Acting Seminar with Eric Sherman

Eric Sherman was literally born into the movie world (as the son of prolific director Vincent Sherman), and he's parlayed his connections into a career that's included producing, directing, and acting (although all on a relatively modest scale). In addition, Sherman offers seminars on all three subjects to those hoping to increase their chances of succeeding in showbiz. Sherman's approach during this acting seminar is practical, easygoing, and anecdotal (while he periodically employs clips from films such as Royal Wedding and Rio Bravo, his related discussion isn't very deep or analytical). Sherman has little to say about technique, talking instead in more general terms about the necessity of embodying a character, both physically and emotionally. Speaking over the course of five-plus hours to a small audience, Sherman covers topics such as the role of agents, managers, and entertainment lawyers; securing auditions; and increasing the chances of callbacks and bookings. Sherman also recommends helpful publications and describes what might be termed tricks of the trade, along the way freely sprinkling his comments with personal reminiscences and amusing digressions. And he takes questions from the class as well as inviting remarks about their own experiences, ultimately making this less of a structured presentation than a free-association conversation with an industry pro. Other titles in the series include Writing Seminar with Eric Sherman, Directing Seminar with Eric Sherman, and Producing Seminar with Eric Sherman. A very simply filmed production (with variable sound), this is a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)