Archive for the ‘Austin Conservatory’ category

JOURNEY OF THE WORKING ACTOR – SAG LIFERAFT

February 6th, 2010

Tuesday, February 9th
LifeRaft Live Stream presents

JOURNEY OF THE WORKING ACTOR

Screen Actors Guild Foundation and Screen Actors Guild are delighted to continue offering innovative “business of acting” seminars to Guild members across the nation at no charge, via live video stream on the Internet!

LifeRaft Live Stream allows you to participate online and submit questions to panelists every Tuesday, 6-8pm (PT) through April 27, 2010. To learn more about the program, view the current 2010 LifeRaft Live Stream schedule and to participate in these events online, simply visit the SAG Foundation LifeRaft Live Stream show page at www.sagfoundation.org All LifeRaft Live Stream events are available for later viewing here as well.

The next LifeRaft Live Stream event is:

Journey of the Working Actor
6-8 p.m. (PT), Tuesday, February 9

Join accomplished Los Angeles actor/author Michael Bofshever  www.michaelbofshever.com), along with his stellar panel of familiar-faced working actors, as he discusses a variety of questions pertaining to the many aspects of what it takes to succeed and live the life of a working actor. Topics to be addressed include the Foundation to Having a Career, Audition Know How, Life on Set, Agents and Managers, and the Art of Perseverance.

Michael has taken “Journey of the Working Actor” to over half the SAG branches across the nation and has garnered wonderful feedback – now, LifeRaft Live Stream is happy to share his professional insights with Guild members everywhere.

Guild members who wish to attend LifeRaft seminars in person may visit www.sagfoundation.org to register for seating at the events held at:

SAG Foundation Actors Center
5757 Wilshire Blvd., Mezzanine Level
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(parking will be validated)

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2010, the SAG Foundation is proud to assist, educate and inspire SAG members in their careers, lives and communities. See you online!

Please note: If you are receiving multiple SAG Foundation notices you may have indicated a preference for more than one Foundation email region list. You may review and adjust this option at any time by logging into www.sagfoundation.org and viewing the “Email Notices” setting on your User Account page.

No comments »

Posted in Acting, Actors, Auditions, Austin Actors, Austin Conservatory, SAG, SAG Membership, Texas Actors, Tommy G. Kendrick

Tags:

Demo Reels, Pictures and Resumes – Getting Your Act Together

January 22nd, 2010

The AUSTIN ACTORS CONSERVATORY PRESENTS

“GETTING YOUR ACT TOGETHER”
Demo Reels, Pictures, and Resumes

JANUARY 24, 2010 – Time: 4:00 – 6:00 PM
St. Edward’s University, 3001 S. Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
Ragsdale Center, Mabee Ballroom on 3rd Floor

Join the Austin Actors Conservatory for a candid discussion of what works and what doesn’t and learn how to market yourself in today’s climate.

COST: Members of the AAC: Attend for FREE. Please bring your SAG/AFTRA card for admittance (as a reminder all members of AAC must be paid up and in good standing with their unions). FREE for St. Edward’s students (must show student ID for admission) * Fans of the AAC: $20.00 *All others: $25.00.

Please RSVP for this EVENT:  AustinActorsConservatory at gmail.com

Moderated by Tommy G. Kendrick

Our Panelists Include:

Pictures and Resumes:

DAMON WILLIAMS – Former Casting Director for Ricki G. Maslar Casting; Ulrich/Dawson/Kritzer Casting – in Los Angeles, Damon is a recent transplant from Los Angeles, currently casting: “Twisted Proverbs”, “The Everyday Sun Tzu”. Past projects include: “The God Project”, “Going Postal”, “Manfest”,”The Year That Trembled”, “Black Hole”, “My Best Friend’s Wife”, Speechless”, “XCU: Extreme Close-up”, “Always Greener”. Damon is also a SAG actor, AAC Committee Member and 2010 Script to Screen Chair.

Demo Reels and Other Marketing Tools:

PAMELA WEAVER – Actress, Filmmaker, Film Editor. Another transplant from Los Angeles, Pamela has been performing on stage and screen since the age of 6 years old, touring with the “Weaver Sisters” at USO shows, private clubs, aboard ship, army camps. She has performed in over 100 stage plays on both the east and west coasts, 15 films and 6 television shows. In 2006 she went behind the camera learning film editing, shot her first documentary which is currently in post and creates demo reels for actors. Her first paid gig as a film editor and DP was working for ESPN in 2007. Between acting gigs and chairing the Austin Actors Conservatory, she films and edits virtual auditions and demo reels for actors, internet advertising.

JONATHAN GRUBBS – Film editor, motion graphics designer and published writer, Jonathan has spent the last 5 years editing at a boutique post production facility in Los Angeles where he worked on trailers and television spots for major studio film releases. He now freelance edits and designs motion graphics for television commercials for markets across the nation. His current plans are to expand into visual effects, feature title design and feature editorial in the near future. Past clients have included Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, major pharmaceutical industry firms, a rock band, documentary and a local Austin independent comedy.

What the Professionals That Hire You Are Looking For – How to Get Their Attention!

MARK LANE — Producer, Capitol Motion Pictures — In 2000, Executive Producer Mark Lane produced the independent Film, The Cure for Boredom, starring Judd Nelson, Seymour Cassel and the late Joe Vitterelli. Fusing all his talent and abilities, Mark went on to form Capitol Motion Pictures, focusing on the production of quality feature films. His feature, the comedy “Checking Out” starring Peter Falk, Laura San Giacomo, David Paymer & Judge Reinhold, was released in September, 2006. Mark’s present position in the film industry culminates years of expertise both behind and in front of the camera. Mark started out as an actor in New York, eventually producing and acting in over twenty off-Broadway plays. Following the path of numerous talented New Yorkers, Mark headed west to Hollywood where he quickly gained recognition working as an actor on such network television shows and feature films such as Hill Street Blues, McGyver, Capitol, Miss Lonely Hearts, Chud 2, Friday the 13th, Fire in the Night, Mass Appeal, Sex & Bullets. Desiring to expand his creativity, Mark began working behind the camera on numerous projects for the three major networks: ABC, CBS, and NBC; as well as for several motion picture studios, including: Paramount Pictures, Universal, Warner Brothers and Lion’s Gate, to name a few. Quickly, Mark rose to Producer, heading up three feature shorts for HBO/Showtime: When Angels Cry, Galatea’s Wish, and Hope’s Creek. He also produced and directed the nominated documentary, Our Father the Bank Robber. Mark studied acting in New York City under the tutelage of Lee Strassberg, Warren Robertson, Uta Hagen & Herbert Berghoff and Alan Rich in Los Angeles. The completion of two films this year ”Bittersweet” won highest honors this years at World fest 2009 Houston starring James Brolin & Kip Pardue and “Shadows” starring William Hurt & Cary Elwes are slated for release this year. The Tribeca Film festival has requested Shadows to have our world premiere for their festival this April 2010.

GARY CHASON, Director, virtually grew up in the theater. He and his two sisters, from the moment they could walk and talk, put on shows for family and friends. He studied classical ballet at Houston Ballet’s academy as well as vocal music, singing in the chorus of the Houston Grand Opera’s production of Tales of Hoffman. He took up directing at the University of Texas and set his sights on becoming an avant garde, experimental writer/director. He created Houston Laboratory Theatre in 1970 and directed an innovative Romeo and Juliet that received excellent notices. He produced and directed one of the most controversial stage productions in Houston during the Seventies: The Beard, an erotic one-act staged at an art gallery in the Montrose District. He also directed two of his original plays at the Equinox Theater: Charlie’s Ear and Denizens. He has had a distinguished career in motion pictures as a Casting Director and Dialogue/Dialect Coach. His casting credits include: The Last Picture Show; Paper Moon; The Getaway; Pretty Baby; and Paris, Texas. He has worked closely with directors Robert Altman, Peter Bogdanovich, Sam Peckinpah, Michael Ritchie, Louis Malle, and Wim Wenders. As a Dialogue/Dialect Coach he has tutored Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Cloris Leachman, Brooke Shields, Tatum O’Neal, C. Thomas Howell, and Ann-Margret. His first feature film as a Writer-Director, Charlie’s Ear, won the Critics’ Prize at Mannheim and all the top awards – Best Film, Actor, Director, and Cinematography – at the IMAGFIC festival in Madrid. He produced The Trust, an award-winning feature film starring Karen Black and Sam Bottoms, and has produced, directed, and/or written numerous shorts: Mama Icy’s House; From Nowheresville; Ink on Paper; Little Beauties; A Few Letters Off; More Than Two Dollars, and My Name Is Jeffrey and I’m a Serial Killer. In the field of Corporate Training Videos his clients include Service Corporation International, Shell Oil, The American Bar Association, The Texas Young Lawyers Association, Liveris Digital Productions, Hoefler Associates, and The Escape School. His first book, Acting for the Real World: Notes on Television and Motion Picture Acting, will be published soon by FSE Publishing and his screenplays, Succubus Crystal, My Princess, and Faces of Stone, won, respectively, gold, silver, and bronze awards at WorldFest Houston. As an actor, he has appeared as a supporting player in the feature films Brewster McCloud, Zombies of Sugar Hill, Burger Wars, and My Best Friend is a Vampire. His first starring role as “Dusty” in the indie feature Dear Pillow has earned rave reviews in Variety, The Orlando Weekly, Film Threat, Indie Slate Magazine, and Playback St. Louis. He produced and directed Everything or Nothing, an HD feature starring Natasha Melnick in ’04, which was finished in ‘06. It was written by Sue Rock. God Thinks You’re a Loser, an HD feature he wrote and directed, was completed in 2008.

No comments »

Posted in Acting, Actors, Auditions, Austin Actors, Austin Conservatory, Austin Film, Demo Reels, Headshots, Indie Film, Self Promotion, Texas film

Tags:

Austin Conservatory, SAG Script to Screen Team presents Returning Champion Film Script

August 28th, 2009

I’ll be serving as the narrator for the latest SAG AFTRA Script to Screen presentation this weekend by the Austin Conservatory. Here’s an announcement from Conservatory Chair, Pamela Weaver:

We could use your support in attending our next script to screen this
Sunday. As an experiment this time around, we are using audio and visual
cues:

SAG Script to Screen Team presents Returning Champion Film Script

TV Writers Michele Gendelman and Ursula Ziegler test the film waters

The Austin Script to Screen Team presents a LIVE film script reading
event with Michele Gendelman and Ursula Ziegler’s Returning Champion.

The general public is invited to join actors, writers, producers,
directors, and film aficionados at 4 p.m. Sunday, August 30, at St.
Edwards University Jones Hall, 3001 S. Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas.

Admission is free.

Returning Champion is an off the wall comedy about a college freshman
who is booted out of school and has to move back home to his has-been
game-show host parents. The only way out of answering relentless trivia
questions and guessing which door breakfast is behind is to get his
out-of work parents back on the air.

An ever-growing independent film market has enticed these two TV writing
pros to submit Returning Champion to area investors, directors and
producers.

Michele Gendelman has written for TV shows: Newhart and
Facts of Life and is the author of What the Other Mothers Know
published by HarperCollins and contributor to What Was I Thinking? -
Bad Boyfriend Stories from St. Martin’s Press.

Ursula Ziegler has written and produced TV’s Empty Nest and also written for Head of the
Class, Sister-Sister, and Larroquette. She has developed TV pilots
for CBS, Fox and Castle Rock when not appearing as a contestant on TV
game shows.

Where: Jones Hall in the Ragsdale Center, St. Edwards University

When: Sunday, August 30 – 4 p.m.

How Much: Free

1 comment »

Posted in AFTRA, Actors, Austin Actors, Austin Conservatory, Austin Film, Directors, Producers, SAG, Texas Actors, Texas Filmmakers, Texas film, Tommy G. Kendrick

Tags:

Tax Incentives Pass, A New SAG Contract is Ratified – Time To Get Busy

June 9th, 2009

Screen Actors Guild LogoAFTRA LOGOAfter months of acrimonious negotiations between SAG and the AMPTP and cross guild combat between SAG and AFTRA, a new contract has been ratified. For better or worse, and I personally hope we don’t look back on passage of this contract as the beginning of the end for both SAG and AFTRA, the SAG membership has spoken and we have a ‘deal’. The fact that this deal has the potential to eviscerate actors’ residual income was not enough to keep the membership from giving the agreement its overwhelming approval by a vote of 78% to 22%.

Here is a press release sent to the membership tonight ( 6/9/09):

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Screen Actors Guild Members Overwhelmingly Ratify TV/Theatrical Agreements

Los Angeles, (June 9, 2009) – Screen Actors Guild announced today that members have voted overwhelmingly to approve its TV/Theatrical contracts by a vote of 78 percent to 22 percent.

The two-year successor agreement covers film and digital television programs, motion pictures and new media productions. The pact becomes effective at 12:01 a.m. June 10, 2009 and expires June 30, 2011.

The contracts provide more than $105 million in wages, increased pension contributions, and other gains and establishes a template for SAG coverage of new media formats.

Approximately 110,000 SAG members received ballots of which 35.26 percent returned them – a return that is above average compared with typical referenda on Screen Actors Guild contracts. Integrity Voting Systems of Everett, WA, provided election services and tonight certified the final vote tally upon completion of the tabulation.

The vote count in the Hollywood Division was 70.70 percent to 29.30 percent in favor. In the New York Division, the vote count was 85.74 percent to 14.26 percent in favor. And in the Regional Branch Division, the vote count was 89.06 percent to 10.94 percent in favor.

Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg said, “The membership has spoken and has decided to work under the terms of this contract that many of us, who have been involved in these negotiations from the beginning, believe to be devastatingly unsatisfactory. Tomorrow morning I will be contacting the elected leadership of the other talent unions with the hope of beginning a series of pre-negotiation summit meetings in preparation for 2011. I call upon all SAG members to begin to ready themselves for the battle ahead,” Rosenberg added.

Screen Actors Guild Interim National Executive Director David White said, “This decisive vote gets our members back to work with immediate pay raises and puts SAG in a strong position for the future. Preparation for the next round of negotiations begins now. Our members can expect more positive changes in the coming months as we organize new work opportunities, repair and reinvigorate our relationships with our sister unions and industry partners, and continue to improve the Guild’s operations.”

Screen Actors Guild Chief Negotiator John McGuire said, “I want to thank the SAG members and staff who dedicated their time to the negotiations process. We emerged with a solid deal that the members have now voted up. The negotiating team worked tirelessly, building on the work of the first negotiating committee, to deliver these improvements to members.”

Screen Actors Guild began talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on April 15, 2008. Guild Chief Negotiator John McGuire, Interim National Executive Director David White, and Deputy National Executive Director for Contracts Ray Rodriguez, working with a 10-person negotiating task force comprised of Screen Actors Guild board members and officers representing the three divisions, reached the tentative agreement on April 16, 2009 after 12 months of periodic negotiations with the motion picture studios and television networks.

In what should be a ‘perfect storm’ of events that could, and MUST help stimulate a substantial increase in SAG theatrical contract film production in Texas, ratification of the new SAG / AMPTP agreement was preceded by passage and more importantly, full funding of the requested $62 Million Texas film incentive legislation.

Texas Film IncentivesFrom TXMPA President, Don Stokes:

It is my extreme pleasure to report a very successful legislative session for the moving image industry. TXMPA has played an integral roll in the passage of HB 873 which created our enhanced and flexible incentive program as well as HB 2521 which creates guidelines for preferred vendor status for Texas based companies in producing media-related services for the State and SB 1929 which creates media production development zones which encourages the creation and development of production infrastructure like sound stages.

Of equal importance, our full funding request of $62 million dollars for HB 873 was passed by both the House and Senate. Congratulations to all of you who assisted in these achievements. None of this would have been possible without our industry coming together and speaking with a singular voice. Thanks again to all of you who participated in Lobby Day and spoke as witnesses in the various committee hearings. We also owe thanks to our friends at HillCo Partners who lobbied tirelessly to make sure our message was heard and that legislators understood that we only wanted what benefited both our industry and the State. And finally I want to express our gratitude to the Texas Film Commission for all of work and efforts they put forth on our behalf. Our success was truly a team effort. Take a moment to bask in our successes, but only a moment…

FILM & TELEVISION PROJECTS

* Feature Films
* Documentaries
* Episodic Television Series
* Television Episodes
* Television Movies
* Miniseries
* Reality Television
* Interstitial Television Programming
* Nationally Syndicated Talk Show

Program Overview

* Tiered incentive payments of 5-15% based on level of Texas spending.*
* Option to choose incentive calculation based on total in-state spending or wages paid to Texas residents.*
* Possible bonus of 2.5% if 25% of production completed in underutilized area.
* Texas spending can include eligible pre-production, production and post-production expenditures.
* No cap on incentive amount.

Minimum Qualifications

* $250,000 in Texas spending.
* 60% of shooting days completed in Texas.
* 70% of paid crew must be Texas residents.
* 70% of paid cast (including extras) must be Texas residents.*

* except reality television and talk shows.

Below is the latest list of possible SAG signatory productions for south region states, Louisiana and Texas. This list is assumed to be the last such list to be published before the new Texas film tax incentive program has a chance to impact production in Texas and possibly in states such as Louisiana and New Mexico.

Louisiana

“Dead Whisper” - #00231285
Dead Whisper Productions – Theatrical
Location: New Orleans, LA; Big Bear, CA
Start Date: To be determined

“Hurting Kind, The” - #00244310
TNC Shreveport, LLC – Low Budget Modified
Location: Shreveport, LA
Start Date: July 26, 2009

“Jaws of the Mississippi” - #00225090
Jaws Productions, LLC – Low Budget Modified
Location: Lafayette, LA
Start Date: July 6, 2009

“Untitled Alphi Phi Alpha Doc” - #00241154
Omnipotent One, Inc – Theatrical
Location: New Orleans, LA
Start Date: July 9, 2009

Texas

“Beyond the Whispers” – #00244882
Broken Camera Productions – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Boerne, TX
Start Date: To be determined

“Broken Promise, A South Texas Story” – #00210652
Que Tal Productions, LLC – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Brownsville/Mercedes, TX
Start Date: To be determined

“Carried Away” - #00238361
Carried Away, LLC – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Start Date: To be determined
Casting: James Johnston 817-915-4565

“Imago” - #00244751
Upstart Filmworks, LLC – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Houston, TX
Start Date: August 1, 2009

“Iron Horses” - #00237421
Curveball Films, LLC – Low Budget
Location: Austin, TX
Start Date: August 1, 2009

“Last Thanksgiving, The” – #00243410

TLT Productions – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Donna, TX
Start Date: To be determined
Casting: Pedro Garcia

“Letter H, The” – #00233247
GCP Film, LLC – Theatrical
Location: Houston/El Paso, TX
Start Date: September 3, 2009

“Matter of Honor, A: The Assassination of Sam Giancana”Distraught Sound and
Film Works in Association with Tommy Fadd and Good Boy Films
Location: Austin, TX
Start Date: To be determined

“Maybe, Maybe No” – #00239585
Red Raider Films, LLC – Ultra Low Budget
Start Date: 6/12/09 – Wrap Date: 7/26/09
Location: Wylie, TX
Casting: Ryan Paige 310-424-5256

“Mongolian Death Worm” – #00244759
Sweet Tater, LLC – Low Budget
Location: Dallas, TX
Start Date: June 22, 2009

“Red, White and Blue” - #00244689
RWB Films, LLC – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Austin, TX
Start Date: June 14, 2009
Casting: Karen Halford of Casting Works L.A.

“Secret Dark, A” – 00241474
30 Days, LLC – Low Budget
Location: Houston, TX
Start Date: June 15, 2009

“One Moon in Luck aka Shoot Out of Luck” – #00244805
Liz Destro – Theatrical
Location: Austin, TX
Start Date: October 1, 2009

“Untitled Ana Zims Romantic Comedy” – #00244038
Ana Zims – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Texas (unspecified), CA
Start Date: June 14, 2009

“Walk Away Joe” - #00242161
WAJ Productions, LLC – Theatrical
Location: Dallas, TX; Los Angeles, CA
Start Date: To be determined

“Where’s the Dan? The Search for Dan Schneider” – #00242803
Cosby Siringi – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Huntsville/Conroe, TX
Start Date: To be determined

1 comment »

Posted in AMPTP, Actors, Alan Rosenberg, Austin Actors, Austin Conservatory, Austin Film, Big Media, Bob Hudgins, Don Stokes, Indie Film, Louisiana Film Production, New Mexico Film Production, Tax Incentives, Texas Actors, Texas Film Production Fund, Texas film, Tommy G. Kendrick

Tags:

The Austin Conservatory Presents : BUILDING THE BIZ

April 2nd, 2009

Screen Actors Guild LogoAFTRA LOGOThe recently formed AUSTIN CONSERVATORY is picking up steam in its quest to help all actors, particularly SAG and AFTRA actors hone their craft. Following the highly successful Script to Screen event this past Monday, the Conservatory is following up with a forum designed to assist actors and indie filmmakers in moving their careers forward. This event is FREE FOR EVERYONE. Future events will likely have a nominal fee attached for interested parties who are not SAG or AFTRA members, but this event is presented without charge.

Please join us Sunday afternoon for an informative presentation including Q&A from the audience. If you can make it Sunday please introduce yourself and let me know you saw the announcement here.

Here’s the pitch:

Indie people don’t wait for the projects to come to them . . . they create!

Join industry experts for an informative session of supporting your creative vision while using professional talent. From Shorts to Ultra Low, to Full Features, to Webisodes or New Media and Gaming . . . SAG has a contract that can help improve your creation by broadening your talent pool. Bring your ideas and your questions.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

2-4 p.m.

Picture Box Studio

701 Tillery, Suite A-7

Austin, Texas 78702

512-480-9291

Panelists:

Bryan Poyser - Producer, Writer, Director has created award winning indie films of various levels from shorts to full feature productions. Co-Founder of Cinematexas Film Festival, Bryan is recognized as a fixture in the Texas film scene and now serves as the Director of Artist Services for the Austin Film Society.

Linda Dowell - SAG Regional Branch Division Executive Director oversees a Division covering 20 regional branches across the nation (every branch between LA and New York). Linda is well versed in the details of SAG’s film agreements and has assisted hundreds of filmmakers with utilizing professional talent in their low budget projects. She also serves on the Board of TXMPA, is a member of Women in Film in Houston and Dallas, and is a member of the Dallas Producers Association.

Lori Madrid - Line Producer, UPM and now Director of Operations at Spiderwood Studios has worked on numerous features and webisodes including “A Tribute to Big Red”, “Inspector Mom” and “Prison Break”. She knows the different challenges that face features, webisodes and TV production and is dedicated to helping the media community understand the importance of raising the bar and creating more production in Texas.

Tom Booker – Actor, Producer, Director, Writer knows the art of creating work. As a performer, Tom has appeared in hundreds of commercials and television shows. His live performances include “The Real Live Brady Bunch in LA and New York and his improv skills have led him to direct and teach at The Second City Training Center in LA. Tom co-wrote “Kill The Man” starring Luke Wilson that premiered at Sundance and is the founder of The Institution Theater in Austin.

This event is free. Seating is limited. RSVP to  tavery at sag.org

Space & equipment graciously donated by Reel Women & Exec. Director, Sherry Mills.

No comments »

Posted in AFTRA, Acting, Austin Actors, Austin Conservatory, Austin Film, Bryan Poyser, Indie Film, Linda Dowell, SAG, SAGIndie, Script to Screen, Texas film, Tom Booker, Tommy G. Kendrick, WEBISODES

Tags:

Austin Conservatory Presents: Script to Screen at the State Theater

March 26th, 2009

Professional performers present the first in a series of live script reads before directors, producers, agents, casting directors, and potential producers.

“Feather in the Rain”
by Alex Conrad
Monday, March 30
6:00-6:15pm Network
6:15-9:00pm Script Read

State Theater
719 Congress Ave.
Austin, TX 78701
512.472.5470

No comments »

Posted in Acting, Austin Conservatory, Austin Film, Directors, Indie Film, SAG, Script to Screen, State Theater, Texas Actors, Texas Film Production Fund, Texas Filmmakers, Texas film, Tommy G. Kendrick

Tags: