Oscar Manheim – My first ‘real’ film character
Early last year I mentioned a role – almost ‘in passing’ – that I had filmed in early 2016. Last week was the Movie’s Vancouver Premiere, so let me share some details on working, then seeing myself in the finished product.
Last year, I wrote: “ Another great Feature film in the can is Full Stop’s production of ‘The Iron Sixth’, where Oscar came to life over four distinct scenes that allowed me to be open, honest, and someone that could be a major threat to the lead role (Or am I a ‘Red Herring’?). A fabulous piece of character work that I can’t wait to see how he fits into the overall story.”
Of course we all hate watching ourselves on ‘The Big Screen’. We dislike the way we look, use “20/20 Hindsight” to question our choices and suddenly ‘know’ what we could have done better. I quelled the panic I was experiencing while watching by reminding myself that all of the work I did for the character was supported and encouraged by the Director and what I was watching was a final version of what he wanted. Looking through that frame, the work was successful because all of my scenes made the final cut.
I didn’t see any evidence of the characterisation I worked on to bring to the recording; the ‘Doctor Who’-type dress and urgency of manner, the pitch and tempo of script delivery that I felt was important, etc., but he was certainly ‘real: A distinct person within the cast, a convincing character whose plot were definitely delivered cogently and believably. Is that too low of a base line to aim for? I prefer to think of it as a basic premise that you are trying hard to achieve. Every actor knows that these are not easy targets to pull off.
I would like to think that any Director seeing this would see me as doing just these things and, in the real world of employment, these are some of the most important deliverables you can bring to any project. In fact, talking to the Director at the screening – speaking for the first time in almost two years – he not only remembered me and my work, he mentioned others that had been involved in post-production that had enjoyed the characterization. He was definitely happy with what I did, was happy that I could take the role after we had worked together on a previous movie, and would love to do it again (as would I). A definitely happy experience all round, both personally and professionally (Or are they the same thing?)
But allow me to wear my 20/20 Hindsight spectacles, and suggest changes; to me huge, to others probably un-noticeable. My Standard America could do with some work, but the accent as a whole did remain consistent throughout the scenes. My movements appeared to be rushed compared to my fellow actors. While this – I think – looked natural for this character, I will need to keep my speed in check in future roles to show more range (Do you agree? See the entire Bathroom Scene and let me know.). Of course, there was also the final plot point that I felt I could have ‘hit harder’. Although I wanted to it to stand out, everyone I spoke to after the screening saw it, got it, and didn’t think that I buried it in any way.
All in all, this was a wonderful experience, both working and seeing the final product, and the role has become more than simply a line on my Resume. Reading the plus points of this post back to myself, I can class it as a success….and that isn’t easy for me.
