22 of our Acting Students had speaking roles in “Moonlight Sonata” our 3rd and latest feature-film for theatrical release, made in association with our production-company, “Fog City Pictures”. Another 14 of our Acting Students were cast as extras.  

3 of our Acting Faculty were also among the cast members: Warren David Keith (lead), Celia Shuman and Brian D. Scott (supporting).  

You can watch the short trailer and find out more about “Moonlight Sonata” at: www.moonlightsonatamovie.com
 
“Moonlight Sonata” won the "Gold Kahuna" Award for "Excellence in Filmmaking" at the Honolulu International Film Festival ( March 6-8, 2009, Honolulu, Hawaii).

It had its California premiere at California Independent Film Festival (Livermore, CA) on April 18th. It will screen at the Cannes Film Market ( Cannes, France ) in May 15-18, and at the Staten Island Film Festival ( New York ) in June 4-7, 2009.

Also last year, several of our Acting Students were cast in speaking-roles in big-budget, award-winning movies made in San Francisco such as Milk ( Gus Van Sant, Sean Penn ) and La Mission ( Peter and Benjamin Bratt ).

We’re very proud of all our Acting Students, Faculty and their achievements!.

SUMMER 2009 TERM (Starts the Week of June 8th)

NEW! 4-WEEK INTENSIVE in AUGUST

Our unrivaled Film Acting Program offers a series of very exciting and useful classes where our students learn the art and craft of acting for the camera, maximize their creative potential and work with filmmakers in a professional environment.  

Students can enroll in any one of our classes, based on their prior training and experience. Their class work is always videotaped and they retain a copy of it for their own records and reviewing.  

Classes of all levels are offered in 8-week terms. There are 5 different start-dates for each term during the course of a year:  

September 8th, November 10th, January 26th, March 30th, June 8th.

San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking, the most modern, cutting-edge film school in Northern California, provides the perfect environment for this program.  

In SUMMER 2009, we're offering the following classes:

FILM ACTING I ( 8 weeks )  

FILM ACTING II ( 8 weeks )  

FILM ACTING II & ADVANCED ( 8 weeks )  

ADVANCED FILM ACTING ( 8 weeks )

WRITERS, DIRECTORS & ACTORS’ WORKOUT ( 8 weeks )  

DYNAMIC AUDITION TECHNIQUES ( 6 weeks )

ADVANCED IMPROV for CAMERA ( 4 weeks )  

Some of the most experienced and respected acting teachers and industry professionals in the Bay Area teach these classes. In almost all cases, they are award-winning, highly accomplished actors, directors, casting-directors and producers, in addition to being excellent acting teachers. Please see their Bios under Faculty.

Furthermore, we provide our students a very exciting benefit that makes us unique among all other acting schools: the opportunity to be cast in feature-length films produced at SFSDF for theatrical release (one or two per year). This is in addition to over 200 short films created by the students in the Digital Filmmaking Programs and Workshops at SFSDF each year. Our own acting students get preferentially cast in all these films.

As a testimony to the superior reputation of our Film Acting Program, filmmakers and producers in the Bay Area and elsewhere have been casting our acting students in their movies and highly paid commercials in growing numbers ( See Casting Update below ).  

A working actor needs a professional, high quality Demo Reel. All of our acting students will have the opportunity to build one by being cast in the films mentioned above. We also provide our students the technical service to edit a DVD-copy of their demo reel for their portfolio.  

Our special Industry Showcase class provides our advanced acting students the opportunity to be introduced to and represented by the top professional Talent Agents in the Bay Area. Please read a recent article praising our “Film Acting Program” and the “Industry Showcase” class at:

http://cinesourcemagazine.com/index.php?/site/comments/sf_digital_school_saves_analog/

The most rewarding aspect of this Program for us, the Faculty, is the overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic response we receive from our acting students on a consistent basis. Please see their Testimonials on this website.  

Hope you too get a chance to try our classes and find out for yourself how much they'll improve your art and craft as film actors, while advancing your career in the film industry.  

Sincerely,
 
Celik Kayalar, PhD.
Director, Film Acting Program

CLASS SCHEDULES ( SUMMER 09 )

Class sizes are limited to 12 Students.
For Enrollment, please call:415.824.7000

FILM ACTING I : Intro to Film Acting ( offered at two different times )

This is an excellent class for beginning film actors. Whether transitioning from stage or starting from just the basics, develop a superior approach to film acting through technique-based studies, including extensive on-camera work in class.  

With an emphasis on camera-comfort, script analysis and character development, this professional level class will ground you in the fundamentals of on-camera acting through scene study, monologues and other exercises. Your classwork will be regularly videotaped and you will retain a copy of it for your own records and further viewing.  

Start date: June 11, 2009
Class time: Thursdays, 6:30 - 9:30pm ( 8 weeks )
Instructor: Brian D. Scott
Tuition: $340  

Start date: June 13, 2009
Class time: Saturdays, 11:00am - 2:00pm ( 8 weeks )
Instructor: Brian D. Scott
Tuition: $340    

FILM ACTING II : Intermediate-Level Film Acting  

This on-camera class explores the art and craft of film acting by in-depth script analysis, graphing the shape of the scene and studying character through action, objectives, and status.  

All your class-work will be videotaped and you will retain a copy of it for your own records and further viewing.  

Start date: June 16, 2009
Class time: Tuesdays, 6:30 - 9:30pm ( 8 weeks )
Instructor: Jessica Heidt
Prerequisite: "Film Acting I" or Instructor's approval.
Tuition: $360    

FILM ACTING II & ADVANCED ( Interm & Adv Level; Combined-Class)

This mixed-level class is perfect for the intermediate or advanced level actor who would like a weekend workout.  Like the Tuesday night “Film Acting II” class ( above ), it focuses on script analysis and character development. A good base for newer actors and a welcome refresher course for advanced students. All students’ class-work will be videotaped and they will retain a copy of it for their own records and further viewing.  

Start date: June 14, 2009
Class time: Sundays, 2:00pm - 5:00pm ( 8 weeks )
Instructor: Celia Shuman
Prerequisite: "Film Acting I" or Instructor's approval.
Tuition: $360

ADVANCED FILM ACTING

An intensive study of film acting, with the goal to create self-sufficiency on the film set. During the Summer 09 term, the focus will be on Drama.

Using 2-person and ensemble scenes from contemporary dramas (Film & TV), students will develop, on camera, their personal dramatic styles.

The last two classes will be devoted to crafting a successful dramatic monologue ( ideal material for auditions ), and will be taught by Celia Shuman.

All students’ class-work will be videotaped for their own records and further viewing.

NOTE: This class will have a different theme of focus each term it’ll be offered through out the year (eg: Drama, Comedy, Thriller, Period Piece, etc.).

It’s also a prerequisite for being qualified for the Industry Showcase class where our students meet and can sign with the most prestigious Talent Agents in the Bay Area ( offered once a year in Fall; selection and invitation of advanced students by C. Kayalar ). Please read a recent article praising our “Industry Showcase” class at:

http://cinesourcemagazine.com/index.php?/site/comments/sf_digital_school_saves_analog/

Start date: June 8, 2009
Class time: Mondays, 6:30 - 9:30pm ( 8 weeks )
Instructors: Warren David Keith ( first 6 weeks ), Celia Shuman ( last 2 weeks )
Prerequisite: “Film Acting II” or Instructors’ approval
Tuition: $380  

WRITERS, DIRECTORS & ACTORS’ WORKOUT

An intensive yet fun workshop involving three filmmaking disciplines, writing, directing and acting, that will encourage a crossover of teamwork, networking, and the creative process.  

Actors (intermediate to advanced level) will work with film directors and writers on camera.  

Directors (all levels) will learn more about the acting process, develop the terms that actors understand in order to deliver their best performances on a film-set.  

Writers (all levels) can bring in their pre-existing scripts and those in development to hear their words come to life by the Actors’ performance in class. This will help them develop their scripts further.  

Directors and Writers will also have the opportunity to act themselves, to understand better what it feels like being on camera.  

By working with the concepts and techniques of improvisation, action choices, beats, scene arcs and colors, all participating Actors, Directors and Writers will see their characters and stories come to life on camera.  

All class-work will be videotaped and the participants will retain a copy of it for their own records and further viewing.

Start date: June 24, 2009
Class time: Wednesdays, 6:30 - 9:30pm ( 8 weeks )
Instructor: Jeffrey Weissman
Prerequisite: Instructor's approval
Tuition: $240 ( same tuition for writers, directors and actors enrolled )

DYNAMIC AUDITION TECHNIQUES

Proficient audition skills are an actor’s most important tool.  This class will focus on a wide variety of audition scenarios used in casting for film, television and theatre including improvisation and cold reading. 

Students will perform on camera for immediate playback and critique and will learn specific methods to deliver distinctive and memorable auditions.  Classes will present tried-and-true techniques to get noticed by Agents and Casting Directors as well as establish confidence and flexibility. 

Resumés and Headshots will also be reviewed throughout the course to help students develop and convey their unique skills, experience and personality.

All students’ class-work will be videotaped for their own records and further viewing.

Start date: June 27, 2009
Class time: Saturdays, 2:00 – 5:00pm ( 6 weeks )
Instructor: Brian D. Scott
Prerequisite: “Film Acting I” or Instructor’s approval
Tuition: $260    

ADVANCED IMPROV for CAMERA

Improvisation is one of the most valuable tools of an actor. In this class, students who already have a basic improv training will learn the more advanced concepts and practices of improvisational acting through theatre games and scene work.

The advanced improv skills acquired in this class will be extremely useful for performing on professional film-sets as well as in auditioning for roles in Movies, TV and Commercials.  

Most of the class-work will be videotaped and the students will retain a copy of it for their own records and further viewing.    

Start date: July 8, 2009
Class time: Wednesdays, 6:30 – 9:30pm ( 4 weeks )
Instructor: Barbara Scott
Prerequisite: Basic Improv Training
Tuition: $190  

AUDITORS are welcome to all our ongoing classes ( One class free of tuition ). Please call ahead for your visit: 415.824.7000 .

CASTING UPDATE at SFSDF

NOTE: The castings listed below are all through our School. The numerous castings our Acting Students book regularly through their Agents and outside contacts are not listed here ( such as the important roles they successfully booked in recent major, award-winning movies like Milk and La Mission )

FEATURE - FILMS for Theatrical Release

"Presque Isle", written and directed by the distinguished, award-winning filmmaker Rob Nilsson premiered at the “Mill Valley Film Festival” and is now being prepared for theatrical- and DVD-release. It features 14 of our Acting Students studying at SFSDF, in various, small roles.  

"Around June" written and directed by one of our own Digital Filmmaking Faculty, James Savoca, also premiered at “Mill Valley Film Festival” and is now in distribution. It features established Hollywood actors Samaire Armstrong (Entourage, The O.C.), Brad William Henke (World Trade Center, Sherrybaby) and Jon Gries (Napoleon Dynamite, Real Genius) as leads, and 6 of our Acting Students in smaller roles.  

“Moonlight Sonata”, written and directed by Celik Kayalar, PhD, the Director of our “Film Acting Program” has recently won the "Gold Kahuna" Award for "Excellence in Filmmaking" at the Honolulu International Film Festival ( March 6-8, 2009. Honolulu, Hawaii)  

It had its California premiere at California Independent Film Festival (Livermore, CA) April 18th. It will screen at the Cannes Film Market ( Cannes, France ) in May 15-18, and at the Staten Island Film Festival ( New York ) in June 4-7, 2009.

You can read more about “Moonlight Sonata” and watch its short trailer at:  

www.moonlightsonatamovie.com

A large number of professional and semi-professional Actors from both San Francisco and Los Angeles were cast in “Moonlight Sonata”. 22 of our own Acting Students at SFSDF were among the cast members (all speaking-parts). Several of the 22 were major supporting-roles that took many days to shoot. Here are their names:  

Taren Howes, Edith Reiner, Maggie Grant, Kay Ewing, Aimee McCrary, Jinnifer Jacobs, Goldie Chan, Joan Laqui, Hueiyen Tsai, Ashley Allen, Katrina Gimenez, Sarah Leight, Daniel Will-Harris, Micci Toliver, Tony Williams, Marshell Harwell, Roy Hylton, Vincent Leddy, Nate Duncan, Brendan Sweeney, Mauro Pivi and Eli Kramer.  

Many of our Acting Students had non-speaking parts or were featured as extras:  

Quinne Brown, Chris Leidecker, Michelle Grey, Dawn Green, Ivan Spane, Hal Savage, Rajiv Khilnani, Peter Lace, Rebecca Forristal, Ed Gillies, Glen Rozzbeard, June Barnard, Greg Lynn and Johann Schiffer.  

3 of our Acting Faculty were among the cast members of “Moonlight Sonata” too:   Warren David Keith (lead), Celia Shuman and Brian D. Scott (supporting).  

One or two feature-films for theatrical release are produced per year by SFSDF and its sister production-company “Fog City Pictures”.

In each case, a high preference is given to our own Acting Students in the casting of these films and with pay. This casting policy will continue in the future as well.  

"Razor's Ring", by the Bay Area independent filmmaker Morgan Hampton has recently received a distribution deal for theatrical release. It features 9 of our Acting Students in major roles including all the leads.  

Christeph Buckley, an independent filmmaker and a recent graduate of SFSDF, has cast 7 of our Acting Students for all the major parts including the leads in the trailer of his upcoming feature-film for theatrical release “Halfway There”. A short version of Buckley’s film, featuring our Acting Students exclusively, recently won the “Best Fantasy Short Film” award at the “New York Film and Video Festival”.  

SHORT STUDENT- FILMS

Our Filmmaking Students at SFSDF produce over 200 short, narrative-films a year, many of them aimed for Film Festivals and certain TV-Channels. Several of these films win prestigious awards each year. About 90% of all the roles in these films are cast among our own Acting Students, including the leads. All Actors receive a complimentary DVD-Copy of these films, as soon as they are finished.  

PROJECTS from outside SFSDF

Numerous Directors, Producers and Casting Directors from outside SFSDF visit our “Film Acting Program”, meet and cast our Acting Students in large numbers in their projects on a regular basis. These include various short- and feature-length films for theatrical release, promotional videos and highly paid Commercials.   One example among many is Barbara Murray (Left Coast Productions) who, in the last year and a half, cast over 50 of our Acting Students in highly paid roles in her corporate-videos she produced and directed for several major companies including AT&T (and, she continues to do so).  

This growing trend is giving our Acting Students invaluable acting opportunities and experiences, and sometimes a very good pay, in outside projects that all become available to them via our “Film Acting Program” here at SFSDF.  

HOPE YOU TOO CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL THESE OPPORTUNITIES BY SIMPLY ENROLLING IN OUR UNRIVALED "FILM ACTING CLASSES" AT SFSDF 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: How do I know which class to take?
A: These are technique-based classes aimed at enhancing individual performance. They are designed to build one upon the other. For example, the techniques learned in "Film Acting II" are based on techniques taught in the "Film Acting I" Class.
 
We do make exceptions from time to time for various reasons, but it is recommended that students with little or no training in acting start with "Film Acting I".
 
Q: If I have taken acting classes at other places, does that mean I would still need to start with "Film Acting I"?
A: No, you can start at any level, based on your prior training and experience. Such decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, and in consultation with our Instructors.
 
Q: Are these professional level classes?
A: Yes. Seasoned professionals initiated this program as a means to offer a no-nonsense, practical and very hands-on training  ground for acting students. It is our aim to train working professionals.
 
Q: Is there any financial aid?
A: Not at this time. However, we can offer payment plans to those who are truly dedicated to study with us but can not afford to pay the full tuition upfront.
 
Q: What is unique about these classes?
A: In addition to being taught by some of the most respected Acting Teachers in the Bay Area, it’s the casting opportunities they provide in feature-length films for theatrical release directed by our Faculty (2 per year), as well as in student films (over 200 per year) produced at SFSDF.
 
We also get numerous requests for well-trained actors from independent filmmakers from outside the school, and our Acting Students are cast in their feature-length films and highly paid commercials, on a regular basis.

Q: How do I audition for and get cast in the student films?
A: We have regular Auditions, five times a year, and all our qualified Acting Students (generally at or beyond “Film Acting I” level) are automatically invited to the Auditions. We also keep a separate file with Headshots and Resumes of all our Acting Students at the SFSDF. By agreement, the Filmmaking Students studying under the same roof always give casting priority to our Acting Students. The Filmmaking Students also post their audition notices at SFSDF where Acting Students have direct access.
 
Q: How do I audition for and get cast in feature-length films for theatrical release?
A: Two feature-length films per year are produced by SFSDF and our sister production-company “Fog City Pictures” where our Acting Students find ample casting opportunities. The Directors and the Producers of these films are almost always Faculty Members at SFSDF. This kind of physical proximity naturally leads to a professional familiarity between the Filmmakers and the Acting Student, resulting in numerous artistic collaborations.
 
Furthermore, it is a policy of the Faculty at SFSDF to give priority to our Acting Students in casting for their feature-length films. Even though the parts available might initially be small, they still contribute to the experience, resume and the Demo Reels of our Students, immensely.

Q: How do I develop a professional-quality Demo Reel, as part of my portfolio?
A: By being cast in various Films (short- and feature-films) and Commercials at SFSDF or elsewhere, as discussed above.
 
The Faculty will help our Acting Students in editing their film-scenes into a high quality Demo Reel (on DVD), using the state-of-the-art editing labs at SFSDF.

Q: How do I participate in the ‘Industry Showcase” Class where I can meet and possibly signed by the Talent Agents in attendance?
A: Participation in this special class is by invitation only. The Director of the “Film Acting Program”, Celik Kayalar, selects and invites 12 Students per class from the ongoing advanced-level Film Acting Classes at our school.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THESE CLASSES:

These classes are designed for Actors of all levels, beginner to advanced, who wish to:
 
Start with the basics,
Develop and hone their art and craft,
Make the adjustment from stage to screen,
Improve their audition skills,
Become more self-sufficient on the film-set,
Take advantage of the exceptional Casting Opportunities at SFSDF,
Develop a professional Demo Reel,
Network and make connections with Film Directors, Producers, Writers and Casting Directors, as well as other Actors,
Compete in the film industry as truly professional Actors.