and respected actors, writers, & executive producers in Hollywood. Keep reading below 🙂

  1. Execute at least one item of career administration Monday through Friday. Administration means the actions I’m taking to achieve my acting and writing goals. I know when to execute these actions each day. I know what these actions will consist of because I pull them from the administration plans written within my DOIN (On Sundays, I look over my DOIN and write out my administration for the week in my calendar.)
  2. Use social media as a platform to engage with others and to share about myself at least once on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Pretty self-explanatory! I’m consistent about the times I post on social media and what exactly I post on it.
  3. Practice and memorize sides once a week. I know which day of the week I do this on. This is important to keep my mind sharp.
  4. Return communications within 24 hrs. In terms of how I want to be seen and respected in this industry, this is a must.
  5. Take Lion’s Mane Mushroom supplements every morning at 8am. Healthy brain regiment so that I can operate at the highest level possible as an actor and writer. Keep reading below 🙂

Those are my policies! And here’s the other thing that I realized about the power of policies. For the last two weeks, I’ve felt somewhat uninspired and discouraged. I felt like I wasn’t accomplishing anything. And then I remembered what Richard Lawson once said about policies: “If you don’t do your policies, you take a loss on them…Policies also determine the quality of the trip and the consistency of it. These things help to sustain the effort of the trip when they are applied, and when you start breaking policies–policies are directly connected to statistics. If you keep statistics of certain things, you will notice that your statistics will drop when your policies deteriorate.” Keep reading below 🙂

Of course! I fell off my policies for the last two weeks. That’s why I felt uninspired. My administration statistics went down because I got off track with my policies. DUH! That being said, the beauty of this is that I can quickly get back on my policies. (My apologies to anyone if I didn’t return communications to you within 24 hours over these last two weeks!) Keep reading below 🙂

What policies are keeping you on track towards your dreams? Let me know in the comments section below!

How A Teacher’s Letter Impacted My Career.

Chasing The George

Hello artists! Something compelled me recently to pull out my Vassar yearbook. Perhaps I wanted to look at my senior year photo (I did, and LOL, I had a full head of hair.) Anyway, a handwritten letter fell out of my yearbook. It was a letter from a teacher I had in fourth grade named Ms. Rosen. I totally forgot about her letter and the fact that I tucked it away into my yearbook.

In elementary school, I wrote several short stories where I reimagined/adapted existing movies or TV shows like “Nightmare On Elm Street” and “The Bionic Woman”. There was something so wonderful about writing these worlds and being able to escape into them. As soon as I finished a short story, I shared it with Ms. Rosen. After sharing several short stories with Ms. Rosen, she wrote me a letter. Keep reading below 🙂

As we know, teachers can play a pivotal role in our lives. And sometimes, it can be for better or for worse. Teachers can make or break us at any point in our educational journey. They can make or break our dreams, our confidence, our ability to see further, our sense of possibilities and havingness. I’ve met many students with a deferred dream or failed purpose because they had teachers who discouraged them and tore them down. Fortunately, Ms. Rosen’s letter was uplifting and encouraging. She praised my writing and challenged me to tap into my point of view and imagination moving forward. She knew that I had more interesting, original stories to tell. What does JORGE have to say? What is UNIQUE and PERSONAL to him? What is in Jorge’s IMAGINATION? Create new worlds, don’t be derivative. Ms. Rosen’s letter wasn’t a “make wrong”. Her letter impacted me and laid the groundwork for writing about things that are personal to me, compelling, different, and a little dangerous. Her letter also laid the groundwork for the type of teaching and instruction I respect and admire (it’s why I have studied with Richard Lawson for so long. He he draws out my voice, uniqueness, and imagination by asking the next question.) Fun side note: I attended Vassar because of my guidance counselor. I knew nothing about the college application process. I didn’t know what colleges to research. I walked into my guidance counselor’s office one day during my junior year with all these brochures I randomly picked up at a college fair my high school was hosting. My guidance counselor looked through the brochures, put them aside, and said, “No. You can do better than these. You’re going to Vassar.” She saw something in me. She knew I was worthy of something higher. She added Vassar to the list and helped me identify other great schools that best fit me and what I wanted. Thank you so much, Ms. Ham! Keep reading below 🙂

Below is the front and back of Ms. Rosen’s letter. In case you can’t read her handwriting, I transcribed her message below the pictures. Thank you so much, Ms. Rosen! Time to keep moving forward with the first draft of a feature film I’m currently writing with my friend and colleague. Keep reading below 🙂

Dear Jorge, First of all, let me apologize. I am so sorry it took so long for me to get your story back to you. I hope it didn’t upset you or cause you any inconvenience. I also hope you will continue to share your work with me. I promise I will not delay in returning anything else to you. It gives me such pleasure to see how your writing is developing and I hope you will trust that I won’t let such time elapse again. As always, your descriptions and use of details are marvelous. You create vivid images, which all good writers in any genre need to do. You use powerful verbs which give your writing an energy-one that keeps the reader’s interest. Let me explain my feelings about gore and scary stories. It’s not that I don’t particularly like them. It’s more to do with my feelings that gory is not as original as other types of works. “Freddie” and “Bionics” are not new to literature. I believe that with your talent, your gift, you can, might, explore other avenues for where and how your writing may excel. I’m happy to learn that you are indeed branching out and have written a soap opera. It’d love to see your character development on that. I’m also interested in seeing your essays. Are you writing any for school? Is the soap opera for you or for an assignment? Please keep me posted. I wonder, have you given thought to writing news editorials or book reviews? Keep up the good work! Keep in touch. I have enjoyed speaking with you tremendously! Fondly, Ms. Rosen.