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TV, movies, acting, show-business! The glitz and glamour, high fashion, the luxurious high-life! It’s all easy and anyone can do it as long as they have the looks….. or so we thought.
Life behind the camera isn’t quite as simple as the pros make it out to be.
Watching movies is drastically different after attending this acting workshop. I now see the pain, joy, sorrow or glee in each actor’s eyes, instead of just ooooh-ing and ahhhhhh-ing at the explosions or special effects.
I can now truly appreciate acting for what it is….. an art form that many see, but few truly understand.
It is those few who do understand it, that make it to the upper echelons of the industry.
At the Star Magic workshop, getting in is already a tough barrier, with hundreds, and even thousands, lining up at dawn to get in one of the few spots. For this first task, it’s really perseverance and diligence that will weed out those who REALLY want this, and those who are just in it for the ride. Once you make it through that, then the real training starts.
The difference with this workshop from others is that this is the only acting workshop accredited by Ivana Chubbuck: the acting coach of the stars in Hollywood. Chubbuck’s students have included big names such as Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Judith Light, Jared Leto, Terrence Howard, Elisabeth Shue, Catherine Keener, Travis Fimmel, Djimon Honsou, America Ferrera, Eva Mendes, Kate Bosworth, Ian Somerhalder, Jim Carrey, Jessica Alba, Radha Mitchell, Carrie-Anne Moss, Garry Shandling, Jessica Biel, Amy Brenneman, Kate Walsh, Amy Smart, Marcia Cross, David Spade, Kat Graham, Matthew Perry, David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Ali Larter, and Beyoncé Knowles.
The only certified group to teach the Chubbuck Acting Technique in the Philippines and in Asia, is the ABS-CBN Star Magic Workshop led by Director Rahyan Carlos.
In acting, what I’ve come to realize, is that the best in this craft are not really “acting” per se, but rather re-living their lives in front of the camera. Let me explain…
On a normal scene in some soap opera on a mundane Tuesday afternoon, you might see an actress crying her eyes out because she just caught her two-timing, no-good, filth-on-the-Earth boyfriend cheating on her. You might stay to watch a bit more before passing it on as just another show and switching to see what else is on the other channels; perhaps you go to check the sports scores, or browse the news, or watch something else. As you flip away from that channel, what you don’t know is that the one actress you nonchalantly flipped the channel on is actually re-living some of the most painful memories in her life, and substituting them with the current people and events around her in front of that camera.
This “substitution” is one of the many tools actors use to draw up the emotions needed to really live out a certain scene. Depending on the needs, great actors actually live in their own worlds in their head, to be perfectly able to portray a certain scenario. See, when that girl on TV is crying her eyes out about some hunky boy wearing a leather jacket and with his hair all slicked back, she’s actually crying about that boy from her hometown who really broke her heart not so long ago.
It’s really a lot tougher than one might think.
Through the re-living of good times and bad, the beauty of it all is how this art, specifically this Start Magic workshop, really shapes you into becoming not just an actor or actress, but into a man or a woman.
Here, you learn to deal with your past, you gain the tools to be ready for the future, and you gain the mindfulness to truly live in the present. Everything we did had a method and an objective. You don’t just cry for the sake of crying so that the camera will see some tears; you cry because you are reliving a moment that means the world to you. There are internal struggles and personal revelations from each scene that we do.
Moreover, it also helps that you make amazing friends along the way; people who go through the same struggles, tests and obstacles that you have to overcome.
Every week, we were given little tasks that let to big personal breakthroughs and internal discoveries. You really find out who you are and how you cope with what life throws at you. Furthermore, we are given assignments to act out certain scenes from different films.
In the end, through the different trials, we grow immensely and discover things about ourselves we had never known before. This all ends with a culminating event, where we showcase our new talents in front of a live audience, composed of our families and friends.
It was 18 strenuous weeks where I cried, I laughed, I worried, I smiled, I feared, I hoped, I tried, I failed and I succeeded. I went through a roller coaster of emotions and learned how to apply them, deal with them and use them. I feel like a stronger and better person now, after these intense sessions with our mentors and teachers.
I highly recommend this class not just for those who want to act, but also for those who want to discover themselves. I now firmly believe that everyone should take at least one acting class in their life, to better learn how to deal with their own internal struggles and emotions (and so they can also watch a movie and really appreciate it for what it is worth).
ABS-CBN Star Magic Workshops
ABS CBN STAR MAGIC WORKSHOPS offers you quality training in acting for film and television, dancing and singing as facilitated by only the best in the industry! We offer Acting for Film and Television, Dance and Singing Workshops every summer and October start (weekends, Saturday and Sunday ONLY that will go through the November to the Weekends of February) for Kids (6 yrs old to 12 yrs old ONLY), Teens and Adults.
The only certified group to teach the Chubbuck Acting Technique in the Philippines. Offering QUALITY TRAINING in acting for film and television, dancing and singing as facilitated by only the best in the Philippine entertainment industry.
For questions, you can call our office phone line 4152272 local 5243, 5244 & 5142 from Mondays to Fridays 1pm to 5pm.
Thanks so much to my mentors, trainers and friends. Thanks for helping me grow through this experience.
Special thanks to Direk Rahyan Carlos, Gian Carlo Batac, Nicole Policarpio, Lynnette Concepcion, Bong Yap, Kristian Kabigting and Jane Mergillano. Of course, thanks to my batchmates who made this so special!
