Fall 2016 WELCOME TO THE 2016/2017 CONSERVATORY SEASON By Kevin McCorkle Welcome back! As co-chairs of the SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Conservatory, Michael D. Cohen and I are happy you are here. This time of year is always exciting and motivating, as we transition from the last lazy, hazy days of summer and focus with renewed energy and enthusiasm on our goals and dreams to close out yet another year. We have been busy at the Conservatory since the incredibly successful summer intensive weekend, developing new classes, putting the final touches on the newly renovated audiovisual studio and doing our best to create a more efficient online registration tool for classes, workshops, panels and guest speakers. It is a great time to be a conservatory member. We are determined to bring you the best that we can offer to educate, motivate, inform and prepare you for the challenges and the IN THIS ISSUE: How to Register for Classes Workshop Schedule Workshop Descriptions Conservatory Rules and Regulations 3 4-5 6-7 11 artistic demands that you will face as you travel on your creative journey. Our volunteer teachers are experienced and knowledgeable, offering classes at differing levels according to your capabilities. We have implemented a few new classes that you have not seen before and will continue to evolve and grow these classes as teachers become available and we see the need for them. The AFI year has begun, and along with that is the need for the fellows (students are referred to as fellows at AFI) to cast their first-year cycle projects exclusively from SAG-AFTRA Conservatory membership. I have worked in a few of these AFI projects in the past and can say from personal experience they are as professional as any studio or independent film I have ever worked on. As a conservatory member, you are in the casting pool for these films as long as you are registered on SAG-AFTRA s iactor, so make sure you are in the mix. Part of the value of your Conservatory membership is the ensemble of professional actors who help each other out through their shared culture and community. This year, make it a point to get as much as you can from your membership in this creative group. Get involved, show up to class, get in on the casting calls, volunteer your time and build relationships that will benefit you for years to come. There is much to be done individually and as a group, and you can become a part of the evolution of both. Michael and I, the teachers and the entire Conservatory Committee are looking forward to seeing you as we begin another productive, impactful and creative year at the Conservatory. Cohen McCorkle The Los Angeles Conservatory Committee, co-chaired by Michael D. Cohen and Kevin McCorkle, works on both local and national levels to encourage, supervise and create programs through the Conservatory that benefit SAG-AFTRA members.
CREATIVITY RULES! By Lee Garlington A couple of Mondays ago, I had a very empowering experience with creative energy and the concept of enoughness. Interestingly, it was not my creative energy. It was the creativity that was surrounding me. One of my favorite TV daughters asked if she could use my home for a shoot. It was a short she d written and was directing, her calling card to try and get into the AFI Women s Directing program. I said yes, of course, and that Monday morning 15 film people arrived at 8 in the morning. Having had shoots in my home before, I usually absent myself. But this was different, and I parked myself at the kitchen table, making myself available for questions or needs that I knew would come up. They did. I bounced around most of the day getting this, finding that, coming up with little props that were needed, moving things that were in the way, and so on. By the end of the day, I had myself a producer credit! At 7, I left to go to my writers group, which meets Monday nights at AFI. I was neither acting nor writing, but I got there early to coordinate which rooms each of the three scenes were rehearsing in and to be there in case an actor couldn t make it, and I needed to fill in. Everyone showed up, and I sat by myself in the hallway for an hour listening to all the creative energy going on around me. From the three rooms came laughter, shouting, crying, talking, men and women expressing themselves fully. I was both moved and overwhelmed by how incredibly satisfying and fulfilling it was to be surrounded by creative energy for 12 hours. I wasn t doing anything particularly creative myself, but I felt proud to be living a life wherein creativity is all around me. Just breathing it all day made me feel this incredible aliveness, head to toe. I felt the enoughness of that. I thought, if I could feel this fulfilled being surrounded by creative energy, why wasn t having a great audition and not booking the part enough? If I write a scene that is imperfect, but I put my all into it, can t I find the part of me that feels satisfied by having existed for a few hours in the creative state? I realized it doesn t really matter what it is I m doing. If I make a scrapbook of our trip to Italy, write a beautiful thank you card to a friend, redecorate a wall in a room or put together a fabulous outfit for the day, if I m being creative, that s fulfilling. Coming up with a yummy dessert for my family, buying a friend the perfect present, participating in a friend s reading of her screenplay all of that is creative! And it s enough. I equate creativity with aliveness. If I m creating, then I m living. The results of that creativity are almost irrelevant. It s the act of creativity that nurtures our artists souls. And by golly, just for today, that s enough for me. COPIES OF AFI FILMS SEEK LOVING HOMES You auditioned, booked the job, shot the movie, screened the film and then? One of the many great benefits of the relationship between AFI and the SAG-AFTRA Conservatory is that you, as the actor, are guaranteed to receive a copy of the work you have done for the first-year AFI cycle films. Currently, we have hundreds of DVDs waiting for their homes. Because of space limitations, we cannot keep these for more than two years, so please make sure you pick up your copy. You may call before coming in to verify one is waiting for pickup. Please have the name of the film project ready when you call and then you can come claim your footage during the Conservatory office business hours: Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - noon and 1-4 p.m. 2
HOW TO REGISTER CLASS REGISTRATION IS NOW ONLINE! To see an online calendar of our classes and find links to enroll, please visit our website at sagaftra.org/laconservatory On the page look for a link that says WORKSHOPS Registration for classes and special events will open at exactly 10 a.m. one week prior to the individual workshop. Example: If the workshop you would like to attend is on Wednesday, enrollment will open the prior Wednesday starting at 10 a.m. Reservations are not accepted via voicemail or email. Only cancellations are accepted via voicemail or email. LOCATION OF CLASSES All workshops are held in the Mayer Library Building (LIB) at the top of the hill (the building where the office is located) unless otherwise noted. LIB: LIBRARY BUILDING (Example LIB 100 is Library Building, room 100) F/B: FRANKOVICH BARNES SCREENING ROOM First floor Library Building MGSR: MARK GOODSON SCREENING ROOM Second floor Library Building WB: WARNER BUILDING DO YOU WANT TO AUDITION FOR AFI PROJECTS? CREATE OR UPDATE YOUR iactor PROFILE TODAY! The Conservatory database for casting is online. We have joined forces with iactor, and all Conservatory members wishing to be considered for AFI projects must have an iactor account. Click the link to create or update yours today. sagaftra.org/iactor-online-casting *SEE BACK PAGE FOR A MAP OF THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE CAMPUS 3
FALL CALENDAR OF WORKSHOPS *PLEASE SEE DESCRIPTIONS FOR LOCATION* SEPTEMBER 2016 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 26 27 28 29 30 OCT. 1 10 a.m. Self-Taping for Actors Voiceover 101 OCTOBER 2016 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 3 4 5 6 7 8 Theatrical Video 11 a.m. Chakra Acting Techniques Actors Evening 10 11 12 13 14 15 Improv Voiceover 101 17 18 19 20 21 22 Theatrical Video 6:30 p.m. Open Camera *each student assigned time slot 11 a.m. American Accent Clinic 24 25 26 27 28 29 Voiceover 201 Specificity Special Event We are happy to announce that our workshop registration is now ONLINE! To sign-up for an individual class or event, please visit our website at sagaftra.org/laconservatory 4
FALL CALENDAR OF WORKSHOPS *PLEASE SEE DESCRIPTIONS FOR LOCATION* NOVEMBER 2016 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY OCT. 31 1 2 3 4 5 HAPPY HALLOWEEN! NO WORKSHOPS Actors Evening Theatrical Video 10 a.m. Self-Taping for Actors 7 8 9 10 11 12 There will be no evening classes due to the general election. Improv VETERANS DAY NO WORKSHOPS 2 p.m. Chakra Acting Techniques 14 15 16 17 18 19 Theatrical Video 6:30 p.m. Open Camera *each student assigned time slot 21 22 Voiceover 201 23 24 HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 25 CLOSED FOR THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY 26 CLOSED FOR THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY 28 29 30 DEC. 1 DEC. 2 DEC. 3 10 a.m. Self-Taping for Actors DECEMBER 2016 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 5 6 7 8 9 10 Theatrical Video Actors Evening 12 13 14 Improv 15 16 6:30 p.m. Open Camera *each student assigned time slot 17 END OF FALL WORKSHOPS Voiceover 101 5
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS ACTORS EVENING First Tuesday of each month 7-10 p.m. Mark Goodson Screening Room (MGSR) Limit 136 students Industry professionals appear in a seminar format to discuss their business and answer questions. COLD READING Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and rotate days 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Library Building Room 101 Limit 10 students Learn and develop effective auditioning techniques. COMMERCIAL AUDITION Monday nights and rotate weeks 7-10 p.m. Library Building Room 100 Limit 10 students Learn how the commercial audition process works in an on-camera workshop that simulates a real audition. Your work will be videotaped, followed by viewing and comments. IMPROV Second Wednesday of each month 7-10 p.m. Library Building Room 102 Limit 30 students Learn improvisation skills to help make you a more creative actor. OPEN CAMERA Third Friday of each month *6:30-9:30 p.m. (each student is assigned a specific 30-minute time slot) Library Building Room 101 Limit 6 students. Students get a half hour with director Nick Leland to work on camera. Bring a prepared monologue or scene (with another Conservatory member only), or even try different looks. Please bring a flash drive to record your work and take it home to study. RESERVATIONS BEGIN ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE WORKSHOP AT 10 a.m. EXACTLY. ALL WORKSHOPS ARE STAND-ALONE CLASSES. SCENE VIDEO WORKSHOP Tuesday and Thursday nights and rotate days 6-10 p.m. Library Building Room 100 Limit 10 students Upon arrival, you will be given a scene, paired with a partner and given instruction. You will have 30-60 minutes to work on the scene. All students then shoot the scene on camera and watch your work followed by comments and direction. THEATRICAL VIDEO First and third Wednesdays 7-11 p.m. Library Building Room 100 Limit 8 students Simulated theatrical interview and cold reading on video followed by viewing and comments. Bring a picture and resume. VOICEOVER Second and fourth Tuesday 7-10 p.m. Library Building Room 102 Limit 15 students Voiceover 101 - Second Tuesday: An introduction to a career in VO, covering basic mic techniques, working with commercial copy and finding your voice. Voiceover 201 (VO 101 a prerequisite unless a working VO actor) Fourth Tuesday: More in-depth techniques in the areas of animation, promo and narration. *Please note the Sept. 27 class will be a VO 101 class. We offer beginning and intermediate classes in our Cold Reading, Commercial Audition and Scene Video Workshops. This is to better meet the needs of our membership. Please read the self-selection process carefully. We ask that you please follow these guidelines so that you and your fellow actors will have the best experience possible. Please see page 8 for the selection criteria 6
NEW WORKSHOPS & SPECIAL EVENTS ACTORS SHOWCASE Wednesday, Sept. 14 6-10 p.m. Mark Goodson Screening Room (MGSR) Limit 18 students Eighteen actors will perform scenes and redirects live on the AFI campus. Conservatory members will have a platform to show their abilities to up-and-coming filmmakers. All AFI fellows are invited to observe. As space is limited to 18 for this workshop, the first 150 Conservatory members to register will be entered into a pool, and from there 18 actors will be randomly selected through a lottery process. SELF-TAPING FOR ACTORS Instructor: Tim Powell First Saturday of each month 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Library Building Room 102 Limit 30 students This workshop covers low-cost, simple techniques for producing quality video uploads for auditions. Learn lighting basics, producing quality audio framing and videography as well as file compression, size reduction and internet delivery. Best practices for the best results. CHAKRA ACTING TECHNIQUES Instructor: Murisa Harba Saturday, Oct. 8 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. -and- Saturday, Nov. 12 2-4 p.m. Library Building Room 102 Limit 25 students Using the chakras (or the body s natural energy centers) to tap into what is already inherent in our body as human beings is a way to physically, vocally and intentionally warm up the actor s instrument: the body. The actor will then learn how to incorporate the chakras into their character-building and scene work to garner rich, connected results that happen organically. This approach empowers the actor to shift from a heady approach to utilizing the whole body and voice as a true instrument, while delivering strong, concrete decisions in their prep work. This workshop is being offered twice. It is not a two-part class. GENERAL AMERICAN ACCENT CLINIC For Non-American Actors and American Actors with Regional American Dialects Instructor: Gaby Santinelli Saturday, Oct. 22 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Library Building Room 101 Limit 8 students Are you originally from another country, and want to master the General American accent, to have more acting opportunities in America? Are you an American actor with a regional American dialect, who would like the option to speak neutral Gen Am? Get down to the nitty gritty with Gaby Santinelli at this rapid-fire diagnostic American accent clinic. Gaby will determine where you re at today with your General American accent. And she ll guide you toward what to do next. Please bring two printed copies of a one-minute monologue. Alternatively, text will be provided for participants on the day, for a cold-reading-in-general-american experience. SPECIFICITY - CREATING MOMENTS THAT BOOK WORK For actors at the advanced level (Beg. and Int. invited to observe) Instructor: Michael D. Cohen Tuesday, Oct. 25 7-10 p.m. Mark Goodson Screening Room (MGSR) Limit 136 students (not all will work) We often try to be unique and creative as actors, but the most effective way to book work is by accessing our authenticity and creating full, memorable moments one after the other. This workshop, taught by Michael D. Cohen, will invite advanced-level actors to work at the front of the room to hone their specificity in scene work and auditions. Beginner/intermediate level members are encouraged to attend and observe. Please see page 8 for a list of criteria for the advanced actor. Registration for all workshops and events is now online! Visit our website for more details at sagaftra.org.laconservatory Reservations are required for all events and workshops. 7
BEGINNING, INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED WORKSHOP SELF-SELECTING CRITERIA Some of our workshops and classes are customized to experience levels. Please select the level that most appropriately describes your experience. We suggest that you meet three of the four criteria to join in the level. If you are unsure which level you are in, please take the beginning class to start. This is not a consecutive program. It is requested that you stay in your level until your experience changes to fit the next level. Note: For example, if you are an intermediatelevel actor, you do not need to take the beginning class. BEGINNING SAG-AFTRA ACTING EXPERIENCE: Background work and/or one TV co-star role and/or two TV commercial credits (include union productions before you were a member.) OTHER ACTING EXPERIENCE: None or limited to community theater. STUDENT or AFI FILM EXPERIENCE: None or up to three credits. ACTING TRAINING OUTSIDE OF SAG-AFTRA CONSERVATORY: None or limited to one year or less of training. INTERMEDIATE SAG-AFTRA ACTING EXPERIENCE: Has two or more co-star or guest star credits, and/or four or more TV commercial credits (include union productions before you were a member.) OTHER ACTING EXPERIENCE: One or more professional theater acting credit (preferably Equity or Equity waiver.) STUDENT or AFI FILM EXPERIENCE: Four or more credits or a lead role credit in two or more projects. ACTING TRAINING OUTSIDE SAG-AFTRA CONSERVATORY: Equivalent of two years or more of ongoing classes. ADVANCED SAG-AFTRA ACTING EXPERIENCE: Three or more co-star or guest star credits, and/or five or more TV commercial credits (include union productions before you were a member), and/or one or more recurring guest star credits, or three or more co-star recurring credits, and/or one or more series regular credits on a broadcast (ABC, NBC, CBS etc.), streaming (Amazon, Netflix, etc.) or cable (HBO, Showtime, etc.) network. OTHER ACTING EXPERIENCE: Three or more professional theater acting credits (preferably Equity or Equity waiver.) ACTING TRAINING OUTSIDE SAG-AFTRA CONSERVATORY: Equivalent of four years or more of ongoing classes. 8
THE PRACTICAL ACTOR Advice from a Working Actor By Kevin McCorkle WORKSHOP REGISTRATION IS NOW ONLINE! To sign-up for an individual class or special event, please visit our website at sagaftra.org/laconservatory ACTORS WANTED AFI directors and cinematographers are often looking for actors to volunteer and assist in various classes and workshops on the AFI Campus. Although no footage is given from these classes, you have the opportunity to work alongside and network with some of the best up-and-coming filmmakers in the industry. Many times, actors are needed for a few hours during the day or evening, but in those hours, great relationships are often formed and it can also be a fantastic learning opportunity for you to gain more insight into the world of filmmaking from the other side of the camera. If you are interested, please email Dawn at conservatory@sagaftra.org or call the office at 323.856.7736 9
THE SAG-AFTRA LOS ANGELES CONSERVATORY COMMITTEE The Conservatory is run by a team of committed volunteers who form the SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Conservatory Committee. They are responsible for directing the programs, panels and events at the Conservatory and put a great deal of time and commitment into making this great entity of ours run strong. We want to take this opportunity to introduce them to you. MURISA HARBA NICHOLAS LELAND BOB TELFORD TEDDY VINCENT MICHAEL D. COHEN TIM POWELL WILL WALLACE KEVIN MCCORKLE GABY SANTINELLI ANGELA WATSON BILL APPLEBAUM SHAAN SHARMA MARI WEISS LEE GARLINGTON WYNTER SPEARS REED YOUNG 10
By joining the SAG-AFTRA Conservatory you have taken an aggressive and positive step in advancing your career. Congratulations! We hope you ll make the most out of your experience here by participating in our workshops and special events, volunteering, and contributing your talents to AFI directing and cinematography classes, as well as, of course, the first and second-year films. AFI is a two-year masters program and, with our SAG-AFTRA agreement, first-year students, called fellows, are required to use SAG-AFTRA Los Angles Conservatory members. GETTING THERE We are located on the campus of the American Film Institute 2021 N. Western Ave. Hollywood, CA 90027 If you are heading east on Franklin Avenue, turn left (north). The AFI campus is halfway up the hill on the left. Turn into the driveway and go up the hill (past Immaculate Heart High School). The first building on your left is the Warner Building, where many auditions for student films are held. To get to the SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Conservatory office, continue driving further up the hill. As you veer left, you ll see a white two-story building, the Mayer Library Building. The SAG-AFTRA Conservatory office is located in the Library Building, room 100, on the ground floor at the north end of the building.