00;00;00;00 - 00;00;25;05
Unknown
Welcome to Film on Tape, a free audio library for creatives in film and television. My name is Misha Calvert, and I've worked as an actor, writer, director and producer for many decades. I had so many questions when I was first getting started in New York, and I just wanted fast, free answers. That is what this library is for.
00;00;25;05 - 00;00;47;16
Unknown
The work that you do as a creative. It's so important. I really hope that this library is going to help get your work out there. Film on tape is sponsored by Vermillion, a coaching and educational company for creatives. You can learn more at Club vermillion.com. Today we're going to talk about acting school. Should you go to an acting MFA program or not?
00;00;47;18 - 00;01;11;16
Unknown
Or BFA program or acting conservatory of some kind? I'm going to give you my thoughts on it, and I'll tell you a little bit about my background and the choice that I made around acting school. And you can decide for yourself. So I think it's critical to understand with your acting. Do you want to go into film and TV or do you want to do theater?
00;01;11;23 - 00;01;30;27
Unknown
Now, theater is a nice gateway drug for a lot of people because they have it. When you're a kid, you know, it's very easy to put on plays and put on musicals. And so for a lot of us, that is our introduction to entertainment. We are doing theater in school and we're that's that's like the first thing that we do is we act in plays and on stage.
00;01;31;24 - 00;01;53;04
Unknown
Or maybe, you know, dance, dance recital or singing or, these are the kind of group activities that we get introduced to as kids. What is less common is to have a camera in your third grade classroom, and they're making movies now, I happened to have that when I was in kindergarten, for whatever reason, in that, very poorly funded classroom.
00;01;53;06 - 00;02;14;06
Unknown
Somehow the teachers had a camera and we were making movies. When I was in kindergarten, I actually starred in my kindergarten class movie, which I can't believe I remember that, but it was really formative, actually. And I remember being five years old and thinking, you know what? I could do this. I could do this for the rest of my life.
00;02;14;06 - 00;02;45;06
Unknown
This is great. I really like this. And I want to do more and more and more. So I think that's what spurred me to do theater, acting later when I had the opportunity. And then I did theater for many years after that, before I ever did any on camera acting again, it was like 20 years of theater. So I think early on, if you can try to figure out which one is going to be more enjoyable for you, or it's something you have to decide, but, you know, long term, like, do I see myself working more in film and TV, or do I see myself wanting to be on the stage?
00;02;45;07 - 00;03;29;01
Unknown
No wrong answers. It's just whichever one you prefer. But if the answer is that you would rather be working in film and television, you don't have much interest in the stage. I don't think you need an MFA program. I think it's really good to have solid actor training in a 1 or 2 year conservatory, just to teach you the basics of character, given circumstances, intention, emotional athleticism, imagination, how to be around people in a production and you know, how to treat people and how to collaborate artistically.
00;03;29;01 - 00;03;54;07
Unknown
But these are things that you can, I believe, learn in a 1 or 2 year conservatory. And they don't need to be a 3 to 4 year MFA program to learn that. Also, many MFA programs do not, at this time of recording do not have, in my opinion, a good or even sometimes even decent on camera training program.
00;03;54;09 - 00;04;13;27
Unknown
They may say that I do, but what I'm seeing with the actors that I teach and that I coach, these people do not know how to act on camera, and they are certainly not prepared for booking work in the film and television industry. So just know that if you go into most MFA programs, you're not going to be getting on camera training.
00;04;13;27 - 00;04;35;28
Unknown
That is adequate and you won't be taught how to book on camera work. That's like something that almost none of the programs seem to address. The real value of an MFA program is if you want to build a lifelong career in the theater, because what you get is voice and movement training, and you get a lot of it.
00;04;36;00 - 00;05;06;28
Unknown
Being a theater actor is very athletic, and it takes a lot of physical and vocal capacity and resilience and stamina to be able to sustain yourself for eight shows a week, you know, especially if you're trying to do the larger theaters like Broadway or West End. I really do recommend those traditional MFA training programs. So if you're trying to do film and TV, I think your time is better spent in a shorter conservatory program.
00;05;06;28 - 00;05;30;01
Unknown
That's going to be the fundamentals of acting and then getting out into the workforce as quickly as possible and starting to interface with the film and TV business side of things, versus if you want to go into theater. I do think that 3 or 4 year training program is pretty important for a long term, sustained career in the theater.
00;05;30;03 - 00;05;55;20
Unknown
I am so excited to tell you that I'm launching a brand new slate of classes that are incredibly helpful on my website. Some of the classes include on camera acting technique and how to self produce your own film actor self care, which is something that nobody talks about and how to write a feature film in ten days, which I'm going to teach you how I did it and how you can do it too.
00;05;55;23 - 00;06;29;29
Unknown
And believe me when I say I poured my heart into these courses. Go to Club vermilion.com. I am so excited about this website. I can't wait to work with you! Right now I think there's only three good MFA acting programs that are free. There's the Yale David Geffen School drama, there's Juilliard, and there's think University of Tennessee. Maybe it's also USD.
00;06;30;02 - 00;06;55;04
Unknown
I'll have to check on that. If you San Diego at the Old Globe still does a free two year program. But there are Shakespeare programs, so they're pretty specific. Other than that, I think NYU and Columbia adds 70,000 a year. So you're looking to come out of an acting MFA program, unless it's one of those exceptions that I named with six figures of debt.
00;06;55;07 - 00;07;19;06
Unknown
And as an actor, that's going to be tough. There's so many people trying to be actors now. There's more people wanting to be actors than ever. It used to be that the respectable careers were being a doctor or a lawyer, and now the respectable careers that the kids are talking about is, being an influencer and being being a TikToker or, you know, maybe a musician or something.
00;07;19;08 - 00;07;40;07
Unknown
Being an actor. Right. So these are now pedestal ized, and you have so many people trying to go into acting programs so that they can be like the people that they see on TikTok and in the movies. If you're trying to go straight into film and television or content creation, I really don't think an MFA degree is necessary.
00;07;40;07 - 00;08;15;23
Unknown
But there are two things that can come out of any conservatory training program, no matter how long it is one year, four years, MFA, BFA, even just a certificate. And, those two things are I talked about this in the whether to film school or not episode as well, networking and confidence. And those are two things that, if you're not naturally inclined to, you know, be good at those two things just on your own, it can be very helpful to be part of a community where you're able to, you know, work really hard, come at the other side and you get confidence as a result.
00;08;15;28 - 00;08;40;07
Unknown
You're like, yes, I did this program. I have the confidence now that they can't take this experience away from me. And then the networking can be extremely valuable in finding jobs agent, manager, meeting, casting directors, meeting fellow collaborators that you end up making films with and even just the support of your community that you know, it's it can be very lonely being an artist.
00;08;40;07 - 00;09;06;28
Unknown
So, having that community support can be really, really good for your for your mental health and just kind of keeping the world to go on. So I do think that there are benefits to doing a program. And if you want to be an actor, I recommend at least a one year training program of some kind. The other thing that's helpful about the programs is the showcases that they have at the end.
00;09;07;01 - 00;09;28;24
Unknown
The bigger the school, the more people are going to come to that showcase. So you'll have casting directors, your agents, managers, sometimes directors and producers, and that's helpful. I did a two year conservatory program. I think I had one meeting out of the showcase, and it was not an agent or a manager. Nobody wanted to meet with me.
00;09;28;26 - 00;09;56;02
Unknown
And, and I've known plenty of people who have gotten signed out of their programs by an agent or manager. But if they don't book something big in the first year of getting signed, their agents will drop them. Happens all the time. So, you know, everyone thinks like, oh, I signed with whoever paradigm innovative WME like it feels like such an achievement.
00;09;56;02 - 00;10;25;21
Unknown
But you have to know that the clock is ticking from the moment you sign and they are waiting for you to deliver. And if you can't deliver, then that's it. So a lot of the time, not all the time, obviously, but the showcase is not going to solve all of your problems. And there's so much pressure that's put on those showcases, I just think is a mistake to place all of your hopes in that one, like final presentation to industry at the end of your training.
00;10;26;20 - 00;10;52;13
Unknown
I think it creates a really unhealthy experience. And then even if you do sign to get signed, it's not the the answer to all of your problems. One final thought on whether to go to acting school or not, especially if you're considering the more prestigious schools, is whether or not it's actually going to help or hurt your mental health.
00;10;52;16 - 00;11;09;17
Unknown
I see that as somebody who tried four times to get into the Yale School of Drama or, excuse me, the David Geffen School of Drama, as it is now known. I tried four times. You can only audition three times, and I tried four, so I already broke their rules. But, did not get a single callback. They didn't want me.
00;11;09;18 - 00;11;32;07
Unknown
They had no, I had no interest whatsoever. But I was very interested in my friends who did end up going to the Yales, the Browns, the Juilliard, the Columbias. And I have to say that I know several people that did end up going to Yale and several people that got into Juilliard. They went through the program and it took them years to recover.
00;11;32;07 - 00;12;05;11
Unknown
It took them years to get over trauma, trauma of being in those programs. And maybe things have changed now, but this is in the past ten years. And they did not have a good experience. A lot of it was their peers. And, whether it was like racial trauma or, queer trauma, they did not like the way that they were treated.
00;12;05;14 - 00;12;39;13
Unknown
The individuals that I'm thinking of said that they did not feel adequately supported by the faculty. So this is anecdotal. It's not you know, I'm certainly not, speaking for the schools or or really against them. I'm just giving you the stories that I have heard from a couple of friends. I would say four people I know had negative experiences at some of the top acting programs, but you would just think, you know, that that wouldn't be the place where you would least want that to happen.
00;12;39;16 - 00;13;03;05
Unknown
I know I pinned so many of my hopes on being able to get into an acting MFA program and, and at that point in my confidence journey, if I had gotten in and I had been treated poorly by my peers, it would have broken me. I mean, I don't know if I would have ever recovered because I put so much stake in what those institutions thought of me at that time.
00;13;03;05 - 00;13;20;10
Unknown
I mean, in a way, it was the best thing that happened to me that I didn't get in because then I had to learn hustle, and I had to learn discipline, and I had to teach myself the basics of filmmaking. And now, you know, I'm very happy on the path that I'm on. But no longer a full time actor, only act in little cameos in my own films.
00;13;20;10 - 00;13;57;28
Unknown
But, it would have been really detrimental if I had gotten in and had a negative experience. So these are just some thoughts on whether or not to do an acting MFA or an acting BFA. And regardless, if you're wanting to do film and television, I really recommend finding a person or a class or a group of people who can help you understand the business of acting, because very few of the programs that I have seen have any sort of preparation for their students, for the business of film and TV and had a book work I happened to teach.
00;13;57;28 - 00;14;11;28
Unknown
And I think this is one big plug for my for my coaching company. But I spend a lot of time teaching people the business of acting. And if you want to hear more about that, just drop me an email.
00;14;12;00 - 00;14;38;05
Unknown
Thank you so much for listening to film on tape. If you like the way that I approach the industry, check out our other classes, consulting and mentorship at Club vermilion.com. Vermilion is a home for artists and those looking to expand creatively. Whether you're an actor, film professional, an entrepreneur, or a CEO, we'll help you find your voice and hone your skills to thrive in any market at any scale.
00;14;38;08 - 00;14;53;07
Unknown
You can schedule a free phone consultation at Club vermilion.com.
