AFTV-FUND-Lesson 1-Introduction

Lesson 1 - Introduction

SCREEN ACTOR'S MASTERCLASS

Acting for film and Television: Fundamentals

Congratulations to you for taking active steps towards your acting career. We are thrilled to be walking along with you on this journey. Let’s get started!

Intro Video on how the course works and the topics covered and how to put everything into action!

Mastering Monologues for Screen Actors is an invaluable resource for actors looking to excel in delivering compelling solo performances. You may be preparing a monologue for an audition or a monologue that is part of a film you are in. Either way, a monologue is a moment in the story where all the attention is on you! So embrace it!

Meet Your Coach

Russ Randall has been a performer, producer, teacher, writer, and director in the dramatic and cinematic arts for over 30 years. He has applied his creative teaching techniques to kids, teens, and adults of all ages. His love for the dramatic arts has been the driving passion that led him to found Final Act Drama. As an actor, he has appeared in many films, commercials and on TV networks like Fox, Discovery, Pure Flix, Apple TV, ID, Lifetime, American Heroes. As a Director / Writer / Producer, he has created numerous commercials, short films, a sitcom, corporate, industrial, educational videos and a feature film.

Credibility: Has taught over 1000 actors just like you!
Authority: Over 30 years of performance and teaching experience!
Benefit: Save the wasted time of wandering around trying to figure out what to do to live your acting dream!

Acting in theater or television or screen is only for the irrecoverably diseased, those so smitten with the need that there is no choice.
Michael Shurtleff – Casting director / Producer

If you find yourself in that category above…keep reading. You are in the right place!

What is Acting? What do Actors actually do? How do they create characters? What skills do actors need? How do I find auditions and once I find them, how do I audition? What’s a headshot? Do I need a monologue? Do I need an agent now? I have stage fright! How do I become an actor? Where do I start?

The answers to all of these and many more questions about how to become a screen actor will be answered in this comprehensive actor training series called “Acting for Film and Television” This is the first of a 3 part series designed to train you and give you the tools needed to make a career in the film and television industry.
Fundamentals is an actor training program broken down into 20 chapters. These 20 chapters will help you build a solid acting foundation on which to build your whole acting career. This course will apply to the beginning actor who is starting from step one as well for those who have some experience, but need a refresher.

The acting process doesn’t start with the notes from a Hollywood actor sharing their technique of how they act. No, it starts with the fundamentals of story and characters. Characters exist in a setting, they have a problem, and then try to solve it. Boom, there it is…a story. And we as Actors, tell that story.

So back to the original question that I started with.

What is Acting?

Let’s start with what acting is NOT… from those in the biz.

“Acting is not about being famous; it’s about exploring the human soul.”

ANNETTE BENING

“Acting is not about impressing others. It’s about expressing yourself.”

LAURENCE OLIVIER

“Acting is not being emotional, but being able to express emotion.”

KATE REID

“Acting is not a competition to see who is the best. It’s an opportunity to share something meaningful with the audience.”

VIOLA DAVIS

And now, what Acting IS…

“Acting is the most personal of our crafts. The make-up of a human being – his physical, mental, and emotional habits – influence his acting to a much greater extent than commonly recognized.”

LEE STRASBERG

“Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”

GEORGE BURNS

“Acting is magical. Change your look and your attitude, and you can be anyone.”

And now…What Acting IS…

ALICIA WITT

“Acting is the most therapeutic thing in the world. You get to scream and cry and laugh and break bottles and really carry on and nobody arrests you.”

LORETTA SWIT

And finally Sanford Meisner said it best when he said,

“Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances.”

Becoming an actor is not for the faint of heart! It is an art, a craft, a business, and a passion that burns in our soul to tell stories that inspire the masses. The foundation of every actor, director, writer, crew member, is that we are story tellers. And for the actor, we are immersed front and center for all to see and hear. The moments between “Action” and “Cut” are nerve wracking, invasive, and ultimately intoxicating so as to drawl us back, time and time again. So much so that for the truely “infected” we are as Shurtleff said, “irrecoverably diseased, so smitten with the need that there is no choice.” We have to pursue our part in the story regardless of the price to be paid.

So what is that price? What is the journey to be traveled? Am I able to “Make it!”?

Countless people sit on their sofas watching TV everyday thinking to themselves, “I can do that!” “I want to be an actor!” “I wish I had what it takes to be in their shoes!” The tragedy is that most never take any steps to attain their dream. Those feelings end up being tossed onto the pile of other regrets in their life, never to have made a decision to take their first step. Most feel like being an actor in film and television is for “THOSE PEOPLE” on the other side of the screen. The people that are somehow divinely “CHOSEN” by the universe as “Actors”. So how do we know that we are one of the “CHOSEN”? The “fact” is that there is no “exclusive club” that only the “CHOSEN” can be a part of. The collective community of people identified as ACTORS are those who have made a conscious choice to take their first step, develop their skills and abilities as an actor and then joins the community of film and television professionals working their way from the bottom up.

But what does the actor’s journey look like? It is different for each of us. The variables are countless and the definition of success is different from person to person. I personally believe that ANYONE can be an actor! That’s right, ANYONE!

ANYONE can be an actor!
That’s right, ANYONE!

This is a reality that I have experienced time and time again while teaching well over 1000 actors. ANYONE! Film and Television have roles for every age, sex, ethnicity, size, and look. Life is made up of an infinite number of types of people. So if our stories are imitating life, then we need many different types of people to fill those roles. I’m reminded of a Disney / Pixar classic, “Ratatouille”, where Gusteau shares how “Anyone can cook!”

“You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul. What I say is true – anyone can cook…but only the fearless can be great.”

Auguste Gusteau

The parallels to the actor’s journey are the same. OK, so let’s get a reality check here. No, not everyone who chooses to start acting will be a household name, cashing multi-million dollar checks. But there are so many different destinations that any actor can seek.

Acting as a hobby: Many people wanting to act may just want to do it as a hobby. They will audition and work as their heart leads and where acting fits into the whole of their lives. There is nothing wrong with this approach.

Acting part time: Many people will start acting part time to fill that huge need for a creative outlet. They find it too hard to leave their full time job because of the security that a regular income provides. There is nothing wrong with this approach either.

Acting Full Time: Some people will jump into the deep end head first. Some will take their shot when they are young and have less commitments and can weather the lean years. Starting out is challenging, so having supplemental income to fill in the gaps is important between gigs. Acting is a freelance career not made for everyone. The stress of not knowing where your next gig will come from is too much for many to handle, but the full time actor will need to be multifaceted with their skills. Finding other parallel work like stage work, voice-over, writing, film crew, etc. can keep you in the mix as projects are developing and you are looking for your next audition. Living in a robust film and TV production area is also important so you have a high volume of projects to be available for.

Film and Television Star: This is the level that every beginning actor wants to be at. However, many actors will be filtered out before reaching this level. Everyone wants to be an actor who is able to cherry pick the projects they want to be in, cash the big checks, enjoy the perks of fame, and get their star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Do you have want it takes to get here? Reaching the pinnacle of any profession requires a lot of hard work, dedication, connections and a bit of luck. The acting world is no different. I love the words of actor Peter Sarsgaard.

“If all the circumstances of acting are made too easy, then there’s no grain of sand to make the pearl.”
Peter Sarsgaard

The journey to stardom is a long and difficult one where we don’t hold all the cards, but there are things you can do to give yourself a shot at being a star. This series, Acting for Film and Television – Fundamentals, Parts 1, 2, and 3, will give you your best shot at being successful as an actor in this exciting industry.

I am honored to be joining you along your actor journey and look forward to seeing you succeed. In 2007, I founded Final Act Drama, an organization committed to helping actors attain their dream of becoming a professional actor in Film and Television. I am an actor, writer, director, producer since…well…sometime back in the last century. And as a storyteller myself, I love helping beginning actors start their careers, build their skills, and attain their dreams of becoming an actor. You can do it! No, it will not be easy. Yes, it will require hard work, investment of time and money, and a rock solid commitment to your passion. If I haven’t scared you off or talked you out of it, then lets get started.

This actor training series is meant to be an ACTIVE one. Not one where you sit and watch it all though and then decide what you want to do. Watch the videos. Take notes in your acting journal. Read the content! Yes, READ! This content will be here for you to come back and refer to as you need it. There is a lot of content that is in a written form for you to absorb. The videos are highlights and samples. If you DO THE WORK, you will get the RETURN on the investment. So…GET TO WORK!

1st Monologue Evaluation Session

You have taken a great first step in your actor training. Another great step would be to schedule a Private Coaching Actor Evaluation Session with veteran acting coach Russ Randall. In this session, we would evaluate where you are with your performance skills and Russ will give you personalized coaching that will help you make the most of your online course. In preparation for this session, you would prepare a monologue from Film or Television to perform in our session together. Feel free to go through Lesson 11, Mastering Monologues for Screen Actors while you prepare.

Here are a number of to-do’s:
1. Pick whatever monologue you choose, but make sure you haven’t seen the film or show before. You can get it from wherever you want, but here is a webpage with a bunch to choose from:
https://finalactdrama.com/acting-resources/monologues/
2. Don’t go and watch it for “context or inspiration”. You are only cheating yourself.
3. Read and research the character, the scene, and the story all you want. You need to do this! Just don’t watch it!
4. Memorize your lines! Memorize them well!
5. Be honest with the emotions of your character. Be vulnerable. Find the TRUTH of your character.

Start your actor training off on the right foot with a Private Coaching Actor Evaluation Session by clicking the links below!

Exercise

Exercise: After every chapter, we will give you an exercise to apply what we have covered in each chapter. As an actor, we play characters, not ourselves. We want to give you an opportunity to be yourself ONE LAST TIME on camera. After that, you will only be playing a character. Set up your camera to record yourself. Review the following questions to answer on-camera extemporaneously. Shoot from the hip, improvise, think on your feet, speak in the moment. Press record and introduce yourself to the world and us. Tell us:
-Your first and last name
-About your family
-What you are doing in life right now. (School, Occupation, etc.)
-Why do you want to become an actor?
-Any acting experience?
-Who is your favorite actor or actress?
-Tell us your favorite film or TV show.
-And if you are feeling up to it, give us a line of dialogue from one of your favorite films or TV shows in character!
Lastly, you can read this purpose statement:

Hello! I’m (your name) , currently a student with Final Act Drama’s Acting for Film and Television training program. As a future professional actor, I am starting my acting career today, on (DATE). Through study, practice, business development and commitment to this craft, I will be booking my first paid project by or before this date next year. Let’s get started.ent.

This video will serve as a reminder of your purpose and vision to become an actor. It will stand as a milestone to measure your progress and journey as you take your first steps towards your goal. Plus, it will be fun to look back on this video when you have made it big and some network is doing a biography on your life! If you like, load it up to YouTube, and send us a link to share with us your actor’s journey on Day 1.

Email us a YouTube link at: Info@FinalActDrama.com.