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107 results for “ASUS”
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.
Trench Coat & Fedora (Screen-Accurate Casablanca Set)
Aquascutum trench coat and Borsalino fedora. The exact combination I wore as Rick Blaine. Tip: A costume isn't what the character wears -- it's what the character would choose to wear. Rick chose armor that looks like elegance.
Vintage Pin-Up Photography Lighting Kit
Three-point lighting setup from the golden age of Hollywood glamour. Key light, fill light, backlight, plus a butterfly diffuser for that soft, luminous look. This is how they shot me, Garbo, and Dietrich. Tip: The backlight is the secret -- it separates you from the background and makes your hair glow.
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.
Hitchcock/Truffaut (First Edition, Hardcover)
The definitive book on filmmaking. Truffaut asked me 500 questions over five days. Every answer is a masterclass. This is the first American edition, 1967. Dog-eared at the Vertigo chapter because everyone always goes there first.
Film Score Analysis Workshop -- Music as Fear
Bernard Herrmann wrote the Psycho strings, the Vertigo spirals, and the North by Northwest overture. Without his music, my films are half as terrifying. We study how music creates dread, release, and the false sense of safety. Tip: The scariest sound in cinema is silence followed by a single note.
Chess Strategy Session (Tournament Level)
I played chess in Washington Square Park for money as a teenager. It taught me to think five moves ahead -- which is exactly what directing is. We play and I teach you to see patterns. Tip: In chess and filmmaking, the opening determines everything. Control the center early.
Vintage Cigarette Holder & Prop Kit
Art deco cigarette holders (long and short), prop cigarettes, and a lighter. I used cigarettes as punctuation marks -- a drag for emphasis, a flick for dismissal, a crush for rage. Props are an actor's secret weapon. This kit teaches you to use objects as extensions of emotion.
Deep Focus Cinematography Workshop -- Everything in Focus at Once
Gregg Toland taught me this for Citizen Kane: keep the foreground AND background sharp. It forces the audience to choose where to look -- and that choice IS the story. We study lens selection, lighting for depth, and staging in three dimensions. Tip: When everything is in focus, composition becomes your only guide.
Kung Fu Comedy Workshop -- Fighting and Falling with Style
I'll teach you to take a hit, sell a fall, and make the audience laugh while you're in pain. We use chairs, ladders, and tables as props -- everything in the room is a weapon and a punchline. Tip: Always show the whole body. Wide shots let the audience see the skill. Close-ups are for actors who can't fight.
Prop Weapons Collection (Breakaway Chairs, Rubber Bottles, Foam Pipes)
Sugar glass bottles, balsa wood chairs, foam pipes, rubber bricks -- everything you need for a prop fight scene. I've used more chairs as weapons than any actor in history. They break beautifully on camera and barely sting in person. Barely.
Jazz Piano Session -- Improvisation and Film Scoring
I've composed scores for many of my own films. Jazz is conversation -- you listen, you respond, you leave space. We work on basic piano improvisation over blues and jazz standards. No sheet music. Tip: The notes you DON'T play are just as important as the ones you do. Same in acting. Same in life.
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