New 4-Week CLASSES ( Starting July - August )

Our classes are taught by some of the most experienced and respected acting teachers and industry professionals in the Bay Area. 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 (two per year).  This is in addition to over 250 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 ( please 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 their own 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.

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 08 )

Please REGISTER by calling: (415) 522-1200

DYNAMIC AUDITION SKILLS for Film, TV & Commercials

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 commercials including improvisation and cold reading. Students will perform on camera for immediate playback and critique, and will learn specific methods to deliver distinctive auditions for different media and circumstances.

Classes will present the essential techniques to get noticed by Agents and Casting-Directors, as well as to establish confidence and flexibility. Resumes and Headshots will also be reviewed throughout the course to help students develop and convey their unique skills, experience and personality.

Start date: July 9th
End date:  July 30th
Class time: Wednesdays, 6:30-9:30pm ( 4 weeks )
Instructor: Brian D. Scott
Tuition: $160

"INTRO to FILM ACTING" for KIDS ( Ages: 8 to 13 )

In a safe, nurturing and fun atmosphere, young acting-students will learn the basic and essential skills of film acting while they gain on-camera experience. Both comedic and dramatic scenes will be studied, as well as improvisational acting techniques. Skills for successful Auditions for Movies, TV and Commercials will also be covered.

The video-taped copies of students’ class work will be available for further viewing, and their names will be added to the list of young actors that our school’s filmmaking-students would cast from, for their ongoing film-projects.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2pm – 5pm ( 4 weeks )
Start Date: July 29th
End Date: August 21th
Instructor: Brian D. Scott
Tuition: $360

"INTRO to FILM ACTING" for TEENS ( Ages: 13 to 17 )

In an on-camera, scene-study format, teen acting-students will explore the basic techniques of film acting. Through the study, rehearsal and presentation of two-person scenes and monologues, students will develop their skills in script-analysis and character study.

Class presentations will be video-taped for individual review. After completing this class, teen actors will be automatically eligible for numerous auditions for the films and commercials produced at SFSDF, on a regular basis.

Mondays and Wednesdays, 2pm – 5pm ( 4 weeks )
Start Date: July 28th
End Date: August 20th
Instructor: Hester Schell
Tuition: $360

ACTING ESSENTIALS: 4-Week Intensive ( Introduction to Acting )

If you're an aspiring film actor with little or no prior training in acting, this is the perfect beginning class for you. By working on exciting scenes from well-written scripts, you will learn the essential language and techniques of good acting with particular focus on script analysis, character development, and creating a physical and emotional life. Your scenework in the 4th class will be videotaped for your own viewing and records.

After taking this class, you'll be fully prepared for the unique and exciting challenges of film acting that you'll be introduced to in our "Film Acting I" Class at SFSDF.

Tuesdays, 6:30pm – 9:30pm ( 4 weeks )
Start Date: August 5th
End Date: August 26th
Instructor: Brian D. Scott
Tuition: $160

INTRODUCTION TO FILM ACTING: 4-Week Intensive

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.

Wednesdays, 6:30pm – 9:30pm ( 4 weeks )
Start Date: August 6th
End Date: August 27th
Instructor: Hester Schell
Prerequisite: basic acting training ( stage-acting acceptable )
Tuition: $170

CASTING UPDATE at SFSDF

NOTE: The castings listed below are all through our School. The numerous castings our Acting Students book regularly, through their outside contacts, are not listed here.

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” last October, 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, 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, finished it’s principal photography and is now in post-production. By August 08, it will be ready for submission to Film Festivals, followed by preparations for wide theatrical-release.

A large number of professional and semi-professional Actors from both San Francisco and Los Angeles were cast in “Moonlight Sonata”. 24 of our own Acting Students at SFSDF were among the cast members ( all speaking-parts ). Several of the 24 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, June Barnard, Sarah Leight, Quinne Brown, Daniel Will-Harris, Micci Toliver, Tony Williams, Marshell Harwell, Roy Hylton, Vincent Leddy, Nate Duncan, Brendan Sweeney and Johann Schiffer and Eli Kramer.

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

Chris Leidecker, Mauro Pivi, Michelle Grey, Dawn Green, Ivan Spane, Hal Savage, Rajiv Khilnani, Jessamy Bossler, Peter Lace, Rebecca Forristal, Ed Gillies, Shauntae Edwards, Glen Rozzbeard.

Some of our Film Acting Faculty were among the cast members of “Moonlight Sonata” too:

The male-lead in the movie was played by Warren David Keith who teaches our “Advanced Film Acting” Class on Monday nights.

Celia Shuman who teaches our “Advanced Film Acting” Class on Sundays, and Brian D. Scott  who teaches our “Acting Essentials” Classes had supporting roles, as well.

Two feature-films for theatrical release are produced per year by SFSDF. In each case, a high preference is given to our own Acting Students in the casting of these films. 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 Student 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. 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, cast 48 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 says she wants to continue 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.

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 just a basic training in acting in general (without cameras), start with "Film Acting I". Those who had no prior acting training of any kind will be recommended to start with  our "Acting Essentials" Class.

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.

Q: What is unique about these classes?
A: 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 150 per year) produced at SFSDF.

We're also getting 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, in growing numbers.

Q: How do I audition for and get cast in the student films?
A: We 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 will be produced by SFSDF where our Acting Students will find ample casting opportunities. The Directors and the Producers of these films will almost always be 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) 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.

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,
Compete as truly professional actors in the film industry.