The ten-timer's club Welcomes: Tali de assis

---

Tali de Assis is an actress, singer, and model living in New York City, and an official member of The Sequestered's Ten-Timer's Club. 

Curious about her experience making 13 submissions in quarantine? Read on for her insights, favorite shorts and learning curves.

 I had been a film and theater actor for many years, but aside from a very minor attempt at filming a sketch during a Character class at UCB, I had never really tried my hand at making my own work.  

 My favorite is probably “A Measured Recipe.” I grew up on old movies, and have a deep love for Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, and so many others. I also love a good mix of genres, whether in film or music. For this one, I played with the idea of a cooking show, but with a twist to highlight some anti-racism perspectives (to the best of my ability), all combined with a filter mimicking early film, a soundtrack reminiscent of the Charlie Chaplin film era, and my attempt at a 1940s mid-Atlantic accent. It was my homage to the artists I grew up on and adore, and to the activists today who I am grateful to be learning from. Inevitably, there is always something in every piece I make that I think I could improve, yet with this piece I feel like I was able to effectively express my intent, my worldview, and my artistic lens in a way in which I can be proud. 

 Absolutely; watching other’s work has helped me see the various ways people interpret a prompt, which has given me some permission to go with whatever instinct I have in response to word, rather than self-censoring into thinking my idea is over-played or too out there. Seeing where other artists go with the prompts helps invigorate me to create whatever I want. I also love seeing unique ways people play with filters, camera angles, editing, music - anything new helps inspire me to try something of my own.  

 Almost every one of my submissions has represented me trying something new - writing and creating a story for voiceover over a film montage (‘The Little God”), discovering my love of playing multiple characters (starting with “A Fortunate Intervention” and continuing to the Interview Series and further), using a filter and music as a key storytelling vehicle and ditching the script (“Treat Yourself”), writing and performing a parody song (“Beauty and Her Plea”). 

The most vulnerable was a drama monologue for my piece “A Tangled Mind.” I played with different editing cuts to indicate the characters disconnected mental state, while working with a script that was telling a darker story, while trusting and hoping that my performance on the acting side would be compelling enough to hold audiences for a slower pace. I’m often more comfortable with the quick-cuts of comedy, even though a great deal of my performance experience is drama, yet delving into dramatic work of my own felt like more of a risk.    

The most vulnerable was a drama monologue for my piece “A Tangled Mind.”  

 I played with different editing cuts to indicate the characters disconnected mental state, while working with a script that was telling a darker story, while trusting and hoping that my performance on the acting side would be compelling enough to hold audiences for a slower pace.