Author Archives: thevsstudioblog

Actor Matthew McConaughey talked a little about his process on a recent Marc Maron podcast. He mentioned finding a “lock in line” somewhere in the script. This is a word or phrase that unearths the character for him. It’s his “way in.” This is good acting advice which can also be applied to finding yourContinue reading “Lock In Line”

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” -C.S. Lewis “All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power.” –Tao Te Ching, Translation by Stephen Mitchell I was in an Oceanside vintage store looking at gifts for a friend. Minutes before, IContinue reading “Your Blog Sucks”

“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” -Shakespeare, Hamlet Like any great script, there will be all kinds of unexpected twists and turns along your producing journey. Try not to label them as good or bad events. They just are what they are. And your job is to flow, toContinue reading “Outcome”

“What we’ve got here…is failure to communicate.” -Captain in the film Cool Hand Luke “Communication breakdown, it’s always the same. Havin’ a nervous breakdown, a-drive me insane.” -Led Zeppelin from their song Communication Breakdown A central theme in any drama or comedy is the characters inability to communicate with one another. That leads to conflictContinue reading “Failure To Communicate”

Who doesn’t love a good origin story? If culture is the story we all agree on, then it makes sense that in order to change the culture, we need to tell a different story. That starts with ourselves. To “be the change we wish to see in the world” as Ghandi advised, let’s first makeContinue reading “Origin Story”

My favorite question to ask a fellow artist (and one someday for the Vs. Studio podcast): “What production, either one you were in or saw, made a significant impact on you? And why?” Following up my most recent post about August Wilson’s Jitney, I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss another giant personal takeaway fromContinue reading “Jitney (Part Two)”

The gift of a great script is that if the actor simply commits to learning the lines exactly as written, they will then get the rhythm, and once they have the rhythm, they will then have the character. One of the greatest productions I ever saw was of August Wilson’s Jitney. I saw it manyContinue reading “Rhythm Is Character”

A common response a celebrity gives when asked why they pursued a career in such a brutal industry like show business: “I had no choice. I just couldn’t do anything else.” When you make your own art, you choose. You could do many other things, more lucrative and “safe” things, but because you love andContinue reading “Choosing To Do This”

“You can do anything. But not everything.” -David Allen It’s the end of January and about that time when many people abandon their New Year’s resolutions. This excellent article by Arthur Brooks of The Atlantic details why. One reason we abandon our goals is because we’ve simply made too many. In a fit of enthusiasmContinue reading “Domino Goal”

Lebron James was in the zone last night. He scored 46 points and shot 73 percent from the field including 7 for 11 from the 3 point line. An absurdly great and efficient performance. Over the years, athletes and artists have described what it feels like to be in the zone. “A flow state”, “EverythingContinue reading “In The Zone”