Michael James Dean: Actor, Writer, Understander. ARTICLE/INTERVIEW.
This
piece is the start of my most latest project digging deep into the minds of
filmmakers, actors, etc, to give new aspects and advice on the independent and
manic industry of film. To start off this project I have had some wonderful
support and commitment from fellow film lovers and makers and have been able to
put these pieces together, starting with this puzzle piece.
I
recently got published in Gorilla Film Magazine
with a review I did on the short film Darjeeling.
Darjeeling is a short film created by Posh
Dinosaur Productions, starring the company director of Posh Dinosaur; Michael James Dean and I have had the privilege of
interviewing him about his projects, his goals, his tips and his life.
Michael
James Dean is an actor/writer and more, working hard, on and off camera, as
well as on stage. I have chosen Michael as my first piece because of the
success and beautiful work that is Darjeeling
as well as the passion you grasp through his portrayals. I think that
Michael can help a lot if you are following the path he chose because this
interview shows modesty and honesty, he isn’t afraid to say you will mess up,
you will be rejected and education isn’t everything in this industry, but you
can still go far as long as you want it bad enough; “How did I get to where I am now?
By doing, by realising that if you want to make it in this industry you don't
sit around telling everyone you’re an actor and expecting things to happen, you
go out and you get the work and if it isn't there then you make it”.
(Check out Posh Dinosaur Productions YouTube
channel for updates, teasers and great films, this video may be called support
us, but this promo proves that it’s not them your supporting, its art, its
film, it’s you; https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwR_rSP7ecAp3s80HhnICGA?feature=watch)
“At
university my tutors/academics taught me how to read a book, the people I met
at the institute they were the ones I learnt from. We formed a group of
creative artists that wanted to make art and we did it. We put on shows, we
wrote plays, we talked about plays, we watched films and we learnt from each
other. We got it wrong, we got it wrong a lot, but we never gave up and we
learnt from each mistake. You can give someone a million and one books on how
to act but none of them mean a thing when the camera rolls or the lights go up.
It's you that has to discover what works. And don't be fooled that because you
have finished at an educational institute that your training has finished, you
have to continue to train each and every day whether it is writing, work
shopping or even sitting in a coffee shop and watching and listening to world.
Sanford Meisner said it takes an actor 25 years to become a true actor, through
experiencing the world around, experiencing life.
I have got to where I am now through meeting
talented people who want to work and through the same thing we all share -
passion. I have sacrificed and I have experienced, I lost my father to cancer,
a cousin to suicide, I have loved, loathed (both others and myself). I have
been unemployed, penniless, worked jobs I hated, been lazy, been productive,
laughed and cried. I have experienced life and I know I haven't even experience
a fraction of what some has but when you realise as an actor that the life you
live shapes you and makes you unique your confidence will grow and you
performances will to”.
“My first passion
is acting it's what I trained in and it's the reason I am where I am today. I
love the process of bringing a character to life from the pages of a script,
creating that characters emotion and breathing life into the words. I am fascinated
by humans and the everyday emotions and conversations we share and to be able
to portray that on stage or screen is a hugely rewarding feeling. I could list
the countless amount of films I have watched in which I have been moved to feel
emotions I never thought I would and an actor has great power to be able to
elicit that emotion in someone. On a personal level I am a very determined and
ambitious individual who enjoys challenging myself and strives to be best I can
be and being an actor certainly does this. But of course the driving force
behind anything you do in life is because you enjoy doing it, because you love
what you do”.
I was
intrigued and curious with this, if such a love of acting; how and why was he
also a writer? This was what he said:
“When I was younger
I always wanted to be an author from as early as I can remember I was always
reading books and I remember in my early teens writing several short stories.
So I have always had an affinity for writing. As I grew older and watched more
and more films, I began acting through a desire to play varying characters I
realised if I was to write parts I could play them and challenge myself by
providing my own work. As I went through university it became something that
always stuck with me, so I constantly write, I love the creative process and
there is something very exciting about creating a world and the characters that
live in it, a blank page is frightening but only because of the sheer endless
possibilities it presents”
Looking
at Darjeeling and reading through the
interview between me and Michael, I understand his passion, his originality,
his drive and I find it truly amazing. I find some people in the film industry
have been so successful that they just yawn and throw another movie in front of
the camera, unfortunately the audience that is this generation falls for it,
they accept it as lazily as some people make it; “I want to bring, new, exciting,
unique, interesting stories to audiences. I want my audience to feel something,
the experience something with my work. Audiences today are spoon feed, they are
treated like idiots and I don't think they should be, the average film fan is
smarter than the industry gives credit for. I want to make entertainment that
people want to see. Audiences are sick of strictly come dancing on X factor
jungle ice that's made in Essex reality tv, they want more and that's what I
want to give them. I want to take them to worlds they haven't see or
experienced, gives them characters they love or hate. But most of all I want
them to watch my work and feel something, whether they love it or hate it”
Darjeeling is completed, done and online
for all to watch and we know that Michael & Posh Dino. are consistently working
hard for their love of film and to continue to entertain a true audience, so
what can we expect for the future?
"I certainly know I
want my projects to get bigger and better, not necessarily in length but
certainly in ambition. I want to work with more and more talented individuals
from various different walks of life and with various skills. I want Posh
Dinosaur Productions to continue to grow and to build a strong fan base, bring
in more people to provide more opportunities and new, unique, exciting
projects. I want to tell stories that haven't been told, create world yet to be
explored and bring to life characters that audiences haven't experienced”.
Having
this interview with Michael is a great one to read for all film critics,
filmmakers and film lovers, I say that because this man has reminded me why I
love this industry and why I want to work so hard. This interview has helped me
take a sigh of relief that there are successful people that still only think of
passion, of emotion, of the world and the way it looks on paper and through a lens.
Posh Dinosaur Productions as a whole
are very welcoming and very talented; this crew are a crew to look out for
because I feel they will fight to bring back what us film fanatics have been
missing. The work that will be coming out will allow our generation to be more
motivated to look forward in life and in film, we will be able to look to the
future for the classics, not just the past.
I have
enjoyed reading these wise words of man with much more ahead of him and I
believe that this piece, this interview will help inspire many. Are you a lover
of film? Do you want to make a film? Do you want to be more than a child with a
camera? Well then here are the last few tips to help you start climbing the
ladder to the top of the world; “Keep
going, people in this industry are quick to judge, they will reject you based
on the smallest of factors. Don't take auditions too seriously, just show them
you and your work and if they like it great if not don't dwell there will be
other projects, other auditions and other directors. Meet people, creatives
like you that are passionate about what they do; it will constantly inspire you
to keep doing what you do. Surround yourself with supportive people the worst
thing is having somebody around who constantly puts you down; the industry will
do that enough. Have patience if it doesn't happen straight away doesn't mean
it won't, if you want to have a lazy day watching films don't beat yourself up
because you aren't auditioning or working, just make sure it doesn't become a
constant. Experience life, really experience it. Take the time to turn the
laptop off, the TV, the phone and go for a walk sit and listen to people notice
the world it will open your creativity up no end. Do, don't sit and wait for
the call that will never come, you will get work when you are getting work.
Believe in what you are doing even if nobody else does, people will tell you
that it isn't worth doing, that you should get a real job but as long as you
are confident that your work is good, that thus is what you want to do then
screw them. Be self-critical, be open to constructive criticism, nibs it is
right all the time and being open to ideas is the great tool a creative can
learn. Remember that success is relative, you could be making low budget films
and getting paid enough to eat and live and support yourself while a friend
drives fancy sports cars but remember you are doing something you love, isn't
that real success?”
FULL
INTERVIEW WILL BE AVALIABLE FOR YOU TO READ SOON!
VF.
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