From time to time, we like to post a blurb about some of the successes our students and coaching clients have had in the past months. They work really hard at their careers, and it’s important that they receive the kudos due to them for all of their efforts. Our men have been on fire lately – so let’s hear it for the boys! Congratulations to everyone for your recent accomplishments!

CHRISTOPHER FOLEY

Chris just guest starred on CBS’s new Sunday night drama, Three Rivers, as Daniel in the episode titled “Tick-Tock”.

EVAN MCNAMARA

Evan just shot a Bud Lite national commercial playing an office worker alongside a giant Bud Lite bottle with dress shoes.  The production company was Anonymous Content, the director was Justin Reardon, and the casting director was Michael Sanford.  As Evan excitedly told us, “During a year so slow that my first commercial audition wasn’t until September, I nailed it & booked a national commercial!   Keeping my craft honed in class made all the difference.”

JORDAN JAMES SMITH

Jordan just booked and shot a national commercial for Honda, and signed with new theatrical agents at KSR.

STEPHEN BLACKWELL

Stephen just shot a non-union TV show called Unusual Suspects produced by LMNO Productions, which is launching on Discovery ID this January. He plays the role of a real-life detective Tim Quinn, who is investigating a kidnapping.

ALEX NICHOLAS

Alex just started acting not too long ago.  We thought it would be interesting to get his perspective on working as an actor new to L.A., so we asked him if he had any thoughts.  He was kind enough to give us quite a decent write-up (and he had some very nice things to say about Studio C – which we were most appreciative of).  I thought it was important to include what he wrote because we keep hearing so much about how bad things are going in the business – and yet, here’s someone who’s new at it, who is defying the odds.  Here’s what Alex had to say:

“I moved to Los Angeles two years ago from Wyoming. A lawyer by training, I wanted to build a new career in the entertainment industry, focusing on acting. Because I was getting a late start in acting, I was eager to jump in and start getting training and experience as soon as possible.

Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, I found Studio C and it was the perfect match for the training and experience I was looking to gain. Since that time, John Coppola and Michael Sonntag have been instrumental in my quest to learn acting and get involved in as many aspects of the creative side of the entertainment industry as possible. Starting with no acting experience whatsoever was challenging for me, but both John and Michael are excellent instructors and I have quickly gained experience and skill in improv, stage and on-camera acting. In a short amount of time I have progressed greatly and have been able to present several scenes and monologues to the public at various theaters in Los Angeles, including being cast in the Los Angles run of a production running off-Broadway in New York, I have co-starred and played the lead in several student films from various film schools in the Los Angeles area including USC, CSUN, and Chapman University, and I have done background work on the television shows ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Private Practice’.

In addition to the acting experience I have gained through Studio C, I have also been fortunate to work an internship with Studio C on the casting and production side of the group. Assisting in casting commercials and films with Studio C has been invaluable to me in terms of understanding how the industry works and how to better approach auditions as an actor. Working behind the scenes has really helped me to have a clear vision of how commercials, television shows and movies are created. In all, I would say that my experience with Studio C, John Coppola and Michael Sonntag has been incredible and I would highly recommend Studio C to any aspiring actors.”

Bean Gets Arrested

Bean Goes To Jail

Bean Gets Fried

Bean Goes To Heaven

To read our earlier posts about these spots – and to see the 2-minute long-form viral ad for the Fleet Street Games campaign, click here.

In case you missed either day, both hour-long interviews are available archived online – either through the Movie Beat site, or via BlogTalkRadio.com as either a streaming audio file or a podcast downloadable into iTunes.  Check out the links below for more details – if any of your questions were not answered, feel free to e-mail us here, and we’ll do our best tackle the responses.

Click here to go to the interview page on Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat.

Click here to go to the streaming and iTunes podcast download available on BlogTalkRadio.com.

You could say the buzzword in class this week was focus.

To start off, we are continuing our classwork on the Matrix throughout the month of May.  Last week, we discussed what the Matrix did – and how it applied to film/television acting.  In this week’s Wednesday night class, the goal was learning to use the Matrix to ground the actors’ work, bring in an even greater level of depth, and get the actor out of his or her head.  I think the students were surprised to see it in action.  The funny thing about the Matrix is that in theory, it can seem like it’s very heady.  Lots of students get stuck on exactly what it means to connect to an “energy point” – they try to think their way through it, rather than feel it.  What makes the Matrix interesting, however, is that in practice – the exact opposite happens.  Once a student jumps in – and just applies the concept – they are pulled out their heads, and are able to just deal with the talking and listening necessary in the scene.  What I always love about the Matrix is that it is like tying off a boat to the dock – once it is secured, the waters can get choppy, but the boat can just go with the flow – because it’s not going anywhere.  What our students discovered this week – is that the Matrix can provide the same structure – the same sense of groundedness – that no matter where the scene goes, they will not become lost at sea.

The other area of focus we discussed this week had to do with pinpointing your focus, while things in the industry seem so crazy right now.  There are a lot of doomsayers out there about the status of the entertainment business – and actors often feel the brunt of it.  So, you basically have two choice… you can either go stick your head in the sand, and where for it to get better… or you can take advantage of this time, and use it to your advantage.  Obviously, I suggest the latter.  So take advantage of this slower time – get those things done that you’ve been putting off.  What better time to put together your reel, get those headshots in order, contact people on your target list – and above everything else – GET CREATIVE.  Everyone’s contacting casting directors – maybe you want to focus on contacting writers.  Everyone’s sending out postcards – maybe you want to come up with something that stands out more.  Don’t let the state of the economy stop you from doing the next thing in front of you.  Trust me… you’ll kick yourself afterward if you do.  Challenge yourself.  Push yourself.  Remember, you’re in the actor olympics – if you’re not ready to compete against the top 1% in your field, then you might as well pack your bags and go home.  So, focus – on what it is your really want – and it’ll push you through the down times.

In case you missed today’s portion of the interview, have no fear.  The complete hour-long session is available archived online – either through the Movie Beat site, or via BlogTalkRadio.com as either a streaming audio file or a podcast downloadable into iTunes.  Check out the links below for more details – and if you like what you hear, be sure to catch part 2 at the end of this week.

Click here to go to the interview page on Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat.

Click here to go to the streaming and iTunes podcast download available on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Click here for more details.

When it comes to auditioning... are the you "The One"?

Last Wednesday night’s class was a continuation of our month-long dip into the world of acting technique. Now a lot of you hear the word “Matrix” and think of the film(s), but the Matrix is also a technique used by actors, which originated at Yale. It’s based on the principal of connecting to energy points (much like an extension cord to an outlet), which allow the actor to create their world, and to have something outside of themselves to connect to (rather than going inside – in their head). I know the description of it sounds somewhat ethereal – but in practice, the technique is incredibly grounding, and helps the actor focus and live in the moment in a scene – and that, my friends, is the ultimate goal of any actor. By giving an actor a structure in which to play and be free, attention can be given to just talking and listening, knowing that the access to their world, and by extension, their emotional life, is right there. It truly allows an actor the chance to bring themselves to the role – because every Matrix point is specific, and based on the unique qualities of the actor.

The beauty is in seeing the work in action. The Matrix really shines when it comes to auditioning or working in film/TV, because so much needs to be created these days by the actor (often with green screen, it’s all imagination). I always explain to people that the Matrix is not “a way” to act or some kind of new method, it’s just technique – much in the way that sense memory or creating the fourth wall, is just an acting technique. It should be used as part of the actors toolbox – not the only tool, but one of many to be called on when needed.  There are times when you’ll need it more than others – but when put into service, it can help an actor to really stand out as “The One”.

Today’s media is certainly presenting itself as an ever-changing entity as the internet explodes with new media options.  As the Board of Directors of Studio C Artists met this week, which consisted of agents, managers, casting agents and producers, the dominant conversation aside from Board matters was all about the unknown. “We don’t know what is coming next.”

So what does that mean for the actor?

In the past, the optimal approach would be to get your name out there by doing a one-man show, or create your own short.   You could be reviewed or get a better agent and mostly create a buzz about yourself.

Nowadays, it’s fairly easy to produce your own work and upload it to YouTube, then send out the link to all of your business contacts.  Actors today are turning into entrepreneurs.

Amidst all of this change, there is one thing constant that will always work for an actor. What makes you unique? What makes you different from the next actor who reads for a role? Knowing this uniqueness and having the courage to share it is what will make you stand out of the crowd.

Being in touch with who you are and letting others see it is tantamount to any acting ability you may have.  Through the techniques studied at Studio C Artists, students discover how other people see them, how they see themselves and reveal sides of themselves that has always been kept secret.  Facing both the light and dark qualities of yourself, and then being able to offer them publicly, you can bring out a more unique person and subsequently a more unique and interesting actor.

Remember, your cell service may charge you for text messages if you don’t have an unlimited messaging plan – but don’t worry, we won’t bombard you with messages – we promise to send them out occasionally.  And if you want to sign up later, there’s a form that will always be on our blog to allow people to join anytime (you can see it on this page, in the sidebar on the left side).

The latest issue of BackStage Spotlight on Acting Schools and Teachers has a nice article written by Jean Schiffman about acting schools and classes who are re-inventing Stanislavsky with new and modern techniques that are clicking with their students.  We were lucky enough to be interviewed by Jean for this article – and are featured under the section on “Archetypes“.  Check out the excerpt of that section of the article:

“How can you expect to be discovered if you haven’t even discovered yourself?” is the provocative teaser on the website for Studio C in Los Angeles. Founder John Coppola explains his philosophy this way: “It’s about ‘What happens to a role when I play it?,’ not ‘How do I go to the role?’” His aim is for each student to discover, through improvisation and traditional acting exercises, his or her seven or so basic archetypes, including the primary archetype.

Archetypes — recognizable in folk tales, myths, and literature — are the embodiment of personality types. The belief is that we all have elements of many archetypes within us, but your primary archetype is your dominant one, probably established in childhood. Coppola mentions king, magician, witch, and fairy as some of the basic archetypes. “Archetypes are in every story, and acting is about storytelling,” he says. When you get in touch with your archetypes, “it gets your ego out of the way so your soul can show up and act.” Actors practice by doing scenes and monologues several different ways, using the energies of their various archetypes. “Getting in touch with your archetype empowers you,” Coppola says.

One of his students, Isabel Shaw, hasn’t found her personal archetypes yet. “You do a lot of improv to get to know yourself,” she says. “Once you understand a scene, you bring your archetypes to the scene, and it really comes from you.” Actors at Studio C, she adds, are challenged to dig deep.

We’re thrilled to be included in this interesting piece on different acting methods. If you’d like to read more of this article, click the link below.

Click here to check out the full article.