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Recession and the Economy Don’t
Matter as the1200th Acting Corps student to be listed on IMDB
books new “Cloverfield” director’s feature “Let Me In”
By Samuel Chong
December 11, 2009. Los Angeles. While it’s been
said in the past that the entertainment industry is recession
proof, the current economic conditions have taken their toll on
the film industry. But one Los Angeles based acting school, The
Acting Corps, seems to be doing just fine – The Acting Corps is
celebrating its 1200th student gaining viable employment as a
professional actor and now being listed on IMDB, a decidedly
real-world milestone.
The statistic, made available through the IMBd listings, the
leading online tracker of film and television production, is
serious cause for celebration.
Ashton Moio, the young actor who just booked “Let Me In” a
remake of “Let The Right One In” helmed by “Cloverfield”
director Matt Reeves, cites the principles made available to him
though his study at The Acting Corps as a primary source for his
success. “The Acting Corps teaches everything, not just the
acting part. I learned here how to get out there and get work,
and that’s not easy.”
Perhaps the only person more excited than Mr. Moio, was The
Acting Corps Founder and Artistic director, Eugene Buica. When
made aware of the milestone, Mr. Buica replied, “It’s music to
my ears. Nothing makes me happier than to hear of a student’s
success. Especially in terms of making a living in these tough
times. It’s what we’re all about at the Acting Corps. ”
The Acting Corps’s ability to thrive under the current economic
conditions may have to do with the fact that it began in
similarly difficult times. After a disastrous commercial strike
in 1999, Mr. Buica, who had been teaching his trademarked
Actors’ Boot Camp approach for some time, decided to offer his
approach of rigorous daily acting training combined with
teaching actors about the industry to a much larger audience.
“It seemed to me that people came to Los Angeles to act for
money, not to wait tables and act for their acting teachers. So
I told my students to either meet me in the Burbank Park across
from Forrest Lawn at 7AM for a whole year or to look for classes
elsewhere.” From this initial proposition coupled with a desire
of Mr. Buica to share his knowledge, The Acting Corps started to
take shape.
When asked to expound on this concept of the importance for an
actor to make a living, Mr. Buica thought a moment. “Oftentimes,
so much of what surrounds the business, and the art and craft of
acting remains ungrounded and fantastical. You can put your hand
through it. After all, actors help tell imaginary stories.
However, the lives of actors require real-world sustenance, and
there is something called the rent. We have all had
quote-unquote survival jobs, and that’s fine. But in order to
consider yourself a professional, you need to make money doing
it. And here at the Acting Corps we emphasize the importance of
getting out there and getting a job.”
When pressed to suggest how long it might take for one of his
students to begin making a living as actors, he said, “If a
student has the basic intelligence necessary to be an actor, and
pursues the goal of becoming a competent actor with
single-minded focus, remaining teachable and keeping his ego out
of the way, I believe that within as little as six months to one
year of serious training an actor will get the necessary tools
to get started as a professional. Of course not every student
will have what it takes.”
After fielding a call from a talent agent on the phone, Mr.
Buica expounded. “Of course one goes deeper into his or her art
as one’s life unfolds. You can say it takes twenty years to
become an actor. Fine. But along with teaching tried and true
principles of acting, inspired by such people as Meisner and
Chekhov, at the very same time the Acting Corps disavows the
idea that one must slave away in poverty for years before
starting to generate income as an actor.”
Very close to half -- fifty percent -- of all Acting Corps
students have ventured forth to book work and made money as
working actors. “I’m very proud of that percentage,” Mr. Buica
said. “Otherwise,” he stated, “you remain an amateur.”
And with that he walked away.
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This article can also be found at
http://www.certifiedchinesetranslation.com/09/1209-Recession-Economy-Acting-Corps-IMDB.html
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