OLD FRIEND - TERRIFIC PHOTOGRAPHER!
Michael Papo, a very excellent LA-based theatrical photographer, called to wish me a Merry Christmas. During the conversation, he reminded me that he has been successfully photographing actors for twenty-twp years! Michael for sure carries my endorsement. I've made good money with his shots. Check him out. http://www.michaelpapo.com. Phone is 818-760-8160.

ED HOOKS TO TEACH AT ANIMATION 2002, TEESSIDE, ENGLAND, JAN 31 - FEB. 1
http://www.tees.ac.uk/news/animation2002.cfm
This will be my second trip to Teesside, and I'm really looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting some new ones. Among the featured guests at this year's event will be Phil Tippett who has done such great special effects work for ILM, Ken Beilenberg, SFX supervisor on "Shrek" and an animation team from Aardman ("Chicken Run"). A good time will be had by all!

ED HOOKS TO TEACH ACTING FOR ANIMATORS AT CHICAGO'S COLUMBIA COLLEGE
I've agreed to teach two Acting for Animators workshops at Chicago's Columbia College (http://www.colum.edu/) beginning February 11th.

DO NOT PAY FOR ACCESS TO CASTING DIRECTORS
A remarkable new web site, sponsored by LA casting director Billy DaMota and actor Roggie Cale, has been recently pointed out to me, and I applaud it.

Take a look at this! - http://www.DoNotPay.org/

I'm writing a more extensive article about the web site in the January edition of Casting Connection. The piece should appear approximately Jan. 6th.

CLASS SCHEDULE (CHICAGO)
SCENE STUDY - Monday or Wednesday night, on-going, 7-10:30. Free audit, start any time. Sixteen week commitment.
FILM CLASS - The next 9-week session begins Tuesday night, February 19th. 7-10:30.
COMMERCIALS WORKSHOP -- Saturday and Sunday, Jan 13-14
PRIVATE COACHING - Any time. $75/hr. Work on monolgoues, cold reading, career strategies.

HOOKS ACTORS WORKING
JEANETTE HARRISON (f/tv-'99) recently won Best Actress (bothaudience choice and judges award) for her role in an Independent short, "Zingaroo" , which was shown as part of the West Valley Film Festival. JOHN SCHUMACHER (all classes-'96-'00) appeared last month in "Exmass" at the Open Fist Theatre in LA. ANNA MARIA BELLEZZA (comml and f/tv '97) shot an indie film called "Water, Coffee, Wine" for writer/director Robert Miller. JAYSON MATTHEWS (all classes -'01) is in Noel Coward's "Design for Living" at Theatre Rhino in San Francisco. JAN DAY (s.stdy-'01) appeared in "The Baker's Wife" with Overture Productions in Boston. JENNIFER ERDMANN (s.stdy & f/tv -'01) is in the "Romeo and Juliet" tour with the SF Shakespeare Festival. She also recently shot two short indie indie films, "Queens of Retail" and "Box of Chocolates." DEENA DI
MARCO (comml -'01) shot a Public Service Announcement (known as a PSA" in the biz)called "Kids in Cars". JOE MAHON (comml -'01) is appearing in "A Hatful of Rain," at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. MELINDA MEENG (s.stdy -'01) shot her first commercial, for Tech TV. JOE MAHON (comml - 01) shot an industrial for McDougall Creative. SHIRLEY BENNETT (f/tv-'97) appears in an indie entitled "Making Metamorphosis", which will screen at the Mill Valley Film
Festival. Another, "Deadville" will be at No Dance.

CRAFT NOTES
HOW TO SELECT A GOOD FILM CLASS

Most conventional acting classes begin by focusing on the actor doing scene work or exercises. A good film class, by contrast, ought to begin by focusing on the editing process. In order to know how to act in movies, the actor needs to understand how editing works. The acting is the same whether you do it on stage or on film, but the medium of film requires a difference in technique. Making a movie is a process of construction, tying together long shots, close-ups, master shots and so on into a cohesive and compelling final product.

Film classes have been around for a long time. I remember seeing them advertised twenty years ago. But the educational environment changed when digital video appeared. "Blair Witch Project" was produced on digital video for about $40,000 and went on to gross $150 million. Hollywood took notice, to understate the case. Now there is a huge industry of digital video movie-making, and the technology has found its way into the classroom.

There did not used to be a practical way for actors to closely examine the movie editing process because film was shot on 16mm or 35mm stock 100 percent of the time, and the transfer to an editing format would be cost prohibitive for an acting class. Some schools tried using non-digital videotape, shooting scenes in class. That helped, but you still could not edit the footage. You could look at it, but not edit it. And, as I say, editing is the key. Digital video, a technology that converts visual images into zeros and ones, makes it possible for actors to shoot actual scenes and to study the editing process up close and personal. What this means is that we are at the dawn of what will surely be a generation of excellent film actors. This is arguably the most exciting time to be an actor since film was first introduced back in the 1920's!

FIVE GUIDELINES FOR ACTING IN FILM

1) Make your performance the right size for the frame of the shot. When shooting a master shot, you can be more physically active than you can when shooting a close-up. In general, the closer the camera shot, the more "still" you must be. Remember, your face in close-up is going to be projected on a screen sixteen feet tall. A bobbling head is a true event in close-up.

2) If you have been told that film acting involves "acting smaller", forget it. You were told wrong. Film acting, like stage acting, should be played with Shakespearean importance. When an actor tries
to "act smaller", she inevitably winds up making the performance less important, and that is a mistake. Acting for film requires a different kind of focus than stage acting, that's all. It is more
like working with a laser. Same high stakes as stage acting, just a difference in energy placement.

3) In general, they cut to reaction shots in the editing room. Stage actors tend to want to keep the action moving and can be stingy with reaction. On film, reaction becomes critical. Listen-React-Speak.

4) Tension is Enemy Number One of film acting because the camera looks directly into your soul. If you are a nervous person, you need to deal with this obstacle head on. You cannot relax by
ordering yourself to do so. The secret to relaxing on camera involves a combination of self-confidence and focus on the action in the scene.

5) Scenes begin in the middle, not the beginning. It is a mistake for you to wait until you hear, "Action!" to begin acting.

If you are interested in learning how to act on film, and if you are inclined to take a class, the best thing you can do is audit. Look for the presence of digital video and a focus on editing. If all you
are seeing in a class is scene study on camera, that's not what you want. if you hear anybody say, "Act smaller", keep walking.

The best book I've found on the subject of acting on film is by Patrick Tucker, entitled "Secrets of Screen Acting". You can get it through Amazon.com. Click here to see it.

CRAFT NOTES II...
STAGE FRIGHT

Recently, I was surfing the Internet when I came across a site on method acting. The fellow whose site it was shall remain nameless here, but suffice it to say that he represented himself to be an
expert on the subject. On his home page, he provided a list of key word links to acting terms such as "sense memory" and "emotion". I clicked on "emotion" and was taken to a page that explained what stage fright is. What I read was frightful to me!

This person began by defining stage fright as "audience fright"; then, citing Stanislavsky's Circle of Light Exercise and the concept of the Fourth Wall as his authority, he explained that the fix for
stage fright is to become unaware of the audience. This, I submit, is a recipe for insanity. Actors are shamans, and shamans play for the tribe. You should never ever be unaware of the tribe. Without the tribe, you aren't acting!

The symptoms of stage fright are well known: dry mouth, cold and trembling hands, muscle tension, inability to concentrate, maybe an urge to go to the bathroom. And the more you think about how nervous you are, the worse it gets.

The correction to stage fright is two-fold: First, shift your focus onto whatever it is that your character is supposed to be doing. You cannot relax by silently ordering yourself to do so. Second, remind yourself that you are worthy of being on stage. The audience wants to hear from you. Your opinion and your values matter. It is an honor and a power to be an actor. And as an actor, your job is to lead, just as a priest or rabbi leads the congregation. Think of the audience as a congregation and yourself as a spiritual leader, and it will help you relax.

Did I say the solution was two-fold? I should have said three-fold. The most important element in relaxing on stage is to remember that acting is fun! If you are having fun, you will be relaxed. That's
why they call them plays.

By the way, my good friend Eric Maisel is a psychologist and creativity coach. He wrote a very worthwhile book about stage fright entitled "Fearless Presenting". Check out his web site at:
http://www.ericmaisel.com/

Return to Top