I can’t believe it’s got to Friday already… My week off has just flown by in a flurry of rehearsals, costume making, and making a fool out of myself using my digital camera!
So a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the amazing televisual spectacular that is ‘Neighbours’, were having open auditions for a British actress to go to Oz and have a 4-week guest role. I did a little scream and decided this was my time! All I would need to do was A. Download the script. B. Film it. C. Work out something to say as myself to present to camera to add on after the script reading. Easy, right?
At the time I discovered the competition, I was in Bristol, on a farm with very limited internet access, meaning I couldn’t access the script. One phone call to my dad later, an email pops into my inbox with the script. Thank you Daddy! :) I got very excited just seeing that it was a scene with Karl Kennedy! I put it to one side as I knew I didn’t have the appropriate technology in my suitcase for some hardcore filming, but it kept ticking away at the back of my mind that I needed to film it ASAP.
Cut to two weeks later and I’m back at home, going round all of my friends at rehearsals asking them to put on an Australian accent to see if they fit the criteria to be my Dr Karl! I manage to narrow it down to two people, Georgie and Craig. They are simply Bonza! I set to work learning the script, and planned to film myself explaining why I want to play the part on the Wednesday evening, and the actual script on the Thursday.
Before I know it, Wednesday is here and it’s time to film. I head over to my friend Jacc’s house and we clear a space along a blank wall for me to sit against. By this time, I’ve thought that I will try to be a little bit different in my approach and try to win them over with a poem! I sit down but then realise the poem is all I have. I have no idea how to introduce myself, how to actually get to the poem part! Jacc was quite helpful and came up with a few good lines but I still couldn’t do it! I don’t know whether it was because we know each other so well and I was just embarrassed in front of him, but I just kept laughing. I even persuaded him to put a pillow in front of his face so it seemed like he wasn’t there but nothing worked. After about twenty minutes of this, I finally managed to compose myself and was ready to be filmed, presenting my outstanding poem to the world. And then my camera’s battery ran out. Typical!
I drove home as fast as the speed limits would allow, trying to get home before darkness fell, threw the battery into its charging dock and tried to clear a space in my bedroom with a clear wall. This took some time as I hadn’t really unpacked from when I came back two weekends ago! Eventually I managed to clear a space, the battery was 75% charged and I was away. I must have recorded myself about twenty-five times repeating mostly the same words over and over, trying to keep it below one minute so my complete video didn’t go over the time limit.
After many many takes, and several interruptions from my mobile phone, I decided to call it a night at 10.30pm. Then came phase two. The hair dyeing! I’m not going to lie, of course I’ve been checking out the competition along the way and I noticed that nearly everyone on there was a blonde or a brunette. So I though I’d give red another go. I used to dye my hair red all the time in my teens and I’ve been wanting to do it again for ages but couldn’t due to working. So at 10.45pm, I jumped in the shower and set about becoming a redhead. Despite using 2 packets rather than the recommended one, and leaving it on for more than double the stated time, I sadly came out looking hardly any different at all! I looked a slightly darker brunette but that was it. I was gutted. Now I’d have to rely on my ‘talent’ alone! Great.
Thursday rolled around, and to be fair, my hair did look a bit better in daylight but I was still annoyed. I spent the day helping out different people with different jobs. As the day ticked away, I realised I didn’t have much time at all. Then disaster struck. I told(!) Craig that he was going to be my Karl, and Jacc would be my cameraman, but then they had to go out, and I had two separate catch-ups with friends that afternoon/evening! First stop was Pizza Hut, then it was onto a friend’s house for some ‘Glee’ watching!
I picked up my Pizza-eating friends and we ate and it was beautiful. I found out we had a spare 90 minutes between pizza munching and to when one of them had to be elsewhere so we raced back to my bedroom/set to film the script. At this point I would like to apologise a million times to them for making them sit through it so many times! We managed to do about 10 takes in half an hour and then it was time to move on. I then decided that I didn’t like the piece that I had filmed the previous evening and that I would do it again. Plus, they were all far too long and impossible to edit! So after chucking my lovely friends out, the camera came out again and I rambled on a bit more with my poem!
I probably had about fifteen more attempts at that, annoying my brother in the process (but he did say it was good when he watched it back, he’s good like that!), and that was that. I had places to go so the filming was over. I left my friend’s house at 11.30 and then decided it would be a good idea to edit it at stupid o’clock this morning. I watched the videos over and over again, and to be honest, I never want to see my own face ever again! I saw the light and left it alone until I woke up this morning with a clearer view on things, edited it together and as I type this, it’s being uploaded to YouTube!
Who knows how far I’ll get, it was certainly an experience! I think I’d like to stick to auditioning in front of real people in the future, but it’s all fun. And as they say, you’ve got to be in it to win it!
Finally, a massive thank you to Kurt and Caroline, love you lots. And a thank you and an apology to Jacc; Thank you for your help and I’m sorry I couldn’t stop laughing at your stupid face. Joz and Noz forever x x x
Good Luck Natalie
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