I'm 17 and just wrapped my first feature

It's been a wild summer. My film has played in 13 states and has won several awards. I never planned to attend film school but I have two schools wanting me to go there (I feel like a D-1 athlete) and my future will be decided by next Friday. I will be attending one of these schools which is crazy as I had no aspirations of going to college. I just wanted to make films. But my parents feel a ton better with me eventually getting my BFA.

In the meantime I landed the lead role in a 15 minute short that is paying the 4 main actors an awesome salary for a week.

But I also landed the lead role of a movie that shoots for five weeks and they actually moved me up a pay tier and gave me back end points. That was cool. I'm just happy to work but that felt pretty cool as they came after me.

Will let you know next Friday if anyone cares. If not that is cool too.
 
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Well, I think I like to play funny characters. But I havent done it in years. The short will be the first time in a long time. So that will be cool. The last couple of years I have been cast as the troubled youth. Heck I even cast myself as the skinhead when I couldnt find the right person to play that. The feature, I play a teen who gets his gf pregnant and get a 9-5 job but something happens and I am laid off then I go into the underground world of selling drugs. I end up finding out what happens to my dad who went missing. But I dont know what happens as I only have 3/4's of the script so even I'm waiting to see how it all unfolds. This is the second time I have been hired without getting the full script. I'm wondering if that is a trend now?
 
Hey Connor. Good for you. Next thing you know, we're going to be watching you next to Bradley Cooper in a heist movie.

Keep it up !
 
Thanks! I just want to make a living doing this. I dont need to be famous or rich just enough to pay the bills and keep doing what I love. I know it will be a grind. Thats why even with the great school offers I was hesitant as I just want to go full time. With school I wont be able to do that. But in the long run getting a degree is the smartest thing.
 
A truly amazing achievement, congratulations! As those of us out there scrounging for cash know, getting in front of people with the resources and making them believe enough to make an investment is not an easy task, so I'm both incredibly envious and stumped as of how someone so young managed to pull it off (assuming that you didn't make a $100 film on borrowed school equipment... since pro's not getting paid aren't professionals).
 
Just booked another gig. The lead of the movie is Big Mike from The Blindside. Shooting in Texas in November. Have a callback monday for a movie with a couple cool stars. Just trying to keep the momentum going.

Moving to LA mid September and I'm looking forward to taking my first acting class..ever. I have never taken one. And I need an LA agent..
 
theconnorwilliams said:
Just booked another gig. The lead of the movie is Big Mike from The Blindside. Shooting in Texas in November. Have a callback monday for a movie with a couple cool stars. Just trying to keep the momentum going.

Moving to LA mid September and I'm looking forward to taking my first acting class..ever. I have never taken one. And I need an LA agent..
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Do you have an acting reel I can watch?
 
Well it's been awhile since being on this site. A couple of people rubbed me the wrong way but I'm a big boy now and thought I would give you an update. I'm 19. Not sure why I find saying my age is funny to me but a few people absolutely hated that I stated my age. 99% of you were so supportive and positive. So thanks for that.

I have been blessed lucky whatever. I moved to North Hollywood picked up an awesome Manager and agent. I booked a leading role the very first day in Hollywood. My parents and all my stuff were still in the car when I did my first audition. We were running behind schedule so we hadnt moved into the apartment yet. Read for a supporting and the CD called me back as I was driving to my apartment and asked me to turn around and read for the lead. A week later they offered me the role. They say it takes a couple of years and a hundred auditions before booking anything and it took me ten minutes. Im super proud of that.

The momentum didn't stop at the beginning. I booked two other features and my school said i had to drop out of school or drop out of a feature because i was missing to many classes. It was such a tough decision but I dropped out of a film which absolutely crushed me as it has some great names and it was my first comedy role. If i watch movies, I only watch comedies yet I have never played in a comedy. Frustrating.

But the second semester I booked a supporting role with Barry Bostwick ( Sin City) and Casper van Dien (Starship Troopwers) I booked an MTV short that I think is playing on their network now. Not sure I dont have cable. Booked a "judge" show" Who knew those were fake? Did some shorts between gigs. But i just got done shooting the lead role in Regionrat based off the book with the same name. That was three callbacks so it was awesome to get that. This may be the little film that could. Intense.

Preproduction of My second feature. It keeps getting pushed back.

My website just got uploaded so if any of you are bored you can check it out. But if Im missing something on it I would live to hear opinions. www.theconnorwilliams.com

Hope all is well with you peeps. Keep gringing!!!!
 
Awesome news man! Hope to see your name in lights soon!
 
The fact that you made your 1st feature at 17 is definitely impressive. I'm curious to know how much it cost you to make and where you got the money. I could learn a thing or 2 as I'm actually trying to raise money for my 1st feature on Indiegogo. You also seem to play mainly dark roles, is this your preference? All the best in your endeavors.
 
There is an ignore feature, you don't have to see the posts of people that rub you the wrong way.
Anyway I've always paid attention to your posts and I'm happy that things are going well for you in hollywood! Congratulations finding work as a paid actor isn't an easy thing.
 
theconnorwilliams said:
Well it's been awhile since being on this site. A couple of people rubbed me the wrong way but I'm a big boy now and thought I would give you an update. I'm 19. Not sure why I find saying my age is funny to me but a few people absolutely hated that I stated my age. 99% of you were so supportive and positive. So thanks for that.

I have been blessed lucky whatever. I moved to North Hollywood picked up an awesome Manager and agent. I booked a leading role the very first day in Hollywood. My parents and all my stuff were still in the car when I did my first audition. We were running behind schedule so we hadnt moved into the apartment yet. Read for a supporting and the CD called me back as I was driving to my apartment and asked me to turn around and read for the lead. A week later they offered me the role. They say it takes a couple of years and a hundred auditions before booking anything and it took me ten minutes. Im super proud of that.

The momentum didn't stop at the beginning. I booked two other features and my school said i had to drop out of school or drop out of a feature because i was missing to many classes. It was such a tough decision but I dropped out of a film which absolutely crushed me as it has some great names and it was my first comedy role. If i watch movies, I only watch comedies yet I have never played in a comedy. Frustrating.

But the second semester I booked a supporting role with Barry Bostwick ( Sin City) and Casper van Dien (Starship Troopwers) I booked an MTV short that I think is playing on their network now. Not sure I dont have cable. Booked a "judge" show" Who knew those were fake? Did some shorts between gigs. But i just got done shooting the lead role in Regionrat based off the book with the same name. That was three callbacks so it was awesome to get that. This may be the little film that could. Intense.

Preproduction of My second feature. It keeps getting pushed back.

My website just got uploaded so if any of you are bored you can check it out. But if Im missing something on it I would live to hear opinions. www.theconnorwilliams.com

Hope all is well with you peeps. Keep gringing!!!!
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I'm new to the site and film in general but happy for you. At your age of 17 knowing what you wanted to do is a blessing. I learned at almost 29 years old. I wish you continued success. Maybe I'll be big enough in the near future and we work together.

However, I disagree with you staying in school. The whole point of school is to take you to where you already are. I have a degree in economics and yet to use it. It's good to know stuff but almost everything can be learned online. FYI, you're paying their salaries (scholarship or not) and they'll be taking credit for what you done yourself.
 
Thanks Everyone!
Indietalk-You have been always cool to me. Appreciate it.
Amos-Oh man if you have an hour you can read from the beginning. But it was 10 grand or so. Ive always saved my money. I stuffed mailboxes in my city, went to every business in the area, had a screening. I had also won video contests and worked at the awesome Pizza Hut which was beyond great to me as they always gave me time off when I auditioned but also ended up sponsoring me when i made the film.
Mleseman-Thanks!! Glad you liked the site. I actually do too... which is a first for me.
Sfoster.. You have been cool to me too. Weren't you gaining a ton of weight for your role? How did that end up?
Freddy- I can agree and disagree with you depending on what day it is. College was never in the plans. I even said no to both colleges when they offered more than expected. Apparently, when you do make a feature at 17 people notice. The reality is I may never book another acting job ever again. So I better have something to get me in the door with real companies. I also want to produce music, dance and own a company. I'm just trying to figure out life. The past 18 months have been crazy. I love my college and they can take all the credit they want. Yes I play dark characters. www.regionratmovie.com may be the darkest of them all. That was three callbacks. Great story here. After my 2nd callback which I bombed the director said thanks we are going a different direction but we would love to have you play X. X was a supporting role. Any other time I would have been thrilled. But I told him No, I am Ray! which is the main character. He gave me one more shot at the final callback and I nailed it. This is based off the book with the same name. The story is about friends growing up in Northwest Indiana. It s so niche but so goooooood. The way I look at it whatever I book until I graduate is all gravy. But I'm back home and delivering Pizzas until I go back tom North Hollywood at the end of the month and the grind starts all over. * Being home and blasting my music and delivering pizzas and no one asking me about acting is so awesome. In LA people only want to talk about FILM. dRIVES ME CRAZY. I want to play in comedy's because that is my favorite but I get cast as the bad guy. I have no idea how that happened. Like I said, I dropped out of a film that was going to be my first comedy and it crushed me. But i had booked 3 features my first semester and I was going to miss to many classes. Sucked as I see all the updates on that film. Happy for them. Bummed for me.
 
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