Training for Now: What Degree of Acting School is Right for You?By Glenn Kalison, Chair of Acting for Film Program, New York Film AcademyUltimately,
people come wired with different degrees of natural talent. This is
true in every pursuit, from anything involving math or science to the
arts, athletics and everything in between. This certainly is true of
performers, be they actors, dancers, singers, comics or musicians.
Natural talent is only a part of what’s required to be a success.
For
everyone who likes to cite Bryan Cranston (the talented multi-Emmy
winner for his work in Breaking Bad), who holds an associate degree in
political science, we should also consider how many others devoted their
life to studying drama. Meryl Streep studied as an undergraduate as
Vassar College and earned her masters in fine arts degree from the Yale
School of Drama. Talent provides a good foundation, but education
doesn’t hurt.
On a practical business point, the actor who has
invested years of his or her life to training may be more attractive to
managers, agents, and casting professionals at the very beginning. On
the resume, solid training represents a commitment. This is a meaningful
signal to send in a field such as acting, which has a very high
attrition rate. If industry professionals are considering a new
relationship with an entry-level actor, they will want to know that you
are not going anywhere. Additionally, there is a confidence associated
with those individuals who are trained to perform to the technical and
artistic needs of productions. This does not replace the importance of
talent, but may increase the number of opportunities to apply that
talent.
Of course, not everyone has the time or wherewithal to follow Meryl Streep’s path. The programs at the
New York Film Academy
(http://www.nyfa.edu/) range from one week acting school workshops
through summer camps, one-year conservatory, associate (two-year),
bachelor (eight-semester) and masters (eight-semester) degree programs.
It
might seem attractive to take several years off from life to get
another degree, but that may not be realistic for many people. But a
concentrated one-week intensive program can be a smart way for a working
person to spend a week off from a regular job. This program (offered at
the school’s Manhattan, Los Angeles, Orlando, Harvard/Boston,
Queensland/Australia, Florence/Italy and Paris/France campuses) is
completely immersive, including an intensive introduction to relaxation
(tension alleviation), “method” (acting truthfully), scene study
(dramatic beats, needs of the characters), movement (expression without
words), voice (as it reveals character) and acting for the camera. A
single week of training has its limitations, of course, but anyone who
takes it emerges far more skilled than before.
A summer camp is another means by which younger
people – teens and kids – get a taste for acting and consider where they
might focus their career aspirations. In a similar vein for adults, 4-,
8- and 12-week acting and comedy programs provide technical training
for the skills required of actors. Longer programs convey an
understanding of film craft, the language and grammar of filmmaking. The
actor is far preferred by directors if he or she understands shot
language, screen direction, camera movement, eye lines and lighting.
In a multi-year degree
program, the student is clearly committed to this profession and what it
takes to be a solid performer on stage and screen. The course of study
includes literature (vocabulary, history and industry writing trends),
production, kinesthetic expression (the expression of movement, the
voice and gestures), synthesis (becoming a unique artistic product) and
business (the practical nature of identifying one’s marketing niche and
the creation of a business plan to meet career objectives).
Some training beats no
training. Training is available for different level performers, time
commitments and locations so all students of performance, young and not
so young, should be able to find something from which they can benefit.
Glenn
Kalison received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of
California at Irvine and has since worked as an actor, director and
producer on films that include Clutter (with Carol Kane and Natasha
Lyonne), The Good Shepherd (with Matt Damon and John Turturro) and
Mystery Team (with Aubry Plaza and Donald Glover), a Sundance Film
Festival selection; and on television productions that include Law and
Order: SVU, Law and Order: CI, Lights Out, As the World Turns; and many
off-Broadway and regional stage productions. He is Chair, Acting for
Film Program at the New York Film Academy.
+++++++++++++++++++++++<@@@>++++++++++++++++++++++
MIPCOM
at Cannes is the yearly anticipated film, TV and digital market for
co-producing, buying, selling, financing and distributing entertainment
content. It provides the people involved in the TV, film, digital and
audiovisual content, production and distribution industry a market and
networking forum to discover future trends and trade content rights on a
global level. Increasingly present are new media players such as
Facebook, and MIPWORLD is the event's online matchmaking community used
before, during and after the main event in Cannes. MIPJunior, a two-day
screening and conference event for kids' TV and multiplatform content,
normally is held right before the MIPCOM event which this year runs
October 8-11. This year, Canada will be in the MIPCOM spotlight, as the
festival collaborates with Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund
(CMF) to present Canada Country of Honour, an immersive celebration of
the best of Canadian TV, film and digital entertainment.
MIPCOM
schedules a special workshop addressed to creators and producers to
learn more on how to launch and grow a channel on YouTube, web
broadcasting powerhouse, with more than 4 billion video views per day,
on October 11. The MIPCOM 2012 World Premiere TV Screening of new period
drama, 'The Americans', will have gala screening and MIPCOM's red
carpet Opening Night Party on Octobern 8, attended by the series'
leading couple actress Keri Russell and Welsh actor Matthew Rhys. BBC
Worldwide is bringing actors Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn and Adam
Rothenberg to Cannes to present the British period crime drama produced
by Tiger Aspect and Lookout Point, 'Ripper Street'. Palme d'Or and
Oscar-winning writer/director Jane Campion will be at MIPCOM to present
her new series, Top of the Lake, executive produced by See-Saw Films and
internationally distributed by BBC Worldwide.
The Ghent Film
Festival in the province of East Flanders was first established in 1974
as a student's film festival, but has since evolved into a broader film
event with its focus on film music. As this year's nearly month-long
festival gets underway October 9 the opening gala screening will be
melodramatic love tale: 'The Broken Circle Breakdown' directed by Felix
van Groeningen. Every year along with screenings the festival organises
film music concerts providing composers of film scores a showcase of
their own. And each year since 2001 the best soundtrack composers are
honoured with the World Soundtrack Awards. In addition to the
screenings, the Ghent Film Festival also organises film-related
exhibitions. For instance, the Stanley Kubrick exhibition, which was
previously shown in Berlin, Melbourne and Frankfurt-am-Main, was brought
to Ghent before other world cities such as Rome, Paris and London.
On
October 18, the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the very first
James Bond film and the Belgium release of the new James Bond film
'Skyfall', Ghent Film Festival presents "007 in Concert: Flemish Talents
Sing James Bond". This program of famous Bond songs will performed with
Flemish artists and the Brussels Philharmonic, conducted by Dirk
Brossé. Guest artists will share their personal interpretation of
legendary Bond songs including pop and rock artists like Natalia, Koen
Wauters and Eva Jacobs, Jasper Steverlinck, Noémie Wolfs (Hooverphonic),
Pieter Embrechts, Lady Linn, Barbara Dex, Marie Daulne (Zap Mama), Lola
(AKS) and Stryrofoam who are confirmed for attendance and other to be
added. Another 007 themed concert is scheduled for October 21.
The
music of award-winning composer James Newton Howard will be celebrated
in concert at the Ghent's 12th World Soundtrack Awards on October 20.
Howard -- who has received eight Oscar® nominations -- most recently
scored the blockbuster film 'The Hunger Games' and other credits include
'King Kong', 'The Sixth Sense', 'The Fugitive' and 'Pretty Woman'. VIP
tickets are available for most all special concerts. In the "Artists On
Film" festival showcase, October 10, Director Dheeraj Akoilkar examines
the fruitful artistic collaborations between Liv Ullmann and Ingmar
Bergman in 2012 documentary 'Liv & Ingmar' before, during and after
their romantic connection. The official closing program is "Passion" an
erotic thriller in the tradition of ‘Dressed To Kill’ and ‘Basic
Instinct’ directed by Brian De Palma.
At a time when all players
in the TV and entertainment ecosystem face numerous challenges in
keeping pace with quick paced technological innovation, introduction and
adoption of new devices, platforms and evolving consumer demands, the
Social TV ecosystem drives “what’s on”, and PayTV services are
increasingly virtualized and seamless across multiple connected devices.
That's where the Sixth Annual TVNext 2012 Conference in Santa Clara
brings together the hundreds of media, technology and entertainment
companies starting to chart a course for the Future of TV and
Multi-Platform Entertainment Services and Platforms. The two-day
convention starting October 10 has an agenda format that offers
resources to help key decision-makers adapt their products, services and
content to most effectively follow the paradigm shift happening right
now. Jesse Redniss, Senior Vice President Digital - USA Network,
delivers the conference keynote: "The Perfect Pixel – Portable,
Shareable, Social". The Diffusion Group will lead a pre-conference
workshop on October 9 titled: "TV's Great Migration" which looks into
how the existing TV experience is migrating online, new OTT services,
how broadcast and VOD TV services are adapting to the connected world
and how they are transitioning online with TV.
The Tyrolean
Independent Film Festival set to open for a run from October 12-15
curates quality films that are between art house and Hollywood block
buster movies. It selects entertaining movies that have the potential to
reach a great international audience. The Metropol Kino -- which will
house most of the screenings -- is a movie theater with a long tradition
that is situated at the Riverwalk near the old town of Innsbruck in the
heart of the European Alps -- the alpine-urban city of Innsbruck. The
Festival will screen films in cinema halls 3 and 4, as well as in the
lobby. All festival parties start at 10 pm, or after the last
screenings.
The Visual Effects Society (VES) is an organization
representing visual effects practitioners including artists,
technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors,
PR/marketing specialists and producers in all areas of entertainment
from film, television and commercials to music videos and games.
Comprised of a diverse group of more than 2,500 members in 29 countries,
the VES strives to enrich and educate its own members and members of
the entertainment community at large through a various domestic and
international events, screenings and programs. Their upcoming VES Summit
in Marina del Rey on October 13 will be used to examines the
intersection between creative content and the business bottom line
emphasizing how social media impacts decision making on all levels. Back
by popular demand are the Breakfast Round Tables. Albert Cheng, EVP and
Chief Product Officer, Digital Media, Disney/ABC Television Group,
follows George Whitesides, CEO and President, Virgin Galactic at the
morning speaker sessions. The Visual Effects Society (VES) as a
non-profit professional, honorary society is dedicated to advancing the
arts, sciences, and uses of visual effects and to improving the welfare
of its members by providing professional enrichment and education,
fostering community, and promoting industry recognition. The Summit
closes with a cocktail and mixer reception for all to attend.
Now
in its 32nd year, CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival functions as a
platform for the discovery of new music with showcases that are held in
over 80 venues throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. In addition to keynote
speakers and an exhibition area with a live performance stage running
October 16-20, it features dozens of panels covering topics of universal
importance to the music industry. Attendees have access to over 80
panels, seminars, Q&As, nighttime parties, meet and greets, mixers,
special events and exclusive areas like the Exhibitors’ Loft and Artist
Lounge. In conjunction with CMJ’s commitment to educating as well as
entertaining, registrants can sign up to have one-on-one sessions with
professionals in a variety of capacities across the music world for
insight and advice on thriving in the industry. On opening day a panel
with Elias Roman, CEO and Co-Founder of Songza, Sami Valkonen, Esq.,
Head of International Music Licensing, Google Play, Larry Kanusher,
Esq., Greenberg Traurig, Matthew DeFilippis, Vice President New Media
and Technology, ASCAP discuss some of the open issues facing streaming
media, including copyright and licensing concerns, and later that day in
another panel, Mark Piibe, Esq., Executive Vice President, Global
Business Development, EMI Music, Tyler Lenane, Esq., Senior Vice
President and General Counsel, MOG, Gene Rhough, Esq., Independent Media
Consultant, Larry Miller, Managing Partner, Miller and Company address
financing innovation in entertainment.
With an emphasis on
learning, talent assessment and job placement, the MIA Animation
Conference and Festival conference at Miami Beach that focuses on
Computer Animation, Gaming, Visual Effects and Motion Graphics, Film,
Web Design and Visual Arts. It will offer master classes along with
software demos and multiple panels focusing on new technologies. There
will be a job fair onsite bringing employers from major animation and
gaming studios, Post-Houses, TV Networks, to interview and hire students
onsite. Interested applicants should check job postings on the Job Fair
Page (http://www.miaanimation.com/Job%20Fair.htm) on a regular basis.
The Festival will be holding a Pitching Contest onsite, and all content
creators are encouraged to submit their projects for consideration. The
top submissions in both categories will be invited to pitch their ideas
in person to a panel of animation industry experts and professionals.
The top pitch overall will be set up with three meetings with relevant
buyers and/or talent representatives, enabling a start to getting the
pitch sold. For planned competitive event, "Animation Wars," four
competing teams of computer graphics artists will be chosen to
participate in the competition to be held at Miami International
University of Art & Design. The competition starts at 12 pm on
October 19 and ends at 12 pm on October 20 -- a day before the
conference officially begins and a day before it ends. During this time
the four teams will compete against each other to create the best
animation sequence through creative use of technology to tell a story,
based on a theme to be revealed at the day of the competition.
Each
year the New York Television Festival showcases the work of artists
around the world bringing its audiences the creations of independently
produced television. The NYTVF has hosted these independent initiatives
leading to opportunities for guaranteed development deals with a number
of networks, studios and brands including FOX, ION Media, Microsoft's
Bing, Sony Pictures Television, Lifetime and Procter & Gamble
Productions. In addition to those stand-alone initiatives, Independent
Pilot Competition partners have included FX, IFC, MTV, USA and FOX
Television Studios. Festival artists have also gone on to sell
Festival-premiered content and projects to a number of outlets
including NBC, Sundance, A&E, Versus, IFC, Comedy Central, truTV and
Spike. The Festival which opens October 22-27 this year in downtown
Tribeca is supported by William Morris Endeavor (WME), Creative Artists
Agency (CAA) and the United Talent Agency (UTA).
In West
Hollywood the Hollywood Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film and TV Music
Conference will address the connection to, and music’s role in, film and
television amid an assemblage of composers, directors, key studio,
network, record label and publishing professionals, VIPs from the
advertising, gaming and commercial fields as well as music supervisors
in the business. Five-time Grammy Award winner Christina Aguilera
headlines the conference with the Keynote address. Aguilera will discuss
her musical journey -- beginning with "The Mickey Mouse Club," up to
her present stint as a coach on NBC's "The Voice." -- an upcoming album,
and the role television has played and continues to play in her life
and career. Then there will be a Keynote Q&A with Epic Records
Chairman, "X Factor" judge and three time Grammy winner Antonio "L.A."
Reid who will discuss his career as a producer, songwriter and label
executive at Epic. Other conference highlights will include a Q&A
with two-time Academy Award winner Gustavo Santaolalla who will talk
about his award-winning work on 'Brokeback Mountain,' 'Motorcycle
Diaries' and 'Babel,' as well as his latest score, 'On the Road,' and a
panel session titled Breaking Bad: Storytelling Through Music
Supervision and Composing where the creator of the hit series on AMC,
Vince Gilligan, will discuss the increasing importance of music on the
show with composer Dave Porter and music supervisor Thomas Golubic.
Evening one (October 24) ends with a cocktail reception and the closing
night on October 25 finishes with a Billboard/The Hollywood Reporter
Conference Closing Party hosted by John Anderson and PJ Bloom at
VANGUARD located at 6021 Hollywood Boulevard.
Casual Connect is
produced by the Casual Games Association and is an industry event for
the casual games industry -- which are largely played on digital and/or
mobile devices. Casual Connect brings together the experts of the casual
gaming field to further the casual games industry through networking
and learning and convention events held in both North America, Asia and
Europe. On day one of the conference, Paul Thelen, Founder and CEO, Big
Fish Games delivers a talk on "Making Money with Games – What's Real
Today". Casual games are often found on a variety of platforms including
personal computers, video game consoles, mobile phones and handheld
devises. Because of their ease of distribution, varied monetization
methods and mass appeal, casual games are distributed in a wide variety
of locations including retail stores, major online portals such as
Yahoo! and MSN, social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, and
specialty online retailers such as Big Fish Games and GameHouse.
Aside
from the conference and other learning agendas, Casual Connect will
feature an Innovation Showcase that will take place near the entrance to
Elite and Azure hall, and will showcase new entries such as:
Botanicula, a point'n'click exploration game created by the makers of
award-winning Machinarium, studio Amanita Design and Czech band DVA; Mad
Acorn, a music rhythm game that gets you to pay attention to and
interact with the rhythm; Nihilumbra, a videogame that panders to the
existential dread within the player and that utilizes five different
colors which give the player various abilities to change the physics of
the world. Just one of the official Casual Connect parties to be
announced is the Big Fish Games Presents Disco Stars! at venue D*Lux.
The theme of the party for this year is 80's Disco. Check the convention
agenda for more engagements which are sure to come.
The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "
Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events"
page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html which now has a
language translation button to convert page contents into most widely
used international languages. A special guest article sidebar from New
York Film Academy weighs in on selecting the right program for actor
training By Glenn Kalison, Chair of Acting for Film Program,
NYFA.
This month's photo composite heralds the upcoming Bond, 007 flick
'Skyfall', the 23rd adventure and the 50th anniversary of the series,
opening in UK Cinemas October 26 and in US theaters November 9. Looking
ahead into the next month, be aware that... American Film Market will
run along the beach in Santa Monica, AFI Fest opens in Hollywood, the
ALTER-NATIVE International Short Film Festival opens in Mures, the
Oaxaca FilmFest will be in Oaxaca, Brisbane International Film Festival
will be in Brisbane, Content and Communication World will be in New York
City, The Billboard FutureSound Conference will be in San Francisco.
