“… You will be a better actor and you will have found                                                                                        something new about yourself and this lovely art.”  - Isabel Farias

Storytelling is an intrinsic part of the human heart. Over the centuries, storytelling has
been shaping societies, breaking boundaries and inspiring us to follow our dreams.
It is the desire of this Studio to create a community of extraordinary storytellers and
an environment that encourages artists to go beyond their limits and to combine their
talents to tell incredible stories.

This philosophy is deeply woven into the history of this Studio. In 1978, Roy London
started an acting class in his apartment in Los Angeles with a few friends. Roy
possessed the unique ability to see beyond our limited view of what we are capable
of as artists. He inspired many actors to explore their unlimited creative potential.
Keeping storytelling as the centre of his work, Roy became one of the most beloved and
influential acting coaches in Hollywood. The work he began continued through two of
his students, Cameron Thor and Alice Carter, when they founded Carter Thor Studio.

Carter Thor Studio continued the great work Roy started. Cameron and Alice’s love of
storytelling and their relentless pursuit of each artist’s unique potential has resulted in
the incredible journey to greatness of many extraordinary students over their 30 years
history. Through Cameron’s love, support and guidance, Jock MacDonald created
Acting for Film (formerly Carter Thor Studios East), making this process accessible to actors beyond the borders of the United States.

Since 2000, Jock MacDonald has worked hard to preserve the integrity of this incredible
process. Striving hard to make sure that each individual follows their heart on their
journey to become extraordinary storytellers. In 2006, Isabel Farias became one of
Jock’s students at the Montreal Studio, and three years later, after having collaborated
with Jock in many film productions and plays, she became one of the Studio’s coaches.
Out of this experience, came the process of co-coaching, which has been extremely
well received in all corners of the world.

In appreciation to all those who contributed to our success, Acting for Film is in the process of becoming an independent Studio. We are inviting you to help us choose our new name that will represent the global community that embraced us.

In joining Acting for Film, you will find our approach very different from other studios. The biggest and most important difference is that we tailor our coaching to you. Not the other way around. Acting for Film is very much like a gym for all manner of storytellers, whether you are an actor, director, writer, producer or anything else, and our coaches are like physical trainers. In your first two scenes you will be assigned a character you should be able to identify with. You are not going to be thrown into something very different from who you are. At least not for your very first scene!

We will assign you a scene partner that has been with the Studio for awhile, so as to “show you the ropes”. After your first two scenes, the coach will know where you are as a storyteller, what works for you and what does not, and where you need to go. Just like a physical trainer, we will see where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Every following scene, and every following scene partner, will be assigned to you based on what the coaches have discovered about you. Every scene is with a purpose; either to help you discover something you need to learn, overcome something you need to break through, or simply practice something that you need to refine.

We do not apply a process to you. We see where you are, how you work and, based on that, design a process for you. This process will evolve and change as you continue on your journey to becoming an extraordinary storyteller. For instance, if you are completely emotionally available in your work, we are not going to waste your time with any of the emotional “techniques” that are out there. If we find you have great body awareness, we may use physical theatre techniques to get you to where we need you to go.

At Acting for Film you will embark on a journey of learning and growth, as you become a remarkable actor, writer, director, cinematographer, or whatever sort of storyteller you decide to be. You will learn to know yourself: your mind, body, voice, spirit and soul. That knowledge is what makes the difference in that audition room, on that stage, or on that film set. And you will arrive on that set or that stage not only knowing yourself, but knowing your job and your responsibility. No director will have to hold your hand or tell you what to do. You will immediately be ready for whatever scene they need you to do, and for any last minute changes they throw your way. Because when you come to this Studio, we prepare you for the real thing. When your scene is running in our class, you may as well be on a live set.

This is our history. This is our reputation. This is why Acting for Film is attracting world wide attention in the art of storytelling. If you join this Studio, we will not stop until artists from around the world are begging for you to be in their story.

“Every part you play, every scene you do should change you.”  -  Jock MacDonald

The processes we use in the Studio have been developed over 30 years of experience
in class, on stage and on set, and it continues to change with the evolution of
storytelling. This journey has resulted in a very unique and intimate way of working with
artists. Our coaches will use a variety of techniques from all over the world to guide the
artists on their quest to extraordinary storytelling.

One of our newest and most exciting developments is the co-coached class. As TV and
movie sets discovered the wonders of working with two or more cameras, our coaches
developed a way to incorporate that dynamic interaction into our scene study work. The
artists get two perspectives of their work and twice the attention and feedback.

HOW TO JOIN THE STUDIO?

We welcome you to experience one of our classes for free! During your time in class,
you will observe the working relationship between the actors and coaches. You will
also have exclusive time to talk to the coach. In order to schedule an audit or for further
information, you must contact the City Manager in your area.

SCENE STUDY

Our scene study classes focus on the art of storytelling. Each student will be taken
on a journey of self discovery, developing their own unique way of working. You will
learn about character creation, (what we call the Hero’s Journey), story analysis,
and the power of relationship. Ultimately, you will rediscover the joy and simplicity of
extraordinary storytelling – How the human heart changes.

All scenes and scene partners are chosen by the coach. The first scene will be a
character close to how you present yourself and your scene partner will be an actor who
has been in the Studio for awhile. You should expect to spend two weeks on a scene.
The first month will be about you and the coach getting to know each other. After that,
the coach will be familiar with your strengths and weaknesses, and a learning process
will be created uniquely for you. Some of our scene study classes are co-coached.

Our Scene Study class is currently presented in two formats: On Going Weekly (4 hours
per week, 4 weeks per month) and On Going Monthly Intensives (16 hours, 2 days per
month).

AUDITING PROGRAM

The auditing program is a great fit for those who want to observe the scene work and
participate in class discussions. Although auditors do not perform in scenes, they are
considered full members and can audit any of our classes anywhere in the world. The
requirements to join the auditor program are the same as for regular members. Contact
the City Manager in your area for further information.

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPS

Our international workshops offer an intensive approach to our ongoing scene study
classes. They can be organized into a 2 to 5 days format. For more information contact
info@thoreast.com

PRIVATE COACHING

To have a personal one-on-one experience with one of our coaches or on set coaching,
contact the City Manager in your area.