What is an RSS feed? And some (probably) useful feeds for Actors {The Film Set | Genevieve Sibayan}

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I don’t want to patronise you…so if you already know all this then scroll down for some (probably) useful feeds…if you think “hmm, feed, omnomnom” then keep reading.

What is an RSS feed?

RSS stands for Rich Site Summary Really Simple Syndication. It’s basically a way of subscribing to a blog or website or any number of things that publish content on a regular basis.

The RSS feed tells your RSS Reader that you’d like to receive updates as and when they happen. By subscribing to a site’s feed in Reader, you will automatically be notified when that website contains new posts or entries. Instead of checking sites repeatedly for updates, RSS feeds bring your favorite websites to you.

This means that you can be kept up to date with a web site and you don’t need to use your bookmarks or clutter up your email inbox with newsletters. Those of us who are Blackberry owners know the feeling of newsletter-overload-itis.

Err…what’s an RSS Reader?

An RSS Reader works a little like an email account. You can subscribe to all the feeds from different sites or sources you like and star, label or organise them into folders just like you can your email account. If you have a Google account then you are already set up for Google Reader, you just need to click on the text link at the top of your Google account page.

If you don’t want to use Google Reader then there are loads of readers out there (here’s a short list) and you can also get them in app form.

Right, got my Feed Reader…now what?

Go to the website you want to receive updates for and look for the feed icon…

When you see it on a website, clicking will usually direct you to that site’s feed. From there, you can either copy and paste the link to subscribe to the feed in Reader, or in the case of many browsers, click a button to subscribe directly.

If that doesn’t happen then right click on the icon and copy the link address. You can then use that address in your reader if you look for the Add Subscription link.

What’s the point again?

Ok, yes you have Twitter and Facebook and email newsletters and people telling you Eastenders spoilers over BBM (yeh, er thanks for that) but with social media and time differences you can miss things and a huge amount of the info isn’t relevant. Cue distraction and reading about peoples lunches and kittens. Readwriteweb.com has a great post on why feed readers rock.

Yeh but…what’s the point again?

You can use RSS feeds to get updates from Casting Directors blogs, updates for productions that are casting, industry news, Google Alerts (which I will go into in more detail about in the future), advice columns and even Youtube Channels.

If you want to follow a youtube channel the feed address is as follows: http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/base/users/[insert username here]/uploads

You can also use feeds to publicise your own stuff, your blogs, news updates on your website, your webseries channel etc.

Can you give us some examples?

Firstly I have to point out that these question headers are coming from my inner monologue who has just refered to itself as “us”. Should I be worried?

And yes, I can give you some examples…

The Stage – News Headlines and Features

UK pride and joy of the theatrical society The Stagehas almost 600 subscribers via rss alone proving it’s still relevant.

News rss: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheStageNews

Features rss: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheStageFeatures

ScreenTerrier

A great new UK blog with news on young british actors. Breaks the occasional story about castings. The feed isn’t even publicised on their site but already has plenty of followers.

rss: http://screenterrier.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

The Casting Scoop

USA based with lotsa info and insight but how else would I know that Twilight CD Lana Veenker is holding a workshop in London…

rss: http://castingscoop.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Nancy Bishop’s Blog

Casting director Nancy Bishop’s blog mostly contains updates about events, seminars, links to webinars and projects she’s casting all in THE BIGGEST FONT EVER. I picked up her book recently and I recommend it to any screen actor. Nancy is based in Prague but works internationally.

rss: http://nancybishopcasting.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Bafta Events Feed

Even if you’re not a member you can still go to some of the Bafta events. If you do go…remember to ring the doorbell. Or just hang around outside for a few minutes and giggle at people tugging at the door handles in vain. Not that I do that…honestly!

rss: http://www.bafta.org/events.xml

The Film Set – Frost Magazine

Subscribe to this feed…this actual feed that you’re reading now. A UK based column with interviews with Casting Directors actors etc…run by a couple of Actresses that go by the names of Catherine Balavage and Genevieve Sibayan. Errr…yeh that’s us.

rss: http://feeds.feedburner.com/FrostMagazineTheFilmSet

 

Genevieve’s Feed

That’s me! I’m the one writing this. Subscribe to it…if you like.

rss feeeeeed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/GenevieveSibayan

I don’t wanna overwhelm you so I will stop but rest assured you WILL be getting more suggestions on ace blogs to follow wether you like it or not. Blogs from people who have much better advice than little old me! Tata for now folks!

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Genevieve Sibayan is a London based Actress, you can find Genevieve’s blog here and get updates by clicking on her rss feed. If you’d like to subscribe to The Film Set on Frost Magazine then click here.

Coffin Helps Screw Your Dead Relatives, into the Ground {R&D and Inventions}

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Californian inventor Donald Scruggs has been granted a patent on the most morbid gadget you might ever not experience. As burial space in cemeteries runs thin with all the horizontal resters, Donald wants you to remain on your feet to conserve precious burial space.

Scruggs’ has been granted a patent on a giant, screw-shaped coffin into which is loaded your inanimate corpse, ready to be twisted into the ground. The patent application was filed back in 2006, you probably don’t need to read it to get the idea but take a look at the drawings.

One of the main problems was making a shell that could withstand the twisting forces involved. While the patent has been granted, Scruggs is still working on prototypes to overcome this. No digging is needed as the coffin displaces dirt as it is screwed into the ground. This might even be a comfort to those with a fear of being buried alive as the lid could be made with an emergency exit, this also ruins many movie plot devices.

Easy Inter Burial Container [Google Patents]

Screw It, You’re Dead Anyway [Discovery News]

Inventor Donald Scruggs and the Screw-in Coffin [Discover]

Feeling Sheepish | Best of the Shearling Trend AW10 {Style}

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Ok, it’s still technically summer but it feels more like winter. Let’s blame the jet stream. Still it gives us an excuse to shop the transitional trends a little earlier than expected and here’s some of the best of the shearling trend available at the moment.

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<<< TopShop Sheep Skin Sleeveless Gillet, £195

Sheepskin jackets are flying off the rails at Top Shop so be quick if you’re buying into this look. 100% Sheepskin and bound to keep you toasty.

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Warehouse Faux Fur Aviator Jacket, £65 >>>

Want the look but prefer to go faux? Grey Faux Fur Aviator Jacket at Warehouse is perfect.

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<<< Oasis Drape Aspen Jacket, £80

Oasis have plumped for a chic silhouette with this suedette jacket. The lining is faux shearling and it also comes in ivory and dark cocoa.

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Oasis Drape Gilet, £60 >>>

Another one from Oasis is their drape gilet. Suedette and faux shearling but looks toasty.

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Asos Faux Shearling Slouch Bag, £36 >>>

Not stopping at jackets, Asos are selling the prettiest shearling slouch bag. Oooohhhh.

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<<< Asos Trecker Lace Up Shearling Boots, £55

Probably not the most practical boots there are but Asos are also keeping toes warm with faux shearling lace up boots.

IF IT’S A PIG’NIC, THEN IT SHOULD BE FROM OUTDOOR PRODUCED PORK, SAYS MARCHIONESS

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It’s the start of National Picnic Week today, but campaigners at Pig Business have noticed that Britain’s pig industry leaders have been trying to hog the headlines by with their attempts to change “picnics” to “PIG’nics”.

Fair enough if the nation were being encouraged to add “free range produced pork” to their picnic hampers as they head for the great outdoors, but the sad reality is that this campaign centres its support on pork producing schemes called Red Tractor where most of the pigs are denied straw let alone the outdoor experience, instead being reared under indoor, barren, factory farmed conditions.

‘Pig Business’ is all for a good picnic and is hugely supportive of Britain’s high welfare pig farmers, so why not use this opportunity to encourage shoppers to look for high welfare labels. And, when they discover that most products don’t explain how the pig has been raised, exert pressure on the government to introduce mandatory method of production labelling.

Pig Business is calling on Britain’s picnickers to use their consumer power to shun factory farmed pork this week and support high welfare farmers by ensuring their hampers only contain pork from high welfare systems from the basic RSPCA freedom food standard to the gold standard such as free range or organic.

The Pignic project is part of a larger campaign initiative that Britain’s pig industry leaders have launched this summer called ‘Love Summer, Love Pork’ http://www.lovepork.co.uk/.The campaign is run by BPEX, who represent the pig industry in England and campaign to increase demand for UK pork.

Their campaign encourages consumers to look for the Red Tractor pork logo, run by Assured Food Standards. Yet this is a scheme to be aware of, as it claims to promote good farming practices, but in reality often offers little assurance to consumers beyond simple compliance with minimum legal requirements. Though UK standards are higher than on the continent, where sows have spent 90% of their lives confined to crates that they can’t even turn around in, they may be closely confined in farrowing (when suckling piglets) crates and piglets may be reared indoors in intensive systems without any bedding. Their relentless boredom in such barren conditions results in tail docking to prevent their biting each other’s tails.

The Pig Business team has spent the last 5 years campaigning for radical reform of the world’s pig industry, calling for legislation and public procurement that moves away from intensive factory farm systems to more extensive, welfare friendly pig systems which protect public health and the environment. With over 40% of Britain’s pig farmers operating outdoor systems why not take this outdoor experience to support them.

The Marchioness of Worcester says,“National Picnic Week provides the ideal opportunity to taste outdoor produced pork in the great outdoors! Ham up your hampers with some free range or organic pork but spare a thought for the thousands of factory farmed pigs in this country who won’t get to taste fresh air this week. Also make sure you check the label to ensure it’s British outdoor produced pork so you can give your support to our great British farmers who choose to farm by putting animals on the land and not in factories”.

Just split up? It’ll cost you £5k to get over your ex

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Every year millions of Brits find themselves single again with the failure of the relationship taking its toll on their bank balance as well as their emotions.

A survey by borro.com, the UK’s leading online pawnbroker, has found that 88% of people spend up to £5,000 to get over an ex; splashing out on nights out, holidays and even new cars to make themselves feel better. Surprisingly, men spend more than women, with 36% shelling out between £1,000 and £5,000 post break-up. Women seem to opt for cheaper ‘pick-me-ups’ with up to £100 going on a new look or pampering.

And the length of time you have been with your partner also has an effect on how much you’ll spend getting over him / her. A massive 43% of relationships in the North West last less than two years and only £100 or less is spent getting over the end of the relationship for two in five people. Relationships in the East Midlands last longer, with 39% surviving three to five years, and 51% spending between £1,000 and £5,000 when they end.

It also seems that men are more sentimental than women, with four out of five men unwilling to use an item given by their ex to fund a post-breakup spending spree. In stark contrast, more than 30 percent of women would happily sell or pawn a present from an ex partner to raise some fast cash. A massive 57% of Scots are happy to say goodbye to a once cherished present, while sentimental souls in the North East would never consider this.

Paul Aitken, Founder and CEO of borro.com says: “We often see people use our service to free up cash to treat themselves after a break up. It’s the ideal option, as if they change their mind and get back together with their ex, they can get their jewellery or watch back and their ex will be none the wiser!”

Dr Pam Spurr, relationship expert and author of The Breakup Survival Kit said, “Although people will find these statistics surprising, I find one of the first things people do after a breakup is look for a quick-fix to feeling better. Often that means treating themselves to a luxury item or for women a makeover where it’s a case of ‘out with the old and in with the new look’!

“Sometimes an element of revenge goes hand-in-hand with this expenditure and a broken-hearted person feels justified pawning a present their ex gave them to use the money as they please.

“What some will find most surprising is that men appear to be more sentimental about hanging on to a present from their ex. In my experience, though, men can be very good at covering up their heartache but will take a breakup every bit as hard as women.

“Challenge yourself to try something new so you break free of ‘ex-related thinking’ – the faulty belief that your new life can ever be as good as your old life with your ex.”

My Two Pence {The Film Set | Genevieve Sibayan}

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Oh Hai! It’s high time I threw my proverbial hat into the resource share arena.

I’ve been acting in London for a few years now and have a stack of Equity diaries to remind me! It’s not uncommon for newbies to ask my advice (yeah I know! *giggles) but for some reason I always assume that people already know all the same info I know. So when I’m put on the spot I mostly come out with “err, work hard?” which isn’t the most helpful thing to say.

I assume that because there’s so much free (and sometimes not free) information and resources available that everyone’s already found it. Of course that’s a silly thing to think.

So my mission is to share some of the things I know and point my finger at the best resources and occasionally give my opinion on things…most advice out there is the same…CV, headshot, hard work etc…all very important but I’m hoping we can uncover something a bit different. I certainly don’t know everything so if you have any finds you want to share or opinions then the comments are the place to put them. That’s what sharing’s about isn’t it?

I don’t know many Actors in this country (UK) who’s sharing their resources and I can only assume it’s because no one wants to appear arrogant or doesn’t want the competition to know what they know…If I’m wrong, and you do have a blog, I’d love to read it.

So to start off with, let me link you back to a few articles right here on Frost Magazine. And what a place to start! We’ve got a column entitled ‘the film set’ (some pun intended) and here’s a few excerpts from some of the articles (click on the titles to see the whole article:

Interview with Casting Director Richard Evans

We asked: Who is your inspiration?
“Anyone who knows what they want and goes for it wholeheartedly… especially if they have overcome adversity to do so.”

Interview with Lyn Burgess – Life Coach and also runs the Women in Film and TV events committee

““Fake it till you make it!” It’s good to model someone else who is a confident person – give yourself a ‘confident outfit’ or a lucky pair of knickers.”

Interview with Actor and Casting Director Leoni Kibbey

“You get out what you put back in. Always go with your gut instinct. Don’t get cosmetic surgery. Floss. Use Sunscreen.”

Interview with Simon Dale from Casting Call Pro

“Among the strangest we’ve had are requests for actors to play pranks on bosses and ex-partners, as well as a over-zealous salesman who was offering an all-expenses-paid trip to Helsinki for anyone who was willing to impersonate his CEO at a client meeting the the real CEO couldn’t attend.”

We also have an article written by sitcom actor Ceri Phillips (Ollie, Coming of Age) on what it’s like in his world and if you wanted to hear about some unusual moments from our career so far.

Right, off to learn a speech for an audition but I’ll be back very soon (mu ha ha)…ciao for now!

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Genevieve Sibayan is a London based Actress, you can find Genevieve’s blog here and get updates by clicking on her rss feed. If you’d like to subscribe to The Film Set on Frost Magazine then click here.

Rounding up the Week {Miscuity}

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I hope you’re having a lovely day, here’s some of the weeks best thingummies to distract you from work. Hope you enjoy them.

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Slime mould that makes decisions like humans.

Brainless single cell organism that makes decisions like humans, read the full article here, then go and watch some disturbing videos.

The best quitting story of the week.

Stephen Slater quit his job at JetBlue after launching into a tirade, grabbing a can and jettisoning down the emergency ramp. We’ve all had days like that.

The other quitting story…

When Jennifer the PA quit her job using a dry wipe board and 33 photos outting her boss for playing farmville everyone thought “wow that’s amazing because no one would ever do that”. It turned out no one ever did do that and it was a hoax all along. The actress playing Jenny turned out to be Elyse Porterfield who applied for the role through Actors Access.

Freak storm in Finland ruins a lovely day within seconds.

Watch out for the scary face at 00:56 and all the birds deciding they’ve had enough. [via Boing Boing]

Panasonic bring 3D to the Olympics By Jodie {Sport}

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It’s less than two years until the Olympics comes to London and to mark the occasion Panasonic commandeered Trafalgar Square and brought their own entertainment in the form of 3d booths, Flawless and Olympians Tim Brabants and Keri-Anne Payne.

We sent fearless Jodie Burch to interview the Olympians, here’s what she found out;

Tim BrabantsTim Brabants, who is a sprint racer, found his passion as the age of 10 in 1987. Inspired by people within his Kayaking club who went to the Seoul Olympics in 1988, Tim won gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Naming this as his biggest achievement to date, he is eager to repeat this at London 2010.

When asked what it means to him to compete in London, he can barely contain his excitement. His face comes alive as the thought and you instantly know that his whole life has been working towards this moment. Describing it as a unique opportunity, Tim is eager to live up to the British expectations and uses this as his motivation.

With training happening 2-3 times a day and only 1 day off every two weeks, you can see the determination in his face. A long road of training, preparation and international competition stretches out in front of him before 2012.

With everything crossed that he qualifies for the team, we can but sit and wait until that decision is made.

Keri-Anne Payne, a 10k swimmer, began swimming at the tender age of 4 so sees competing in the Olympics as a natural progression and her passion is obvious. After winning the World Championships and bringing home a silver medal in Beijing, she longs for that gold in 2012.

Being in Beijing was a phenomenal experience for her and one she hopes is replicated when the Olympics comes to Britain, her home country.

Not taking the chance of a lifetime to complete for Britain on British soil lightly she doesn’t lie, she’s nervous. But also excited and describes it as the best feeling in the world and a once in a lifetime opportunity.

When asked how she has been preparing for 2010, she instantly says the last 12 years of her life have been working towards this moment. Hoping to avoid the ducks in Hyde Park’s Serpentine, she is all too aware of the fact that she still needs to qualify for the 2012 team.

Tim and Keri-Ann weren’t the only well known faces to grace the event, Capital’s Johnny Vaughan also dropped by…

Here’s the video of Jodie interviewing Keri-Ann and Tim in noisy Trafalgar Square, it’s a bit noisy, just be thankful there arnt any pigeons any longer.

Keri-Anne Payne and Tim Brabants were speaking at Panasonic’s Two Years to Go to London 2012 event in Trafalgar Square held on Tuesday 27 July. For more information on Panasonic’s Olympic sponsorship please visit www.panasonic.co.uk