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Dialect & Accent Coaching -- From Caribbean to Classical
I rebuilt my voice from a thick Bahamian accent to classical American diction. I can teach you to do the same with any accent. We work on vowel placement, consonant precision, and rhythm. The goal isn't to erase where you're from -- it's to choose how you sound for each role.
Film Directing Fundamentals -- Telling the Story Through the Lens
I directed nine films. The trick is knowing what the camera should see versus what the audience should feel. Those are often different things. We work on shot selection, actor direction, and visual storytelling. Bring a short script and we'll storyboard it together.
Samurai Armor Set (Reproduction Do, Kabuto, Menpo)
Full reproduction samurai armor: chest plate (do), helmet (kabuto), and face guard (menpo). I wore gear like this in Throne of Blood and Samurai Trilogy. It changes how you stand, walk, and breathe. Tip: Wear it for an hour before filming -- let your body adapt so the armor disappears.
Film Directing Masterclass -- Composing with the Camera
I teach directing the way I learned painting -- through composition. Where is the eye drawn? What is the relationship between foreground and background? We use storyboards, not shot lists. Every frame should be a painting that moves. Tip: Use multiple cameras. Actors perform differently when they don't know which camera is live.
Film Editing Workshop -- The Invisible Art
Editing is where the film is truly made. I'll show you how a two-second cut changes everything -- mood, pace, meaning. We work with actual footage. I cut on a Moviola for forty years. Digital is faster but the principles are eternal: rhythm, contrast, surprise. Tip: The best cut is the one the audience doesn't notice.
Watercolor & Ink Set (Kurosawa's Storyboard Kit)
Professional watercolor set, sumi ink, and 50 sheets of storyboard paper with the frame templates I used. This is the exact setup for the Ran storyboards now in museums. Tip: Use big brushes. Small brushes make you fussy. Cinema is bold.
Scene Study Workshop -- Reacting, Not Acting
Bring a scene partner. We work two scenes in two hours. I watch, I redirect, I provoke. Most actors prepare what they're going to say. Wrong. Prepare to LISTEN. The other actor's lines should change something in you every single time.
Makeup & Prosthetics Kit -- Physical Transformation
The kit I used to age myself for the Godfather screen test. Spirit gum, cotton balls, dental plumpers, hairpieces, and scar wax. Your face is clay. Tip: Physical transformation starts a chain reaction -- change your jaw and your voice changes, your posture shifts, the character emerges from the body outward.
Character Development Workshop -- Who Is Your Hero?
A screenplay is only as good as its main character. In this workshop we build characters from the inside out: dramatic need, point of view, attitude, change. I'll make you answer four questions about your protagonist that will unlock your entire story.
Screenplay by Syd Field (Annotated Copy)
My personal annotated copy of Screenplay -- the book that's been called the bible of screenwriting. Margin notes from 30 years of teaching. Dog-eared pages. Coffee stains from late nights at Musso & Frank. Read it, return it, write your script.
Method Acting Intensive -- Becoming the Character
Two-hour session. We don't rehearse lines -- we build a life. Where did your character grow up? What does their kitchen smell like? What song makes them cry? Once you know that, the lines say themselves. Stella Adler's approach: imagination over memory. Tip: If you're thinking about acting, you're not acting.
Classic Screenplay Collection (Bound Scripts)
Bound shooting scripts of Chinatown, Annie Hall, Thelma & Louise, American Beauty, and The Shawshank Redemption. These are the scripts I used in my workshops for decades. Read them with a highlighter. Study how they handle plot points. Tip: Read scripts, not books about scripts.
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