Students filming at Universal
THE NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY
Hello everyone:
Yes, it's me, the wayfaring pilgrim freshly returned from the four-week Acting for Film program at the New York Film Academy Universal Studios campus in Burbank, California. If I'm going to be a film director, I need to be able to work with actors, which means I need to know their craft, so I dove in with both feet and became an actor for a month. I went through the whole process of analyzing a script, interpreting a scene, creating a character, finding my inner motivations, determining my intentions and my obstacles; I went through the nerve-racking auditioning process; I learned plenty of things that weren't even in the curriculum: my strengths and my weaknesses, the nature - good, bad, and worse - of the movie business, the interpersonal politics of working with a cast and crew, and most of all, whether or not I was even cut out for this.
So how did I do? Not too bad. My biggest challenge as an actor was "moving up" from my usual, wide-open, stage performance style of acting to the deeper, more subtle, visceral level of acting necessary for film. Let me tell you, it's no walk in the park. It requires some heavy preparation and a vulnerability most people would find pretty scary. The social mask has to come off, the emotional and spiritual innards laid bare. I got the hang of it, but I also gained a great respect for those really good actors who have had the training and experience to master their craft. Hey, if you ever need a fascinating public speaker, some great voiceover work for cartoons or audio books, or perhaps a wide open, quirky character for a sitcom or a kids show, look me up. If you're looking for a deep, intense actor who can connect with the other actors and draw upon that gut level, deep, emotional, even spiritual stuff required for good acting... ehhh, I'm working on it. Give me some good direction, more training and experience, and I'll get there, but at least I have no illusions, which is something you see a lot of in this business.
Check out the photos:
Richard Zelnicker was one of my instructors. He’s a writer and film director and helped me take some really nice strides in acting.
Hank Stone, the blond guy in the sunglasses, was another instructor, an intense actor with a heart of gold. In the photo he’s consulting with one of my classmates, Djosephine, a German model from New York.
I’ve included a few pictures of us working on the Universal back lot. All the acting students had to audition and perform in the film projects of the filmmaking students.
There were 10 students in my class, including a guy from Turkey, a sweet gal from Russia, two girls from Brazil, and a Muslim girl from Canada. We had a great mix of backgrounds, talents, and personalities, and every one of us was interesting.
So what's next? Well, I and the good people at North by Northwest in Spokane are still exploring the production of Monster, but in terms of when we're actually going to shoot it, the functioning answer is, "It will happen when it happens." So okay. North By is working up a budget and looking for backers, I'm working on the fifth draft of the script. Beyond that, it's Do What We Can When We Can and Wait and See, and I think I’ll get to work on another novel. Writing novels is really nice because I can just get to work on it and I don’t have to wait for a zillion other people and pieces to fall together before anything happens.
What's the novel going to be about? Oh, Angels and Demons, I suppose, locked in warfare with normal, struggling people like you and me caught in the middle. I thought I might be able to approach the subject with some new twists and ideas. I think it's about time.
Some other folks have shown an interest in bringing the Cooper Kids series to film or television, so we're going to let them shop it around for a while and see what they find. I do appreciate all the interest and prayers concerning this.
Most of all, I want to listen. That's one thing I've determined for myself, that I want to be a listener, because that's where wisdom comes from. I want to hear from God and know His voice and His will. A guy in my position with so many different avenues and so many people telling him so many different things and pulling him so many different directions had better be tuned in to what God wants. I have some praying and thinking to do.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Pass the word around, and remember me in your prayers. Life is short, mine is getting shorter by the year, and I sure want to make the best use of every day the Lord gives me. Much love and appreciation to you all.
Frank
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