I'm kind of used to the whole Invisalign thing so not much changes with the new trays. Pain isn't as strong as it was in the first couple of trays but I'm sure that will change and I'll start feeling the pain again. I'm a week into #4, I have 22 left for the top and 25 left on the bottom. I should be done my treatment in a year. :)
I used to remove my aligners with my hands but ever since I got the attachments put on that's become impossible. It took me a good 30 minutes before I finally found a method that worked when taking them out. I tried a toothpick, spoon, knife.... the list goes on. At one point I wanted to use plyers. I ended up searching the internet to find ways to remove stuck aligners and the only one that worked was paper towels. I've become lazy when it comes to taking them out to eat so I've found foods that I can eat and still keep the Invisalign in. You are not supposed to keep them in when you eat and I rarely do... only sometimes and I stick to soft food. I've gone back to my infant roots. ;)
One more week until tray #5! I'm really blown away at how fast this process has been moving along. Hard to believe it's almost been 2 months since I started my treatment. My next blog will either be when I'm back from vacation or if I have time to fit one in when I'm away I'll do that. It will be super interesting to see how I do when I'm away. I tend to eat and drink more when I'm on vacation so I have a feeling there is going to be a lot of removing!
Stay tuned....
I'm participating in the Invisalign Studio Program and I have received complimentary Invisalign treatment. All the opinions that I have expressed are my own. Go to http://www.invisalign.com/studio for more information!
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Set 3
Not much to update you on! Everything is going fine and dandy with my Invisalign.
I finished my second Invisalign trays last week and headed into my orthodontist to get the attachments put on my teeth. I was expecting there to only be two on the bottom and two on the top but it turns out there is 6 on the bottom and 6 on the top! I got my 3rd, 4th and 5th set of trays to take home with me which will last 6 weeks. I waited until I got home to put in the new trays and I completely forgot what it feels like when you put a new set in. The attachments made things a little tighter than usual and I thought for a while that they may actually have been stuck because I couldn't remove them for the life of me. I experimented with a bunch of different things to try to get them out and nothing was working, I finally used a paper towel and they eventually came out. They're fine now since my teeth have moved and the trays have become looser and easier to remove.
I start my 4th set of trays next week... time really flies, I can't believe it's been a month already!
I'll post another blog when I switch trays next week... so far so good!
I'm participating in the Invisalign Studio Program and I have received complimentary Invisalign treatment. All the opinions that I have expressed are my own. Go to http://www.invisalign.com/studio for more information!
I finished my second Invisalign trays last week and headed into my orthodontist to get the attachments put on my teeth. I was expecting there to only be two on the bottom and two on the top but it turns out there is 6 on the bottom and 6 on the top! I got my 3rd, 4th and 5th set of trays to take home with me which will last 6 weeks. I waited until I got home to put in the new trays and I completely forgot what it feels like when you put a new set in. The attachments made things a little tighter than usual and I thought for a while that they may actually have been stuck because I couldn't remove them for the life of me. I experimented with a bunch of different things to try to get them out and nothing was working, I finally used a paper towel and they eventually came out. They're fine now since my teeth have moved and the trays have become looser and easier to remove.
I start my 4th set of trays next week... time really flies, I can't believe it's been a month already!
I'll post another blog when I switch trays next week... so far so good!
I'm participating in the Invisalign Studio Program and I have received complimentary Invisalign treatment. All the opinions that I have expressed are my own. Go to http://www.invisalign.com/studio for more information!
Friday, 3 June 2011
Age Range and Auditioning
Every actor has a range of what they can play on camera. Some actors are 30 but can still pull off going for a 22 year old, others are 30 reading for 40, it varies. I've even played an 8 year old boy.......
Ha! In voice over of course. ;)
The roles I go for are anywhere from 16 to 25. That's not to say I can pull it off all the time but that's generally the age range I read for. I used to get super frustrated when I was 16 or 17 and the roles that I really wanted were going to 25 year olds, even though the characters were MY real age. I was tired of playing 14 year olds at 18 and even though I looked (and still do) young for my age (I'm 92 in real life... I like to think I look pretty good for my age) I didn't want to be playing the "little girl" anymore. In my experience, most 14 year olds were just boring, naive characters with very little depth or story line. The first character(s) I played that were even remotely challenging was Amy in The Screwfly Solution followed by Jesse in Phantom Racer These girls were both 15 but despite their age they were not the stereotypical teenage girl I'd usually audition for. Amy was a brat, Jesse was rebellious and there was a ton of stunt work and physical scenes I had to do for Phantom so that was fun for me.
I went through an awkward stage for a while where I was too old looking to read for 14 year olds but too young looking to read for 20 year olds. Yesterday, I had an audition for a 23 year old and later that afternoon I had one for a 17 year old. It's kind of bizaare that you have to read for two completely different types of girls in the same day. Now, I'm horrible when it comes to giving advice on how you prepare yourself for these kinds of situations but I guess you could say it's all about your mentality and how the words sound coming off paper. For me, it's more challenging to act younger than my age. I often fear that if I try to play too young my acting will be horrific and I'll be mad and so on and so forth. I try to avoid those types of situations and stick with what is most comfortable for me.
Write me your questions! I'd love to hear ideas of what else to write about. I kind of run out of things to think of to blog about and as I mentioned in my first post please share your questions/comments/ideas and I'll write about them.
over and out,
B
Ha! In voice over of course. ;)
The roles I go for are anywhere from 16 to 25. That's not to say I can pull it off all the time but that's generally the age range I read for. I used to get super frustrated when I was 16 or 17 and the roles that I really wanted were going to 25 year olds, even though the characters were MY real age. I was tired of playing 14 year olds at 18 and even though I looked (and still do) young for my age (I'm 92 in real life... I like to think I look pretty good for my age) I didn't want to be playing the "little girl" anymore. In my experience, most 14 year olds were just boring, naive characters with very little depth or story line. The first character(s) I played that were even remotely challenging was Amy in The Screwfly Solution followed by Jesse in Phantom Racer These girls were both 15 but despite their age they were not the stereotypical teenage girl I'd usually audition for. Amy was a brat, Jesse was rebellious and there was a ton of stunt work and physical scenes I had to do for Phantom so that was fun for me.
I went through an awkward stage for a while where I was too old looking to read for 14 year olds but too young looking to read for 20 year olds. Yesterday, I had an audition for a 23 year old and later that afternoon I had one for a 17 year old. It's kind of bizaare that you have to read for two completely different types of girls in the same day. Now, I'm horrible when it comes to giving advice on how you prepare yourself for these kinds of situations but I guess you could say it's all about your mentality and how the words sound coming off paper. For me, it's more challenging to act younger than my age. I often fear that if I try to play too young my acting will be horrific and I'll be mad and so on and so forth. I try to avoid those types of situations and stick with what is most comfortable for me.
Write me your questions! I'd love to hear ideas of what else to write about. I kind of run out of things to think of to blog about and as I mentioned in my first post please share your questions/comments/ideas and I'll write about them.
over and out,
B
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Invisalign Update
BIG SMILES
Yes, I'm wearing my aligners, that's how invisible they are.
Almost time to switch over to my next set of trays! I move onto my second set this weekend. I can't believe I've had these babies for two weeks already. Everything is going as planned and I've already seen change which is awesome because I wasn't expecting to notice anything for atleast a couple of months. I'm so used to my aligners that now everytime I take them out it feels super unnatural. You would think it would be the other way around but for me, I totally prefer the feeling of having them in. Anyways, just a quick note today folks. All is well on this end. I'll update you over the weekend when I get my new set of trays.
peace!
I'm participating in the Invisalign Studio Program and I have received complimentary Invisalign treatment. All the opinions that I have expressed are my own. Go to http://www.invisalign.com/studio for more information!
Yes, I'm wearing my aligners, that's how invisible they are.
peace!
I'm participating in the Invisalign Studio Program and I have received complimentary Invisalign treatment. All the opinions that I have expressed are my own. Go to http://www.invisalign.com/studio for more information!
Sunday, 15 May 2011
My first Invisalign trays! Yippee!
I excitedly went to my ortho Thursday afternoon to get my first Invisalign trays. I went for my impressions in the middle of March so I've been waiting a little less than two months for my trays and I'm not very patient but it was totally worth the wait. I will answer all your questions (from an actors point of view) regarding my Invisalign. ;)
First appointment
I was in and out of my orthodontist within 20 minutes, all I did was sit in the chair and pop my trays in. My ortho gave me two aligner cases; one for home and one for my purse. They gave me my current trays and then my second trays to put in after two weeks. My ortho said they would put these little "buttons" on a few of my teeth next month. The buttons are invisible and give the aligners something to grip on to and make it easier for the teeth to move. If I wear my aligners as much as I should, it's going to take about 60 weeks for my teeth to be fully corrected.
Post-aligners
I picked up a travel size toothbrush, toothpaste and floss to throw in my purse for when I'm out. I'm not allowed to drink anything with the aligners in, besides water. Obviously I remove them if I'm going to have a cup of tea or coffee otherwise anything hot could warp or stain them. I think I kept mine in for 22 hours the first day because the more you keep your aligners in, the quicker the process.
Pain
They are a little tight when you first pop them in and it takes a while to get used to removing them but once you get the hang of it, they snap in and out smoothly. There is no real pain, only a bit of soreness but that's only because my teeth are moving. I guess it's like regular wire brace, everytime you get them tightened there is pressure. The tenderness goes away 2-3 days after you insert your new aligners.
Visibility
Completely and utterly invisible. No joke! Not one person has noticed that I have them in, it's awesome. I went into my agency on Friday and had full on conversations with my agents and no one noticed (in fact no one believed me) that I had my aligners in.
Speech
The instruction pamphlet I got after my ortho appointment stated that my speech might be slightly affected for the first couple days but that didn't apply to me. The trays did not affect my speech whatsoever. No lisp, no slur, nothing. (AWESOME!)
Auditioning and Filming
I kept my aligners in for an audition I had this morning and it was great! I was a little concerned about doing voice over in case my speech was slightly affected but since I'm now fully accustomed to the aligners it won't be a problem. Since it doesn't affect my speech and is completely invisible I can keep them in for auditions and filming which is the whole point of getting Invisalign. I highly recommend it to everyone but it's exceptionally fantastic for actors, singers or anyone involved in the entertainment industry.
I am over the moon with my new aligners! I'm very excited for this process to begin and when results show. I'll keep you all posted with every new tray and the progress my teeth are making. I will most likely be posting some before pictures sometime next week so stay tuned.
I'm participating in the Invisalign Studio Program and I have received complimentary Invisalign treatment. All the opinions that I have expressed are my own. Go to http://www.invisalign.com/studio for more information!
First appointment
I was in and out of my orthodontist within 20 minutes, all I did was sit in the chair and pop my trays in. My ortho gave me two aligner cases; one for home and one for my purse. They gave me my current trays and then my second trays to put in after two weeks. My ortho said they would put these little "buttons" on a few of my teeth next month. The buttons are invisible and give the aligners something to grip on to and make it easier for the teeth to move. If I wear my aligners as much as I should, it's going to take about 60 weeks for my teeth to be fully corrected.
Post-aligners
I picked up a travel size toothbrush, toothpaste and floss to throw in my purse for when I'm out. I'm not allowed to drink anything with the aligners in, besides water. Obviously I remove them if I'm going to have a cup of tea or coffee otherwise anything hot could warp or stain them. I think I kept mine in for 22 hours the first day because the more you keep your aligners in, the quicker the process.
Pain
They are a little tight when you first pop them in and it takes a while to get used to removing them but once you get the hang of it, they snap in and out smoothly. There is no real pain, only a bit of soreness but that's only because my teeth are moving. I guess it's like regular wire brace, everytime you get them tightened there is pressure. The tenderness goes away 2-3 days after you insert your new aligners.
Visibility
Completely and utterly invisible. No joke! Not one person has noticed that I have them in, it's awesome. I went into my agency on Friday and had full on conversations with my agents and no one noticed (in fact no one believed me) that I had my aligners in.
Speech
The instruction pamphlet I got after my ortho appointment stated that my speech might be slightly affected for the first couple days but that didn't apply to me. The trays did not affect my speech whatsoever. No lisp, no slur, nothing. (AWESOME!)
Auditioning and Filming
I kept my aligners in for an audition I had this morning and it was great! I was a little concerned about doing voice over in case my speech was slightly affected but since I'm now fully accustomed to the aligners it won't be a problem. Since it doesn't affect my speech and is completely invisible I can keep them in for auditions and filming which is the whole point of getting Invisalign. I highly recommend it to everyone but it's exceptionally fantastic for actors, singers or anyone involved in the entertainment industry.
I am over the moon with my new aligners! I'm very excited for this process to begin and when results show. I'll keep you all posted with every new tray and the progress my teeth are making. I will most likely be posting some before pictures sometime next week so stay tuned.
I'm participating in the Invisalign Studio Program and I have received complimentary Invisalign treatment. All the opinions that I have expressed are my own. Go to http://www.invisalign.com/studio for more information!
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
My Voice
I got a really neat request from demonichat to talk about my voice over work. Most people know me as Rin's voice but there has been a ton of other work I've done that you may not know is me. I'll go through my journey with InuYasha, talk about my favourite voice over job and how they have shaped my career.
I was 11 years old when I booked InuYasha. If I remember correctly it was the second voice over job I'd ever done. I couldn't have had it any better because the director, the producers, the entire production and office was incredible and they still are. I'm so fortunate that this was the first group I ever worked with because they made the job fun and relaxing.
A problem that comes up when hiring a kid to do voice work is that their voices change! Luckily for me, as InuYasha progressed they brought the reality of a 7 year old girl maturing into her pre-teens, therefore they worked with it and wrote in the fact that my voice was changing from an 11 year old girl (even though at that time Rin's age was 7) into a teenager. InuYasha was the voice over role that changed my life. It shaped my voice over career completely, I'm so grateful I landed this role so young. The series has finished, started up again and released features. It's the kind of show that just when you think it's going to end it starts back up again for another season. Very very proud to be a part of this show! InuYasha: The Final Act should be released within the next 6 months, unfortunately I don't have any exact dates so that's just a speculation.
InuYasha kick started my drive for voice over. I have gone on to do DragonBall Z, Next Avengers, Gundam 00, Shakugan No Shana, Gundam Seed Destiny, Elemental Gelade, Hamtaro, Quintuplets, Popotan, Paradise Harvest, Star Ocean, Nana and one VERY awesome project I'm not able to talk about yet... just to name a few.
There wouldn't be enough time in the day for you to read about every one of my voice over experiences so I'll go on to talk about one of my favourites (if not my favourite) voice over job I've ever done... Elemental Gelade.
HOLY MAN, Elemental Gelade was a ridiculously fun project. You have to watch this series - it's an absolutely MUST.
A lot of the work I do I just kind of go in there, do the scene, move along; not very often do you land a project that you completely fall in love with. I didn't read the entire series before hand so every day I would walk into the studio with the excitement of what was going to happen next. It was basically a surprise. It's kind of like when you wake up in the morning knowing your favourite tv show is on that night and you're squirming to find out what happens next! I completely fell in love with the storyline, the characters and the entire plot. I watched my character, Reverie Metherlence (Ren) grow from a quiet, humble, timid and somewhat frightened and confused girl who would only speak a couple of breathy words in the first few episodes, to a radiant, beautiful, strong woman who had found love. I had never met any of the actors who were voicing the other characters and yet as a group we were able to create a magnificent connection between each character. There would be a powerful, emotional scene between Ren and Cou that you'd think the actors would have to be in the room together to work off each other. That wasn't the case at all - it was amazing that we all accomplished such a fantastic bond and made the storyline flow without ever physically working together.
This sounds insane (but hey, all actors are a little insane in one way or another) but I would actually get butterflies (as you would imagine Ren would) whenever Ren and Cou would react, I would have tears of happiness in my eyes when something good would happen, I would be sad when things weren't going well in the storyline. I felt like I had truly become Ren! I miss this series so much, I am so thrilled to have been a part of it. It was a very powerful experience and it totally made me realize that voice over isn't just about putting on a head set and making up some voice into the microphone. It's about finding a character, taking on that character's emotions and literally becoming a part of the show itself. I always assumed that on screen performances were the ones you would really "get into character for" but I was completely wrong; voice over is a huge time commitment, it's emotionally and physically draining just as live action work is but it's just as satisfying. I have been so blessed in this area of work, the opportunities I have been given have been phenomenal.
In short: I am absolutely head over heels in love with voice over!
I was 11 years old when I booked InuYasha. If I remember correctly it was the second voice over job I'd ever done. I couldn't have had it any better because the director, the producers, the entire production and office was incredible and they still are. I'm so fortunate that this was the first group I ever worked with because they made the job fun and relaxing.
A problem that comes up when hiring a kid to do voice work is that their voices change! Luckily for me, as InuYasha progressed they brought the reality of a 7 year old girl maturing into her pre-teens, therefore they worked with it and wrote in the fact that my voice was changing from an 11 year old girl (even though at that time Rin's age was 7) into a teenager. InuYasha was the voice over role that changed my life. It shaped my voice over career completely, I'm so grateful I landed this role so young. The series has finished, started up again and released features. It's the kind of show that just when you think it's going to end it starts back up again for another season. Very very proud to be a part of this show! InuYasha: The Final Act should be released within the next 6 months, unfortunately I don't have any exact dates so that's just a speculation.
InuYasha kick started my drive for voice over. I have gone on to do DragonBall Z, Next Avengers, Gundam 00, Shakugan No Shana, Gundam Seed Destiny, Elemental Gelade, Hamtaro, Quintuplets, Popotan, Paradise Harvest, Star Ocean, Nana and one VERY awesome project I'm not able to talk about yet... just to name a few.
There wouldn't be enough time in the day for you to read about every one of my voice over experiences so I'll go on to talk about one of my favourites (if not my favourite) voice over job I've ever done... Elemental Gelade.
HOLY MAN, Elemental Gelade was a ridiculously fun project. You have to watch this series - it's an absolutely MUST.
A lot of the work I do I just kind of go in there, do the scene, move along; not very often do you land a project that you completely fall in love with. I didn't read the entire series before hand so every day I would walk into the studio with the excitement of what was going to happen next. It was basically a surprise. It's kind of like when you wake up in the morning knowing your favourite tv show is on that night and you're squirming to find out what happens next! I completely fell in love with the storyline, the characters and the entire plot. I watched my character, Reverie Metherlence (Ren) grow from a quiet, humble, timid and somewhat frightened and confused girl who would only speak a couple of breathy words in the first few episodes, to a radiant, beautiful, strong woman who had found love. I had never met any of the actors who were voicing the other characters and yet as a group we were able to create a magnificent connection between each character. There would be a powerful, emotional scene between Ren and Cou that you'd think the actors would have to be in the room together to work off each other. That wasn't the case at all - it was amazing that we all accomplished such a fantastic bond and made the storyline flow without ever physically working together.
This sounds insane (but hey, all actors are a little insane in one way or another) but I would actually get butterflies (as you would imagine Ren would) whenever Ren and Cou would react, I would have tears of happiness in my eyes when something good would happen, I would be sad when things weren't going well in the storyline. I felt like I had truly become Ren! I miss this series so much, I am so thrilled to have been a part of it. It was a very powerful experience and it totally made me realize that voice over isn't just about putting on a head set and making up some voice into the microphone. It's about finding a character, taking on that character's emotions and literally becoming a part of the show itself. I always assumed that on screen performances were the ones you would really "get into character for" but I was completely wrong; voice over is a huge time commitment, it's emotionally and physically draining just as live action work is but it's just as satisfying. I have been so blessed in this area of work, the opportunities I have been given have been phenomenal.
In short: I am absolutely head over heels in love with voice over!
Sunday, 24 April 2011
My Ear Piercing Experience
At the beginning of March I decided that I finally wanted to get my ears pierced. I had just started filming See If I Care (A.K.A Ansiedad) so I had to wait until I wrapped that up before I could get them done.
I'm not sure if any of you have noticed but I have ridiculously small (attached) earlobes so I was always a bit nervous to get them done! (Believe it or not the piercer even commented on how tiny they are!)
So, on Friday afternoon I headed to the tattoo/piercing shop with a mix of excitement and anxiousness. Everyone who was working was super friendly and welcoming; certainly not the stereotypical shady tattoo place you see in the movies. I had the choice of starter studs or starter hoops, I went with the hoops. The piercer was really good about making sure I was happy with the placement of the piercings before he actually did it. I was thrilled to find out that they don't use a piercing gun! All of their piercings are done with a hallow needle. I leaned back slightly as he applied the clamp (which you've probably heard is more uncomfortable than the piercing itself and that's true!) He told me to focus on my breathing as he positioned the needle and then told me to take a sharp breath in and that's when he stuck the needle through. It seriously didn't hurt near as bad as I thought it would. The only indication that he was piercing the ear was the fact that he told me to take a sharp breath in. I probably wouldn't have even noticed otherwise as it really didn't hurt at all. To be honest, the teeth impressions my orthodontist did for my spacer molds hurt way more than getting my ears pierced.
When I got home the rest of my night was fine. They were tender to touch and I was a little afraid of sleeping since I can only ever sleep on my sides and they were pretty sensitive. I managed to make it through the night and the following day was fine. The next night my left ear started to bleed through the back but there was no pain or swelling. Since I'm wearing hoops they tend to move around a bit when you move your head so the earring probably shifted a bit and caused the wound to open up again or something. It wasn't bleeding anymore by morning but the hoop had moved slightly and I guess the blood dried in that position so my earring was all funky until I soaked it in warm water and it moved back to normal position but started bleeding again. Trying my best not to touch it or play with it until it closes up again.
Despite a little bit of the blood on one ear, the piercing itself went smooth and I'm very happy I finally got it done. If you have the choice between hoops or studs for your starter earrings I would recommend getting studs. Because:
A)Hoops move around far too much, they irritate and can re-open the wound causing it to bleed like mine did!
B) It really sucks sleeping with hoops because for the first night or two it stings when you lie down since the hoops move around.
C) It's way easier to accidently snag your earring (in my case with my hair!) when you're wearing hoops as apposed to wearing studs
D) You hit them a lot more when you have hoops in!
So all in all I would definitely recommend getting starter studs instead of hoops. Unfortunately there is no going back for me! Can't wait until these finally heal. :)
Monday, 18 April 2011
Welcome to Brenna's World
Dear friends and strangers,
Welcome to my first blog... I'll just be blogging about you know, my life and stuff. I'll try to keep it as entertaining as possible with a little educational flare. ;)
For those who don't know, I'm getting Invisalign! I thought it would be a great idea if I shared some of my stories with you, especially if you happen to be interested in getting it yourself. I will be posting a weekly entry about Invisalign and how it affects my everyday life (eating, drinking, speech, visibility, auditions, filming)
Apart from that I will be blogging about the basics of being an actor: my experiences on set, updates on my career, auditioning etc.
If you ever have questions or any particular topics you'd like me to write about, just ask and I'll see what I can do.
For now, I'm off to chew as much gum as possible before my Invisalign trays arrive.
Brenna
Follow me!
Welcome to my first blog... I'll just be blogging about you know, my life and stuff. I'll try to keep it as entertaining as possible with a little educational flare. ;)
For those who don't know, I'm getting Invisalign! I thought it would be a great idea if I shared some of my stories with you, especially if you happen to be interested in getting it yourself. I will be posting a weekly entry about Invisalign and how it affects my everyday life (eating, drinking, speech, visibility, auditions, filming)
Apart from that I will be blogging about the basics of being an actor: my experiences on set, updates on my career, auditioning etc.
If you ever have questions or any particular topics you'd like me to write about, just ask and I'll see what I can do.
For now, I'm off to chew as much gum as possible before my Invisalign trays arrive.
Brenna
Follow me!
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