DOA1: Diary of an Artist

In these new short episode series of DOA (Diary of an Artist), podcast host Cindy Claes, shares the real month-to-month work of an artist, the messy behind the scenes, the months of negotiating to get new gigs and contracts, as well as the exciting moments of creating magic in film, theatre and dance!

IG Cindy Claes:

@cindy_claes

Podcast Intro Review

Chapters

• 0:41 Host Intro & Series Purpose
• 1:45 Choosing Aligned Opportunities
• 2:49 Berlinale Talents Application
• 4:23 Writing Intimacy With Care
• 6:44 Bursary Win & Series Workshop
• 7:18 Injury Recovery & Training Reset
• 8:22 New Skills: Martial Arts & Roller Dance
• 9:31 Upcoming Feature Role & Waiting
• 10:08 Coping With Quiet Casting Months
• 11:21 Building a Comedy-Infused Solo
• 12:04 Short Film Post-Production Realities
• 13:59 Mini Short Film Experiment
• 15:06 Teaching Action Actors Lab
• 15:33 Cracking Thriller Story Codes
• 15:52 Navigating Belgian Production Rules
• 17:36 Next Steps & Listener Invite

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:21

Welcome to the Loud Whisper Takeover Podcast. My name is Cindy Klass. I'm an action actress and a filmmaker. I have a background in dance and choreography. I used to be a theater maker, and obviously, right now I'm in the world of sci-fi, thrillers, action movies. In other words, I'm a movement nerd in everything that I do. And right now I love telling stories through the medium of film. Welcome to this new episode series: Diary of an Artist. These episode series are short, but I hope it will give an insight to those that are not an artist of what is actually happening behind the scenes, what the life of an artist looks like. We are not always working on set, but behind the scenes, in preparation of it, there is a ton of things happening. I also hope that these episode series will inspire peer artists because we are all going through the same ups and downs, exhilarating moments and challenges. Diary of an Artist Episode 1, what has been happening on my side over the last month or two? First of all, as an artist, we are always looking for support, mentorship, finances to make our projects and our ideas happening. So I've been writing quite a few application forms. I had a whole list of application forms I had to fill in. And I probably didn't do half of it, but those that I have filled in, I'm very proud of. Why did I not fill in the other ones? Some because I didn't feel ready yet with my project to submit something that was strong enough. Some because I felt the values of the organization were not fully in line for what I stand for as an artist. And that was a big eye-opener for me. For example, there was one particular application form. I was struggling, procrastinating, procrastinating to even write it. And I thought, but why, why? And then there was another application I had to send in at the same time where I was super excited about. And I realized it's because the core principles, the core values were so different. So I'll tell you the one that I was excited about. That was Berlinale Talents. It's a film festival in Berlin, and they offer an opportunity for filmmakers, actors, people of the industry, screenwriters to be mentored and to access a network of decision makers and production companies so that they can really move their projects forward. It was an exciting application for them because, on top of the usual questions, you have to send in your CV and show your video portfolio. There was a ton of questions that were about getting to know us as artists. And that was really cool. For example, we had to create our own question for the application form and answer it. And I think that says so much about what you want to share about yourself. There was a question about milestones. What are the milestones that you've accomplished throughout your life, personal or professional, in the world of volunteering or the world of professional contracts you had? And that was such an exciting moment because we go through so many things in life challenges, passion projects that we set up that really impact us as human beings, and that then also nourish our artistic work. And being able to share that in such a way was super exciting. So Berlin Alley Talents, I will hear around uh December, if I go through. And it was just a delight to be writing this application form. I sent in another application form, and that is to receive mentoring and support in the writing of intimate scenes. So I'm a screenwriter, and I'm writing a series, a short, and a feature film at the moment. And there are some intimate scenes. So in our world, in the world of cinema, there is something called intimacy coordinators. These people basically join the team and support the actors and support the director in choreographing intimate scenes. These could be sensual scenes, these could be sexual scenes. In my case, it's actually a hospital scene where there is nudity involved in the hospital scene. So it's nothing to do with sexuality or sensuality, but it's related to an old woman that is stripped away from her power both physically and emotionally because she's sick. And so showing the nudity of an old woman and also this nudity happening in front of her daughter and this mother-daughter relationship not being a Hollywood kind of relationship, I think it's a very intimate moment, and it's a metaphor of what is really happening inside, both in the mind of this older woman that was always independent, that was always a strong woman, but now being sick, she's being stripped away of all her power of doing things alone. And then this mother-daughter relationship that had never really shared anything intimate, hugs, personal stories, they have a lot of secrets for each other. So this is a very intimate scene. And I've requested support with mentors. There were masterclasses that this particular organization is offering as well in how to write your script, but then also they give you masterclasses in how to pitch your work afterwards to production companies. So I'm excited to hear about that as well. And writing that application form actually made me rethink the movie and the scenes that I'm writing about. It gave me more depth. So while writing application forms is something that takes a huge amount of time and can be very draining, it also can give us clarity as artists of where we're going and why we're doing what we're doing. Another application form that I've sent was to receive a bursary, which I've got. So I'm going to be doing a writer's workshop for series. So I'm writing a series at the moment. I've never written a series of my life before. And there is something very specific in how you write a series. So this workshop will give me access to creative professional development, but also it teaches you how to pitch your series to production companies, which will be very valuable to me. Another important thing that happened over the last few weeks is injury management. So, as an artist that is working with her body all the time, injuries are also a part of our jobs. Uh, I had an injury that was annoying me for the last six months, and I couldn't figure out what it was. I finally got help and found an amazing physio, an amazing massage therapist, both to whom I'm very grateful for. And this is now under control and healed. Training, training, a very important part of our lives as an artist, is that we constantly have to train. When we are an actor, we're not always doing a movie, but we have to still keep the brain of the actor, keep the soul and the heart of the actor alive. When we work with our bodies, is the same thing. We need to make sure that our physical capabilities are always at a level that is employable and ready for casting. So I have thrown myself into a couple of new challenges. Obviously, I keep lifting weights at the gym and that sort of things. I keep dancing, but I wanted to learn a new set of skills. So I signed up uh for Aikido, uh a Japanese martial arts practice, karate, and kobudo. Kabudo is all about manipulating weapons, bowstaff, psi, and so forth. And I'm super excited about that because over the summer I've spent a lot of time learning artistic bow staff manipulation and also nonchakus. So these three martial arts will be a part of my weekly training now. It's quite hard on my body at the moment, but I'm starting to get into a routine. The dancer in me is always looking for some sort of artistic challenge too. So I've also signed up for a roller dance course, and I'm actually improving pretty quickly, which is really cool. And that sort of also allows me to express a bit more of a feminine side of my movement quality because all the weightlifting and the martial arts can sometimes put my heart and my soul in a very masculine sort of energy field, but there is this femininity that I want to express as well, and so that I find often through dance and now this roller skating challenge. As an actress, I'm super excited. I have a project coming up in November, so I have quite an important role in a feature film. I'm not gonna say the name of the film because I'm not sure that I'm allowed to yet, but at the moment, I have not learned my lines yet because the script might still change. So I've obviously read the whole script and I'm super excited about it. At the moment, the creative team is working on the set design and more the preparation of the shooting days. But I'm super excited to basically get with the whole team, do a table read and that sort of things. But I'm still waiting for it. Unfortunately, as an actress, in the last month I haven't had many castings, and that can be super stressful. As an actor or actress, when you don't get castings for a month, you have the impression, you have the feeling that it's like an eternity. But when you zoom out, it doesn't mean anything really. Um, there are periods of the year where there are more productions happening, where your profile will be more requested than others, but still it feels stressful. When that happens to me, I just decide to do a lot of research on acting in general. By research, I mean I can be binge watching a series or certain types of movies, but I don't watch it just to watch it. I actually analyze it in depth. I'm trying to see why certain actors really stand out and what their special source was and how they eventually got there. I watch a lot of BTS behind the scenes footage on YouTube, the making of certain movies or certain series, so I can understand a little bit more how actors are diving into their characters. So I have done a lot of research on comedy and especially American comedy. I developed a solo, which is a little bit of me the actress one-woman show mixed with interactivity, mixed with public speaking. I started to test it out a few months ago. It's a solo about loneliness. The best way I can describe it is it's a one-woman show, me as an actress, slash public speakers, slash interactivity with the audience. And after about six months of negotiating with an organization, I got about seven bookings of it. So the six months of negotiation were really worth it, and I'm really excited because I will be performing it a couple of times next month. Post-production. Oh my god. So I have done a short film as a filmmaker, director, writer, which is called A Walk-in. It was shot in Barcelona in March. We are now end of September, and we are still in post-production. So that's another important thing to know. Yeah, post-production can take ages, even though it's a short film. Long story short, unfortunately, my first editor had a bit of an existential life crisis. Wasn't really sure anymore if he wanted still to pursue the path of being a creative and an artist. I hope he will continue because he's so talented. But this is a part of our realities as artists as well, is that we question these things all the time, and we can lose confidence or even lose ourselves in our passion. Anyway, so I had to collaborate with a new editor, and we agreed that the process would be slow because he's working on other projects, but this is really hard on me in certain ways and exciting. I have an incredible relationship with this new editor. Like I feel creatively speaking, we speak the same language. But I think when post-production takes so much time, what is difficult is not just having patience of seeing the end result of the project, it's also as a filmmaker, while time passes, you also grow as an artist, and so by the time the film comes out, you're not fully the same anymore, and so the end result doesn't fully represent who you are anymore. I've had that as an actress as well. So I was in a film called Daniela Forever, it was shot in 2023 and it came out in 2025. But then two years later, you see yourself on screen and it's cool and it's amazing, but really you're not the same artist anymore. There is something about you that has gone through so much over the last two years. And as a filmmaker, is the same thing, or as a director, is taking a movie till to the end and then seeing the end result. There is something exhilarating about it, and also something about is that still me? So, anyway, a walk in, we're still working on it. I really want to see it finished, but it's a really long and slow process. What I definitely don't want is that this movie ends up in a drawer and that nobody ever sees it. Like I need to take it to the end with my team. Also, in the last month, I've shot a new short film, but it's actually a mini short film. I want to try the festival circuit for the mini short films. Usually they ask for films that are under two minutes. But with two friends, Jada and Martina, we have made same shit another day. Same thing, I think the post-production process will take a bit of time, but I'm really excited to see what we will come up with. Then there is me as the teacher that has been expressing herself and sharing herself again with the world. So I've been teaching a couple of dance classes, and most importantly, I've been teaching the Action Actors Lab. And that's a workshop for actors that want to do action movies and actors that want to connect with their bodies. We cover physical theater, fighting choreography, scene work, and also top tips for self-taping for action scenes. Last but not least, I've attended a couple of networking events, masterclasses, seminars on the codes and the rules of thrillers and what makes a thriller a good thriller. And this really helped me to analyze all the scripts that I'm writing at the moment as a screenwriter. I also went to an event organized by Media Arte, which is an organization that does a lot of things and events and masterclasses for filmmakers in Belgium. And they set up a meeting with producers and production companies so that filmmakers can understand how we can pitch our projects, when, at which stage of the development of our projects, and yeah, dive a little bit deeper into our expectations of what we can actually request, expect from working with a production company. And that was super interesting because obviously at the moment I'm writing a series, a short, and a feature, and I'm in this process of trying to approach production companies in Belgium, especially in Belgium, there is something that is a little bit different from other countries, is that most of the fundings and the finances that you want to apply for, you already have to have a contract in place with a production company. So you, as the writer director, you don't go directly to ask for the finances and the money and the fundings, you have to go with a production company with whom you already have an agreement that you're gonna work together. In other countries, that's not how it works. Usually a production company comes on board at a later stage of the development. Here in Belgium, the rules are turned upside down. So I will be sending my first couple of emails to production companies with my projects to pitch it more in the next episode, and I will give you an update of all what has been happening in between. Please let me know how this episode landed for you and if it was inspirational or if you learned anything, send me a DM. I would love to hear from you.