Film Demo Workshop UPDATE
Good news! Gregory Burke, an experienced industry pro with many credits as a film director and editor (and a right nice guy in the bargain), will be co-teaching the Film Demo Workshop with me on Tuesday nights starting August 22nd. Gregory will be working on all aspects of the class, including preparation of shot lists, camera, script selection and rehearsing actors. We intend this workshop to meet a very high standard, especially since actors in it will walk away with showcase quality scenes for their reels. Gregory's knowledge of the film making process will be invaluable, and I'm delighted to have him on the team! (Yes, there are a couple of spaces still available in the class.)

Looking for an unusual acting gig? Look no further than the Standardized Patient Program at Stanford University. They hire actors that pretend to have diseases for student doctors to diagnose. No nudity or anything like that. People who have worked for the program say it's a toot, and it pays pretty well, too. Call either Bernie Miller (415-502-6208 in San Francisco) or Julianne Arnall (650-498-5040 in Palo Alto) for more info.

I'll betcha the folks at ACT are not very happy with the news that Berkeley Rep is launching a full tilt acting school next year. It's another sign of the times. Theater companies in America increasingly cannot make a go of it by offering good plays to the public. They need to run schools. The problem is that unless they are careful in Berkeley, the tail will start wagging the dog, artistically speaking. What is ACT's primary function any more? Theater or school? I'm not saying good theater and good training can't be accomplished simultaneously, only that it is difficult.

UPCOMING CLASSES
Commercials Workshop -- August 12-13
Scene Study (San Francisco) -- Mon, 7-10:30pm, ongoing
Scene Study (Palo Alto) -- Thurs, 6:30-10pm, ongoing
Acting for Animators -- Saturday, July 22
Ed Hooks's Film Demo Workshop - Tues, August 22nd, 7-10:30

HOOKS ACTORS WORKING
MARNIE LEVEE (f/tv & s.stdy - current) is appearing in "No Exit" and "Chee Chee" with A Traveling Jewish Theatre, through August 26th. Ticket information is available through Eastenders Repertory Company at 510/434-0734. PAUL MCKINNEY (s.stdy - '96-'99) landed roles in two TV shows: "Invisible Man" (Sci-Fi Channel) and "18 Wheels of Justice" (TNN). MICHAEL EHRENBERG (comml - '97) recorded a v/o for CHECKPOINT. FRED OCHS (comml-'98) and SARA BETTS (f/tv - '00) are appearing in the Marin Shakespeare Company's production of Cyrano de Bergerac, through August 13th. Call (415) 456-8104 for tickets. JEAN MAZZEI (s.stdy - '97-'99) recorded v/o's for kinera.com, Asimba, and for a Konami CD-ROM game. JACK RAMAGE (comml - '87) is directing the San Carlos Children's Theater summer show at Central School in San Carlos. DEEANN WEIR (f/tv - '98) is portraying Macduff and doubling as the fight choreographer in The Queen's Company all-female-cast production of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth", through August 20th at The Mint Space, 311 West 43rd, New York, NY. All seats $15 call Smarttix at (212) 206-1515; order online at www.smarttix.com. HARRY FARMER (all classes '97-'99) is in the Sonoma County Repertory production of "The Merry Wives of Windsor", through Sept. 3rd. For info, call 7070544-7278 or check this web site: www.sonoma-county-rep.com. PHIL SHERIDAN (f/tv '97) landed a law-training video, produced by Visions Plus.

"SPACE COWBOYS" is opening big, and I'm darned proud of Howie Klausner, the co-screenwriter. I well remember how much Howie, my friend and former student, struggled in Hollywood, first as an actor and then as a writer. His success today is an inspiration to us all! Go see the movie. When you see Howie's name come up on screen, clap, scream, stomp and elbow whoever is sitting next to you.

CRAFT NOTES
TOP 10 SHOWS - NO SCRIPTS

For the week July 24-30, five of the top ten rated prime-time television shows had neither actor nor script. "Survivor" was #1, followed by various segments of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and "Big Brother." How far we have fallen! The first scripted show in the ratings race, "The Practice", was watched by only nine million viewers, half the number who watched "Survivor."

What this means is that we will surely see more non-scripted shows in the programming line-up. It also means that pressure is building for a blowout strike by Screen Actors Guild and the Writer's Guild next summer when theatrical contracts expire. The current SAG/AFTRA strike against the advertising industry is a precursor. The Internet, cable television and digital technology are changing the shape of the entertainment industry, and unless we actors are aggressive in our bargaining, we will get the short end of the stick financially. The networks, owned now by huge international conglomerates, are figuring out ways to deliver consumers to the commercials without using actors at all. When contract renegotiations begin next year, the first thing SAG and AFTRA reps will hear from producers is that we actors have become expendable and are no longer worth all the money we receive - as if we were highly paid in the first place.

As I gaze into my crystal ball for a moment, I do indeed see a steady increase in the amount of acting work available for actors, but overall wages will decline because exhibition will move away from network television and onto the Internet where there are no SAG/AFTRA contracts. I am already receiving three or four calls per month from director/producers of digital video movies who are in search of actors for their projects. Because none of these movies pay anything, talent agents do not have a financial incentive to get involved.

The good news for actors is that digital video and the Internet are re-empowering the actor/storyteller. We are already seeing a dramatic increase in actor-initiated projects. I can't help but remember a conversation I had with director/producer Henry Jaglom ("Can She Bake a Cherry Pie", "Tracks", "Eating") at Mirabelle Restaurant on Sunset in Hollywood a few years ago. Over chef salads, he good-naturedly admonished me for spending so much energy wooing casting directors and agents in pursuit of acting work. "It's a waste of your time," he explained. "Anybody can make a movie. If you want to act in movies, sit down and write a script and then rent a camera and start shooting. Once people see what you're doing, they'll help you do it. You won't have any trouble finding crew or cast." That was pre-digital advice, and I found it daunting at the time. But today, when one can technically shoot and edit a full-length movie for under $20,000, Jaglom's words are ringing in my ears.

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