Xavier&Me

The very first release from the 'State of Design' series showcases super talented and super savvy textiles designer Ellie Bradley and her self made label 'Xavier&Me'.

As a home decor freak myself I have to admit that I was actually really really excited to interview Ellie, my house will definitely rock her style.

Interview with TV Presenter Chantal Leptos and designer Ellie Bradley from Xavier&Me

State of Design 2011

The Mecho crew and I were pleased to be informed that we had been invited to cover the State of Design Festival.. and that's exactly what we did!

The day was cruisey and super exciting as we were surrounded by so many amazing products, design concepts and designers! It was a real blast working in such a creative and stimulating environment and of course I made full use of our time and interviewed as many cool and creative designers as possible.

We actually ended up with a huge amount of footage and generally speaking you can afford to discard a lot but in this case we felt that the footage we had captured was so great we would use as much of it as possible!

Instead of the State of Design video being all in one Mecho.com.au will be releasing several videos each showcasing different aspects of the day and interviews with different designers. So, best that you keep your eyes peeled over the coming weeks!

Here's a teaser video for your viewing pleasure...

How's About A Yarn?

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, allow me to introduce you to...Chantal's Voice Reel!



Actress, Presenter, Voice Artist, Writer and Producer ... and I'm not just saying that ... I actually am and I even have the credits to back it up ... ha!

You can read about my recent adventures regarding headshots and showreels in previous posts as well as view the actual goods!

Hooroo.

Rendezvous with Nick Hamon Casting

I recently sent out some 'targeted' e-mails to casting directors I am keen on meeting with, one of which was Nick Hamon Casting. Not even 24 hours after having sent the e-mail I received a call from their casting office inviting me in for a general audition for the following day. I presume they liked my new headshot and showreels. Yay for me!

I was actually out walking my pooch when I received the call and didn't have a pen or paper to write down details, so I memorised the date, time and location and literally ran all the way home to start preparing.

My first train of thought was to use the single handed monologue I recently used for my general at Mullinars, but then I remembered about a certain scene that I had worked on whilst in LA during 2009 and set out on a massive Internet search to find it. In this case the casting director was happy to read, so why not?

The scene I am referring to is from the film Chasing Amy, it's a scene between Alyssa and Holden that takes place in a park where Alyssa is talking with Holden about her being a Lesbian.

I eventually found the scene and embarked on memorising lines, surprisingly I remembered most of lines from back in 2009 and it wasn't long before I had them all down pat. I also had all my scene study work from the first time I had worked this scene as well as the notes my teacher at Ivana Chubbuck had given me on my initial performance so I was able to spend most of my 24 hours rehearsing before turning up at the casting office.

Unfortunately, I have no tales of being forgotten about this time round, I turned up and waited in the waiting room for a while before realising that my heart was beating mighty fast. I then realised I was nervous, very nervous. I was not prepared for something as silly as nerves to get in the way of my audition so despite the other actors in the room I stood up and stretched, jiggled and wiggled and sent those nerves packin'!

I met with Megan and we ran through my lines once off camera before filming the scene, I choose to sit on a chair and used a take-away coffee cup as my prop (reusable of course, gotta be friendly with the environment).

My feedback, well as usual it wasn't much, a warm and friendly "that was really nice Chantal" was what I got and to be frank I am totally wrapped with that. How do I feel about my performance, well, it was smooth, natural, reactive and .. really nice.

Did someone say..Showreels?

Now when I am asked whether I have a showreel by casting directors and industry professionals I am proudly able to answer with a big YES. Although I have had showreels in the past I am very proud of my newest creations, they are very professional, showcase my talents in an honest light and importantly showcase aspects of my personality - which is a big plus!

Lucky for me I had lots of presenting footage to choose from when putting my presenting reel together, I didn't just choose any old footage either, I took time in selecting the right clips in order for each clip to show something slightly different about me and my presenting skills. To be honest, lots of forward planning and strategy was applied.. and that's how I ended up with this...

You can take a look at my acting reel too. Although, I have not included as much footage as I would have liked due to some projects being in post-production for longer than anticipated. There's some very dramatic and heart wrenching footage to be added from Life After Life, as well as some funny American cheer-leading action from a film I did in the states!

Like always, I will have more on offer very soon, stay tuned for my new voice reel!



Take 2 - Headshots!

Hooray! The time has finally come where I can announce to everyone that I am super organised actress/presenter, whom is well prepared and most importantly - ready to roll!

The headshot situation ended up being some-what of a dilemma for the mere fact that I am both an actress and presenter and feel that I require different headshots for each. Problem is, having different headshots can be very confusing not only to yourself but everyone else working in your industry.

I ended up doing three headshot photo shoots in order to try and achieve the perfect shot that balanced between acting and presenting whilst at the same time capturing some sort of truth about me and my personality. That's how I ended up with this..It's happy, bright and enthusastic..like me! I think this image also shows me as a type of  blank canvas and demonstrates that my look is easily versatile and dynamic. While this photograph would not be the most suitable in my normal non-acting day-to-day life, I think it's very suitable for it's purpose, sends a nice message and most importantly is easily marketable.



Chantal Leptos Actress and TV Presenter

For the first time ever I have also chosen to use a secondary headshot. Here it is..

Chantal Leptos Actress and TV Presenter



 I think this photograph is great for film and theatre and again showcases me differently but still truthfully. I can be a very serious and dramatic actress at the best of times and this photograph captures that well. I think this photograph also captures my honestly and maturity.

People often comment on how there is something 'unknowingly different' about my look and I think this headshot captures that well too. There aren't many people who look like me.
Both headshots I have chosen are different to one another and portray a totally different look, but strangely enough both headshots are what I look like on any given day so when I turn up to an audition it's safe to say that I will look like the person in my picture!

I hope that you like my headshot selection and let's hope these new images drum up some attention..even a little attention will do...

Headshots

I dread the realisation of needing new headshots.

I dread the photo shoot.

I dread the photo selection.

I dread one of the most important processes that is absolutely detrimental to my acting and presenting career.

In my most recent shoot for a new headshot I spent a lot of time considering the type of headshot that I needed and exactly what I wanted that photograph to say about me. It's really difficult to get a photograph to talk, I should know this very well as headshot photo shoots are something that I have been doing for the last twelve years or so.

I am looking for three things in my headshot; versatility, eyes and spark (personality). These are three things that I absolutely possess and when meeting me in the flesh there's no doubting that I am all three, it's just unfortunate that in this industry the headshot does the talking before the flesh and blood thus my quest to bring my headshot to life.

My advice to bringing a headshot to life is much like the "move it" song from Madagascar "I like to move it move it". You just have to let it go, keep active and let that personality shine through!

As I progress through my career I find that I learn something new everyday, I feel like I take another little step which leads me to growth and strength in my craft. Everyday brings a tiny bit of clarity and understanding towards what I do and the industry that I have chosen to be part of.

The strength that focus brings is amazing.

Stay tuned for the headshot selection - I will update via blog posts very soon!

A Date with Mullinars

Last week I was contacted by Mullinars Casting Consultancy for a general audition just after I had resorted to begging the universe for a brand new, shiny, opportunity. This opportunity was very welcomed as the last time I had auditioned for Mullinars was about four years ago!

I began to follow my usual twelve step process in analysing and creating my scene, which was from Bridget Jone's Diary, that led me to experimenting with subtext (something I absolutely love) and rehearsal time.

This is a little off topic but - through my recent auditions with Channel 7, of which I got so incredibly close but just fell short, I learnt that I have a tendency to over rehearse and doing so effects me in a negative way. During 7's audition stages I opted to stop rehearsing as soon as I got my performance to a desired level, this enabled me to know what it felt like when I was doing it right. I did the same thing this time and again it proved to be a beneficial technique in keeping my performance very realistic and natural (changing your subtext around helps too).

Back to it, I got to Mullinars and let them know that I had arrived before I took a seat in the waiting room. Seeing as though I was the only one in the waiting room I decided that I'd burn some nervous energy and stretch, jiggle, wriggle, etc. Then I decided to run lines. Then I decided to do my entire performance. Then I decided to read a magazine. Then I decided to tell myself all about my character, in character of course. Then I decided to have a conversation with the imaginary person next to me in my character. Then I wondered if they had surveillance cameras in the waiting room and stopped. Then I sat in silence and wondered if I had been forgotten about.

Close to an hour later two of the casting directors waltzed through on their way to lunch and stopped in surprise when they spotted me. After a little conversation we realised I had been requested to audition in Sydney not Melbourne! This was news to me. A quick phone call to Sydney cleared everything up and into the audition room I went with Kim.

We chatted for a little while and then I took a moment to get into character and focus on my scene objective and moment before. Lights, camera, action.

Funny how things happen, I've been trying to get someone from Mullinars to see me for such a long time now and in a weird, twisted little way I finally got what I wanted, I just had to take the long way round.

Was it a good performance. Probably. Did they think so? Maybe. I just hope that they consider calling me for auditions from here on - I miss out on auditions and potential roles that they cast and they miss out on being the casting agency to claim discovery of moi.

And that's how the world goes round.

Acting & Presenting Website

Finally I am able to introduce my very basic and non-complicated Acting and Presenting website! The purpose of my site is to simply link industry professionals to me and keep everyone up to date on the acting and presenting work that I do.

One function that's really cool (and very organised) is the tabs that are featured on my website!

You have an F tab which connects you to my facebook, IN tab which links you to my CV on LinkedIn, a Youtube tab which features my showreels, B tab that directs you straight to my blog!

Truth be known it has taken me a long time (years actually) to put a website together but as time has passed I have heard more and more that it is important to have a website because it shows you in good professional light as well as portrays dedication and seriousness in your craft. I'm not sure how much of this is true because I would have thought that my relentless communication, constant marketing and PR, creating my own projects and constantly being hired to work on others projects was "dedication and seriousness"..but maybe not? Add a lengthy trip to LA for training, weekly acting classes here in Melbourne and regular experience working in front and behind the camera ... and you'd think I'd be standing in pretty good light, right?

Well, here's to my new website, may it provide me with yet another small push in the right direction.. and if that doesn't work I have plenty more up my sleeve because an artist that is serious about her craft never gives up!

http://www.chantalleptos.com/

Shop Till You Drop

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You even get an Oroton leather pouch with the earphones!

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PipDuck Wellies

Like me, if you find yourself in provincial Victoria more often than not then you will surely agree that a good pair of wellies is a must! Who said that Wellies have to be conventional? Try these for size!

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 Great Australian Speeches

There's been a few Aussies that have had some pretty good rants over the years. This book isn't limited to the preserve of politicians and military figures and makes for a great read or flick book!

$39.99 from David Jones