Lisa Franek
  • Home
  • Books
  • My Films
  • Contact
  • Imagination Blog
  • SignUp

Improvising Improv

6/22/2014

0 Comments

 
PictureNot from my show. These are professionals.
I have a confession to make. I am not an actor. I do not, nor have I ever, claimed to have any skill in acting, nor a desire to be an actor of any kind. Despite this, I often find myself on various stages, doing various things in front of people I don't know, aka "the public". When I was younger, I did a lot of singing, which put me on the stage often. I was in musical theater classes, performed in one musical theater production (which left a somewhat sour taste in my mouth, since typecasting was apparently all the rage, and geeky girls wearing glasses don't really get the flush parts, no matter their vocal abilities). I sung the National Anthem. At conferences, minor league baseball games, etc. I performed in a couple of bands (one jazz, one pop) and a few choirs.

I also danced. I loved ballet, and being on the stage never bothered me. I danced in college as one of those girls wearing the sparkly figure skating outfit with the gold pom-pons, counting and marching during halftime twenty feet in front of the University of Colorado drumline, hoping our beloved Buffs would win (they were actually pretty good back then).

I played sports. Gymnastics. It's not exactly a stage, but if you fuck up, you do it all by yourself in front of a lot of people while wearing a leotard. How's that for scary? I even did it through my teenage years, until I was 19, so I confronted fear on a national level while feeling extremely self-conscious about pretty much everything, but mostly my awkward and un-curvy body.

Then somewhere along the line, I got myself behind the curtain, writing and directing films in school, which was surprisingly comfortable. I loved being able to show up and tell people what do to and not have to worry about how I looked, because no one was going to remember and no one was looking at me anyway. They would only remember what was on the screen after everything was said and done, and most of the time (save for a couple of small films), I was nowhere to be found, except in the stories we could regale one another with afterwards over a few beers. And that, my friends, has been lovely.

And yet, it seems as though the stage has found me again. I have gone a bit of a foray into writing comedy for film and television, as practice, on spec. I do it for fun at this point, and I cross all my fingers and toes, hoping that someday soon I'll be able to do it for money as well. So I work to improve my craft. And part of improving that craft has been improv. I recklessly decided to sign up for a seven week improv class here in San Diego at a place not far from my house. So far, I've had two classes, and while I'm not going to say it's easy, I feel a certain comfort with just making things up. It's so much easier than having to memorize something and then pray you don't forget it at the exact moment you are supposed to show it to the world, which has definitely happened to me more than once.

Until this class, I had no idea what improv was, other than a shortened version of the word improvisation. I had never seen improv, or heard stories from people who do improv. It was something that was vaguely related to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and there was something called Upright Citizens Brigade and another thing called Second City. And something called Groundlings. But other than that, I've been clueless. But I'm learning. I don't have a choice. They don't mess around up there at Finest City Improv. They get you on the stage and get you out there. 

So the other night was my first time on stage, doing improv. If I could think of something to liken it to, it would be for someone to ask you if you knew how to train a Whing-ding-a-saurus, and you looked them straight in the eye and said, "Why yes, I know exactly how to do that." But in the back of your mind, you are thinking: Train a what? Even my dog doesn't listen to me.

But that's something you should know about me. I never back down from a challenge. So I grilled my teacher on what was going to happen, which of course, he can only answer so much. I love rules and knowing there's a plan. And improv doesn't really have a plan. Or rules. So, I show up the other night, and Amy, one of the other instructors, gives us the rundown for the evening. We're going to start out with a game where you have to name things in a category until you either repeat one or can't think of one. Okay, I can do that. I love brain games. Then, little scenes. 

Me: How long is a scene?
Them: However long it needs to be.
Me: How will I know it's over?
Them: You'll know.

Hmm. These guidelines are a bit fuzzy. But oh well. I'm going to roll with it anyway. The music starts, and we all go out on the stage. Somehow I'm bringing up the rear, with just one other person behind me. We start the brain game. Cars. I got this. Dictators. Easy. Candy bars. Fine, but I didn't hear one person say Snickers, so I've got a hit against me. On to the next one. Swear words. US Cities. Come on, people, how about a challenge. Beers. Puh-leese. (all those years in bars are finally paying off). Cartoon cats. At least three pop into my head, but it's over before it gets to me. And before I know it, I'm the winner. So far, improv is working out.

On to the scenes. I'm not sure what the hell is going on, so I just watch. But before too long, Amy pulls me out and we are eating fudge. Lots of fudge. And I don't know what I say, I just go with it. Keep going until they say stop. Then another scene. And another. And so on and so on and so on. It just keeps going, rolling through one after the other. And I still feel like I have no idea what's going on, and sometimes I'm just watching as if I'm also in the audience, and other times an idea pops into my head and I jump out there, full force. Thank god I'm not wearing a leotard. And I catch a glimpse of a couple friends who came out, and a couple of guys in my class. And I feel supported, which gives me a boost of confidence. And then it's over, and I'm left to over analyze everything I did or didn't say or do. Which of course, will take days or even weeks to thoroughly pick over.

But the funny thing is, it wasn't uncomfortable. I wasn't all that nervous. I spent most of my energy just trying to figure out what was going on, and trying to keep up. I can't wait to go back.

0 Comments

Petzval Lens Test

6/20/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
I went on a little adventure today. But really, the adventure started back in November, when I participated in a Kickstarter campaign that ended up meeting (and overshooting) it's goal. I bought myself a brand spankin' new lens called a Petzval, and today I took it out for a little test drive.

Now you must understand, I'm not a techie kind of person. I like nice pictures and movies that look good, and my lamentations usually involve the absence of a tripod, rather than some technical issue that is so esoteric you practically have to have a PhD from MIT to understand what you're talking about.  I never worry about what camera people are using to shoot their movies, or if they're shooting digital or film, or whatever. I just like things to look nice. But this lens, I had to have. So I took the plunge, waited 6 months, and now here it is.



Picture
So today I thought I would take it out and see what it can do, and I'm sharing some of the photos I like best here with you, so you can see what this lens can do. Yes, it's somewhat limited, because it has a very specific purpose. It is only the second lens I have, as the first lens I have pretty much does everything from wide angle to telephoto. And I'm not a professional photographer, so my need for lenses is somewhat limited. But this lens produces such beautiful and lyrical images, that I feel I have a use for it. Maybe I could even make a movie with it. Or maybe just part of a movie. Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure I can find some lovely things to photograph along the way, and if not, I still have a beautiful brass lens. And if you think you need one too, you can always get one from Lomography for your very own. 

Below are the photos I took, in about a twenty minute time span this morning at the rose and succulent gardens at Balboa Park. If you're wondering why so many of them have stars in the background, it's because I experimented mostly with an aperture plate that had a star cutout in it. I plan to experiment with some of the others, but for the sake of time, I mostly stuck with the star because it's the most pronounced shape, so I know when I'm really getting the effect. It's kind of magical and weird, and even unpredictable. Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the photos, or what else you think I should try taking some pictures of next time I go out and test the lens. Maybe a test somewhere in Los Angeles should be in the works.
0 Comments

Bring it on, Cinema-goers!

4/28/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Digital Gym Cinema San Diego (2921 El Cajon Blvd)
Because I'm responsible for choosing so many films that I think people will like or should see in San Diego, I find that there are many folks to want to know what I was thinking. Sometimes they feel as if I may have lost my mind, and sometimes they are grateful that I've found a story they connect to on a deep level. And sometimes they just want my help in remembering the title of a great film they say a few years back and can't forget(except the title, that is). Whatever the reason, I love talking to our audiences. This blog is an attempt to extend those conversations and be even more available for chats.

I don't pretend to know everything about movies, and like all art, film is subjective, so my opinion is only worth as much as people decide. At the same time, I have been teaching film for several years, and if there is some piece of knowledge that I can impart to another person who is hungry for it, I'm more than willing to give. I love teaching. I love talking. But most of all, I love learning, and I know that our audiences have much to teach me about what they love about movies and why they think certain movies are valuable while others should be banned to the trash heap. We all would put different films in each pile, and I think that is what makes it so awesome. Film speaks to pretty much everyone on some level. And now, I want to speak to you about what those levels are. Bring it on, cinema-goers!

0 Comments

Community

8/12/2011

0 Comments

 
Our Kickstarter campaign expires at 2pm on Sunday, August 14. I still have my fingers crossed that we are going to make it. I'm a little nervous, to be sure.

Anyway, I started thinking the other day about where I am and where I came from, and I am actually very grateful that things have turned out the way they did. Yes, this is going to be a post about me. Get ready.

I grew up in a really small town in Colorado, where farming is the profession of many and everyone knows everyone else. Where the kids you went to preschool with are the kids you graduate from high school with. While growing up, I always wished for anonymity, because it always seemed like everyone knew what you were doing and who you were with, no matter how much you tried to keep to yourself. It really is a tightly knit community; one that celebrates triumph with as much gusto and togetherness as they do grief. Where if you go to the local truck stop after any high school athletic event, everyone is going to be there, having coffee, dinner, sundaes, or just hanging out.

During college, I moved away to North Carolina, and spent that time at a small liberal arts college in the mountains. Again I found myself in a tightly knit community. The college I went to was smaller than some high schools, and my department (music) was small enough that you pretty much knew everyone. We also knew our professors, their wives or husbands, their kids, and so on. I spent many an evening hanging out with the kids in my class, doing close to nothing, but occasionally breaking out into song--it was music school after all. Even though I didn't have my family around, I managed to have a surrogate family of people that would bend over backwards to help me out, and many of them are still friends to this day, even though we don't see each other anymore (thanks, Facebook).

Now I'm in a large city, and I've been here for 8 years. Adjusting to life in California took a long time; it's not like living anywhere else. But in the time that I've been here, I've managed to find those people that really add something special to the world, and thus my life. From people at the university, from work, to just random people I meet on the street, there are a ton of people in San Diego (and elsewhere in California) that bring the extra added bonus to my life and have become my family.

Now that I'm making this film, I've learned how powerful my family is, and how far it extends. People keep coming out of the woodwork that want to help me, want to help my movie, and don't ask for anything in return. It really is amazing. And thanks to the internet, I've seen that all of my families, from Colorado to North Carolina to California, are ready and willing to help me out. It really has made me rethink my definition of the word 'community'. I'm part of the San Diego community, but I'm also very much a part of the Johnstown/Milliken community, the Asheville community, and the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill community.

I have to say, it's pretty awesome.

And if there's anyone in those communities that still wants to contribute to the film who hasn't, now is the time. Click here to donate. Thanks for takin' a chance on an unknown kid, and thanks for sticking with me all these years!

So even though it's a little cheesy, below is a gallery of people in my "communities". (sorry, NC, all those pics are non-digital.)
0 Comments

Comic-Con 2011

7/24/2011

0 Comments

 
So yesterday I decided to have a little fun and roll on down to Comic-con. I've never been, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Whatever I expected, it was a whole lot to take in. First off, it's true: there are tons of people dressed up in elaborate costumes that you know they didn't just throw together the night before. The two below were my favorites:
There are also a ton of panels, discussions, and sneak peaks. In truth, it's nearly impossible to make any sort of battle plan for what you want to see and do because there's just too much. It's overwhelming. At any given time of day, there's at least 10 different things you could go to, if you can get in, that is. I guess if there's a down side to the whole thing, that would be it. Aside from being a convention for comics (and movies), it's a convention of lines. Lines everywhere. Lines that are so long, they have special volunteers to tell you where the end is, where it continues (across the hall, outside, etc), and when to stop to let other traffic through. Lines that are so long, you might not even get to the end of it. But fear not, there's always something else if you can't get in to what you wanted.

I happened to see Francis Ford Coppola unveil what he's thinking with his new movie "Twixt". I'm not sure what to think of the movie, but I do know that this man's enthusiasm for his work is practically palpable, and definitely contagious. I walked out of there thinking about my own work and it's possibilities.

Also saw a couple of TV pilots that are coming this year. It will be interesting to see how they do. One is a JJ Abrams project, so we'll see where it goes. It seems like everything that guy does turns to gold, or at least silver. I think my takeaway from watching these pilots is that it seems like they're trying to mix comedy and horror, which is an uneasy match at best. Not that the shows aren't interesting. It just seems odd to go from cracking jokes to killing from one sentence to the next.

Lastly, I saw some famous people. I'm not one for chasing people down for autographs or pictures, mostly because I can be very lazy and very shy when it comes to stuff like that. However, I did run into a couple of my favorite Fringe characters: Walter (played by John Noble) and Olivia (played by Anna Torv). They were nice enough to let me have a photo.

So that's about it. The last thing, is that during the whole time I was there, I kept thinking that maybe next year I'll be able to come back with my film. Magicians and Comic-con go together like cookies and milk.

By the way, we only have a few weeks left for our fundraising campaign, so please help us in any way you can.
0 Comments

Location, location, location

6/21/2011

1 Comment

 
So now I'm moving on to scouting some possible locations for my film. Since our magicians need somewhere to perform, I've been looking for theaters where we can film. Thankfully, San Diego is a great place for theater, and there are a number of companies ranging from quite large and established to small and experimental. This is a great thing. The downside is that because San Diego is such a diverse theater town, many of the theaters are black box theaters, rather than proscenium theaters, which is what I need. 

Most of the proscenium theaters here are actually very beautiful historic theaters, with all the architectural details we love, down to the red velvet curtain. This gives me some options as to where I can shoot, but the end result is most likely going to boil down to what we can afford. Historic places generally have tight restrictions (as well they should), and since they are all still working theaters, we also have to work around their production schedules, which is a little tricky. Still, I have a couple of candidates, and even toured one the other day with my producer, who I'll introduce to you another day.

We visited a place in Encinitas (very cute surfer town) called La Paloma Theater. I love that Paloma is Spanish for ''dove", which is very much a part of the magic world. Here are a few pictures.
There is another theater I plan to visit call the Birch North Park Theater, which is also beautiful. I'll post pictures when I visit.

The last location I'm looking for is a house. Nothing special, just a house. Ideally, I'm looking for something small. A simple house that looks a bit unkempt. And then my locations will be set. How exciting is that?
1 Comment
    Follow @lisafranek

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    January 2014
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2012
    November 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011

    Categories

    All
    Acting
    Actors
    Advice
    Americans For The Arts
    Anthony Sartino
    Architecture
    Art
    Art Benefits
    Artist
    Arts
    Arts Education
    Asian Film
    Auditions
    Award
    Birch North Park Theater
    Bullet Catch
    California
    Cannes Film Festival
    Casting
    Chung Ling Soo
    Cinematography
    Cinephile
    Colorado
    Comic-con
    Community
    Competition
    Costumes
    Craft Beer
    Creativity
    Crew
    Critique
    Culture
    Curating
    Day 1
    Donating
    Downtown
    Education
    Encinitas
    Exhibition
    Facebook
    Fake Fur
    Feedback
    Festival
    Film
    Film Geeks
    Filming
    Filmmaker
    Film Shoot
    Fiscal Sponsorship
    Friends
    Funding
    Fundraising
    Georges Melies
    Goals
    Grants
    Habits
    Hats
    History
    Houdini
    Howard Thurston
    Improv
    Installation
    Jerry Sanders
    Jim Steinmeyer
    Jose Yenque
    Kickstarter
    La Film Fest
    La Paloma
    Larissa Garcia
    Lizet Benrey
    Location
    Location Scouting
    Los Angeles
    Magic
    Magic Castle
    Magician
    Magicians
    Magic Store
    Marketing
    Media Arts Center San Diego
    Mfa
    Middle East
    Millinery
    Movie Palace
    Museum Of Jurassic Technology
    Music
    North Carolina
    Once Upon A Rooftop
    Opinions
    Oscar
    Outliers
    Painting
    Persia
    Photography
    Posters
    Post-production
    Pr
    Pre-production
    Press Kit
    Producer
    Progress
    Promotion
    Rehearsal
    Rehearsals
    Research
    Rob Marshall
    San Diego
    Script
    Sergio Ulloa
    Sewing
    Sharing
    Shooting
    Skirball Community Center
    Sony
    Sports
    Studio
    Sybil Wendler
    Synopsis
    Talent
    Tax-deduction
    Tenacious
    Theater
    The Magicians
    Tv
    Twitter
    U2
    Veronica Mars
    Visuals
    Writing
    Youth
    Youtube
    Zach Braff

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from GotCredit, Thomas Leth-Olsen, Celestine Chua, Found Animals, procsilas, numberstumper, George Vnoucek, Leyram Odacrem, One Way Stock, hardi_wb, Rennett Stowe, quinet, rashanahb, rich701, mayrpamintuan, Gavin St. Ours, Aimee Custis, ilovememphis, ikewinski, Môsieur J. [version 8.0], Darwin Bell, Ack Ook