2013 Student News

Congratulations to student Sam Smith for making the Tropfest Top 16 with his short film, Stew. Best of luck for the finals Sam! Sam (far right) with the other 2013 Tropfest Top 16 Finalists.

And speaking of successful short films, TVS Sydney told me they love our latest masterclass film The Pedder File so much they are not only screening it on their Anthology of Interest program, but are premiering it first in the popular Dark Carnival series. TVS programmmer Garfield Barnard called the film… “Excellent, with a real-life twist.” Good work and a job well done to students Paul Millett, Jessica Robbins, Tayla Brown and Lydia Dyhin for their powerful performances.

Well done to Junior student Julia Manias and Teen student Zach Zitis who both recently had the opportunity to audition for major film roles: Julia for Mad Max 4: Fury Road, and Zach for a confidential project filming in South Australia.

Congratulations to Screen Actors Workshop advanced teen students Georgie Walker-Powell, Elana Carnevale, Zoe Salatnay, Serae Kopra and Olivia Eastwood for their respective wins at this years 24/7 Youth Film Festival.

Georgie won the Best Actress award and her, Zoe and Elana’s film The Final Project picked up several other awards on the night, including Best Sound; while Serae and Olivia’s original and thought provoking film Pause won the award for Best Script.

Congratulations to Junior students Julia Manias and Natalie Theodore who caused a minor sensation on Australia’s Got Talent on Saturday 31 August when they knocked Ike and Tina Turner’s River Deep Mountain High out of the park. Very well done girls and good luck for the next round!

It was good to see former student Amber Sherlock (nee Higlett) featured on the cover of the August edition of Peninsula Livingmagazine. Although Amber graduated as an actor in the mid-90s, she has since forged a successful career as a popular newsreader on the Nine Network.

Advanced adult student Sonya Plummer is scoring a swag of professional work: Along with currently appearing in the high rotation Labour Party Spotlight TVC, Sonya recently impressed the honchos at the TVSN channel with her first modelling job for the network – and has now been hired for 8 more gigs! Go Sonya.

Tim Page – fresh from a successful theatrical production of The Phantom of the Opera, and last seen on-screen with tennis legend Pat Rafter in the Bonds Flexits TVC– under instruction from New York casting consultants Telsey + Company, booked time at the studio July 23 to record and edit a self tape audition scene for the US feature film FOCUS, starring Will Smith.

Tim recorded the four-and-a-half minute scene as the character McEwen with classmate Sam Smith playing the Will Smith part of Nicky. FOCUS, a Warner Brothers production, shoots in Argentina and New Orleans, Louisiana in September and October. Best of luck Tim!

Sam Smith is receiving valuable exposure in the high-rotation promo for the new Big Brother Twistprogram. Sam, who opens the promo and is the only actor with a speaking part, is in the process of proposing when his girlfriend suddenly leaps to her feet and starts dancing to the Chubby Checker classic, The Twist. Well done Sam!

Advanced adult student Brett Garland is currently appearing in a Choosi Insurance TVC. Brett performs a punishing exercise routine in the commercial, which by the end of the day left him completely drained. Phew! Exercise is such hard work mate!

Advanced adult Sonya Plummer, whom I only recently assisted with head shots, resume and a student showreel, has already experienced a couple of lucky breaks in her fledgling acting career. Last month I recommended Sonya and classmate Iwona Abramowicz to radio station Nova 96.9 to play the role of cougars in one of Nova’s popular music video parodies, in this case a spoof on Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines video – parodied as Cougars by Fitzy and Wippa. It was a challenging shoot for Sonya and Iwona but they knocked it out of the park and Cougars has had more hits on the 96.9 website than any of Fitzy and Wippa’s previous video spoofs. Well done ladies! Following on from the 96.9 gig, Sonya has just won a well-paying role in a TVC, shooting Wednesday 19 June.

Junior student Maya Beck has been no slouch either, recently performing as the daughter in a new Telstra TVC and then following that up with a small role in a new children’s television drama. Go Maya!

It was great to see Rob Carlton reprising his Best Supporting Actor Gold Logie winning role of Kerry Packer in ABC-TVs Magazine Wars the follow up to Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo – which aired on the 2nd and 3rd June. Rob’s portrayal of Packer is by far the most accurate by any actor thus far.

Tim Page – not to be outdone by classmate Sam Smith who performs the play Jilted in his underpants – is featured 100% in a new longform 90 second Bonds Flexits TVC with tennis ace Pat Rafter; and you guessed it, strips down to his Bonds undies with Pat and the rest of the “film crew” on set. The humourous commercial is very tongue in cheek (pun intended) and Tim knocks his role as Pat’s manager out of the park. Well done mate!

This past week (March 19 to 23) all teen and adult classes rehearsed and recorded a detailed and cleverly written two-hander comedy scene from the school’s archives. Some of the more experienced students took to the scene like ducks to water, proving their talent at interpreting nuanced and witty comedy. The majority of students however found the going tough, which brought to mind the words of a dying actor. As the old man lay on his death bed, a young fan asked him if he was afraid of dying. The old actor laughed and said, “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.” Wise words indeed.

Advanced adult student Sam Smith is currently appearing in the popular play Jilted at the Sidetrack Theatre in Marrickville. Due to strong audience demand Jilted in now into its second run at the Sidetrack. A must-see play: Guaranteed to make you “laugh your socks off!”

Advanced adult student Brett Garland has just completed two back-to-back acting gigs in a Choosi insurance TVC and a training video for Sydney University on harassment in the workplace. Well done Brett.

The Jungle, the third film in director Andrew Traucki’s Three Colours Red trilogy (Blackwater; The Reef; The Jungle) premiered March 8 at Fox Studios. Graduate student Agoes Soedjarwo plays the role of Budi, and the The Jungle was well received at the world premiere. If you enjoyed (or were scared witless) by Andrew’s previous two films, then The Jungle is a must-see!

Junior student Zach Zitis is currently gracing our television screens featured 100% in the new Smith Family TVC. Young Zach delivers a moving performance in the commercial and does a great job with his piece to camera. Well done Zach.