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Bay Area Film Actors Innovate
by Doniphan Blair
Director, writer, actor AND acting school director Celik Kayalar was there to greet me, and offer a piping hot cappuccino, when I visited his school in Emeryville. photo: D. Blair WHEN YOU SAY "CAREER IN ACTING"
most people think LA—for good reason, since so many film, television and other media projects get shot there every day. By the same token, however, there are so many actors, you can get lost in the shuffle, the cattle-call auditions, the repetitive call-backs and the two-hour commutes.
Although the Bay Area has a stellar, if smaller, acting scene, built around theater, it also has a coterie of dedicated film actors with whom I thought I might check in to see if there was anything new under the thespian sun.
Fortunately, Film Acting Bay Area, which specializes in film acting (as the name implies), recently opened a spacious new facility in Emeryville, conveniently located only a few minutes away from CineSource studios.
After placing a call, FABA's director, Celik Kayalar, an actor as well as an award-winning director of shorts and features ("Moonlight Sonata", 2009), invited me for a roundtable discussion with a half-a-dozen students.
They included Mia Perez, who had only been studying for a few months but came from modeling, had obvious talent and was already landing some impressive gigs. A Latin beauty with a smile as wide as the Caribbean from where she hails (Cuba), she recently started hosting "Latino Soy" an Internet show on Wednesday nights.
"I choose to do it in Spanglish, so its bilingual," Ms Perez said, "Being Latina, I wanted to give people a voice but I also don't want it to just be us. I want the world to know."
Then there was Adam Thayer, with a craggy face which allows him to clean up on character portrayals. Mr Thayer also does broadcast, in his case a radio music program (weekdays on 610 am), putting his deep, sonorous voice to excellent use.
The scintillating Jeanne Young has also been hard at work. Despite starting to study with Kayalar years ago, when he was associated with other film education institutions, she continues to take his classes to keep her skills honed.
"I just finished the lead in a masters thesis film for a young woman at the London Film School, where [director] Mike Leigh is the chair," Ms Young said.
Actress Jeanne Young has become close friends with Celik Kayalar after studying with him for over a decade. photo: D. Blair Another participant, Richard Castrillon has been keeping busy, recently playing a lead in "A Leap to Take" (2013), a feature about a bunch of low-lifes celebrating the birthday of a pimp, played by FABA director Kayalar himself, who also executive produced.
Last but not least, Catherine (Cathy) Lerza has done almost a dozen shorts and three features in the last three years, including a part in "A Leap to Take".
Shot entirely in one evening, "A Leap to Take" was directed by Rob Nilsson, known for his unique filmmaking and improv techniques, which he calls Direct Action. He teaches one class at FABA.
Since all of FABA's other classes are more classical acting-oriented, I started by asking which style or "method" they preferred.
Jeanne: I have read about the different styles of acting but, when I go on interviews, I have been told I am a method actor.
CineSource: Have you looked into [Constatin] Stanislavski?
Jeanne: A bit but the more I have, the more I delve into the craft just by going within.
Richard: It's digging deep and rummaging around for things you have forgotten—or wanted to forget—and using them as tools to obtain your 'objective' in a scene.
Adam: It provides the personal communication. It is beyond just delivering lines. It is bringing yourself to the plate.
What would you say if you were to advise a director on how to sculpt his actor's acting style.
Celik: I think film is creating a dream experience. We don't want to be told this is not a dream—until the lights come up. I always look from the perspective of audience. I don't think there is any art form without the audience. You don't make art for yourself.
All acting, directing, cinematography has to flow so flawlessly that [the technique] is all hidden. The audience should not be jolted out of the dream state. There is scientific evidence, that when people are watching a movie, their brainwaves are more similar to the dream state.
Mia Perez, a recent arrival in California, is putting to good use her thespian chops learned at FABA. photo: D. Blair Be the character—don't pretend to be that character! If you believe you are that character then the audience believes. They are not watching an actor, crew and cast create a fake story. Method Acting provides that because it encourages actors to become the character.
Get into character early—some people take it to the extreme and do it a week before. Get into character and don't get out until it is a wrap. Not even a cut, because a cut is temporary—we are going to shoot again.
Cathy: Stanislavski's famous book is called 'An Actor Prepares' [1936]. There are many ways but the bottom line is you have to prepare and show up on the set ready to go.
You don't know whether you are going to be taken care of or abused by a director. But if you have prepared, if you have done your homework, if you know your backstory—and that of every single person who shows up in a scene—
Mia: Backstory is so important! When I did Sophie for 'A Leap to Take', we were upset about the economic downturn. We were questioning our careers.
The backstory is crucial because that situation was so confusing. My husband, played by Richard, is allowing me to be an escort. 'Wait a minute! I have a husband who is allowing me to prostitute myself and this what my life is supposed to be like when I came from Cuba????'
Richard: We did our work together as husband and wife and I had no clue what was going on between [her and 'Dennis,' the john]. That was a the surprise in the final viewing.
Celik: If you want to become a character, that in real life you are not, you have to know that character, create that character. Then you don't have to act because you are that character.
Right now I don't have to act—I am Celik! I know my backstory: I am thinking about a hair transplant and liposuction. [laughs] To become a character, you have to give it a backstory, the sooner you start, the sooner you believe.
Jeanne: Backstory for me is often related to my own life—that makes it more real.
Cathy: An acting teacher once told me, 'In the end, the character is going to look a lot like you.' [laughter]
Mia: Since I didn't have a chance to go to LA right away, I started taking classes with Rob [Nilsson at FABA]. His method of Direct Action is what I felt I needed to bring something real and raw.
He would have us go back to a time in our life when we experienced grief. It would touch you and you felt it in your scene partner.
Is Direct Action a more a naturalist version of Method Acting?
Richard Castrillon's obsession with acting cost him a marriage but earned immense satisfaction. photo: D. Blair Richard: It is pretty much improvisation. But, when you are prepared in that way, acting a [written] scene is a lot easier.
You dive deep inside. It is liberating. It provides mutual respect with your scene partner. When they see it in your eyes, it becomes contagious. That is when the flow just goes.
Adam: It takes on a life of its own; it is a living thing.
How does Direct Action achieve that?
Richard: Several methods, discussion, a lot of exercises, to the point of [Rob] telling you to physically act it out—do some sort of dance or something.
Jeanne: There is some sort of script but you aren't tied to it. It is a general outline of what the conversation should be about. You know the marks that you are going to hit. We feel where the character wants to go and we just go with it.
Richard: He sets it up in a way and wants to know if you are in agreement or disagreement. If disagreement, he says, 'OK, let's work on that.'
If you were going to introduce a budding filmmaker to Direct Action, what would be your main points?
Jeanne: The biggest thing is communication with the director about the character. I have worked with some rigid directors. I prefer when they are more open and are willing to discuss my ideas.
Like them saying 'What is your opinion on this character? Let's make this a collaboration?'
Jeanne: I think those two words are key: connection and collaboration.
Adam: There is one more 'C' word: creation. When you get creative people together you wind up creating something that takes on a life of its own.
You work on your backstory; you work on your connection to your scene partner. When your director says, 'That was real,' that is the highest compliment you can get.
Celik: Good looks may help some people but you get tired of that. You go to LA—everyone is good looking. But those who shine are those who have put in the work—workshops, classes, scene study.
Well-read as well as trained in various acting 'methods,' Catherine (Cathy) Lerza enjoys the mix at FABA. photo: D. Blair How about if someone wants to change the story. If the director has some notes or your character decides to go rouge?
Cathy: That depends, if it is scripted work, then the script is the Bible. But if you are in a Rob Nilsson situation, he is always, like, 'Bring it on!'
Jeanne: I think it always great to give the audience what is not expected. Don't do the obvious.
Celik: Here's something actors like: We do five takes and at least one is good, then I tell my actors, 'Go wild, do what you think.' That is typical of good directors. But you don't start with that, you get what you need first.
To get what you need, how would you talk to the actors? Privately, in a certain way?
Celik: Public is good, private is OK, depending on what you are saying. Always be courteous and gentle.
That's where training comes in and we develop the language directors and actors can understand. When we say, 'Change your beat,' or 'Color your performance,' or 'Play your objective a little stronger,' ordinary people will not understand.
That language is universal [to acting]. There are books about it, schools that follow it; we are not reinventing the language each time. A trained actor knows what the director is talking about.
I worked with Carl Lumbly, one of the best around ['Cagney & Lacey' 1981-89, 'L.A. Law' 1989-90]. He graced me with a great performance in my short 'The 99%', which also featured Richard and Adam.
There was nothing to explain; Carl knows; it is almost like sign language.
Mia: It is important to train, because it is universal. The highest praise I receive is for my training at FABA. [Directors] say 'Wow you are so disciplined. What you bring on set and your performance, you really connect.' I haven't had training anywhere else.
Another hard-working local actor, Adam Thayer also hosts a radio show. photo: D. Blair I have been on sets where some actors are not trained. They can be a headache.
You are going to work with different directors they will all have their style. If you know how to conduct yourself, respect to the craft, they respect you.
Jeanne: They love it when they don't have to say cut and you keep improvising. They compliment you for being a professional.
I like directors to be specific, not say things like 'Could you be happier' or 'I didn't like that take.'
Better to say, 'Could you change you objective?' 'Find a way to be angrier?' Or, 'Could you find a way to forgive him or her at the end of this scene?' Or 'It could it be faster.'
Cathy: Not too generic.
Jeanne: I just finished the lead in a masters thesis film by a young woman at the London film school. I am really picky about student films but it was a wonderful experience—six very long days. I was going through a very emotional journey.
We shot it here. [The director's] name is Barbara Deril. She went to the Academy of Art [in San Francisco] to do her training since she was originally an editor.
For some reason, this sweet young woman from Germany loves action movies [and connected with] Mark Goldblatt, the famous Hollywood editor who did 'Terminator' [1984], although this movie is not an action movie.
Goldblatt has been her idol since she was ten in Germany, a child of Iraqi refugees. He is her mentor on this film; he helped her on the screenplay, looked at all the rushes.
Barbara was a lovely director to work with because, at the London Film School, every person has to take an acting class. Barbara knew how to speak with me about everything, backstory.
The other two actors were way less experienced, so she had to spend more time with them. We did actual rehearsals, which was great.
Celik: I never wanted to be an actor—I was already directing films. But it got to the point where I thought, 'What can I do more to be a better director?' and my actors said, 'Why don't you study acting?' I got hooked.
Once I put myself through acting training, my directing got better. I expected that but my writing also got better.
You start understanding scene structure, the arc, what's 'actable.' The next thing you know, I am hearing the voices of the actors in my head when I am writing my dialogue. That is synergy.
Jeanne: I don't think that is the case at NYU or UCLA or any of the big film schools, I don't think you have to take acting classes.
Adam: You will find casting directors who came from acting. Makes them more effective.
Jeanne: And more sensitive.
A group shot: (lf-rt) Adam Thayer, Catherine (Cathy) Lerza, Celik Kayalar, Jeanne Young and Richard Castrillon. photo: D. Blair Speaking of sensitivity towards actors, what do you think of what Francis Ford Coppola did to Martin Sheen at the beginning of 'Apocalypse Now': pumped him full of alcohol and reduced him to crying naked on the ground?
Richard: Sure, if you are capable of bringing him back.
Celik: That would be extreme method acting.
Jeanne: I don't know if I agree with that. [laugh] I don't think the alcohol is necessary. I can go there without that.
How about combining scripts and Direct Action?
Cathy: I love that.
How do you achieve that with some sort of fluidness?
Cathy: By having a director who knows what he or she wants so there is an arc of the story.
I worked on a film with a director, Josh Peterson, who also worked with Rob on a film named 'Blood Makes the Green Grass Grow'. We did a ton of backstory.
Josh had written a script but then rewrote it after working with all of us. He allowed us to rewrite our dialogue after we had gotten know our characters.
Like Celik said, do it as written then give the actors a chance to just go for it, off script.
So what are some other tricks for today's actors?
Cathy: A lot more part submissions are made by video. I was really excited by a funny little web series that needed a video submission.
I said to Celia Shuman ['Hereafter', 2010, 'Moonlight Sonata', 2009, 'The Adventures of Mr. Incredible', 2005], who teaches the Monday night advanced acting class [at FABA] . How am I going to do this?' She said, ' Well I'll just come over and we can shoot it a FABA.'
She did three or four takes and we discussed what this character would wear. I did so much work, the director wrote right back and said, 'We loved it and just wear what you wore.'
The other one I did, my son did it on an iPhone. I got that part, too, but [the submission] was bad.
Adam:I just auditioned for a movie [that way] which is going to be shot in Florida at the Johnson Space Center—I'm a huge NASA geek—Jeanne also has a part in that.
I submitted a taped submission—Celik also wonderfully coached me on that— and guess what?!? I got a redirect and we taped it again, which resulted in a call back audition tomorrow.
Jeanne: I did my first submission [for that part] at home. I bought a black backdrop and have my own setup. Then we did a live Skype [audition] and I got the part!
It's an eight million budget, the biggest movies I have been a part of. We shoot in the NASA space center and a studio—there is a lot of special effects.
Getting back to improv and script, how do you deal with that?
Adam: There is room for improv in many places. Case in point: The other day, I was called in for an industrial and it was totally improvisational.
[The director] said, 'I want you imagine that this table is full of millions mouse traps'—there were only seven—'and I want you put your finger on the piece of cheese but do it without getting caught.'
Oh my goodness! Then he put on some Zen music, so I supposed to be Zen for that take, and then some rap.
What I hear you saying is that improv can really help inform your prep, and help you deal with the complexities.
Jeanne: I had one live Skype audition where there was improv. She asked me to and I was like, 'OK.'
Cathy : And if you get the part, you are half way there [, if you develop backstory, since you did so much prep work. It is wonderful.
I got a part because I read the sides but then—even though he didn't say he was going to do improv—the guy I was reading with just kept going.
Later [the director] gave me a big smile and said, 'That's why I cast you. You were the only actor that didn't go, 'But there are no lines here!' I just stayed in the scene, as I had been taught to do, until the director said, 'Cut!'
Celik: In regards to script versus improv at FABA, [except for Nilsson's one class] we go with the script. People get the script ahead of time and we workshop. We go until the director or teacher says, 'Cut.'
But then we do the 'Moment After.' It goes for a moment, or two or five, and that is created improvisationally.
Jeanne: To have that opportunity is so fun.
Richard: It helps to stay in character—you see things.
Adam: You are just building strength. Then you are there ready to take any direction you need to take.
So this a continuation of method or Direct Action?
Cathy: It all goes back to Stanislavski, [Stella] Adler and [Lee] Strasberg. If you read 'An Actor Prepares', you have to have an 'objective.' You have to know why you are in the scene, what you want, what you are going to get.
Jeanne: Everyone relates to a different thing in a different way, what ever works for you.
Richard: Five years ago, when I was first coming to the [FABA] program, I had the passion. You start reading up on these techniques and you have all these ideas.
This is where Celik steps in and erases the whole board. This is where it starts with baby steps. But in four or five weeks you feel like a completely different person.
What sort of actor will I be?—that is for you on your own time to figure out. He shows you how to be a well-trained actor
When a director gives you notes, what do you recommend?
Richard: Good sign of a well-trained actor is to take notes immediately
It is almost like a soldier. If the director says jump through that window, your first reaction is 'OK, I will do it!'
Adam:You have to trust your director.
Richard: There might be a different type of director who says 'Why don't you jump through that other window, you have that choice, after you jump through this one.'
Going back to Celik, after you give him what he wants, [he says] 'Let's see what you have.'
Let's say deep down you feel the director might be incorrect. Is there a trick you can think of that helps you communicate, especially with a new director?
Jeanne: You have to be a professional first, give them what they want. Be a team player because it isn't just one aspect, it's working as a team.
Richard: Later when the director has become a [more pro] director, he might remember that day.
CineSource: On one hand, follow the script slavishly but, on the other, be very creative and improv oriented—be able to balance the two?
Richard: Those are the tools to have in your pocket.
Cathy: Then you find the freedom. It is like a dancer. There is all this restriction of how you learn ballet but when you know it, then you can have a really good time.
Adam: The director you are going to work today is different then the one next week. Maybe one is going to be into improvisation, the other will stick to the script.
If you want to become a marketable product, you provide exactly what the director is looking for. If you can prove yourself adaptable in both situations, you are going provide much more creativity.
Doniphan Blair is a writer, film magazine publisher, designer and filmmaker ('Our Holocaust Vacation'), who can be reached . Posted on Jan 18, 2015 - 01:38 AM
by Doniphan Blair
Director, writer, actor AND acting school director Celik Kayalar was there to greet me, and offer a piping hot cappuccino, when I visited his school in Emeryville. photo: D. Blair most people think LA—for good reason, since so many film, television and other media projects get shot there every day. By the same token, however, there are so many actors, you can get lost in the shuffle, the cattle-call auditions, the repetitive call-backs and the two-hour commutes.
Although the Bay Area has a stellar, if smaller, acting scene, built around theater, it also has a coterie of dedicated film actors with whom I thought I might check in to see if there was anything new under the thespian sun.
Fortunately, Film Acting Bay Area, which specializes in film acting (as the name implies), recently opened a spacious new facility in Emeryville, conveniently located only a few minutes away from CineSource studios.
After placing a call, FABA's director, Celik Kayalar, an actor as well as an award-winning director of shorts and features ("Moonlight Sonata", 2009), invited me for a roundtable discussion with a half-a-dozen students.
They included Mia Perez, who had only been studying for a few months but came from modeling, had obvious talent and was already landing some impressive gigs. A Latin beauty with a smile as wide as the Caribbean from where she hails (Cuba), she recently started hosting "Latino Soy" an Internet show on Wednesday nights.
"I choose to do it in Spanglish, so its bilingual," Ms Perez said, "Being Latina, I wanted to give people a voice but I also don't want it to just be us. I want the world to know."
Then there was Adam Thayer, with a craggy face which allows him to clean up on character portrayals. Mr Thayer also does broadcast, in his case a radio music program (weekdays on 610 am), putting his deep, sonorous voice to excellent use.
The scintillating Jeanne Young has also been hard at work. Despite starting to study with Kayalar years ago, when he was associated with other film education institutions, she continues to take his classes to keep her skills honed.
"I just finished the lead in a masters thesis film for a young woman at the London Film School, where [director] Mike Leigh is the chair," Ms Young said.
Actress Jeanne Young has become close friends with Celik Kayalar after studying with him for over a decade. photo: D. Blair Last but not least, Catherine (Cathy) Lerza has done almost a dozen shorts and three features in the last three years, including a part in "A Leap to Take".
Shot entirely in one evening, "A Leap to Take" was directed by Rob Nilsson, known for his unique filmmaking and improv techniques, which he calls Direct Action. He teaches one class at FABA.
Since all of FABA's other classes are more classical acting-oriented, I started by asking which style or "method" they preferred.
Jeanne: I have read about the different styles of acting but, when I go on interviews, I have been told I am a method actor.
CineSource: Have you looked into [Constatin] Stanislavski?
Jeanne: A bit but the more I have, the more I delve into the craft just by going within.
Richard: It's digging deep and rummaging around for things you have forgotten—or wanted to forget—and using them as tools to obtain your 'objective' in a scene.
Adam: It provides the personal communication. It is beyond just delivering lines. It is bringing yourself to the plate.
What would you say if you were to advise a director on how to sculpt his actor's acting style.
Celik: I think film is creating a dream experience. We don't want to be told this is not a dream—until the lights come up. I always look from the perspective of audience. I don't think there is any art form without the audience. You don't make art for yourself.
All acting, directing, cinematography has to flow so flawlessly that [the technique] is all hidden. The audience should not be jolted out of the dream state. There is scientific evidence, that when people are watching a movie, their brainwaves are more similar to the dream state.
Mia Perez, a recent arrival in California, is putting to good use her thespian chops learned at FABA. photo: D. Blair Get into character early—some people take it to the extreme and do it a week before. Get into character and don't get out until it is a wrap. Not even a cut, because a cut is temporary—we are going to shoot again.
Cathy: Stanislavski's famous book is called 'An Actor Prepares' [1936]. There are many ways but the bottom line is you have to prepare and show up on the set ready to go.
You don't know whether you are going to be taken care of or abused by a director. But if you have prepared, if you have done your homework, if you know your backstory—and that of every single person who shows up in a scene—
Mia: Backstory is so important! When I did Sophie for 'A Leap to Take', we were upset about the economic downturn. We were questioning our careers.
The backstory is crucial because that situation was so confusing. My husband, played by Richard, is allowing me to be an escort. 'Wait a minute! I have a husband who is allowing me to prostitute myself and this what my life is supposed to be like when I came from Cuba????'
Richard: We did our work together as husband and wife and I had no clue what was going on between [her and 'Dennis,' the john]. That was a the surprise in the final viewing.
Celik: If you want to become a character, that in real life you are not, you have to know that character, create that character. Then you don't have to act because you are that character.
Right now I don't have to act—I am Celik! I know my backstory: I am thinking about a hair transplant and liposuction. [laughs] To become a character, you have to give it a backstory, the sooner you start, the sooner you believe.
Jeanne: Backstory for me is often related to my own life—that makes it more real.
Cathy: An acting teacher once told me, 'In the end, the character is going to look a lot like you.' [laughter]
Mia: Since I didn't have a chance to go to LA right away, I started taking classes with Rob [Nilsson at FABA]. His method of Direct Action is what I felt I needed to bring something real and raw.
He would have us go back to a time in our life when we experienced grief. It would touch you and you felt it in your scene partner.
Is Direct Action a more a naturalist version of Method Acting?
Richard Castrillon's obsession with acting cost him a marriage but earned immense satisfaction. photo: D. Blair You dive deep inside. It is liberating. It provides mutual respect with your scene partner. When they see it in your eyes, it becomes contagious. That is when the flow just goes.
Adam: It takes on a life of its own; it is a living thing.
How does Direct Action achieve that?
Richard: Several methods, discussion, a lot of exercises, to the point of [Rob] telling you to physically act it out—do some sort of dance or something.
Jeanne: There is some sort of script but you aren't tied to it. It is a general outline of what the conversation should be about. You know the marks that you are going to hit. We feel where the character wants to go and we just go with it.
Richard: He sets it up in a way and wants to know if you are in agreement or disagreement. If disagreement, he says, 'OK, let's work on that.'
If you were going to introduce a budding filmmaker to Direct Action, what would be your main points?
Jeanne: The biggest thing is communication with the director about the character. I have worked with some rigid directors. I prefer when they are more open and are willing to discuss my ideas.
Like them saying 'What is your opinion on this character? Let's make this a collaboration?'
Jeanne: I think those two words are key: connection and collaboration.
Adam: There is one more 'C' word: creation. When you get creative people together you wind up creating something that takes on a life of its own.
You work on your backstory; you work on your connection to your scene partner. When your director says, 'That was real,' that is the highest compliment you can get.
Celik: Good looks may help some people but you get tired of that. You go to LA—everyone is good looking. But those who shine are those who have put in the work—workshops, classes, scene study.
Well-read as well as trained in various acting 'methods,' Catherine (Cathy) Lerza enjoys the mix at FABA. photo: D. Blair Cathy: That depends, if it is scripted work, then the script is the Bible. But if you are in a Rob Nilsson situation, he is always, like, 'Bring it on!'
Jeanne: I think it always great to give the audience what is not expected. Don't do the obvious.
Celik: Here's something actors like: We do five takes and at least one is good, then I tell my actors, 'Go wild, do what you think.' That is typical of good directors. But you don't start with that, you get what you need first.
To get what you need, how would you talk to the actors? Privately, in a certain way?
Celik: Public is good, private is OK, depending on what you are saying. Always be courteous and gentle.
That's where training comes in and we develop the language directors and actors can understand. When we say, 'Change your beat,' or 'Color your performance,' or 'Play your objective a little stronger,' ordinary people will not understand.
That language is universal [to acting]. There are books about it, schools that follow it; we are not reinventing the language each time. A trained actor knows what the director is talking about.
I worked with Carl Lumbly, one of the best around ['Cagney & Lacey' 1981-89, 'L.A. Law' 1989-90]. He graced me with a great performance in my short 'The 99%', which also featured Richard and Adam.
There was nothing to explain; Carl knows; it is almost like sign language.
Mia: It is important to train, because it is universal. The highest praise I receive is for my training at FABA. [Directors] say 'Wow you are so disciplined. What you bring on set and your performance, you really connect.' I haven't had training anywhere else.
Another hard-working local actor, Adam Thayer also hosts a radio show. photo: D. Blair You are going to work with different directors they will all have their style. If you know how to conduct yourself, respect to the craft, they respect you.
Jeanne: They love it when they don't have to say cut and you keep improvising. They compliment you for being a professional.
I like directors to be specific, not say things like 'Could you be happier' or 'I didn't like that take.'
Better to say, 'Could you change you objective?' 'Find a way to be angrier?' Or, 'Could you find a way to forgive him or her at the end of this scene?' Or 'It could it be faster.'
Cathy: Not too generic.
Jeanne: I just finished the lead in a masters thesis film by a young woman at the London film school. I am really picky about student films but it was a wonderful experience—six very long days. I was going through a very emotional journey.
We shot it here. [The director's] name is Barbara Deril. She went to the Academy of Art [in San Francisco] to do her training since she was originally an editor.
For some reason, this sweet young woman from Germany loves action movies [and connected with] Mark Goldblatt, the famous Hollywood editor who did 'Terminator' [1984], although this movie is not an action movie.
Goldblatt has been her idol since she was ten in Germany, a child of Iraqi refugees. He is her mentor on this film; he helped her on the screenplay, looked at all the rushes.
Barbara was a lovely director to work with because, at the London Film School, every person has to take an acting class. Barbara knew how to speak with me about everything, backstory.
The other two actors were way less experienced, so she had to spend more time with them. We did actual rehearsals, which was great.
Celik: I never wanted to be an actor—I was already directing films. But it got to the point where I thought, 'What can I do more to be a better director?' and my actors said, 'Why don't you study acting?' I got hooked.
Once I put myself through acting training, my directing got better. I expected that but my writing also got better.
You start understanding scene structure, the arc, what's 'actable.' The next thing you know, I am hearing the voices of the actors in my head when I am writing my dialogue. That is synergy.
Jeanne: I don't think that is the case at NYU or UCLA or any of the big film schools, I don't think you have to take acting classes.
Adam: You will find casting directors who came from acting. Makes them more effective.
Jeanne: And more sensitive.
A group shot: (lf-rt) Adam Thayer, Catherine (Cathy) Lerza, Celik Kayalar, Jeanne Young and Richard Castrillon. photo: D. Blair Richard: Sure, if you are capable of bringing him back.
Celik: That would be extreme method acting.
Jeanne: I don't know if I agree with that. [laugh] I don't think the alcohol is necessary. I can go there without that.
How about combining scripts and Direct Action?
Cathy: I love that.
How do you achieve that with some sort of fluidness?
Cathy: By having a director who knows what he or she wants so there is an arc of the story.
I worked on a film with a director, Josh Peterson, who also worked with Rob on a film named 'Blood Makes the Green Grass Grow'. We did a ton of backstory.
Josh had written a script but then rewrote it after working with all of us. He allowed us to rewrite our dialogue after we had gotten know our characters.
Like Celik said, do it as written then give the actors a chance to just go for it, off script.
So what are some other tricks for today's actors?
Cathy: A lot more part submissions are made by video. I was really excited by a funny little web series that needed a video submission.
I said to Celia Shuman ['Hereafter', 2010, 'Moonlight Sonata', 2009, 'The Adventures of Mr. Incredible', 2005], who teaches the Monday night advanced acting class [at FABA] . How am I going to do this?' She said, ' Well I'll just come over and we can shoot it a FABA.'
She did three or four takes and we discussed what this character would wear. I did so much work, the director wrote right back and said, 'We loved it and just wear what you wore.'
The other one I did, my son did it on an iPhone. I got that part, too, but [the submission] was bad.
Adam:I just auditioned for a movie [that way] which is going to be shot in Florida at the Johnson Space Center—I'm a huge NASA geek—Jeanne also has a part in that.
I submitted a taped submission—Celik also wonderfully coached me on that— and guess what?!? I got a redirect and we taped it again, which resulted in a call back audition tomorrow.
Jeanne: I did my first submission [for that part] at home. I bought a black backdrop and have my own setup. Then we did a live Skype [audition] and I got the part!
It's an eight million budget, the biggest movies I have been a part of. We shoot in the NASA space center and a studio—there is a lot of special effects.
Getting back to improv and script, how do you deal with that?
Adam: There is room for improv in many places. Case in point: The other day, I was called in for an industrial and it was totally improvisational.
[The director] said, 'I want you imagine that this table is full of millions mouse traps'—there were only seven—'and I want you put your finger on the piece of cheese but do it without getting caught.'
Oh my goodness! Then he put on some Zen music, so I supposed to be Zen for that take, and then some rap.
What I hear you saying is that improv can really help inform your prep, and help you deal with the complexities.
Jeanne: I had one live Skype audition where there was improv. She asked me to and I was like, 'OK.'
Cathy : And if you get the part, you are half way there [, if you develop backstory, since you did so much prep work. It is wonderful.
I got a part because I read the sides but then—even though he didn't say he was going to do improv—the guy I was reading with just kept going.
Later [the director] gave me a big smile and said, 'That's why I cast you. You were the only actor that didn't go, 'But there are no lines here!' I just stayed in the scene, as I had been taught to do, until the director said, 'Cut!'
Celik: In regards to script versus improv at FABA, [except for Nilsson's one class] we go with the script. People get the script ahead of time and we workshop. We go until the director or teacher says, 'Cut.'
But then we do the 'Moment After.' It goes for a moment, or two or five, and that is created improvisationally.
Jeanne: To have that opportunity is so fun.
Richard: It helps to stay in character—you see things.
Adam: You are just building strength. Then you are there ready to take any direction you need to take.
So this a continuation of method or Direct Action?
Cathy: It all goes back to Stanislavski, [Stella] Adler and [Lee] Strasberg. If you read 'An Actor Prepares', you have to have an 'objective.' You have to know why you are in the scene, what you want, what you are going to get.
Jeanne: Everyone relates to a different thing in a different way, what ever works for you.
Richard: Five years ago, when I was first coming to the [FABA] program, I had the passion. You start reading up on these techniques and you have all these ideas.
This is where Celik steps in and erases the whole board. This is where it starts with baby steps. But in four or five weeks you feel like a completely different person.
What sort of actor will I be?—that is for you on your own time to figure out. He shows you how to be a well-trained actor
When a director gives you notes, what do you recommend?
Richard: Good sign of a well-trained actor is to take notes immediately
It is almost like a soldier. If the director says jump through that window, your first reaction is 'OK, I will do it!'
Adam:You have to trust your director.
Richard: There might be a different type of director who says 'Why don't you jump through that other window, you have that choice, after you jump through this one.'
Going back to Celik, after you give him what he wants, [he says] 'Let's see what you have.'
Let's say deep down you feel the director might be incorrect. Is there a trick you can think of that helps you communicate, especially with a new director?
Jeanne: You have to be a professional first, give them what they want. Be a team player because it isn't just one aspect, it's working as a team.
Richard: Later when the director has become a [more pro] director, he might remember that day.
CineSource: On one hand, follow the script slavishly but, on the other, be very creative and improv oriented—be able to balance the two?
Richard: Those are the tools to have in your pocket.
Cathy: Then you find the freedom. It is like a dancer. There is all this restriction of how you learn ballet but when you know it, then you can have a really good time.
Adam: The director you are going to work today is different then the one next week. Maybe one is going to be into improvisation, the other will stick to the script.
If you want to become a marketable product, you provide exactly what the director is looking for. If you can prove yourself adaptable in both situations, you are going provide much more creativity.
Doniphan Blair is a writer, film magazine publisher, designer and filmmaker ('Our Holocaust Vacation'), who can be reached . Posted on Jan 18, 2015 - 01:38 AM
