VANCOUVER-SHOT FAMILY COMEDY PLAYING WITH FIRE SPENDS OVER $19.5 MILLION IN B.C.
Over $12 million was spent on employing B.C. labour, which included over 630 local cast and crew members. Meanwhile over $7.5 million was spent on B.C. good and services, including over $400,000 on food and catering; $439,000 on hardwood and lumber supplies; $166,000 on wardrobe; $332,000 on location fees and permits; and $250,000 on hotels and lodging. https://www.straight.com/movies/1323516/vancouver-shot-family-comedy-playing-fire-spends-over-195-million-bc
THE STREAMING WARS HAVE BEGUN IN EARNEST, AND THE B.C. FILM INDUSTRY HOPES TO CASH IN
With Disney Plus entering the market Tuesday, the battle for streaming supremacy has entered a new phase, and B.C.’s film industry is salivating at the possibilities. https://globalnews.ca/news/6160956/b-c-film-streaming-wars/
A LONG ROAD TO PROMISELAND FOR VANCOUVER ACTRESS
When Vancouver actress Andrea Stefancikova found out last week that the Whistler Film Festival had named her one of its Stars to Watch this year, she burst into tears. It's been a long road to get to this point.
VANCOUVER DIRECTOR TELLS US HOW HE GOT TO SESAME STREET
Mark Ratzlaff is one of only a handful of people on the planet who has ventured into Oscar the Grouch’s trashcan (and lived to tell the tale). The Vancouver filmmaker had already directed two segments for Sesame Street when he was invited to visit the actual Sesame Street, which is located in the iconic Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York. https://www.vancourier.com/entertainment/vancouver-director-tells-us-how-he-got-to-sesame-street-1.24005771
INSIDE THE ‘ABSOLUTE EXPLOSION’ OF ANIMATION TODAY
In an era when size has never mattered more in Hollywood, the recent corporate alliance of three of the industry’s most successful animated divisions (five divisions in all, if you count the mostly straight-to-video Disneytoon Studios and moribund 20th Century Fox Animation) has certain strategic advantages. Chief among them: scalability. https://www.vulture.com/2019/11/inside-the-absolute-explosion-of-animation-today.html
CAN FILM SAVE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES?
Films like “SG̲aawaay Ḵ’uuna” transport indigenous traditions from set to community with surprising speed. Any youth, especially Haida youth, that sees their language being spoken on a feature-length film—that will affirm their identities and empower them to speak. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/can-film-save-indigenous-languages
WHY CULTIVATING CONCENTRATION IS KEY TO ACTING
Concentration is a fundamental requirement for all good acting. Without concentration, not only is line memorization nearly impossible, but also the capacity to research, rehearse, and perform a role. Concentration is defined as “the action or power of focusing one’s attention or mental effort.” The opposite is being absent and absentminded. https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/why-cultivating-concentration-is-key-to-acting-69388/
UPCOMING TRAINING
BIZ STUDIO: PROFESSIONAL FILM+TV ACTING CLASES FOR KIDS+TEENS
Is your young actor ready for a focused, small-group professional class with lots of individual attention? Biz Studio has a seventeen-year track record of training young actors who work regularly in film and television.
Classes are like small-group personal training, and take a maximum of six students so that instructors can work individually with each actor to give them what they need. This is the place for young actors ready to take their work to the next level! http://www.bizstudio.ca/classes
DIALECT COACHING - TONY ALCANTAR
Hollywood producers trust Tony with their stars: Oscar winners Mel Gibson, Halle Berry, Billy Bob Thornton, Emmy winner Martin Freeman plus A-listers Sam Rockwell, Vince Vaughn, Joel Edgerton, Bob Odenkirk, Nathan Fillion, Stellan Skarsgard and MANY MORE. You can trust him too.
* Tony is Vancouver's #1 dialect coach recommended by agents and casting directors. Learn with confidence the most requested accents and dialects for the Vancouver market.
Book that role!
Contact: 604-418-1192, info@tonyalcantardialect.com, www.tonyalcantar.com
PILOT SEASON READY WITH COACH STELLINA RUSICH
Jan 7 – Feb 25
It is imperative to be performing at your highest level when Pilot Season hits. Don’t wait until it’s too late to gear up and be your competitive best. Be training and ready to compete to book roles during this very challenging period.
Stellina is a powerhouse of a teacher demanding the best of her students in a supportive approach. These 8 weeks will demand hard work, and commitment. Outside class work will also be required. A group of 14 will push each other to excel from week 1. https://actorvan.com/product/pilot-season-ready-with-coach-stellina-rusich/
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING WITH THE PROFESSIONALS - ROGUES WEST ACTORS STUDIO
With studios in Vancouver and Calgary, the Rogues name is synonymous with the highest calibre of training. Since 1993, the Rogues legacy is renowned for training thousands of actors and launching many successful professional careers. Rogues West offers the emerging or veteran actor a variety of Film, Scene Work, Meisner, Voice and American Dialect classes. Discover the legacy of Western Canada’s premiere acting family!
AUDIT FOR FREE - January 2020 classes registering now!
Check out www.rogueswest.ca for more studio details and Email: rogueswest@gmail.com to arrange your audit now!
UPCOMING EVENTS
2019 CHUTZPAH! FESTIVAL
October 24 - November 24
The Chutzpah! Festival is the Lower Mainland’s winter music, dance, comedy and theatre festival presenting international, national and local artists. The 2019 Festival will welcome performers from cultural hubs such as Canada, UK, Israel, Italy, Germany and the USA. https://chutzpahfestival.com/
COLD READING SERIES
November 18
At the CRS we cast brand new scripts on the spot and watch them fly in front of a live audience. Every live reading ends with a party in the Lounge where you can meet up with other artists over a cold beer. The CRS is the place for Vancouver’s artists to meet one another, share their work, and create more. http://www.coldreadingseries.com
NETWORKING COFFEE CHAT FEAT. GIGI SAUL GERRERO
November 19
Gigi Saul Guerrero will be sharing her personal experience, from navigating small-scale indie projects, to working with studios in LA. She'll be covering everything from mistakes made along the way, to methods she found beneficial. Guerrero will also discuss the process of completing her first feature and first TV episode, and how that has rapidly propelled her career forward. https://www.womeninfilm.ca/cgi/page.cgi/_evtcal.html?evt=452
LIVE SCRIPT READINGS: BEST NEW SCRIPTS, CAST ON THE SPOT
November 25
Writer in Residence Ken Began hosts VPL's first Live Script Readings. Come see actors perform local screenwriters' scripts. Best new scripts, cast on the spot. In partnership with the Cold Reading Series. https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/events/5d95332467238d2f006e8249
VANCOUVER IRISH FILM FESTIVAL
November 29 – December 1
VIRFF is Vancouver’s newest cultural event organised by a passionate group from the Irish community to celebrate the best in Irish cinema. Vancouver has a vibrant Irish diaspora and a thriving creative film industry so we wanted to create a platform to showcase Irish loved films. https://www.virff.org
INDIEFLICKS VANCOUVER MONTHLY FILM FESTIVAL
December 1
For the first instalment of the Canadian IndieFlicks we're hitting up Havana on Commercial Drive the perfect way to wind down your weekend, offering a variety of high quality short films from around the world. https://www.facebook.com/events/2504243329848840/
