Seminars/Workshops
Scroll Down to Read Helpful Hints for Actors and Filmmakers!
As film director Dan Millican began receiving invitations to speak at various groups and film industry events, a need was quickly identified– available for actors was a plethora of training by actors for actors. But rare was the director to actor training. And as Millican worked with talent from around the globe, he wanted to help actors break past the NY/LA bias to show that local actors do indeed know their stuff.
So “Acting: A Director’s POV” was born. Join our Email newsletter list. I will let people know here first of upcoming seminars, workshops and SFilms feature film productions.
LATEST NEWS! NEW DEMO SCENE SHOOT FOR TUE FEB 21! REGISTER NOW IN THE STORE. Register at the Store. The Screenfighting Workshop has been moved to March 24-25.
Seminars and Workshops
For Actors:
The Audition; Acting: A Director’s POV; Child and Teen Acting: A Director’s POV; Screenfighting & Weapons
For Filmmakers:
Greenlight Yourself; Directing; Producing; Editing; Writing
Screenfighting Workshop now March 24-25
Due to several factors, we’ve moved the Screenfighting Workshop to March 24-25 (after spring break for most people). Doug Williams will be teaching weapons on Saturday March 24 and Steve Krieger will be teaching the fighting and special effects on Sunday March 25. If you’d like to register, go to the SFilms store by clicking here. If you plan on coming, please do register as soon as possible. At this workshop, you will learn how to handle weapons like a professional, adding value to your performance on the set. You’ll...
read moreScreenfighting Workshop – Saving Time on the Set
(We’ve got a workshop for screenfighting coming March 24-25. Register at the SFilms Store). Experienced & Trained Actors Save Time & Money Early in my directing career, I was casting a day player speaking role on one of my films. I auditioned the part with some sides that included her lines. I looked at whether she could pull off the part as an actor. But I made a mistake. On the day of the shoot, it was required that she get roughed up a bit– not really a stunt situation– but needed to move a bit and the...
read moreMovement Towards Realism in Acting – Weapons
This is one of the topics we’ll cover in the Screenfighting Workshop on March 24-25. This material will be covered in class 1 on Feb 18 “Weapons 1.” If you want to register, go to the store. Bad Guys From Above The Hollywood cliche of the cop turning the corner with the pistol pointed up in the air is disappearing. The “tea-cup” grip is rightfully becoming rare. Not as rare are the bottomless magazines, but many filmmakers are spending more time to make their weapons sequence more closely resemble real...
read moreScreenfighting Workshop
Hands-on Screenfighting Workshop! On March 24-25, the Screenfighting Workshop will take place at S Films in the Studios121 building, 6125 Airport Freeway, Haltom City, TX. To register, go to the store. There are four classes at $49 each or take all four for $155. If you take the special effects class, you can add a squib for $35 (this is where we’ll place a squib on you and you’ll experience what a bullet hit on screen is like). Saturday, March 24 Weapons 1 – Doug Williams Instructor – 8:30 to 12 noon In this...
read moreMeet Screenfighting Instructor Steve Krieger
He blows things up for a living. And he floods things, sets things on fire and smokes things. If you need a gag on camera, you call Steve. Steve has been a stuntman. He is an actor. But his day job is Special Effects Coordinator. Some of Steve’s SFX credits include: Necessary Roughness, Bonnie & Clyde, Captain Ron, A Promise Kept, A Killer Within, Living and Dying, and work on shows like Walker, Texas Ranger and Wishbone. The way it works is that Steve is sent the script and he goes through it, tagging what might be on-camera...
read moreMeet Screenfighting Series Instructor Doug Williams
This is our series on Screenfighting, taking place in Dallas-Fort Worth on March 24-25. Cost is $49 per class (four classes total, with a discount if you sign up for all four). For registration, go to http://s-films.com/store . Space is very limited. Doug Williams Doug will be teaching on Saturday March 24, both classes. He will be teaching weapons basics in the morning. This involves safety on the set, difference between military and law enforcement regarding weapons use, and handling of hand guns. This is a hands-on workshop, so...
read moreScreenfighting Workshop is Back!
The most feedback we’ve ever gotten with the seminars and workshops has been for the screenfighting one. So we’ve scheduled a full weekend course for the Screenfighting Series. Coming Feb 18-19, time to get your fight on and come on down to the Studios121 for some workshopping. Class size will be limited (we had too many the first time), so it’s first come first serve. Weapons for Actors Police officers do not hide behind the corner pointing their pistols up into the air… that’s not where the bad guys are....
read moreCredits on your Actor Headshot Resume
Director to Actor I like to address the most common questions I get in the seminars and workshops. This past Saturday, we had the Acting: A Director’s POV Child/Teen acting class, and while talking about the headshot and resume, I had a couple of recurring questions. If you find this useful, please feel free to retweet or facebook forward this page. Extra Work Do I post all the extra work I’ve done or should I leave it off? Does this turn off a director? Generally speaking, when I flip over the headshot to look at the resume...
read moreDemo Reel Hints from a Film Director
What Goes Into a Good Actor Demo Reel Today, an actor needs a good demo reel. Many agents won’t even look at representing an actor if they don’t have one. So what are the elements that need to go into a demo reel to make it effective? Brevity. Us directors and the casting directors don’t have a lot of time. I’m not going to sit through a 6 minute demo. I will make it through a one minute demo. And that might even leave me wanting more. Which is what you want. Quality of Acting. I want to see beats or turns. Not just...
read moreNew Demo Shoot
Actor Demo Reel FEB 21 We are tentatively scheduling a new actor demo scene shoot for Tuesday Feb 21. We usually shoot in the afternoon and evening (to allow for those who can’t get out of work or school). Go to the store to register. We need to have a minimum for the shoot to take place. The cost is $350 per person. But brand new– if you do two, we will give a $50 discount (use coupon code “doubledemo”) so that 2 is $650 and not $700. Go to Store. Here’s how it works: You register I contact you for...
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