An Artist's Life

TruthfulActing.com

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:26:00 +0000

With the new year, I've decided to take a step in a new direction and teach a scene study class.

I've always enjoyed teaching... it's my way of giving back to the community. Or, I also look at it as paying forward for everything that others have done for me along the way. This time, however, I am teaching something I am very passionate about... acting!

You can read all about it on my new website, TruthfulActing.com.

Wish me luck... and Enjoy!

Plenty To Be Thankful For

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:11:00 +0000

It's been a very interesting year... we've seen gas prices soar, the economy collapse, and have witnessed many people struggle to make the ends meet. We all know someone who has either lost their job, their home, their car... or even a combination of all three.

Yet, there is still plenty to be thankful for.

It's in the down times that we are reminded of what is truly important in our lives. It's amazing how wrapped up we get in materialistic ideals when the times are good. However, it's good for us to be reminded that what is important, above all else, is family and friendship.

I know it's easy to feel that we are "losing" things in these low-economic times. But if we really look close enough, I truly believe that we are gaining so much more than we are losing. Yes, we are losing things... stuff... material items. But if we look again, with the right perspective, we can see that we are gaining back our purpose in life, our direction, and our happiness.

Happiness does not have a dollar sign attached to it. The happiest people I know are the ones that realize that life is a journey and it's important to enjoy the trip. They are the ones that find a way to pursue their passions and enjoy their relationships. The ones that see the glass "half full" no matter what the situation is.

Happiness is a state of mind... a perspective on life. There is nothing external that can bring happiness to you... no amount of money... no relationship... nothing. There is nothing that you can obtain that can make you happy. Happiness comes from within.

There is absolutely nothing that I can buy my daughters that would replace an afternoon that I could spend with them. And when they are older, those will be the precious memories that they will have... not the stuff they had... but the time they spent with their family.

So let us be thankful for the good things we have in our lives. And let the people around you know that you are thankful for them. Gratitude and love are the only wealth we need... and it's time to spread it around!

Please Vote... And Make Up Your Own Mind!

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:46:00 +0000

I normally stay away from talking about about politics, and even now, I won't push my own political view. However, I do want to urge everyone to get out there and vote. This is a very critical time in our country, and we need as many people as possible to cast their ballot.

What I will ask is this... please understand the issues at hand, and vote for who YOU believe is the best candidate, and not just for the candidate that someone else is endorsing. Too often lately, people will tell me that they are voting in a certain direction based on what a radio station is saying, or what a friend told them.... or even worse... because they heard it on The View!

Please, please, please... do your own research and come to your own conclusion. If that research aligns your decision with mine, then great. If not, then that's great too because you made up your own mind, and you'll have a good argument for your case.

I'll step down off of my soapbox now. Happy voting!

Peace!

Touching Lives: What Will Matter

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:40:00 +0000

I recently attended a funeral for a family friend. It's amazing how profound of an experience that can be. It reminds us how fragile life is, and how important it is to live every day to the fullest.

During the service, a poem was read called What Will Matter. This was a poem that was very important to the person who passed on, and so her family thought it important to share with all of us there.

I now want to share it with you. I hope it has the same affect on you that it did on me. I hope you hear the message that it brings. And I hope you chose to live a life that matters.

WHAT WILL MATTER
by Michael Josephson

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built,
not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched,
empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is not your memories but the memories of those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

First On Scene

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 04:52:00 +0000

I was a witness and first on scene to a car accident today, and it's absolutely amazing how your instincts take over.

From the moment it happened, nothing else that was going on in my life mattered. It didn't matter where I was going, or that I was going to be late. Things that I was worrying about just moments before suddenly vanished. And, the fact that all of this was happening in the middle of a terrible thunderstorm did not change anything. All that mattered was the safety of the people involved in the accident.

So I allowed my instincts to guide me and helped out as much as I could. Interesting enough, when the first paramedic team arrived, they asked me to continue to assist them, since there were 5 people injured and only three of them. I assisted as much as possible until the rest of the paramedic team arrived, and then gave emotional support to the family members which were now arriving as well.

All in all, it was both a crazy and incredible experience. It strengthened my belief that we should always help each other when the moment arises. And we should find a way to put everything else aside more often to help others, and not just when tragedy strikes.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families involved today.

Touching Lives: Praying For Time

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:15:00 +0000

I normally try to stay off my soap box, but I feel this is an important message that needs to be spread.

As an artist, I share my ideas and messages through art and expression. So, I wanted to share with you the very powerful song, "Praying For Time", performed by Carrie Underwood on this year's Idol Gives Back. Originally written and performed by George Michael, this song talks about the difference between the "givers" and the "takers" in the world.

In these scary and trying times that we live in, it's important that we remember what really matters in life. We need to remind ourselves (and each other) to take inventory often of the good things that we already have in our lives, and not be so fearful of what we don't have, or of what we might lose. At the end of the day, the people in our lives are important - the material things are not.

This song really hit home for me when I recently heard it on Idol, and I hope you take a moment to truly listen to the song and read the lyrics.

I've included both Carrie Underwood's performance, and an unplugged performance by George Michael. I've also included the lyrics for the song below the videos. Together, let's make a difference in the world, one person at a time.

Praying For Time
by George Michael

These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars and the choosers

This is the year of the hungry man
Whose place is in the past
Hand in hand with ignorance
And legitimate excuses

The rich declare themselves poor
And most of us are not sure
If we have too much
But we'll take our chances
'Cause God's stopped keeping score
I guess somewhere along the way
He must have let us all out to play
Turned his back and all God's children
Crept out the back door

And it's hard to love
There's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above
Say it's much too late
Well maybe we should all be praying for time

These are the days of the empty hand
Oh you hold on to what you can
And charity is a coat you wear twice a year

This is the year of the guilty man
Your television takes a stand
And you find that what was over there is over here

So you scream from behind your door
Say "what's mine is mine and not yours"
I may have too much but I'll take my chances
'Cause God's stopped keeping score
And you cling to the things they sold you
Did you cover your eyes when they told you

That he can't come back
'Cause he has no children to come back for

It's hard to love
There's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above
Say it's much too late
So maybe we should all be praying for time

DiGeorge is "Out On Parole"

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:21:00 +0000

I just recently wrapped shooting the upcoming feature comedy, Out On Parole.

I play a Real Estate mogul and "tough guy" in the film. It was a lot of fun, and it allowed me to stretch my acting wings a bit, playing the antagonist character.

The film, which was Produced by KD Entertainment and Directed by Derek Rowe of Doctrine Productions, will be beginning its run through the post production process shortly.

Stay tuned :)

Winds Of Change

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 04:14:00 +0000

I know it's been a while since my last post, but there are many changes in works. I can't talk about them right now, but there are many big and positive things happening.

On things I can comment about...

'Because Of You' is coming along nicely, and is in the final stages of post-production.

'The Misguided' will be freshly edited, and I hope to finally have a completed version within the next few months.

'Into The Night' has been completed, and a photo still from the short film is below.

I will update you with official announcements when possible, but until then.... stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:26:00 +0000

Wow - 2007 flew by! It seems like it was just yesterday that we were filming "Because Of You", and here we are now, already a year later. Well, like they say... "Time flies when you're having fun!" ...And a fun year it was! I'll have more to report soon, so stay tuned.

Until then... Here's to a great 2008, and may all of your dreams come true.

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 23:01:00 +0000

I want to say a special thank you to all of my friends and family, especially to my wife Kelly and our two daughters (Leisa and Kaitlyn). It is because of you all that my life is so blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Touching Lives: Unconditional Love

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:12:00 +0000

Occasionally I will post on my Touching Lives series (read Part I and Part II) that I started a few years ago, where I initially stated that I try to make a difference in someone's life every day. Through my typical style, I will expand on that sentiment via art - in this case, an Alanis Morissette song, You Owe Me Nothing In Return, where she expresses the meaning of unconditional love.

I'll give you countless amounts of
Outright acceptance if you want it.
I will give you encouragement to choose
The path that you want if you need it.

You can speak of anger and doubts,
Your fears and freak-outs and I'll hold it.
You can share your so-called shame-filled accounts
Of times in your life and I won't judge it.

You can ask for space for yourself
And only yourself and I'll grant it.
You can ask for freedom as well
Or time to travel and you'll have it.

You can ask to live by yourself
Or love someone else and I'll support it.
You can ask for anything you want
Anything at all and I'll understand it.

And there are no strings attached to it.
You owe me nothing for giving the love that I give.
You owe me nothing for caring the way that I have.
I give you thanks for receiving, it's my privilege,
And you owe me nothing in return.

I bet you're wonderin' when the next
payback shoe will eventually drop.
I bet you're wonderin' when my
conditional police will force you to cough up.
I bet you're wonderin' how far you now
have danced your way back into debt.

This is the only kind of love,
As I understand it, that there really is.

You can express your deepest of truths
Even if it means I'll lose you and I'll hear it.
You can fall into the abyss on the way to your bliss
And I'll empathize with you.

You can say that you'll have to skip town
To chase your passion and I'll hear it.
You can even hit rock bottom
And have a mid-life crisis and I'll hold it.

You owe me nothing for giving the love that I give.
You owe me nothing for caring the way that I have.
I give you thanks for receiving, it's my privilege,
And you owe me nothing in return.

This song perfectly captures the essence of selfless giving and unconditional love. If we could find a way to incorporate this into our everyday lives - with our lovers, friends, family, co-workers, and even strangers - the world would be a better place.

Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 14:33:00 +0000

As an artist, it's important to keep the creative energy fueled. The more I use my creative abilities (for acting, producing, etc), the more that fuel is drained from me. I am always looking for new sources of fuel, in order to keep my edge. Last night, I found one!

A few of my good friends (and fellow actors) are in a stage production of The Heidi Chronicles, which is currently showing at the Mad Cow Theatre in Orlando, Florida. Robb Maus and I decided to attend the show to support our friends and the local arts. I was expecting a good show (knowing the talent), but what I experienced was much more.

You never know when inspiration will hit. I watch many movies and television shows, read a lot of books, engage in spiritual exercises, play sports, and listen to a variety of music - all in the hopes of finding that inspiration. And when something affects me deeply, it's like drinking from the fountain of youth. I've experienced such moments in movies such as Donnie Darko and Magnolia; Television shows such as The West Wing and Battlestar Galactica; Books like The Secret and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success; Music such as Alanis Morissette and Pink Floyd; and Theatrics from Jesus Christ Superstar to Cirque du Soleil.

As of last night, inspiration has struck again. I was so incredibly moved by the story and performances. For those few hours, my creative being was heightened to its fullest. Maybe it was the crisp writing of the play; or maybe it was watching my peers sculpt these deep and emotional characters so effortlessly; or maybe it was the incredible energy flowing in that theater. Either way, I was moved and I was inspired, and I'm ready to continue forward with my own creativity. Thank you Heidi for that inspiration!

The Heidi Chronicles is playing now through October 21st at the Mad Cow Theatre in downtown Orlando. Please go support this wonderful production, and hopefully you will find the same inspiration I did. Cheers!

What A Month!

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 16:00:00 +0000

Wow! A lot has happened in the past four weeks. It's been a crazy schedule, but a fun one. Here's the recap:

Untitled premiered at the Central Florida Film Festival in a category called "Work in Progress". This allowed us to show the film as a fine-cut version, and then conduct a Q&A session with the audience afterwards. We obtained a lot of good feedback, and we will be adjusting the film accordingly. We are very excited about its future potential.

I got the chance to go back to my acting (it's been a while) with the short film Into The Night. I play an abusive husband who finds out that his wife (played by the incredible Jessica Badeaux) is cheating on him and takes things a bit too far. It gave me the chance to develop an extreme character, and I absolutely loved the opportunity.

Philip Bache and I have been working hard on finalizing our feature film, Because Of You. Phil has just about finished the video edit, and we are now focused on audio. We hope to have a fine-cut ready in the near future. You can visit NewPhilms.com for more information.

Phil was also able to complete a fine-cut version of Run And Shoot, a documentary about the making of Untitled on an extremely low budget. We hope to finalize the edit soon and begin to enter it into upcoming film festivals.

Finally, I had the opportunity to work with Todd Thompson on his new short film, The Monster Under My Bed, in the capacity of 1st Assistant Director. This film is a follow-up to his last critically acclaimed short film, Mr Bubbs.

Well, that's everything in a nutshell, but stay tuned - more exciting things are right around the corner. Cheers!

Check Out the New Philms Website!

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 17:06:00 +0000

The new and improved New Philms website is now online! Spread the word!

"The Roman" Official Website

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:01:00 +0000

In case you haven't seen it yet, you can view the short film by Alexander Bornstein, "The Roman", HERE!

Pictured above: Marco DiGeorge and Robb Maus prepare for the final scene.

Behind The Camera

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:21:00 +0000

Over the past few months, I've spent more time behind the camera than in front of it. And I really enjoy this aspect of things. Now don't get me wrong - I love acting, as much as anything else in my life, and I plan to get back to that side of the camera soon. But I've learned that I really enjoy the other aspects as well.

Here's a glimpse of what's been going on...

Speaking of glimpse, I recently served as Casting Director for the short film Glimpse.

Robb Maus and I are currently producing Alan Ronay's short comedy, The Gossip Shop. We wrap production this Sunday!

This past weekend, Robb Maus and I assisted with the casting of an upcoming independent feature film, The Devil's 9.

We are in post-production of the Phil Bache's feature film, Because Of You. Robb Maus and I are serving as assistant editors to Phil Bache (in addition to our Producing roles).

Our New Philms production team is actively marketing our feature film, Untitled. We have submitted to several festivals, and we are excited about its potential. Please visit the official New Philms website to view the trailer.

Both Robb and I plan to continue to work together behind the camera, since we work so well together as a team. Of course, we would love to work together on-camera too, but that's not necessarily up to us :)

That's about it for now. If any of you have any plans for making your own film and need assistance, please don't forget about us!

Chao!

Where Did April Go?

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Thu, 03 May 2007 13:31:00 +0000

Amazingly enough, I just looked at the calendar and realized that it's May. I mean, wasn't it just March? So, I need to do some research, but is it possible that they removed April from the calendar? Either way, I think I missed it!

Here's a recap of what's happening, in case you've been away as long as I have:

We are still spreading the word on Untitled, and we are trying to get as many people as possible to view the trailer. If you haven't yet seen it, please visit the official website and let us know what you think. If you have seen it, tell a friend!

We've reviewed and catalogued the footage from Because Of You, and it looks amazing! We are excited to begin the official editing process of the film, and we hope to have a rough cut by August. We will release a trailer by mid-June, so stay tuned!

I am assisting a good friend of mine, Alan Ronay, with producing his new short comedy film, The Gossip Shop. We cast the film a couple of week ago, and we have an amazing cast! I am really looking forward to the shoot!

I am still working on the final edits of The Misguided. I am on hold right now, since a couple of my editing support team members are working on another production right now, but I hope to complete the film as soon as they are available.

Our production group is working on our next feature film, which we hope to film later this year. With each film, we want to improve on our last one, so we have high expectations. I can't say too much more at this time, but stay tuned for further info.

Books, books and more books! I've been reading as much as possible to further my education in acting and in filmmaking. I'm not taking an acting class right now, so I want to continue my education any way possible. I've read some amazing books, and I will post of them soon.

I am working on a few other big things, but unfortunately, I can't talk too much about them right now. However, I will post on them as soon as everything is in place. How's that for a teaser? :)

That's about it for now, but as always... stay tuned! More to come soon!

'Untitled' Trailer Online!

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 05:06:00 +0000

The official trailer for the feature film Untitled is online - check it out at www.newphilms.com and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

From Actor To Artist

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 15:58:00 +0000

For those of you who have been coming to my blog for a while, you may have noticed a subtle change. My blog title is now An Artist's Life (formerlly An Actor's Life).

When I first started my blog, my ambitions were to be an actor. And while I still work hard at improving in the acting arena, I've realized over the past year that I'm more than just an actor - I'm an artist. Anyone who works at creativity is an artist, whether it's with acting, writing, directing, producing, dancing, drawing, painting, photography, etc.

While studying acting this past year, I've realized that I strive to be creative in many fields, and not just as an actor. And by not limiting my thought process to just acting, it opens up a whole new creative energy. Every time I write, produce, draw, etc., it helps my inner artist across the board - and in turn, making me a better actor.

So, from here on out, this blog will be known as An Artist's Life. I hope you all enjoy this new stage of my journey.

That's A Wrap!

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:04:00 +0000

We have officially wrapped production of our current feature film, Because Of You. It was an exhausting, but very fullfilling process, spanning 18 production days over three months. Our team has now completed production of two feature films in the past 14 months - something we are all very proud of.

We will now shift our focus to marketing the two films to the independent market. Our first film, Untitled, has been finalized and we will be creating the official DVDs soon. We will also begin submitting it to film festivals and introducing our work to the local area.

We will begin the edit of Because Of You in about a month, and we hope to have a rough cut by June. In the meantime, we will also be working on the planning of future projects.

I want to personally thank everyone that has been involved with either of our films. We are raising the bar in the Orlando area for filmmaking, and we owe it to the hard work and generosity of all involved. Thank you!

Stay tuned - many good things lie just around the corner!

Almost There...

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 23:53:00 +0000

Production of "Because Of You" is about 75% complete, and somehow we are still on schedule! We will wrap production in the first week of February. Everyone has done a great job so far, and the footage looks amazing. I can't wait to see an edited scene.

After production wraps, I'll work on getting a website up so everyone can see a few stills. Also, I will go back to working on marketing "Untitled" and finishing "The Misguided".

In the meantime, all of my focus has been on "Because Of You". We have a couple of major scenes coming up at the end of January which will require a lot of extras, so if anyone is interested in participating, please let me know.

In Production

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:08:00 +0000

Since my last post, a lot has happened!

Over the past month, I've gone through a quick (and I mean quick) pre-production period for another feature film that I am producing along with my 'Untitled' team. We've casted it, pre-produced it, and we are in the first week of production. WOW! Let's just say, there's been a lot of 18 hour days to get this far this fast.

We are shooting half of the film in December, and then the rest in January. And so far, so good - it looks amazing! We are shooting on HD (yea!), and we have an excellent cast lined up.

The story is called "Because Of You" and it's a heartwarming drama about a struggling artist that has lost his way. He seeks out his dying mentor to try to find his meaning in life.

Well, back to production! Stay tuned for more updates.....

Promises, Promises...

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:21:00 +0000

Yeah, yeah... I know! I said I was going to update this thing more often, and then POOF! I'm gone for a couple of months. It's funny, the more I try to update this site frequently, the less I have to say. So, I'm going to go back to the basics, where I will update this whenever the motivation hits me - and hopefully that will be a little more often.

Also, I will probably change the format a bit here shortly, so keep on the lookout for that.

I hope everyone out there is enjoying life to the fullest - and if you're not for some reason, start right this moment :)

See you all soon!

Still Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 04:35:00 +0000

It seems that I've reduced my posting to once a month... How did that happen? Wow, the time just flies by!

The reality is that my priorities have been with completing Untitled and preparing to hit the festival circuit with a bang. Phil Bache and I have been working hard with the final edit of the film, along with the production of the special features for the DVD. It's been a day and night process.

In addition, I've started up class again and I am loving it! This semester is focusing on auditioning, and I already feel the difference. We are also learning to raise our game with the Meisner technique, and that has been a fun process as well.

My goal will be to update this at least once a week, even if only with a small tidbit. So... I'll be back soon... don't go away for too long :)

A New Semester

noreply@blogger.com (Marco DiGeorge) — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 20:16:00 +0000

Beginning Thursday, the new semester at Art's Sake begins - this time with Auditions. This semester will focus on the audition process, and what we can do as actors to maximize our opportunities. This is where I can really use help. I don't have a problem once I get the role, but I don't always have the best audition. I am looking forward to the challenge!