Mark W Travis

"My mission is to assist artists in effectively expressing themselves by helping them to discover their personal connection to their work, and to give them the tools necessary to bring that personal expression to life."

Mark W. Travis

Since 1992 Mark Travis has been sharing his techniques on writing, acting and directing worldwide:

USA:

  • The Directors Guild
  • American Film Institute
  • Pixar Animation Studios
  • UCLA Extension
  • Taos Talking Pictures
  • Film Festival
  • Denver Film Festival
  • Hollywood Actor's Workshop
  • Hollywood Film Institute
  • Idaho Film and Television Institute

JAPAN:

  • Film & Media Lab
  • Vantan Film School

GERMANY:

  • UW Filmseminares
  • ActionConcept
  • Eric Pommer Institute
  • Konrad Wolf Film School
  • Munich Film School (HFF)
  • Münchner Filmwerkstat

POLAND:

  • The Film Farm in Kotla

ENGLAND:

  • Raindance
  • Paradigm Film Productions
  • Hurtwood House
  • Metropolitan Film School
  • London Film School
  • The London Film Academy
  • Lionhead Studios
  • Media Center Cornwall (Penzance)
  • Cornwall Film (Truro)

FRANCE:

  • The Cannes Film Festival

NETHERLANDS:

  • The Maurits Binger Institute (Amsterdam)

UKRAINE:

  • Hollywood School in Ukraine (Kiev)

BRAZIL:

  • Film Planet (Rio de Janeiro)

RUSSIA:

  • International Film Actors Workshop (Moscow)

SPAIN:

  • afilm International Film Workshops (Sitges, Barcelona)

NORWAY:

  • Norwegian Film School (Lillehammer)

IRELAND:

  • FAS Screen Training Ireland (Dublin)

The Actor's Bootcamp

(formerly The Workshop from Hell)

Actors’ training prepares them for script analysis and character development along with a variety of techniques that can bring the actor closer to the physical and emotional truth of the character. But, unfortunately, most actors are not prepared or trained to deal with three of most consistent and perplexing obstacles that an actor has to face. Namely: 1. a script that is either incomprehensible or presents no clues to character or event; 2. a scene partner that is inexperienced, uncooperative or inflexible; 3. and (the most serious and problematic) a director who is unclear, unsupportive, can’t communicate or is totally unavailable.

This is where the Actor’s Boot Camp comes in. The Actor’s Boot Camp is designed to give actors the specific skills they need to address all three of these problems. In essence, skilled actors learn how to find directorial solutions to these problems: how to make weak material work, how to direct themselves and even how to direct others (their scene partners) in an appropriate and non-threatening manner.

The Actor’s Boot Camp covers:

  • Script analysis (from a director’s point of view)
  • Character design and definition (from limited material)
  • Creating objectives and obstacles that enhance the scene
  • Staging and self-staging in order to stimulate your character and others
  • Communication skills with directors and actors that are non-threatening
  • Audition techniques that generate immediate results
  • The Actor/Character Split
  • The Actor/Character Meld
  • The collaborative process between directors, actors and the script

When actors learn to think like directors (solving problems rather than being crippled by them) then they can take more control of their craft.

Number of Days: 3-6

Number of Participants: 20

 

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