In it, I play Mike, a “henchman” for an arms dealer (played by Ian Tracey. Click the TV station links above to watch it online!

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This shoot also had some POV shots as the characters interact with whoever’s going through the interactive video. Check out the shot of my character, Soldier Ali! Unfortunately this will most likely not be available to the public; too bad because it was the first time I spoke with a heavy Arabic accent! Didn’t know I could do it until I kept practicing it… If there’s a will, there’s a way, I always like to say!

Now for the juicy part! Director Kevin McMillan paid for my traveling expenses to go back to Ottawa… Why? Well, we shot a few scenes from the pilot episode of his TV show currently titled “Lost and Found in Beijing”. This show features Daniel Lavigne and I playing two male models going to China for a modeling contract. When we get there, there’s no one to pick us up and no place for us to stay. Both the characters are actually written for us and we even share the same first name with them! If this gets picked up, you’re looking at the future star of a new and awesome TV show ;)

This shoot went really well. We had so much fun, the scenes got great humor and it’s pretty exciting that it’s coming closer to being a reality. This show is actually sort of a comedy. Think Entourage, but with two main characters instead of four, and models instead of actors. There’s actually an interview video that you can check out on Kevin’s website here. Daniel and I talk about our involvement in the show (my part starts 55 seconds in). Watching it, I realize I shouldn’t sit like that again during a filmed interview and I should also check my hair in the mirror beforehand!

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Next, I participated in a Tim Horton’s photoshoot. I initially thought it was a print ad, but they said they’re going to be using it internally, so only employees of the company will see it. You never know though, I was involved in a group picture which may well be used publicly in the future! For now, check out the picture of me on the left, in a Tim Horton’s employee uniform. The best part is that we did this in an actual Tim Horton’s, and before I met all the other models, I wasn’t sure who was an employee and who hired to be a part of the shoot!

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Before the day ended, I got the pages of the script with my scenes and everything I needed to know. So the next day, coincidentally I took public transportation and waited right in front of the train station. It was the pickup point to get driven to set located at the Dundas Valley Conservation Area. However, the ride never came so one of the guys waiting with me got his car and drove us there.

Once on set and things started moving. My biggest scene consisted of a flashback to the fathers of the main characters, fighting the evil Jinn monsters that surrounded us. So basically I was shot swinging my sword in the air like a madman, pretending to fight something that wasn’t there. Of course, they will be adding the Jinns via CGI… Regardless, it was so much fun! They had really strong (and loud) wind machines going, which helped us feel the intensity of the scene. I also had a few lines in the midst of the battle, using a lamp to do some “wishing”… but you’ll have to see the movie to find out what they were! Also, it was actually one of the producers who ended up directing the scene and I thought he did a great job!

The interesting thing is that back when they casted for this, a fellow Hapkido (martial art) student, Noah Danby, told me about it. He eventually ended up with a role and they shot the movie. But something was missing… So they wrote in a new scene, planned a few re-shoots and scheduled it all in a day. And that’s how I got in! Apparently this will open the film, or at least be towards the beginning. Also, Noah ended up being on set that day. Although we didn’t have a scene together, it was cool to hang out with someone I knew from outside of the film/tv world. All in all, it was an awesome day working with really great people!

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This was such a blast to shoot (literally, as there were gun shots and explosions)! With this kind of show, you might except some reenactments, interviews from people involved and a narrator talking throughout, right? Absolutely, but the reenactments to all be from the point of view of the characters? So that when you’re watching, you feel part of the action? Even better, is watching the action sequences; imagine a rifle being fired from a first person perspective!

In one of my scenes, I take down two terrorists with quick and accurate shots, then a third shortly after. I was using a real AK-47 (with blank bullets of course) and loved it so much that right after we finished I wished for more action roles involving guns! Not to mention being thankful for being given this role…which I forgot to mention I didn’t even audition for! My agent called to see if I was available to shoot nights on three days, and shortly after, I received call from production confirming my involvement.

This goes to show you, that a previous audition for something completely unrelated can bring about work in the future. The casting director probably remembered me from another casting session and decided I was great for the part…especially in a docudramas where they really like to match the look of the actors to the real people that they’re supposed to be playing.

All in all, a great few nights on set (starting in the late afternoon finishing as the sun was rising) working with a great cast and crew, for a very interesting show with an awesome first episode! Will keep you updated on the future of the pilot episode as I find out about it. I believe it may be picked up by Discovery Channel (and possibly History Television)!

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It was one of the biggest sets I’ve been on so far, in terms of sheer amount of people and organization involved. So much happens behind the scenes of a day (out of usually seven) of shooting an episode for this show. It was great being a part of it (I had three days on set: March 5th, 8th and 9th).

Directing the episode (named “The Other Lane”) was a funny and passionate Erik Canuel. As a part of the arms dealers, I played alongside Ian Tracey, Colin Cunningham, Stefano DiMatteo and Jeff Parazzo. As for interacting with the good guys (the “SRU” team as they’re known in the show), I ended up having a confrontation with Amy Jo Johnson and David Paetkau (not in real life, but in the episode of course)!

Everyone was a pleasure to hang out and work with. We had some long days and nights, but in the end I was doing something that I really enjoyed. Since I had a small part, I mostly had free time on set, so I caught up on some reading, etc. It was kind of like waiting for a awesome roller-coaster ride… In the end, when you get your time in front of the camera, it was all worth it. Actually…okay I had more on set time than it may seem, but the analogy still stands. I had a blast! Speaking of, check out these videos of Colin performing some cool magic tricks with forks!

Although exciting, those awesome three days weren’t all that I’ve done since the last time I wrote an update. I had an amazing time shooting an internet video (coming soon) for Dentyne, had a role in a film like training video, played a part in other corporate videos and events, had a few voice-over jobs, and landed some print work! As I had mentioned before, the last few weeks have been good!

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Later in the month, I was on the Internet and found out who was directing the video! It was Scott Cudmore and I was able to confirm this information straight from Matt’s blog entry. So I emailed Scott to increase my chances, expressing my desire to be a part of the video if there was a role I could fill. Well eventually, he emailed me back and said he’d be interested in having me. He actually talked to Michael and saw some early footage of the last music video I was a part of, which was actually a band Scott worked with before! Yes, I’ve said it in the past and I’ll say it again… small world!

So Monday, I got picked up from just West of Downtown Toronto. The guy driving us was actually in a band himself, Gavin Gardine from The Wooden Sky. A young woman named Lee, playing the lead female role, also came on board with us as we drove past Hamilton, to Ancaster. After about an hour and a half, we arrived at the motel where Michael, Scott and a small crew had begun prepping for the shoot.

Once we got started, I got the feeling that the video was gonna be intense and turn out great. Overall the shoot went well, highlighted by Michael‘s excitement when getting some great shots. When Lee was wrapped up, Gavin drove her back while I stuck around and got my last shots in. When I was done, I helped out as they shot a few more things that needed to get done before we wrapped. It brought me back to my early days where I used to be involved in shoots with small crews, where actors weren’t just actors, but helped out, doubling as crew members. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t do that much, just helped out here and there, when I could.

I’m really happy I was involved in this shoot, as not only did I work with great and talented people, but I was able to fulfill my wish to be involved in a music video for Matthew Good, which was something I wanted to do since I decided to pursue acting!

By the time I got home, it was Tuesday morning and I had to get ready for a commercial shoot. So without really sleeping, I showered, shaved, ate and went over to the studio. Despite the lack of sleep, I did great and had fun, met some cool people and was done in no time!

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I also went back home (Ottawa-Gatineau area) for the Thanksgiving weekend, but it wasn’t all just pleasure. Well maybe it was, because the audition I had, along with the little photoshoot I took part of were both very enjoyable. First I auditioned for Parktown Productions‘ upcoming feature length film and was happy to see some familiar faces. You may know them as the producers of the Live 88.5 commercials (Bathroom, Stereo) and the Calvin Klein Grand Prize winning shot film “2@2“, both which I act in. Then I met up with Kevin McMillan (who I’ve also worked with before) to take some pictures for his promotional materials he’s putting together to get funding for his TV pilot that he wants to shoot in China! If this goes through, Kevin has offered me one of two lead roles.. which would be a blast to shoot. Combining acting and traveling.. awesome!

Other than that, I still audition on a regular basis and doing great! I actually just got news of a callback for a short film I auditioned for before the weekend. Will keep you updated as usual!

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For more information about the show, check out the F2 page on the Discovery Channel website. You can also read about my experience on set as well as auditioning for the role in my post titled F2: Forensic Factor shoot. Hope you enjoy this episode!

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