2012 Winter Members' Conference

2012 Winter Conference Program
(View flyer as a PDF - 2.1 mb)

The conference is coming up fast: February 22-24!

Check out the sessions and events on this page or in the flyer and register online right here. Check this page for Conference news and updates.

Here are the basics:

Please note: all workshops and Master Classes are subject to change. CastingDiversity.ca will be at the conference. Physically and/or culturally diverse performers can bring their stuff and set up a profile.

Conference Day 1: Wednesday, February 22, 2012

8:30 a.m.

Registration & Breakfast

9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

*Early-bird session
Breakfast With... Canadian Indie Film Makers

Canadian independent production is better than it ever has been, and our local creators are the reason why. Art Hindle interviews a panel of some of our best actors (7 Gemini wins & more than a dozen nominations) including Kate Trotter, Jayne Eastwood, Ken Welsh and Chris Potter, plus Actor/Indie Producer Brigitte Kingsley and Director/ Writer Michael DeCarlo.

 

10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

24 Hour Co-Op Challenge*

Wanna create your own movie? We'll give you just under 24 hours and show you how under the ACTRA CO-OP agreement. Steward Barbara Larose will walk you through the steps and guidelines. Teams will be formed. Themes will be assigned. Films will be shown at the plenary. Submit photo, resumé and include any directing, writing or editing expertise you might have. Let us know if you will bring film making equipment or intend to bring just your iPhone. Hosted by Collette Micks. Participants will be pre-selected.

*Please see Master Class application details. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WORKSHOP IS A FULL-DAY COMMITMENT.

 

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

1) Take The Lead With…Canadian Indie Film Actors*

Stick around after our Breakfast With... to help these fine actors and film makers revisit some of their iconic scenes, with you as their scene partner! This Master Class workshop will give you the opportunity to act with some of the greats, and get direction from an industry-leading director and producer to boot. Participants will be pre-selected.

*Please see Master Class application details.

 

2) Managing Your Agent

Does your agent manage you? How can you be more in control of your actor /agent relationship? What are the big issues most actors confront with representation? Hear the skinny about managing agent relationships from a panel of working actors including Sean Bell, Janet Lo, Sedina Fiati, & Grace Lynn Kung. Actors who have seen it all and aren't afraid to tell it like it is. Actors helping Actors. (Note: NO AGENTS allowed.) Feel free to ask questions and give your two cents. Moderated by Theresa Tova.

 

3) Pressing Needs – How to Get the Word Out About Your Work

Ready to take that next big step and hire a Publicist? Or are you just hoping to get some local attention and need a boost to get some press? Wondering what you should do with that little indie film you shot? Debra Goldblatt of Rock-it Promotions will talk about the benefits of "personality profiling" and how working with a publicist could get you noticed.

To help you with the initial steps of getting your projects some media attention, Karen Woolridge will take you through the steps of writing your own press release. EYE Weekly Movie Reviewer Adam Nayman will talk about film festivals and rep cinema and the process of getting critics out to see the films. Whether you bring details of your next project or your thoughts of where you'd like to see yourself in the next few years, you'll get some hands-on help from this terrific panel! Hosted by Joanna Bennett.

 

4) How to Create a Web Series in 10 Easy Steps

With Naomi Sneickus, Geoff Lapaire, Stephanie Gorin, Mike Fly and Davin Lengyel. Got an idea, but no idea how to make it happen? The producers of the hit web series' The Casting Room, Sexy Nerd Girl and Pure Pwnage and the upcoming Space Janitors merge together to create a web series before our very eyes, taking us step by step through the process with ACTRA Toronto IPA Steward Noreen Murphy in an on-their-feet case study and how-to lesson.

12:15 to 1:15 p.m.

Lunch With Award of Excellence Recipient Rick Mercer

Join 2012 ACTRA Award of Excellence winner Rick Mercer for a lively, laugh-a-minute lunchtime interview. Award winning Gavin Crawford will grill Mercer about his career, politics, his new award and what kind of sandwich he prefers.

 

1:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

1) "My Precious..." Intro to Performance Capture with SIRT*

Lord of the Rings, Avatar, and Call of Duty all depend on motion capture - image sensors capturing human movements and expressions and translating them into animation - to create their project. The way we see it motion capture is really performance capture! Get primed in the basics skills you'll need to work as a performer in this exploding medium.

*This workshop is sponsored by SIRT, The Screen Industries Research and Training Centre established by Sheridan College with Pinewood Studios. SIRT is dedicated to innovation in Ontario's film, gaming and television industries in the area of performance capture.

 

2) Reel too Real? Demo Reels Critique for Grown Ups*

Get at unique opportunity to present your demo reel to a panel of industry professionals and hear their critique. Julian Dezotti moderates as demo editor Willi Romita from EditOne plus agent Yanick Landry from Newton Landry Management and a broadcast exec view your reel then candidly reveal what's hot about you, what's not, and ultimately how you might get cast. Submit your demo reel... if you can handle the truth. Participants will be preselected.

*Submit your demo reel via email to masterclass@actratoronto.com or on usb key or DVD to the ACTRA Toronto office to the attention of the Conference Committee.

 

3) Auditioning for Television Comedy Master Class with
Michael D. Cohen*

Master the differences in auditioning for American vs. Canadian comedy. In this hands-on workshop, Gemini and Canadian Comedy Award nominated actor and coach, Michael D. Cohen (Modern Family, Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays, My Name is Earl) will be joining us from Los Angeles to help you nail auditions using scenes from current breakdowns on top American comedies. Participants will be pre-selected.

*Please see Master Class application details. (There will also be cold reads from volunteer audience members!)

 

3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

1) Casting Director Showcase for New Members*

New to ACTRA and ready for your big break? Showcase your skills to leading Casting Directors Millie Tom and Brian Levy. Using scenes from recent projects they've cast, you'll receive detailed, expert feedback to improve your audition technique in this very practical, potentially career-changing workshop! Hosted by Nicole Stamp. Participants will be pre-selected.

*Please see Master Class application details. This workshop is geared to newer members and will be cast "outside the box" with diverse and unexpected choices.

 

2) Actors and Directors: The Divine Dynamic*

Presented by YEAA! If you play 17 - 27 here's your chance to work with awesome director and teacher Michael Kennedy (Little Mosque) as he coaches emerging directors, in blocking, rehearsing, and performing scenes from film and television. This is a YEAA mixer: aimed at establishing creative bonds between young ACTRA members & filmmakers for a stronger industry now and into the future. Participants are pre-selected.

*Participants will be from the 17-27 age category. Please see Master Class application details.

 

3) Koo-Koo-Kachoo! I Am (Afraid of) The Taxman

Are your receipts spilling out of your shoe box? No worries, hear simple and practical ways to set up and manage your own books and to prepare for your financial future. Join Alex J. Anastasopoulos of Entertainment Tax Services, Steve Mumford of CASCU and Bob Underwood of AFBS to help recycle that shoebox and guard your earnings from the TAXMAN!

 

5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Wine & Cheese

Hosted by YEAA!

 

Conference Day 2: Thursday, February 23, 2012

8:00 a.m.

Registration & Breakfast

 

8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Early-bird session

Breakfast with Arsinée Khanijian

Get up close and personal with Gemini Award-winning actress, Arsinée Khanijian. Find out how she got started in the business, what it is like to work with her husband, Atom Egoyan and how it feels to be in an Oscar-nominated film and being voted Best Actress by Slate Magazine. Interviewed by Ferne Downey.

 

9:45 to 11:45 am

1) Take the Lead... with Arsinée Khanijian*

Test your chops with award winning actress Arsinée Khanijian in scenes from her films: The Sweet Hereafter (nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing and Directing), Where the Truth Lies, Last Night, Felicia's Journey. Participants will be pre-selected.

*Please see MASTER CL ASS application details. Audience members might also be chosen to do a cold read!

 

2) Ready, Set, Show!*

Voice with the pros. One of Canada's top voice talents and teachers, Melissa Altro, joins moderator John Nelles to get your voice warmed up and READY. Then ACTRA's 2012 Voice Award nominees share how they get SET to audition and perform. We'll even put you on mic to up your game and SHOW you what you can do to succeed in the vibrant world of voice performing. Participants will be selected from the audience.

*Please see Master Class application details.

 

3) and... Action! Directors Power Panel

Multiple award-winning directors Jerry Ciccoritti, Helen Shaver and others reveal to host David Gale what they expect from you, the actor, before and after "action" is called. Discover what these acclaimed directors think make the best actors: on set and on screen. Candid advice from some of the top faces behind the camera in Toronto. Expect surprises!

 

4) Rolling with the Roles You Play in Life

Do you find yourself stuck in roles and staying in a not so comfortable, comfort zone as an actor? In this workshop with Master Coach and Brain Gym Instructor Darlene Montgomery, learn techniques to identify and release stuck patterns, beliefs and family roles that might be keeping you from taking the risks you need to claim the huge success you deserve.

 

5) Self-Taping – Promoting from Within*

Desperate to get the attention of an Agent or Casting Director but don't have a demo reel? Want someone to call you in to read for characters for which you just never get called? Can't make it to an audition in another city? Find out how to make yourself present by taping yourself – whether on your smart phone, video camera or in a studio. Casting Director Tina Gerussi and Agent Steve Young will guide you through what to do, and more importantly, what NOT to do, as PJ Lazic of Out of the Box Studio takes you through the step by step mechanics of getting your best work on tape. Hosted by Phil MacKenzie. Participants will be pre-selected.

*Please see Master Class application details.

 

12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.

Lunch

Courtesy of ACTRA Toronto

 

1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

ACTRA TORONTO'S AGM

  • Meet the ACTRA Award nominees
  • Stunt Performers Tribute – presentation of Outstanding Achievement in a Stunt Specialty to John Stoneham Sr.
  • CO-OP Film Screening
  • ACTRA Toronto's Operating Plan & Budget
  • DOOR PRIZES!!

 

3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

1) Audition Prep Master Class with On-Camera ACTRA Award Nominees*

Get to strut your stuff in 2-hander scenes with ACTRA's best! These are the nominees for the most valued award in our industry, the ACTRA Award. These scenes will be from the projects that got them nominated. Art Hindle will be on hand to give some direction. Here are your nominees: participants will be pre-selected.

*Please see Master Class application details.

 

2) Fly on the Wall of a Casting Session (Back by Popular Demand!)

Enjoy a rare opportunity to be on the inside of a casting session. Watch director Michael Kennedy and casting director Jason Knight as they audition 10 top-notch performers for the same role, and witness what actually goes on as the folks behind the table come to their ultimate decision. This is one of our most popular sessions — don't miss it! Moderated by Gina Clayton.

 

3) From Script to Set with Michelle Latimer

Written an awesome script? Now what? Award-winning filmmaker, writer, producer and actor, Michelle Latimer (Choke, Jackpot) will guide you through the essential steps to get your script funded, shot and on the screen. Even without a script, this practical approach to filmmaking will be invaluable in taking charge of your career.

 

4) ACTRA Toronto Stunt Committee "Action Forum"

Your NEW ACTRA Toronto Stunt Committee for 2012-2013 will share updates on current issues important to the stunt community, outline their agenda for the upcoming term and want to hear from each and every one of you personally on how they can best represent you.

This new Stunt Committee has adopted an open door policy to be sure you are heard and strongly encourages your input and participation. Support your industry, support your craft and most importantly participate in the process to continue to make improvements in all facets of what stunt performers do, on and off the screen.

 

5) State of the Union

Members of the ACTRA Toronto Executive and Staff discuss the 2012 Operating Plan.

 

5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Wine & Cheese

Conference Day 3: Friday, February 24, 2012
New Location: ACTRA Toronto offices

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

1) ACTRA Additional Background Performer (AABP) Caucus, AGM and Executive Election

Come out to elect your NEW AABP Executive. The nine dedicated members you choose will give voice to your concerns for the next two years. Why not throw your hat in the ring and help to build your caucus? Catch up on the exciting initiatives your outgoing executive has undertaken on behalf of AABP within the union and the industry. Get informed about the upcoming IPA negotiations and what's in them for AABP members like you!

 

2012 Winter Members' Conference prizes are provided by:

 

2012 sponsors