July 8, 2022
So, in this video, we're going to talk about why I should take an acting class in college or high school? Right, I think high school is good too? Yep, high school is good too. Why should I do that? Well, what do you think? Well, I think it's really good for anybody. I mean, acting's the study of acting is important really for anybody to do. It teaches you confidence. It teaches you self-expression. You feel more comfortable on a date. Helps you with a lot of things. Well and that reminds me of in our past videos when we talked about monologues. Think of doing a monologue like you're going on a date. You're going to lead with your best foot forward. Something to write down, funny is money. Write down, charming is disarming. Now, in the academic setting for most of us that was or many of you that was your first introduction to acting. Before you decide to major in this take a class somewhere. You could take a class in college. What I like about a liberal arts education is you get to you know test things out and see what's for you. We were talking about on a break I was a psych major for a while and many of the professors were crazier than the cases in the abnormal psych book and I thought maybe I'll check out the theater department and that's pretty much how that came to be. But training on the academic level in an academic setting most often does not fully prepare you for the professional world because it is a smattering of classes and I'm a big believer in a liberal arts education unless you're very clear this is what you want to do. I mean, in our conservatory we have theater history and theater-making. We have film history and film making. So, there's a certain, there's a small academic component to it. But acting as a contact sport and it doesn't really a professional training program on a college campus is not the easiest fit. But it's a great idea to see if this is for you in that academic setting. -So, once you've been introduced to it in college and high school you know studying it for fun as something as a way to vehicle for personal growth is amazing. As for adults too no matter what line of work you're in. If you do find though that this is your calling and you want to do this full-time professionally the study of it does need to be conservatory training not academic. So, with practitioners because it is a practice a lot like being a dancer or an athlete or a musician where you're working with a master teacher, a master trainer, and it's not something that's happening in your brain it's happening in your voice in your body and your whole person, right. So, that's the difference and ideally, I really want to be in a setting that's going to be like where what you're going to be working in professionally. You want to be working with professionals. So, it is a practice it's not an academic. -Well and as we spoke about in past videos working on the amount of hours per day it takes for conservatory training to really do clown work, mask work, improv work, Shakespeare work, text work, film work. You know, theater making that does not fit into the academic day, right. There's just not enough hours in that day.
So, you really want to spend some time in New York City, right. There's something about you know being immersed in that and going to see plays. But the wonderful thing about seeing plays on a film set I can make pretty much anybody look like an actor. -Yep. -Right, because I do cut cut cut cut cut cut. I mean, if you look at films of the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s. You'll see a master shot and they'll sit in that shot for a while because the actors are skilled and they can hold that frame and then we'll come in for what we call coverage or close-ups. In a lot of films nowadays you'll see this smash cut editing that makes me nauseous and usually it's because the actor is not holding the frame. So, how to make anybody look like an actor? Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut. Green screen, green screen, green screen, music, music, music, music. Cut to the dog, right. You think you saw a performance on the stage like Jim Morrison in the door sang like a dog without a bone-like an actor out alone. You're by yourself out there as a rider on the storm. You know but the collegiate setting is a great place to dip your foot in the water and why you need a community... Most people you know sadly when you tell your parents Kurt Vonnegut said, "If you really want to make your parents unhappy and you don't have the courage to be gay go into the arts". Okay, so we all need a support team, right. I love when parents and husbands and wives and boyfriends or girlfriends are behind the joy that performing gives said person. But more often than not you know I remember when I said I wanted to go into this. You know most of the people that I was growing up with were like, "Oh, you want to go into that and well what are you going to do with that?", and I remember thinking. well, I plan to enjoy the hell out of it. Because you seem like a pretty miserable guy. So, I'm really I'm going to take career counsel from you, I don't think so. So, that it's really important to surround yourself as we've said in past videos it takes a village yeah and you're really here to be each other's support system. So, again, why to go into the arts? Why to take this stuff in college? If you're already in college but if you're very clear that this is what you want to do you know really immerse yourself in conservatory-style training. Because you're responsible. I mean, the main purpose of life it seems that all mammals with the exception of people know that the principal purpose of life is to enjoy it. It's a tragic thing to leave this world with your song unsung so sing your song. -Because you can train in a really immersive rigorous way from home. -And we've had parents that take class with their kids. -Yeah. -And they do scenes together and work out family issues. Yeah, it's a lot cheaper than therapy and many of our students also say, "You know what, everything was about the kids. I had a baby much sooner than I ever thought I would and everything was about them and now they're out of the house and I'm going to make myself happy. So, if you want to make yourself happy come to a class on Saturday as Oscar Wilde said, "To live is the rarest thing most people merely exist". -Click on the link below. We'll see you there.