I’ve been back for almost 2 weeks now and I’ve finally decided to take time to write about my trip! I had work pretty much waiting for me (spec car commercial, voice over, corporate video) and quite a few auditions, so I didn’t find (or make) the time to do this all right away. Now, without further delay, here’s a somewhat short summary of my Caribbean cruise commercial shoot!

First of all, getting to the ship. We were flown from Toronto to Orlando, Florida and stayed in a hotel for the day/night. The room was nice and big while the outdoor common area had a pool, hot tub, even a fish pond! Everything was taken care of by people from the production company (Arnold Worldwide) and Carnival Cruise Lines. To be honest, I knew we’d be treated well but they went above and beyond. Not only did they cover all expenses (taxi, hotel, food off the ship and the cruise itself), they were really good to us…and all of them easy to work with!

Now for the cruise! We boarded the Carnival Dream, one of Carnival’s biggest ships (if not the biggest). It was so huge…we spotted it from the bus drive way before we got to it. Inside; even bigger! There was so much there, great open areas, lots places to eat, live entertainment venues, night clubs, a gym, a 18 hole mini-put course, etc. Believe me, the way I’m describing it probably isn’t doing it justice. You had everything you needed to keep you busy for well over a week, plus all the food you could eat! Not to mention tons of planned events and activities.

Our team was formed by the production crew, the client (Carnival) and the talent, or actors if you will, consisting of three real families and two married couples. No, I’m not actually married, but my role was the husband in one of the couples. I actually wore a wedding band for most of the trip as not to forget it when the time came to shoot some footage! You can see my lovely “wife” Andrea in the picture on the left. No exaggeration, the whole team seemed to get along with each other, and friendships were formed between a lot of us over the week. We couldn’t of asked for a much better group of people to work with.

It didn’t feel like Andrea and I had to work really hard. We had to get up early on most days, but had a couple full days off as well. We were in a scene watching a movie on the huge outdoor screen, hanging out on the ship, checking out the comedy club, etc. Actually, on one of the days we ported, they shot us Parasailing! So basically we had a good time while we worked AND while we didn’t! Everytime we ported, we ended up getting off the ship and every time we ended up on a beach at some point. The water there was so beautiful and clean. We walked around a lot, and visted the islands as much as we could. On the boat, we never had a dull moment. Can you believe that, other than all the things I’ve already mentioned, the boat had an outdoor water park with a giant water slide!?

Needless to say, this was one of the most exciting jobs I’ve had since I started my career. Oh did I forget to mention that, on top of getting all this for free, we got paid? Yep, it’s a hard life guys! But seriously, a lot of work goes into this career, and this is one of the great rewards I’ve had. The footage will be used for a TV commercial along with some online videos, etc. So keep an eye open for it and I will link you to whatever I find!

Now to catch up with acting work… I went back home for a weekend and worked on another pilot show! This time, I was a host on David Kujuwa‘s project currently called “Knockouts: Powerful Women in Extreme Sports”. I did a quick intro and outro to the show, as well as interviewing a couple of people. Was a lot of fun meeting/interviewing people and was a pleasure working with David again (he helped with Kevin’s shoot). On top of that, Pascal Aka came to help out (he was also there helping on Kevin’s set)!

As for a future TV appearance, I booked a role on the docudrama “Mayday” and played the safety pilot on board during the Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 crash. My character, Olcay or Olgay Ozgur, was one of the people who died on the crash. This is the second time I had to play a real person who passed away in a tragic event…my heart goes out to his family and friends. I worked with director James Hyslop for the third time this year and had a great time being a part of the show. Recognized quite a few people on set, on top of meeting some other cool people. Great couple of days!

Last but certainly not least; got news that I will be shooting a TV commercial for a Caribbean cruise! On top of being paid for this, they are also going to cover all expenses and actually take us on a cruise! Traveling, and getting paid to do so is always one of the huge opportunities that are possible in this industry. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of fun on this week long trip and I’ll write again soon after I get back!

On September 3rd, 2010 the Flashpoint episode titled “The Other Lane” aired on both CTV (Canada) and CBS (USA).

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!

Before I get to the main subject, there’s a cool acting job I had last Thursday that I wanna share with you! I was involved in a training video for the US Army called “WIT Force”. I worked some with of the same guys who shot the last docudrama I was involved with (Assault and Rescue POV: Operation Thunderball) and it went great. I actually got some awesome feedback from the director about how my part turned out.

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!

This week I got to play a broker on a TV commercial for the Insurance Broker Association of Canada (IBAC). It was a really easy shoot, and didn’t take long for them to shoot my scene. Basically I pretended to talk on the phone, checking out some documents. Then we did a variations where I mostly listened to the imaginary client. When the commercial comes out, watch out for me wearing a light blue shirt and sitting at a desk!

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!

Just a week ago, I was a few hours away from going to the train station when I got a call from my talent agent. I was being offered a role on a movie of the week called The Last Jinn. Luckily I hadn’t packed the night before… I then rescheduled my trip home, accepted the role and went to buy some food since I hadn’t planned on staying in Toronto!

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!

Just over a week ago, I was wrapped for my role of Amnon Pelled, a character in the new docudrama TV series “Assault and Rescue: POV” with the episode being called “Operation Thunderball”. Being a docudrama, the story is based on real events: the planing and execution of a hostage rescue operation which you can read more about here.

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)!

Things have been going good for me recently…the highlight would have to be being cast in an episode of Flashpoint! That’s right, I played a “bad guy” named Mike, and got to be a part of some fun action sequences! Did I get to shoot a gun? Yep, a real one, but with blank bullets. The one featured in the picture on the left isn’t the one used, that one is fake. You’re gonna have to watch the episode to see the real one!

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!

About a month ago in November, I participated in and wrote about a music video for The Rural Alberta Advantage. Directed by Ante Kovac, this video is the band’s first, and was created for their song Drain the Blood. The band members are featured as the “surveillance team” in the white van, while I play the man in the couple being monitored by the band. Go here for a direct link and higher resolution, or check it out below!

UPDATE: This video has been shelved and unfortunately won’t see the light of day (even I didn’t get to see it). However, if you’re a MG fan, you can see my short film Forsaken which almost serves as a music video for one of his “B-side” songs.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my role in a music video shot by director Ante Kovac and mentioned a couple of artists he’s directed videos for, notably Matthew Good, one of my favorite musicians. Something I didn’t mention was that, on set, DOP Michael LeBlanc told me he was going to shoot Matthew Good‘s next video. I have to admit, this got me a little excited. So I asked him to see if there was a role in it for me and that I’d love to be a part of it, adding that I would even be willing to volunteer my time.

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!