Vancouver Actor's Guide Newsletter - November 7 2016
Published: Mon, 11/07/16
INDUSTRY NEWS
PRODUCTION COMPANY EYES PERMANENT SOUNDSTAGE FOR VICTORIA
Pretty Clever Entertainment, a company that produces unscripted dramas and documentaries, is in talks with the Capital Regional District to convert a former food storage facility in
Esquimalt.
BIG PICTURE: IF YOU BUILD IT IN ESQUIMALT, FILM CREWS WILL COME
If the stars align for Margaret Judge, it won’t be long before an Esquimalt warehouse becomes a long-term film and TV production hub. The producer and former model has made an offer to lease 836 Viewfield Rd. from the Capital Regional District.
CASTING DIRECTORS UNDER PRESSURE TO REPRESENT TODAY’S AMERICA IN FILM, TV
That transition of diversity from the back burner to the hot stove has changed the way that casting directors operate. And the diversity conversation has since become
more nuanced — broadening beyond questions of simply black and white.
BREAKING THROUGH INVISIBILITY: VANCOUVER ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL HOLDS SUMMIT ON ASIANS IN HOLLYWOOD
On the one hand, production companies sometimes say that they can't find an Asian North
American star with a marquee-draw name or enough experience for certain Hollywood films or TV shows. On the other hand, roles for Asian North American actors are extremely limited, and so it's hard for these actors to have the chance to develop their talents on screen and to gain the experience that's required. It's a vicious circle.
I believe we’re harming the cultural potential of Canada by not encouraging our playwrights to write for more than four actors. It’s an economic issue. If playwrights don’t believe Canadian theatre will produce a play if it features a cast of more than four, they’re unlikely to write one. Self-censoring because
of an unspoken limitation on their work impacts their creative instincts.
The actor is providing the most intimate service for them and our community. The actor is sacrificing a moment of their own lives in
order to give us a story of our own. And for a working-class industry that is and always will be its own “gig economy”, we must ensure that the treatment of all who participate in this important social contract are valued appropriately.
QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY STAGE PRODUCTION SCRAPPED OVER ‘OPPRESSIVE’ CHOICE OF WHITE WOMAN TO PLAY OTHELLO
A Queen’s University student theatre company has cancelled a production of Shakespeare’s Othello set to
open this month following an outcry over the decision to cast a white woman in the title role of a black man.
‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ DIRECTOR OWNS UP TO WHITEWASHING
CONTROVERSY
Filmmaker Scott Derrickson opens up about the MCU’s trippiest film yet, and the shitstorm surrounding his decision to erase The Ancient One’s Asianness.
It's what we are conditioned to believe — that if we speak up, our livelihoods will be threatened; that standing our ground will lead to our demise. We don't want to be kicked out of the sandbox for being a "bitch." So we compromise our integrity for the sake of maintaining the status quo and hope that change is coming.
WHAT PRO ATHLETES CAN TEACH ACTORS ABOUT AUDITION TECHNIQUE
Marquee athletes get paid to perform at a high level under pressure. More importantly, they know what it takes to get to the big leagues. Here are two things athletes can teach actors about auditioning.
WHY DO WE SABOTAGE OURSELVES IN THE AUDITION
ROOM?
Why keep giving yourself your second best? Why keep seeing yourself merely as a “featured player” when you have just as much right to claim your space and show up in the world in all your bad-ass glory as a super-star and realize… you deserve more.
WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER’S STATUS, AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT?
When it comes to acting, the crafting of status requires a bit more thought than the daily updates cluttering your newsfeed. I’m referring, of course, to the other kind of status, the social and professional ranking of a character relative to his or her peers. But how to figure it
out?
KIDS+TEENS FILM+TV ACTING Biz Studio students have about twice the one-on-one time with faculty as students at other schools, with a max of 6 students per class. We have a legacy of training young actors who
go on to work in the industry, *outstanding* instructors, and a beautiful downtown campus inside a working film & TV casting studio. January-March classes are registering now:
ACTORIUM’S 16 WEEK SCENE STUDY SERIES One role, one scene and 16 weeks of in-depth, thorough training. Actorium is a Meisner based school. Student must have completed Actorium's four week Intro, or equivalent to enroll. 2910 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. More info: 604-445-7751 | info@actorium.ca | actorium.ca
DIALECT COACHING | TONY ALCANTAR Hollywood producers trust Tony Alcantar with their stars: Oscar-winners Halle Berry, Billy-Bob Thornton plus A-list stars Stellan Skarsgard, Sam Rockwell, Joel Edgerton, Bob Odenkirk, Martin Freeman, Elizabeth Banks, etc. You can trust him too! Tony is Vancouver's #1 dialect coach, recommended by agents and casting directors. Learn with confidence the most requested dialects and accents required for the Vancouver
market. Book that role! Contact: 778-773-1402 | info@tonyalcantardialect.com
NEW AT ROGUES WEST ACTORS STUDIO - R.E.A.P. Rogues West is excited to announce several new additions to our diverse development opportunities – Vancouver veteran actor Glynis Davies teaching CORE FILM an audition class focusing on how to win those 1-5 line parts, our R.E.A.P. – Rogues Emerging Artists Program where actors showcase their work for an invited audience and our semi-professional theatre company ROGUES WESTEND
THEATRE’s inaugural production in April 2017 … as well as our all our popular Meisner, Film, Audition, Alexander and Screenwriting classes
The Vancouver Jewish Film Festival presents high quality entertainment. Comedies, feature dramas, thrillers, hot and timely documentaries and whimsical shorts are programmed to appeal to a wide audience base.
FactualWEST is a full-day conference of information sharing, skills-training, and networking for BC’s television industry. The conference will provide
advanced skills-based training for mid-career and senior writers, producers, directors, editors and others working in BC’s burgeoning factual, lifestyle and reality television industry, as well as emerging talent.
Established in 1993, the CRS is Vancouver’s original live script reading event. For over two decades, the CRS is the place for
Vancouver’s artists to meet one another, share their work, and create more.
Europe without the jetlag! The Cinematheque’s annual celebration of new cinema from the European Union is proudly presented with the Vancouver consulates and the Ottawa embassies of the member states
of the European Union and the Delegation of the European Union to Canada. This year’s festival showcases entries from 23 EU members.
The 2016 Whistler Film Festival features 90 innovative and original films from around
the world and opportunities to connect with the people who made them, this year’s fest will be filled with a solid lineup of premieres, honoured guests, lively celebrations, and unique industry initiatives.
