Dolphin Talent’s Acting + Industry Guide

With all of the access people have to the internet these days, a good majority of arts advocates have resorted to the web for tips and tricks on acting and entertainment related information.  Probably one of the most visited websites for both students and teachers alike is the Internet Movie Database or IMDb.  IMDb is home to a wealth of information and according to their site receives visits from 57 million viewers each month.  This is the ideal place to visit if you are curious what movies are coming out this weekend or how certain films did at the box office.

In addition to being home to all kinds of information about movies specifically, people often go there to find out the credits of people in the entertainment industry.  By entering a particular person’s name in the search bar, you can discover a bio and the various roles they have served on different projects.  So if you are curious what other movies the lead actor in the movie you just saw was in, just enter his name in the search bar and it will inform you on everything from his first project to what he is currently working on.

The beauty of The Internet Movie Database is that it is not just an information resource for actors, but everyone in the entertainment business.  So it is a wonderful place to find out about producers, director, and writers too.  The next time you are trying to find out more information about someone in the business, check out: http://www.imdb.com

For those of you interested in being filmmakers yourself, it’s a great way to find out who produced a particular movie and what they had as a budget.  Not to mention it’s always fun see how it scored in popularity!

-Jenn

I recently saw Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards, one of the best films I have seen in a very long time by the way. It got me thinking about what an incredible actor Brad Pitt is. A lot of focus is centered on his tabloid life, but I would like to take a moment and return to his talent. Pitt chooses characters that challenge him, as we can see from the vast array of individuals he has chosen to portray. As I tend to like lists, below are my five favorite Brad Pitt characters.  If you have not seen the movies, do so as soon as possible!

5) Louis de Point du Lac in Interview with a Vampire. Pitt plays the original anguished/beautiful Vampire in the Ann Rice adaptation.

4) Tyler Durden in Fight Club. Another great book to film adaptation, and Brad’s physique isn’t bad either.

3) Lt. Aldo Raine in Inglorious Bastards. He plays the gritty nazi-killing general of the rogue group.

2) Jeffrey Goines in Twelve Monkeys. This character won him a Golden Globe award for best supporting actor in the 1995 post-apocalyptic thriller.

1) Joe Black in Meet Joe Black. Pitt plays the admirable guy in the coffee shop that chats up Claire Forlani’s character. He then transitions into “Death.” The two characters truly show his talent. His chilling yet poignant portrayal of Death is very moving and my favorite Brad Pitt character.

Certainly some good characters worth studying as an actor or teacher trying to persuade students on deeper character analysis.

-Emerson

As we continue to reach out to educators and talent across the country to help them navigate the entertainment industry, we are proud to announce another addition to our company.  The latest chapter in Dolphin’s story is the birth of Dolphin Digital Media.

We are deeply troubled by the preponderance of predators and inappropriate content on the internet. We have devoted our time and resources to developing state-of-the-art technology that protects children when they are online by blocking unsuitable material, and, in a social chat setting, helping to authenticate who they are “chatting” with through state-of the-art fingerprint identification technology.  We are proud of this significant contribution to the effort to keep our children safe and are thrilled that Dolphin Digital Media, a creator of secure social networking websites for children, has announced September 29th as the launch date for their signature product, Dolphin Secure.

Dolphin Secure is a groundbreaking family Internet solution that gives parents the tools to protect their children from online threats such as cyber bullying and unsolicited chat requests while they are using their home computers. Children registered within Dolphin Secure automatically become members of Dolphin Surf, which is a customizable gateway to the internet with full social networking capabilities, wherein the children can establish profiles, search for friends, IM one another, write blogs, upload photos and play games.

Dolphin Secure will debut next week, and it will change the face of internet safety. It is testament to our continued investment in the World’s children.

-Jennifer

First let’s address the difference between a theater performance and a film one.

In a theater performance you:

• Have to speak loud and clear (The person in the back of the auditorium wants to hear you!)

• Can use the entire stage (Only the stage set your limits.)

• Will run from page one until the end

In a film performance you:

• Speak in a normal voice (You can blow out the sound man’s ear if he is not ready for you to project.)

• Have limited space to perform (You will be surprised to see how tight the shot can be.)

• Never shoot in order (Normally you shoot in order of location.)

• Have different types of shots  (like a close up, mid shot or long shot, whereas in theatre the audience can choose where on stage to look)

After all these considerations, you must realize that in making your performance from theater to film, it will take a lot longer to shoot for film than acting it out once on stage.  So make sure you project less, stay in frame for the shot and know your lines well since the scenes are shot out of order! 

-Manny

As everyone preps for back to school (or if you’re in FL- gets adjusted to having started school), there are many lists available to you with suggestions and tips for starting the school year off on the right foot. While thinking of what tips I could possibly offer to student and teachers alike, I thought of this scene from Dead Poets Society. While cliche, is there really any better suggestion for back to school than to seize the day?

Best of luck as you all start out a new school year!

Another summer has flown by and it’s that time of year again. The time that many dread, while many relish as they find school supplies. Yes, it is back to school!  When I think of high school, I think of two things: obviously my time in high school and then John Hughes’s movies. I thought I would dedicate this entry to the late John Hughes.

If you don’t recall who he is, he wrote and or directed films such as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Home Alone. His films are iconic and timeless. Growing up can be can be embarrassing, stressful, confusing and a million other things; Hughes’s films captured the essence of this and gave it hope. These films are enduring not only because they gave the unpopular kids the spotlight, they center on a time in life that everyone goes through.

I want to recap my top five moments from a few of my favorite John Hughes films:

5) Probably any moment from The Breakfast Club, but specifically when they they’re dancing to Karla DeVito’s “We Are Not Alone.” How fitting, five different stereotypes show that they are more alike than they think.

4) The scene in Home Alone where Macaulay Caulkin’s character overcomes his fear of the furnace in the basement. A random scene I know, but I love when the furnace starts “acting up” and Macaulay very nonchalantly says, “Shut Up,” he turns and walks away.

3) “Try a Little Tenderness” scene from Pretty in Pink. Duckie, played by the lovable Jon Cryer, lip-synchs the Otis Redding classic in hopes to show his best friend, played by Molly Ringwald that he has feelings for her.

2) The moment in Sixteen Candles where Molly Ringwald’s character walks out of the church, and Matt Dillon’s character is leaning ever so suavely in his bright red car. Isn’t this the moment every hopeless romantic in high school wants?!

1) “The Twist and Shout” scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I remember watching this scene over and over again when I was younger. I know this is a typical favorite, but how can you not love the spontaneity and the energy of this scene??

Thank you John Hughes for creating films with so much heart to make us laugh and cry, and quote time and time again. The films have been a big inspiration for filmmakers including all of us at Dolphin, and we hope to make movies that live on for generations to come as you have. To end, here is one of my favorite quotes, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it,” said by the very wise Ferris Bueller.

-Emerson

To the joy of Dolphin Talent andthe rest of America, our former student was titled America’s Favorite Dancer on Fox’s TV show “So You Think You Can Dance”.  It comes with no surprise that Jeanine made the top 20 or even the top 10, but Jeanine herself showed her elation at being chosen as America’s favorite last Thursday.  In the show’s fifth season, the 21.6 million voters broke the existing record for total votes cast.  And Jeanine was the one who received the most!  Already recognized in the danceworld for her success as a Contemporary dancer, now all of America has stopped to admire!   Jeanine won $250,000 and will begin her tour in September with the rest of the Top 10 dancers from the show.  She still holds her love for acting dear to her heart, and we are so glad to be a part of it!   Here’s an interview with Jeanine and TV Guide: 

http://www2.seattlepi.com/articles/409183.html

Every character in every movie ever made must be secretly loaded, even that little kid in Slumdog Millionaire, when he was mostly just ‘slumdog’ and not as much ‘millionaire’. How do I know this? Movie characters never stop to collect their change in convenience stores or any stores for that matter. Nor do they wait in lines at those stores. They just bring their items swiftly to the front of the store, hand over some money, and depart. And don’t even get me started on the availability of taxis in movies that take place in New York. Or the lack of traffic! Of course, movie-goers are necessarily well-versed in the art of suspending disbelief for the sake of enjoying a movie – how else could we watch a fleet of giant robots emerge exclusively from General Motors vehicles and battle to the death, or museum exhibits come to life – twice? Personally, it used to be that I would sort every movie into one of two categories: either it could conceivably happen in our world, or it couldn’t. But really, they all fit the latter description. Here’s how you know: Could Jennifer Aniston’s character from He’s Just Not That into You walk into a Blockbuster? Probably. Could she rent Marley and Me? Ahhhh! Clearly, I need to think up some new categories. Just something to think about as you enjoy all those blockbuster hits this summer.