BRAD'S CLASS!
AN ON-CAMERA ACTING CLASS
I've got this great little acting class I teach in Santa Monica. We work with the camera, practicing shots (long, medium, close-up, handheld, walk & talk, etc.), and learning to speak to the microphones (boom and lav). We record our work so we can review it and discover what each individual's screen strengths are. We do a lot of non-camera stuff, too - things to do with personality and presence, with ease and joy and sensuality - all the stuff the camera loves. It's a really unconventional class - more of an entertainment class than a traditional acting class - and loads of fun. So if you're in the market for a good on-camera class, or you want to rediscover the joy of acting, check it out!
For more information, contact me
Making a movie (or shooting a TV episode) is basically a series of problems to be solved. In today's economic environment in Hollywood, an actor who can work efficiently and well, and help solve the shooting problems along the way, is a viable commodity... someone to be hired again and again. This is how careers are made and sustained. Here are a few common problems actors can help solve, if they know how:
Such problems are both internal ("I just got a rewrite ten minutes ago and now I'm expected to shoot - how do I pull this off?") and external ("The camera operator is asking me to pull my face towards camera -- but if I do that, I loose eye contact with the other actor!") Therefore, in class we work both internally (training the creative impulses) and externally (understanding the camera, the mics, the editor's needs).
Internal Work: The Actor's Impulses
This part of the class is loosely
Meisner based (as opposed to text-based). We get our impulses from the
other actors rather than from the text. This involves listening to the
other actor, and allowing our own impulses to respond without filter.
We train these impulses through a series of cold reading exercises that
form the basis of our work (much like a musician's sight reading).
Through this process you'll come to rely solely on your own instincts
and, with nothing else to hold onto, your personality will come to the
fore. This in itself creates self-sufficient actors who need nothing.
You'll be able to entertain us with or without a good script, with or
without a good acting partner, whether you're tired or you've been given
a rewrite two minutes ago or even if you have no script at all. No
matter what happens, your instincts will be free, your personality will
be at the forefront, and you will be highly watchable, able to keep us
entertained.
External Work: the Camera, the Microphones, the Editing Bay
You'll learn
to play to the camera. You'll learn how to deliver shots that the
editor will want to cut to. You'll learn what the camera likes and
doesn't like about your face, your body, your voice and personality, and
how to use your personal limitations to your advantage. You'll learn
how to speak effectively to the mics. You'll learn how to hit marks and
play an emotional scene to a piece of tape on the matte box. You'll
learn how to include the camera in the scene, to make love to the lens
and seduce the boom. These are fairly easy techniques to grasp when you
can see in action, on screen. But they take a lot of practice to
execute them without distraction!
Self-Taped Auditions
We work on self-taped auditions a lot. The work is not only about the
audition, but it’s a terrific venue for learning about acting for the camera.
What shot are you going to use? Does the scene merit any movement within the
frame? How will you accomplish that while telling the story? How can you get
from a medium shot to a close-up for the final line without cutting? What
about using props? Just remember: it’s all about telling the story in the
most economical way possible...
Film Clips: Learning from the Masters
We also study film and television
scenes in class, dissecting the work of such masters as Brando, Judy
Dench, Johnny Depp, Kate Blanchette, James Stewart, Bette Davis, Cary
Grant and even Charlie Chaplin.
A good example of this is Sergio Leone's film, "Duck You Sucker!" Watch the close-ups: James Cobern is an excellent example of how subtle an actor can be in close-up. Contrast that with Rod Steiger's work in the film, a great example of how huge an actor can be in close-up. Notice, too, that both Cobern and Steiger pull their noses to camera in close-up, always getting both eyes to the lens... even in what look like profile shots (a Sergio Leone specialty!).
I've also found that this is a great way to introduce students to great actors they may otherwise never discover (Maria Falconetti, anyone?).
Business Concerns:
Yes, we also address the marketing of the
product, the marketplace, and effective strategies for running your own
business. Headshots, resumes, marketing decorum, seducing
representation, booking negotiations, contracts, what to expect on the
set, union concerns... all of it. Actors tend to subliminally prepare
themselves for failure. My intention is to prepare my students for
success... the greatest success they can imagine for themselves.
Brad's Class! is suitable for students of all levels.
New Actors: My class will give you a solid foundation and methodology, allowing you to get out of your own way and trust your instincts. And you'll have a lot of fun with the camera, discovering what works best for you and the lens. You'll discover your type and your strengths, and learn to always play to them.
Stage Actors: Ever wonder why you're not getting any camera work? There are reasons! It takes some understanding of the medium and some adjustments to your stage technique... and a lot of practice!... all of which you'll get in my class.
Working Actors: You'll get plenty of practice with all those things you are called upon to do on the set (hit marks, modulate your voice, play to the close-up, walk & talk, etc.). The class is also a space in which to try things, to experiment with the camera... so you can take risks here and observe the results first hand... to try all that stuff you've always wondered about without risking the gig.
Non-Actors: Often writers, directors, or merely curious persons take my class. Why? Because it's fun! And it's terrific for everyone, because the non-actor learns a bit about acting, and the bona fide acting students learn a great deal from the one who doesn't take it (or themselves) so seriously.
Brad’s Class costs $250 per month (for four classes), due on the first class of the month. Payment accepted via Venmo, Paypal, Square (credit card payments add 3% processing fee) check or cash.
I currently teach three classes:
The class is ongoing, with a month break in summer (usually July) and a month break in Winter (December/January). New students can join whenever they want (provided there is space); enrolled students may drop out whenever they must.
As class times & days are subject to change, please email me to confirm when I'm holding classes.
BRAD'S CLASS
1646 20th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404
On the west side of 20th Street between Colorado and Olympic Blvds. There is plenty of free parking in the lot.
If you miss a class, you are welcome to make it up on an alternate night, provided that:
Make-ups are good for one year from the missed class. If you drop out of class, you lose all your make-ups.
Make-ups must be used in conjunction with paid classes, not in place of paid classes.
Yes. If you're interested in auditing a class, contact me and let me know. Most classes are open to audits, but not all. We'll arrange a date for you to come in and watch the class in action. We can also talk then, either before class or after (or both).
Yes! From time to time I invite Guest Artists to come into class, either to teach, or to participate in class, or for a Q&A. Here are some of the Guest Artists we've had in the past:
If you have an audition you need to work on, or a role you want help with, or would prefer ongoing private sessions instead of attending class, you can book me for private coaching, schedule allowing.
PRIVATE COACHING RATES FOR INDIVIDUALS:
One hour sessions (in-person* or via Zoom):
Actors currently enrolled in Brad's Class!: $100.
Actors not enrolled in Brad's Class!: $120.
Package of four one-hour sessions: $400.
*All in-person sessions to take place at Brad’s Studio in Santa Monica.
older materials for review:
For sessions without the camera (one hour):
Actors currently enrolled in Brad's Class!: $75.
Actors not enrolled in Brad's Class!: $100.
For on-camera recorded sessions (one hour)
The extra time is necessary for reviewing your recorded work while transferring it to a DVD to take with you.
Actors currently enrolled in Brad's Class: $100.
Actors not enrolled in Brad's Class: $150.
If you are interested, email me and we will find a mutually acceptable time. All sessions are conducted in a Santa Monica location.
PRODUCTION & ON-SET COACHING RATES:
Rates negotiable; email your inquiry.
Oh yeah! Check it out!
FEATURE FILM & M.O.W. BOOKINGS
Transcendence - Lead
White House Down - Lead
Extraction - Lead
Knight and Day - Lead
StreetDance 2 - Lead
Deadline - Lead
Godspeed - Lead
The Wrath - Lead
Here Comes the Boom - Supporting
Septembers of Shiraz - Supporting
Lee Daniels' The Butler - Supporting
The Host - Supporting
Shiloh Falls - Supporting
Watercolors - Supporting
Texas Rising - Supporting
Safe House - Featured
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - Featured
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Featured
18 Fingers of Death - Featured
TELEVISION BOOKINGS
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Guest Star
Reckless - Recurring Guest Star
The Zoo (pilot) - Series Regular
CSI - Guest Star
NCIS-LA - Guest Star
The Closer - Guest Star
NCIS-LA - Guest Star
Nip/Tuck - Guest Star
Entourage - Guest Star
Numbers - Guest Star
Eli Stone - Guest Star
Bones - Guest Star
Gilmore Girls - Recurring Co-Star
Ray Donovan - Co-Star
Modern Family - Co-Star
Scorpion - Co-Star
NCIS - Co-Star
The Division - Co-Star
Arrested Development - Co-Star
Journeyman - Co-Star
All My Children - Featured
"Brad's classes completely changed my entire outlook on acting. I
am able to be myself again! I take risks and I'm not scared to get
'messy.' His class is a constant reminder that acting is fun! The
less serious you take yourself, the better chance you have. Since
studying with Brad, I have booked several guest star roles and over ten
national commercials. Thanks Brad!"
Megan Paul, actress ("Entourage")
"Brad has been in the business over 30 years and has the best class
this side of the Mississippi (and other side). He understands the
strengths and weaknesses of the individual actor and brings out the very
best in every student. He understands this business inside and out and
teaches every aspect of it. So if your looking for a class that teaches
you how to work in this business, then very simply it is Brad's Class."
Jeremy Fultz, actor ("Who is Bobby Domino?")
"I have trained as an actor in both London and Los Angeles, but I have
never encountered a teacher like Brad (although I was really looking for
one!) When you read the forewords to books by teachers like Gushkin and
Meisner from their early students who (as now established actors) look
back fondly on those early days with pioneering teachers, you often
think how lucky they were. Well, now I am one of the lucky ones! A
small class with intimate teaching that is both daring and experimental.
As a working actor Brad is bringing a wealth of experience and
understanding. He is not teaching just from the Actor's perspective,
but very focused on the director's perspective and also there is a even
a nod to what producers want. The students are encouraged to be
indulgent, to be creative, to find organically what works and what does
not. The environment is safe and encouraging, but gets challenging on a
more practical level. The class is not formulaic and each class may be
working on a new area, but you will do things in Brad's class that other
classes are not structured to do. He breaks the 'rules', but sets some
golden ones in their place....but, I cannot reveal all of his secrets!
I have studied with directors and teachers from all over the world, but
none of them are as good as Brad Greenquist. He is the only teacher
with whom I consistently study, as no one else delivers such diversity
of skills and knowledge."
Karl Hunter, actor
"Brad's passion for acting is contagious. He has been constantly
inspiring and enlightening. Along with teaching me the
often-not-thought-of technicalities of film acting, he has helped build
confidence, gain freedom and most of all, trust my instincts. An actor
could ask for nothing more."
Ellie Araiza, actress ("Shiloh Falls")
"In a profession where a majority of acting teachers try to get you to
improve by putting you down, Brad gets you better by encouragement. I've
personally seen over the years many, many students (including myself)
make tremendous gains simply because Brad nurtured them like a loving parent
would."
Greg Ross, actor
"It's clear that Brad really cares about each individual student's
progress and learning. The things I have learned from Brad continue to
serve me as an actor and will stick with me for the rest of my life."
Sean Riblett, actor ("Gilmore Girls")
"Brad's class gives you the inner POV of a working actor. You end up
following this actor around: onto the set, into the casting office, and
even to the actor's home office. What I mean is: you are right there,
looking over this actor's shoulder as he shoots his close up; you are
inside the actor at the moment he connects to a truthful emotion and
brings it to life, putting the audience on the edge of their seats. You
see for yourself how he deals with the millions of challenges that
bombard him on the set: sound, camera, other actors and everything else.
You are inspired to emulate that actor, and by the end of Brad's Class
you feel as though you have actually become that actor. This class is
simply addicting."
Falk Hentschel, actor ("Arrested Development")
"I've had the pleasure of guest directing in Brad's class on several
occasions now. Each time I'm amazed at the level of dedication Brad has
toward his students and how quickly they learn from him. His approach
works. The students learn quickly and in a matter of a single class are
up on their feet taking direction and performing on camera like they
never have before. His working knowledge of the film industry and the
'tricks of the trade' are invaluable not only for actors looking to
further their careers, but also for me as a director. That kind of
teaching inspires me to work harder and give the students everything I
can."
Adrian Fulle, Film Director ("Shiloh Falls," "Finding Preet," "Love
101")
"Brad's class has truly been an invaluable learning experience for me.
His unique approach to acting is simple, yet concise. I appreciate the
artistic freedom that we're given in class, and the special attention
that he gives to each individual actor's needs. I have noticeably made
changes in my acting and my career by following his instruction.
Callbacks are more regular and I have learned to handle my auditions
with ease. This is good stuff! Thanks Brad!"
Cherie Price, actress ("Life, Love & Hollywood")
"The skills and techniques I've learned as a student of Brad Greenquist
have enabled me to become an actor who is comfortable and confident in
the audition and effective on the set. What started out as just a
mission to find a decent acting class became a pathway to my finding the
best teacher-student experience I could have hoped for. Brad's
classroom is the perfect environment to acquire the skills and
techniques needed to become a professional, working actor, period. The
on-camera work, cold reading, hitting your mark, using your voice,
movement, audition preparation, and all the little "tricks" that can
normally only come from extensive experience, are the treasures Brad
shares with his students. To put it simple, I've learned, I've learned,
I've learned! Thank you, Brad, for making your knowledge and gifts as a
teacher and professional actor available to those who seek it."
Matt Cinquanta, actor ("In the Dark")
"My name is Kate McRae, and I am an independent director/producer, as
well as owner of bi-national production company SweDur Film. I got to
know Brad at an intensive Film Acting Workshop he taught at the Idaho
Film and Television Institute in 2006, where I was taking classes in
acting so as to improve my skills as director. Brad's classes were
exceptional as they provided not only a truly fun work environment, but
also a straightforward approach to acting that brought out the best in
his students, even getting the worst from us in the best of ways. As
much as Judith Reynolds teaches directors applicable directing skills in
her brilliant book 'Directing Actors', Brad equals from the performer's
perspective. He has an uncanny ability to get even the most defensive
and reserved person play along in a game of make-believe, watching them
access the innate truths needed for a role, and equipping his students
with the tools to practice this on their own while creating a brilliant
performance. Besides being an accomplished actor, Brad has a tremendous
gift for teaching, and an equal gift for joy. This combination makes him
the optimal acting coach, especially in the moviemaking mecca, since
ones attitude to the job is at least as important as talent."
Kate
McRae (director, "The Infinite Regress", "Avenging Roy")
"Brad's class is full of practical, real-world information that he has
discovered as a consistently working actor for over 30 years in the
business. His goal is to make each and every one of us successful
working actors as well. Brad has said "I'm teaching you what I've
learned through trial and error over the years, so you can learn from my
mistakes!" His enthusiasm is completely infectious, and we have a lot
of fun in each class. I have to say that I have never in my life taken
an acting class where I feel that I learned something new and useful
each and every week, until now. I am so grateful that I have had the
opportunity to study with Brad!"
Kendra Munger ("Forever for Now", "Much Ado")
My own studying over the years has been wide and varied. Therefore I bring many techniques into the classroom (Meisner, Stanislavsky, Grotowski, breath-based techniques, vocal techniques). I received a BFA in acting from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1983. In New York I studied with the great actor Michael Moriarty for six years. In Los Angeles I studied with Hollywood's best-kept secret, the brilliant Ian Tucker, for ten years. Along the way were other marvelous teachers and coaches (John Delancie, Patsy Rodenburg, Suzanne Celeste, Michael Donovan) and various workshops and limited-term classes (commercial workshops, audition workshops, voice and mime classes, writing and cinematography classes). Most importantly I bring over thirty years of on-set observations: of myself, of other working actors, and of some of the greatest actors of our time (Jack Lemmon, George C. Scott, James Earl Jones, Isabella Rosselini, Kate Burton, etc.).
I first started teaching in 1988 at Michael Moriarty's Acting Studio in New York City. I have since taught on-going classes or Master Classes at The Governors' School in Virginia, the Idaho Film and Television Institute, The David Kagen School of Film Acting and the Classical Theatre Lab in Los Angeles. I have taught Brad's Class since it's founding in 2005.
As for my professional acting career: you can check out my credits elsewhere on this website, along with film clips and commercial clips. I am a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Pacific Resident Theatre Company.
One more thing: I am a working actor, and that is where I make my money. I don't teach for the money. I teach because I enjoy it, and as a form of payback to all the wonderful mentors who have given so much to me along the way. Acting can only be passed down face to face, from individual to individual, generation to generation. I consider myself a link in this chain, a chain that reaches from right now back to my own teachers, and to their teachers, and to those teachers' teachers, binding us all not only to D.W. Griffith and the first flickers of the cinema, but all the way back to the dawn of theater, to Thespis himself. This is a very cool thing... and this is why I teach.
