Experience the philosophy, strategy, and training

• Five 4 hour sessions over a five week period
• Limited time introductory rate- $500.00

The class, sponsored by Citizen Cinema and conducted by Cannes and Sundance Award winning director Rob Nilsson, will begin with a short history of the international “Realist Cinema” followed by explorations into the philosophy, strategy and training of Direct Action Cinema used in creating 10 dramatic feature films with the Tenderloin yGroup of San Francisco (1992- 2007) and five dramatic feature films from the Direct Action World Cinema series including films shot in South Africa, Jordan and Japan.

Scenes from the Tenderloin yGroup’s workshop sessions and from the Direct Action based 9 @ Night Feature Film Series, which recently premiered at the Harvard Film Archives as a 14 1/2 hr. event taking place over three consecutive nights, will be shown and exercises conducted which emphasize relaxation, concentration and cathartic emotion.

Characters and circumstances will be created with improvisations on locations and in front of cameras. Principles of centering, listening, dramatic “writing in real time” and discovering scene objectives will lead to exercises with strong emotional goals. These exercises will lead to the production of a final “action” with one or more scene partners, shot on location, designed to create an emotional “flashpoint” and to play within a set time frame with no editing. Players will be given a digital video copy of their scene at the end of the class.

No prior acting experience is necessary. This is an opportunity for players to discover their unique expressive qualities in a circle of risk and protection.

Option available for 1-2 video shooters to take the class with an emphasis on Direct Action cinematography. Cinematographic applicants should have a basic knowledge of video shooting.

Five 4 hour sessions over a five week period- $500.00

Citizen Cinema
1418 5th St
Berkeley CA 94710
Tel: 510 527 7217
Fax: 510 528 4770

For questions or reservations, fill out the contact form below.