We are calling it Meisner Brush Up class. Essentially it’s an 8-week review class that will help get you back on your impulses and taking those big emotional risks that you were doing in our 2nd year of Meisner Technique training.  The syllabus will really work those skills of listening and taking things personally, crafting for the highest stakes, as well as justifications, impediment and point of view work.  You know, all the work that really made you feel like you could conquer anything.

We developed this program because we know how invaluable the tools you developed during your training are, and how gloriously unpredictable it is to take off the mask and really be with another human being in the moment through the entire span of emotional circumstances. It has been built understanding that the world of auditioning can sometimes shrink your range and this is here to help you really swing for the fences in regards to your crafting.

Please note this class is tailored specifically for actors with prior training in the Meisner Technique.

What: Summer Workshop for EMAS alums

Where: 11423 Moorpark Street, Los Angeles (Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio)

When: MONDAYS AT 7PM

Tuition: $380

Instructors: EMAS FACULTY

Contact: Call us at 323-528-6280 or fill out the appropriate form on our Registration Page.

 

 

Pilot season in Los Angeles is a bit like the holiday season everywhere else: Some people are celebrating, some people are depressed and everyone is spectacularly stressed. However, instead of trying to find the perfect gift to put under the tree, showrunners and casting directors are searching for the perfect actors for their casts and TV networks are looking for the perfect shows to add to their schedules.

What, Where and When Is Pilot Season?

For decades, pilot season has been the wheel that keeps L.A.’s television industry turning. Each summer, writers and producers pitch hundreds of TV show ideas to major television networks and, of those, TV executives order around 70 pilot scripts to be written. Of those 70 scripts, around 20 will go before cameras to become pilot episodes. It is those 20 or so pilot episodes that create a casting feeding frenzy between the months of January and April.

While there are major television production hubs in other North American cities, such as Atlanta, New York, Toronto and Vancouver, the center of the pilot season universe is still L.A. Even if a show’s production is based in one of those other cities, some or all of the casting will take place in the City of Angels.

What About Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and Other Streaming Networks?

There is no question that Netflix and other streamers have significantly changed the game in Hollywood. The most obvious change has been the way streaming networks order their programming. Instead of taking pitches and ordering a script or pilot episode, Netflix takes pitches and greenlights an entire series. For a while, Amazon took a different approach, ordering a handful of pilots and letting subscribers vote on the ones that would move to production. However, Amazon officially dumped that model in early 2018 and is now orders full series just like Netflix.

Some have wondered if these full-season orders would shortcircuit the traditional pilot season, but, for now, major broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CW still use this model to cast their shows. Until that changes, pilot season will continue to be a massively important event on every actor’s yearly calendar.

To help get actors ready, here are some tips for surviving the 2019 pilot season.

How to Surive L.A.’s Pilot Season

1. Have representation

Actors must have an agent. Period. During pilot season, casting agents see literally thousands of auditions and self-tapes from represented talent. They do not have time to see unrepresented actors, so actors shouldn’t waste their time attempting to defy the odds. They should spend their time getting an agent.

2. Know when to go

Actors who are already in L.A. and have representation are ready to dive in and hit the audition circuit. However, actors based in Toronto, London, Sydney or even Peoria need to lay down solid groundwork before hopping on a jet. They need representation, work papers and, most of all, a way “in.” That means that they’re coming off a hot project that will open doors for them or they (or their representation) have pre-existing relationships with L.A. casting agents. If not, they should consider doing self-tapes for a season or three. A self-tape can get an actor called into the room, giving them that coveted way “in” and make the cost of travel worth it.

3. Understand the calendar and the casting pyramid

Networks are almost always looking for name actors to headline their new series, and these parts are typically the first ones cast. Next to be cast are the supporting roles, which will largely be filled by working actors with long resumes. However, there is some wiggle room here, and that’s where the opportunity lies for lesser-known actors. As February turns into March turns into April, the casting room door opens wider and wider. This is the time of year when most of the big fish have been landed and casting directors are desperate to find the right people for the last remaining roles. This is when actors are more likely to land the break they’re looking for. Get in the room, and anything can happen.

4. Prepare well, and leave it on the floor

Actors should read their sides, learn their lines, and then do what they were meant to do: Act. Auditions can be stressful and scary, but they give actors an audience to practice their craft in front of, and they should fully embrace that opportunity. They should know what they want to do with the character, but they should be loose and adaptable enough to play off their scene partner (if they have one) and take direction from the room. Whatever happens, they should leave knowing that they gave it their best shot and they now have more experience under their belt.

5. Don’t compare

Actors will have many friends that book pilots or other TV work before they do. They will also walk into audition waiting rooms and see other actors who are younger, older, fitter, better looking or seemingly more qualified than they are. It does no good for actors to compare themselves to others. As trite as it may sound, each person has unique talents, and the only thing an actor can do is learn their craft, prepare for each potential part and do their very best on the day of the audition. The rest is out of their hands.

6. Don’t forget about other opportunities

Yes, pilot season is the biggest event of the year, but it is also the second half of the traditional broadcast television season. Even if an actor doesn’t land a pilot, he or she can book work on existing TV series. In addition, thanks to Netflix, Amazon and cable, the mold for the traditional broadcast season was broken years ago. All platforms, including the major broadcast networks, are casting series all year long. Actors who land small roles on a fourth- or fifth-year series can use that experience to land bigger gigs, including pilots, in the future.

7. Don’t despair

The television industry is tough for 99 percent of actors. It’s tough to break into, and it’s tough to sustain a career in. Some degree of failure is inevitable. However, just because an actor botches an audition or fails to land a part, it doesn’t mean they aren’t good at what they do. It also doesn’t mean they should throw in the towel. So many successful actors have had a moment, or many moments, when they thought they should give up, move home and get a “real job.” Many have toiled for years as waiters or cashiers before they became “overnight successes.” As the recent viral story about former “The Cosby Show” regular Geoffrey Owens proved, many actors have had to get second jobs even after consistently working in the industry for years. Actors shouldn’t quit because they feel discouraged; they should only quit if they no longer love acting.

7. Join an Acting Class

This might sound self serving, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good advice! EMAS is only one of several excellent acting studios in the LA area. Taking classes offers you a chance to play an active role in progressing as an actor, an empowering experience in an industry where luck, timing and factors that are largely out of one’s control can seem to play an outsized role, particularly in the beginning.

In addition to the inherent value of growing as an actor, studying with a group of like-minded, similarly driven actors creates an excellent peer group for actors who may not yet have established themselves socially or professionally in LA.

8. Remember to enjoy life

Just like every other career, acting isn’t everything. Family, friends, pets, nature, exercise and hobbies are critically important and shouldn’t be neglected while an actor pursues his or her dream of booking a pilot. Not only can a life outside of the entertainment business bring an actor joy and keep them grounded, but it can expand their breadth of life experiences and help make them a better actor. Being happy and well-rounded is the best thing an actor can do for their mental health and their career.

 

The great thing about holiday traditions is that — while there are common threads — everyone has their own unique take that makes them personally meaningful. Holiday movie choices are no different. While some enjoy the widely-acclaimed classics, others are perfectly happy with a movie which, on the surface, may appear to have very little to do with the season (Famously,  The Die Hard Phenomenon :).

Below, our faculty members each list one or two of the movies  that have a special meaning for them around Christmas and the Holiday Season.

 

Elizabeth Mestnik – The Year Without Santa Claus, Miracle on 34th Street

It’s so hard to pick just one favorite holiday movie…they each serve a different emotional purpose. Nostalgia? The Year Without A Santa Clause which came out in 1974 when I was 6 is indelibly sealed in my memory. I love the Claymation and the Heat Miser and Snow Miser songs… and it even has a bit of a #MeToo bent with Mrs. Clause doing more than baking cooking cookies and dinner for Santa – she’s got real chutzpah. And the song “I’ll have a Blue Christmas Without You” will pinch a tear from even Scrooge’s eye.

But I think my favorite Holiday Movie this year (as it seems to change depending on what I’m going through each year and what I “need”) is the original Miracle on 34th Street. Edmund Gwenn is my all time favorite Santa Clause – if you can’t believe in him as Santa you really are a Grinch. My son (my youngest) is now 9 years old – and he’s come to us with the question “Is Santa real?” and I feel my heart breaking as I know this is probably the last year that a bit of the Santa Clause magic will live in our home. The family will definitely be watching this film this weekend – trying to dispel his doubts for just a few more weeks.

 

Sandy Egan – The Bishop’s Wife

My favorite Christmas movie is The Bishop’s Wife from 1947 starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven. With supporting work from Elsa Lanchester and Monty Wolley. Cary Grant is an angle that comes down to earth to help David Niven learn that his wife and family is more important than the cathedral he wants to build.

Cary Grant is at his most charming who presents himself as a personal assistant to the bishop played by David Niven. He works to bring the couple together at Christmas and to remind them of their love for each other. The angel, Dudley, performs a few miracles along the way including trimming a Christmas tree and providing and older gentleman a bottle of brandy that never runs out.

My favorite scene is a choir practice where only a few boys show up. Within minutes of Dudley taking over rehearsal, boys come from far and wide and sing a beautiful hymn.

It is one of my traditions at Christmas to watch this lovely little film.

 

Ken Weiler – It’s A Wonderful Life

Surprisingly, even as a non-practicing Jewish kid I had a quite a few favorite Christmas movies. I loved all the old stop motion animated movies. Frosty The Snowman, The Little Drummer Boy, Santa Claus’ Is Coming To Town and the list goes on. But somewhere in my late 20’s I saw It’s A Wonderful Life. My first girlfriend Sarah and her amazing mother Sally did Christmas right and they weren’t gonna let me get away without discovering the magic of It’s A Wonderful Life.
The lessons of that film are powerful and that’s what makes this my favorite movie.

“Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” says the angel Clarence to George Bailey. This alone makes my heart leap to my throat. Often we feel alone, we feel no one remembers us, we feel no one cares if we’re here or not. But we have all had a giant affect on one another and what makes this lesson so challenging is that we never know how significantly we affect each other.

But my favorite theme of all is encapsulated in this quote, “Dear George, remember no man is a failure who has friends.” This one gets me every time. And it needs no explanation. I live in a capitalist society, I live in a big city, wealth and influence and power are being flaunted in our faces, on our phones, on our TV’s, when we drive down the street and we pass a Mercedes or a Rolls Royce and guess what? Money is important because we have to eat, pay our bills, keep a roof over our head. But people are infinitely more important than “stuff”. And that message of no man is a failure who has friends is the most important take away of all.

This movie reflects values that are the best of us. And we can sure use some uplifting positive values in our art and in our lives.

 

Diana Jellinek – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

My Dad called me “Audrey” a lot as a child. And he called my brother “Rusty.” We called him “Clark.” Those aren’t our names. He would even make dinner reservations under the surname “Griswold.” Fans of the movie National Lampoon’s Vacation may see where this is going.

My two sisters, older by then and on with their adult lives, had also been party to the month-long summer trips in the back of the wood-paneled station wagon on the way to Disneyland. But the joke belonged to my Dad, my brother and me. It harkened back to a time in our little family, pre-divorce, when “Clark” would pack us up and take us on epic long-distance driving adventures to see “The World Famous Sponge Docks” or other alleged “wonders.” We would fight and snack, unbuckled and bored, in the back of our “family truckster,” echoes of a movie we would later come to love and one that so oddly mirrored our experience that we soon referred to it as if it were our own story.

So I suppose it’s no surprise that National Lampoon’sChristmas Vacation is my favorite holiday movie. I don’t know if it’s the over-the-top enthusiasm of the wacky but lovable Dad-hero, Clark; the sexy but tolerant good-hearted Mom, Ellen; the gaggle of nutty relatives; or the awkward, gangly kids that tried mightily to forgive their parents’ embarrassing foibles along the way; but this movie, just like the original Vacation, so resembled our nutty home holidays and all the characters that it feels both personal and nostalgic – as if I’m watching a home movie from my own life.

One of the main ideas in both movies is that forced fun in no way leads to the experience of our starry-eyed, magazine-cover dreams. And no matter how much more “joy” we try to pack in with gargantuan lighting displays, spiked eggnog, gigantic trees, epic sledding hills, gourmet feasts, unwelcome guests, frenzied gift-giving, jaded kids, and all the other holiday hoopla, in the end, it’s the wild, nutty, frustrating, hair-pulling, dangerous and hysterical ride with our loved ones – and the TRUTH about how we feel about it all — that binds us together. Lots of memories, lot of laughs. It wouldn’t feel like Christmas without it.

 

Caitlin Rigney – A Christmas Story

My favorite Christmas movie without a doubt goes to A Christmas Story. Bob Clark upended the sentimental old order by making a film that almost every family can recognize and relate to over the holidays. I love how honest it is in its depiction of a family Christmas and how it has no apologies in telling the story. It was a Christmas tradition going to my aunts house on Christmas Day and sitting with my cousins in the den watching this movie marathon unfold on my grandfathers evergreen leather recliner. It connected all of us in a way I still can’t put my finger on – but I know it has to do with the Rigney sense of humor.

I mean how can one not connect or relate to childhood bullies, wanting that one very particular present from Santa, and the always hilarious turkey dinner failure. Everyone’s experienced it in their lives, whether they are willing to admit it to you or not. What I relish in in this classic tale is the scene where they are at the mall waiting in the excruciatingly long line to see Santa. As a kid I remember going to the mall to sit on Santa’s lap in order to make my parents satisfied, though I was secretly terrified of the big man in red and was told growing up never to talk to strangers. That moment in the film I relate to most. Every year I sat on Santa’s lap and every year I never knew what to say. How do I tell him what I want? And how do I talk to the coolest, most mysterious person in the world? Just like the moment in the film where Ralphie doesn’t know how to tell Santa what he truly wants more than anything in the world for Christmas. His dream present: an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range air rifle. It shows the more accurate side of what it’s like to meet Santa in a mall. Its crowded, Santa just wants to go on break and they speed things along as quickly as possible so they don’t have to deal with you for too long.

And who could ever forget the soap in the mouth treatment by their mother? I certainly can’t. I’m the baby in my family and got in trouble more times than I can count on one hand for things that weren’t my fault. I somehow always took the blame for my brothers actions and thus had to sit on the kitchen counter as my mom shoved soap in my mouth. And while we’re on the topic of mothers – another classic moment in the film is when Ralphie opens his present from his aunt and has to dreadfully walk down the stairs and model the silly bunny onesie for his mother, merely for her own pleasure. Because who hasn’t received an awful outfit that they were forced to wear?

All in all though, the best moments in the film are the ones of spontaneity. And those are the kinds of films I love most. Where the meaning of ‘play’ is thriving and people are telling a story with no apologies. It’s what makes for a great film and A Christmas Story does just that.

 

Michael Yurchak – It’s a Wonderful Life, The Christmas Chronicles

My wife introduced me to It’s a Wonderful Life when we started dating 25 years ago. We have watched it every year since, and Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without it. I find the performances and what I feel as a heartfelt connection to the theme to be so moving. The supporting characters make the picture jump of the screen—these were the days of studio pros, and every single performance is rich and full of artistry. Henry Travers as Clarence gives a master class in character acting without ever tipping into caricature, Lionel Barrymore bursts to the front of every moment he occupies the screen, and Gloria Graham paints a perfect picture of the bad girl while still letting us in on Violet’s pain and struggle. Of course, Donna Reed is sublime, and Jimmy Stewart… is Jimmy Stewart!
Christmas finally starts when I watch this movie with my family each year, and it can’t get here soon enough!

For a new tradition (and on a bit of a personal note), we watched the Kurt Russel movie The Christmas Chronicles this year. I voiced one of Santa’s elves (the lovable (and hungry) Bjorn), and we couldn’t resist. Check it out on Netflix if there’s a youngster in your life! Bjorn says “Thanks for your support!”