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WOW – it’s been a LONG time since the last post!  I need to work on this more!

Cody filmed as young Edward Fudge in Hell & Mr. Fudge in Athens, Alabama.  It was a fantastic cast and crew, and we got to meet the real Edward Fudge, his lovely wife, Sara, as well as other family members.  The film also has a fanpage on Facebook and is still in post-production.  He had a wonderful time and it was so wonderful to work with an awesome cast and crew.  The movie is scheduled to be released sometime in 2012.

This is one scene where he is imitating his father at the radio station.

SO—the short answer as to why I haven’t blogged in nearly a year…we’ve been busy!  Cody continues to have auditions; with school, auditions, callbacks, going home to Florida, vacation, spend time with family (and the dog!) and then getting settled back in Los Angeles for pilot season.  Cody quickly got new agency representation, and was going out for many pilots, as well as commercials, films and guest star roles on TV shows, and of course they all continue.  He also finished 7^th grade and is moving on to 8^th Grade soon.

The most exciting part?  We found out in a two day period he would test for two separate pilots.  He tested for Prodigy Bully first and booked it, therefore, could not test for the second one.  But what an awesome problem to have!  When he booked it, he was SO excited – as for me, it took three days for my head to stop buzzing. It is so neat to be so close on the sidelines watching him realize his dreams…and he’s only 13.

It is a surreal experience to watch movies and TV shows he auditioned for coming out now.  Green Lantern was his very first callback when we were still in Florida.  Last year was his first pilot season, and he tested for two pilots.  It was an exciting time, but two pilots he auditioned for (and did not test) were Touch and Once Upon a Time.  I love who they chose for the parts he went out for, and I think that they picked exactly the right person (not that my opinion matters in this!).  It is interesting to be able to see the choices that were made, and you realize how hard the casting directors work to get the right cast and do their part as a team to make this the best production possible.

The filming of Prodigy Bully happened over the last two weeks.  We will find out by the end of May if it gets picked up to series.  Filming was a fantastic and positive experience for Cody and he had SO much fun.  He was disappointed with one thing, though.  That it was over.  We made new friends, and he even said before it was done filming that it felt like being a part of a family.  Whether or not this goes to series, it’s been an exciting experience, and he has gotten to do exactly what he loves best – be on a set acting.

In the midst of all of this, I have met many parents new to the business and unsure where to go next–or just where to start!  When I start sharing what I have learned, I realize how much I have learned in just two short years. There is a LOT I did not know before arriving in LA the first time, but I have since found many resources I will share in my next post so the information is not buried in this one.  So stay tuned!

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It has been busy this last month getting settled in.  I always mean to post more, but wow, a lot is going on!

Cody has been auditioning for some pilots, and today we officially found out that one he tested for he did not get.  More on this later.  This is our first pilot season here in Los Angeles, so we’re ready for being busy!

In this hectic month, we got new headshots for him.  His last ones were taken in April 2010, and it is amazing how much he has changed in just nine months!  Here are the ones his agents and manager chose out of the 300.  There were only about 10 I didn’t like, so it was nice to have their help!

Theatrical

Commercial

 

For those of you that don’t know, the difference between a Commercial Headshot and and a Theatrical Headshot is shown here.  Why have both?

To make it easy, commercial headshots are to bring to commercial auditions, and also to comedy auditions.  Theatrical is for the drama shows and films.

So now he’s ready to run with the new headshots!  Just in time for the auditions he’s getting.

Now, for the pilot he tested for.  It was for Disney, and while he did not get it, and he is a little disappointed, there is more to look at than “he just didn’t get it.”

For those of you that don’t know here is how the process works;

Auditions are usually what casting directors call “pre-reads” and they bring MANY in just for one role.

Callbacks can be the casting director bringing in the few they’ve narrowed down to to narrow down further, OR

It can also be a producer’s session.  This is where the producer’s are either in the room, or they will see the video (sometimes a combination of the two depending on how many producers there are).

Producer’s sessions can be multiple as well as the callbacks for the casting directors (there is no set number, it depends on the project).

Once the producer’s have narrowed it down, it goes to testing, and at this point there is just 2 or 3 for a role.  The various actors will come together to test and read together.  This is sometimes called a chemistry read.

The good points in this?  Cody made the casting director look great!   The producers also told him that he hit every single comedic timing point exactly as written and they wanted it.  He left a good impression.

Yes, he was a little disappointed–who wouldn’t be.  But he’s got a great attitude.  Of course, the fact that he had another audition today, and another scheduled for next week (so far) might have helped redirect his attention.  No, he didn’t get it, so he moves on to the next thing.  Honestly it is the best attitude to have–and I’m glad he has it.

See more of Cody’s headshots at: www.CodySullivan.com; www.nowcasting.com; or follow his fan page on facebook