Second Avenue Studios Acting Workshop
Apr 7th, 2009 by Alan Yu
Alright, so recently I was looking for an acting workshop to take and based on some suggestions I have decided to try out a place called second avenue studios here in Vancouver. The program they had was dubbed as a 6-Week On Camera Scene Study Course costing about $500.
The person conducting the course is a local working actor named Andrew McIlroy who seems to have a good reputation amongst the film community as well. This was interesting as they requested that you send them your resume first for consideration to enroll into the program. While I was on set yesterday I got an e-mail from them expressing that they were enthusiastic about having me join the class and to phone in to register.
I did do so today and the sessions won’t start until a few more weeks. This will be the first time I have went back for a prolonged training period other than the time I was enrolled in a film acting program through a traditional school setup.
So why go for more? One person was telling me that he thinks training is useless and a waste of money as continuously working on independent films during a downtime is just as good to build your skill and not to mention your portfolio. Agents and casting directors often say it is very good to be continuously training as it helps to brush up your skills and will help you to stand out in terms of being taken seriously that you really want to be a professional.
My thoughts? I’m doing both because I’m genuinely interested in acting and the film business. Therefore, training or being involved with independent films is something I will continually explore. The only drawback to things like formal training in my mind is the money factor as even I know this industry is one of the worst in terms of getting aspiring artists to drain away their life savings in hopes that it will bring success and opportunities to them.
Will this workshop be worth it? Obviously I don’t know yet. Again, I am one to usually judge value based on the results afterwards. Example, did it really do much in terms of helping me achieve my goals? Did more opportunities appear as a direct result of that?
