Chatting with FarStorm, Jourdan Lance

Hello! Scott here, bringing you the first of what I hope to be many interviews with the many people that have given their time and energy to FarStorm Productions. First up, Jourdan Lance, a very talented actress who has been performing with FarStorm productions since 2002. She portrayed Jourdan in The Adventures of Floridian Farr, Nadia in 421 and Film Noir, Alex in The Visitants, James in McGuffin, Marcy Stills in The Prologue and The Reunion of Amilia Marbleberry and Marcy Stills, and most recently Alicia Aimes in A Shatter Heart Christmas, and performed in Michael's music video for The Royal We by The Silversun Pickups.

Jourdan Lance: Scottie!

Scott Marden: Jourdan! How are you?

JL: Wonderful! How are you?

SM: I'm very well thank you

JL: Well what can i do for you, friend?

SM: I would love it if I could ask you a bunch of questions and you answer them.

JL: You got it!

SM: Excellent! To start, can you tell me something special or unique about yourself that most people don't know.

JL: I have three kidneys.

SM: Really?

JL: Yup, two of them do not work properly, one of them is kind of shriveled and raisiny and the other functions at about twenty-five percent. The other one is fine, but I had to have a couple surgeries when I was a baby so i've got some large scars that will probably never be seen by FarStorm viewers but they are there.

SM: Wow, that's really amazing. So, how did you become involved with FarStorm Productions and Michael Tucker?

JL: Ha, I met Michael my sophomore year of high school. He was premiering a film called Movie Day 4 and I had never heard of Michael or the movie, but I knew some people who were in it so they dragged me along. I was really impressed with the production value, and you could tell that he had a good eye for film and that it wasn't just somebody messing around with their dad's camera, he was taking it really seriously. So, completely uncharacteristic of myself, I approached him afterwards and said "Hey, I'd like to work with you" Lucky for me, he listened and he put me in his next movie, not knowing whether I could act or not. And the rest is history.

SM: Cool. What are your favorite and least favorite memories associated with FarStorm Productions?

JL: I think they're the same thing, which is when we stay up way past our bed time to shoot stuff. Because that's typically when the most hilarious stuff happens, and when we have the most fun; but it's also the time that I want to strangle Michael for saying "One more shot, just one more."

SM: Haha

JL: And any time I have to stand out in the freezing cold with a sprinkler on over my head, I'm not particularly happy. But it always turns out pretty cool. Also, anything where we get the entire gang, actors or not, we get them all in the same place and just go crazy, like the christmas movies, I think those are probably my favorite memories.

SM: I agree. So, where did you attend college, how did you end up there, and what was your experience?

JL: I attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. It's a great school, it's where my brothers went and they had a great experience there, and I knew it would be an environment where I knew I'd be comfortable and I'd find people who had similar life-style choices as me, so I decided to go there, and I graduated in April of last year. I majored in English, with a minor in Editing and an Emphasis in Magazine Production.

SM: That's really cool. What was the film department like at BYU?

JL: The film department here is actually really awesome. The students have access to ridiculous equipment. Because BYU is a church run school, there's actually an LDS motion picture studio in Provo, that has, like, huge old historic sets, and then they have professional, standard equipment, so they've got all this Hollywood standard stuff; and the students have complete access to it. They've had student directed shorts go to Sundance…It's a really impressive program, actually.

SM: Wow, that sounds amazing. Did you have a chance to work with anyone in the Film Department?

JL: I did, I did a little bit of film work, but I didn't really start until, my junior year I guess, I just hadn't really thought about it, and if you're not in the Theatre program of the Film program, you don't get notices about auditions or projects. And then i started dating Wyatt, and he got all the emails and would forward them to me, and on a whim I tried out for one thing and got the part and thought, hm this seems to work well, let's stick with this. I've done a few things since.

SM: Well done Wyatt. :) What actors do you feel most inspire or influence you?

JL: You know, it's so stereotypical to say this, but I am just completely awe-struck by Meryl Streep. She's just…I just watch her and think, "How do I become you?" I think she's phenomenal. I love her choices in parts. On one hand, she does these wonderful, serious roles in Sophie's Choice and Doubt, she just blows you away. Then you see her in Mama Mia and she's so effervescent and full of joy, and it's like something you can't fake, somehow you watch her and you just can't believe that she's acting, that there's a different person behind what you're seeing, and I really admire that. I hope to be like that someday.

SM: She is amazing. What's your typical process when you are working on a character?

JL: For me, I'm somebody who needs to work on a backstory in my head; so I'll read a script, and I'll take pieces of it that maybe aren't, necessarily huge, character bits, but little things and quirks about what they'll say or the way that they'll say things, and from there I'll go, "Ok, what would make that happen, what would motivate someone to do things in a certain way" and from there I try to justify anything that's in the script, somehow, and if that means making up something that means making up something, but unless I have something to drive it, I just don't think it comes out right.

SM: That makes a lot of sense. In your eyes, how has FarStorm Productions changed over the years?

JL: It's changed in a couple ways. First and foremost, the production quality has just gone up, crazy, and I think that's largely due to the fact that the crew is getting bigger and the acting pool we have is getting bigger, which I think is fantastic. I think that the larger we get the more professional we get; I think that's really powerful, and I think that's the biggest way that it's changed.

SM: While FarStorm is getting bigger, has working with the same core group of people been a blessing or a curse?

JL: You know, for me it's been a blessing, just because when you've got that trust in people you know, and you're working with your best friends, it's hard not to be happy. Some of the happiest memories I have are when we're filming, because I'm surrounded by people we love, and we're all doing something we're passionate about. At some point though, we are going to have to branch out a bit, because Michael can't put all of us in the same movie forever and ever because people are going to get sick of it. So, I think for now, it's probably still a blessing, and it will always be a blessing for me, but I think for Michael it may turn into a curse if we're not careful.

SM: Haha. ok Jourdan, time to get personal.

JL: Ok.

SM: Have you always been involved in the arts?

JL: Yea, I have. i was always kind of, the weird one in my family, cause my family is all sort of, business oriented and they all wanted to go into accounting or marketing, and they were always more "math" brained and I was always sort of more artsy and loved English and I loved arts and crafts when I was a kid. My mom would laugh because as a kid all I needed to be happy was paper. As long as I had paper I was fine because I could do anything. And I did Dance when I was really little, which didn't last long because I think I got lazy and thought "Wait, this is exercise, what am I doing this for?" I hadn't really thought about acting, but I had always loved movies I had always loved pretending, I would love to mimic, especially Mary Mart, in the old Peter Pan and I'd stand in front of my wall and do the whole "My Shadow" speech. But it wasn't until, I think Fourth grade, when I realized that I liked acting. We were doing a class play, and originally I wanted to work on sets, but, just for the day, we were just reading the script, and my teacher asked me to read one of the parts, just so we could read it as a class, and I read it, and she said "Jourdan, I really think that you should be this part." And so I did it, and I loved it, and it took off from there. I never really did "real" theatre, outside of school productions, but I always loved it.

SM: Great. What is your favorite food?

JL: Um. Chocolate probably. Actually, this is probably the most boring answer ever, but I am a bread person. Bread with Oil and Vinegar, I will be happy for the rest of my life. That combination.

SM: Do you have any hobbies?

JL: Anything movie related. I'm a big movie watcher. Which I feel so bad sometimes, because some people go out and do things with their spare time, go do yoga, and I like to sit on my couch and watch things. That's what I enjoy. I love art, when I get a chance I like to do little craft projects, and I like to paint. I haven't really had much time to do that, since I got a job, which is sad, but someday I'll get back to it.

SM: What was your favorite movie this past year?

JL: That's hard because then I can't remember all the movies that I saw. but, I think Where the WIld Things Are and (500) Days of Summer.

SM: What is your greatest wish or dream?

JL: Oh boy, um…you know, it sounds lame, but just to be happy in whatever I'm doing. I would love for it to be acting, that would be the dream, but I just hope that I can look at my life and go "yea, you know, I'm pretty happy with the way that was." and I can look back on it smile and not have any regrets. That's such a vague answer, but you never know where your life is going to go, so i just hope that whichever direction my life takes, I'm happy and I have people around me that I love and care about.

SM: What is your greatest fear?

JL: Um…My greatest fear is disappointing people. I have a really hard time thinking that I can disappoint. That probably drives a lot of what I do, I'm always afraid that I'm not good enough, which always pushes me. I think that's part of why I like acting, that once I'm done and I watch the movie, I'm never happy with what I've done. And I think "I can do this better, I can do this better." And I like to think that I am getting better. The more I see myself, the more I think, "ok, that can be worked on." So I think, whatever I do, I'm always thinking, "I don't want to disappoint myself, I don't want to disappoint anyone else." Fear of failure is what that comes down to I guess.

SM: Where do you see yourself in five years?

JL: Five years, um, I see us in L.A. and uh…I would love to see myself acting, I would love to have been in a feature film by then. That would be the dream. It doesn't necessarily have to be a big part, but you know. I would love to have in some way achieved my goal. Because I don't want to say that I didn't try.

SM: Who do you admire?

JL: There are too many people that I admire…You know, I'm gonna say, both my parents are very admirable, but the person I'm thinking of is my dad, because I appreciate people who, being and doing good is part of their nature, and observing my dad over the christmas break…he's a busy man, he's got two companies, and he's very successful, but he will drop anything if somebody is in need, which I really admire. I hope I can be like that some day.

SM: Ok, time now for ten questions that you've probably seen on Inside the Actor's Studio with James Lipton. Just answer them as quickly as possible.

JL: Oh gosh, I'm always afraid of this when I watch the show, I get anxious, because I don't know what I'd say…

SM: What is your favorite word?

JL: Contemplative. I really like that word.

SM: What is your least favorite word?

JL: Disappointment

SM: What turns you on?

JL: A good meal. :)

SM: What turns you off?

JL: Bad teeth.

SM: What sound or noise do you love?

JL: This is going to sound strange, but I love the sound of sneakers on a gym floor. That squeaky noise, it's very comforting to me somehow.

SM: What sound or noise do you hate?

JL: I hate the sound of gardeners on a saturday morning when you're still asleep.

SM: What is your favorite curse word?

JL: Hah. Well, I don't curse, so I guess as bad as my vocabulary gets, I use the word crap a lot.

SM: What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?

JL: I would love to have a magazine someday.

SM: What profession would you not like to do.

JL: Anything involving blood. I couldn't do anything where you watch people suffer.

SM: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear god say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

JL: I'd hope he'd say "Job well done."

SM: Well, those are all my questions, anything you'd like to say?

JL: I hope you're still out there FarStorm watchers, we are working on stuff, promise, we haven't disappeared. Stay tuned. (Jourdan points at audience, as if to say, "We Want You.")

SM: Awesome! Thank you so much Jourdan!

JL: You're welcome, Scott!

Thanks for reading, If you have any questions or comments for me, Jourdan, or any future interviews, please feel free to comment below. Check back in two weeks when I'll chat with Michael Tucker.

Until next time,

--Scott

New Characters in the TV Show of Life

Hello all, Happy New Year!

This was a busy winter, and I had a lot of fun.  Apologies for not updating the blog.

I'm going to take this opportunity to explain my philosophy on how I look at life.

Life is a TV show.

I got this idea from my friend Steve, who told me in senior year of high school that we were all just characters on a tv show called "The Steve Show."  This perspective was so much fun to me that I ran with it.  I started blocking off sections of our lives as episodes, based on what storylines between characters began or ended.  There was a core group of the main cast that was in every episodes, and then different reoccurring characters or guest stars from time to time.  Our Series finale was when I went away to college...

Steve and I stood on my front porch the night before I left, and very dramatically said that our friendship had changed each others' lives in ways we'd always appreciate.  Then he got in his car, gave a wave, and  drove off as I stood on the edge of a brand new chapter of my life.  Crane up.  Fade out. Credits.

Since this time, it's basically become a religion to our group.  The people that control and steer things in our lives are obviously "The Writers." So if I ever refer to "The Writers" with a capital W, that's what I mean.  They organize a complicated web of drama, desires, through-lines, super objectives, etc. to make the TV show of our lives entertaining.  I'll get into some more detail about how I break up life into episodes later (in case you, too, want to look at your life as a tv show), but for now I bring it up to facilitate current matters.

Now and again, we get new cast members.

Dramatic foreshadowing:


The core group has always stayed the same, with fluctuations in screen time (i.e. interesting things going on in our lives), but you have to keep the show fresh, especially now that it's essentially in it's sixth season.  So, in the season premiere this year (the weekend of Sep 11-13) they introduced a few new characters, and two people obviously slated to be main characters very soon.

Garrett Ligget and Sophie Green.

These are characters that had been brought up in previous seasons, as they are two of Scott's best friends from college that he's been trying to get us to meet for years because they, too, are extremely talented actors.  So, as the Writers prepare the show shift from being northern-california based to southern-california based, they felt this was a good time to bring in these characters and develop them, like having us learn that Garret can sing and play guitar, like we did last trip. While we were waiting for Alex and Sophie to go to the bank, he picked up Ryan's guitar and just started playing and messing around. That's him playing King of Carrot Flowers Pt.1 by Neutral Milk Hotel.

A quick rundown:  Sophie and Garrett both live in LA now, doing the grind trying to get as many acting gigs as possible.  They are both really super cool, super fun, super kind, and just generally super (and also pretty dern good-looking--as most new characters tend to be).  They are also both going to be in my future projects, which I am very excited about.

So, this winter break as Jourdan and Wyatt returned home from Utah, and all of us were in the same place again, we got a visit from Garrett.  And oh what a fun holiday episode it was.  The Writers even had Jourdan organize a ice skating trip, so we could take cast photos like this:

So that is my brief introduction to Garrett and Sophie.  There will be more to come.  Scott is also working on a plan to bring some interesting interviews to the blog, in text and video form, but I'll let him talk about that.

Other quick updates:  I finished the first draft of the script!  And it wasn't super good!  And I freaked out for a couple days!  And then we had a really awesome audition/hangout/rehearsal that I'll talk about later! And then I started rewriting the script!  And it's getting better!

In fact, I should be writing it right now.  It's very different than the first draft; I'll give you an example.  In this script, it begins with "INT. HOUSE - DAY."  You see the difference, right?

And last but not least, I'd like to leave you with a video that I made for our annual Christmas party, that is essentially a year in review put together from all the video that I had of us from this year.  Most of it is comprised of inside jokes, but you may get a kick out of it.



Thanks!  ~Michael