By Mona Monroe Method
Acting and Masochism: The ad read as follows: CRICKET SNAPPER Film Noir Trilogy seeking actress to play femme fatale in bondage thriller. SECRETARY, Cronenberg's CRASH & our trailer: can you see yourself in the roles? If we just wanted nudity, we'd hire an adult film star; you must be able to act & memorize copious amounts of dialogue. Method acting experience a +. Serious inquiries only. Coverage by 15 newspapers/TV, based on the Quincy Dominatrix story = professionalism is expected. $500 - up. Send headshots/resumes preferably via snail mail to: Phoenix Rising Films, P.O. Box 5374, Fall River, MA 02723. I am somewhat new to film and besides a few commercials, I was quite wet behind the ears. I needed experience - badly! This looked like the perfect opportunity to take on a challenge. And a lead role! There was something about it drawing me in. A moth to a white, hot flame. There was a part of me that was frightened of even answering the ad. I went online and ran a search engine on the film's title. Up popped different newspapers from around New England talking about the film. He wasn't lying about the news coverage anyway. Jeez! But then I read an account from this one guy who said he worked with Phoenix Rising Films and on this, his own site, was spreading rumors that the director, Mr. Welles, was doing love scenes with his actresses, getting them drunk and doing some naughty things on the casting couch! But as I read between the lines, I started to sense this guy was slime. After all, he even admitted a few lines later that he stole footage from Mr. Welles of the love scene! And anybody who has time to make up a "black list" online surely doesn't have time to be a serious filmmaker, right?
He scheduled a screen test for me. The day I drove down to see him, I got in heavy traffic coming out of Boston. In independent film where the pickings are slim to begin with and you have to fight for every role you can possibly get, this is like a death sentence. "Fang and claw," Mr. Welles calls it. I don't sleep much. It's tough being a girl trying to juggle a regular job as a cocktail waitress in a strip club at night (No, boys, I don't dance!) and racing from audition to audition during the day. And the latte I had just drank had kicked in so I started to panic. Would he be mad I was running late? I called and he seemed not to be bothered. Calmed me down, and told me to relax; he joked it was personal more than just out of caring: he didn't want a potential actress getting herself killed in a car accident. I arrived and ran up the stairs. My heart was fluttering. If he was mad, would he punish me or something? And would I mind it if he did? LOL I was wearing a low-cut top which showed off my chest and tall and shiny, black leather boots which hugged my legs. I thought should show I was perfect for a movie with a dominatrix in it. Get it? He was 5' 10", dressed casually, brown hair and goatee, blue, blue eyes, and nice shoes. He said they were Mephistos. I know the shoes: two to three hundred a pair. But he said he'll wear nothing else; they're that comfortable. So just who is Lawson Welles and what is Cricket Snapper? Boys and girls, let's find out. |
An
expose on, and conversation with, Filmmaker and Renaissance Man, Lawson
Welles
And besides, the
movie web site for Cricket Snapper looked great! After I watched
the trailer, I knew I just had to be a part of this, no mater what
the cost. So I emailed the director, Lawson Welles, and soon after
we spoke over the phone. He seemed nice enough. I promised I'd send
him a headshot and resume. I had already emailed him one but he said
he likes the hard copy, so he can spread different actors? pictures
out on the table and see whose faces look great together. This guy
was serious alright!