Penning, Producing & Performing Your First Short

In an age when multi-hyphenates abound and smartphones are pocket-sized production studios, the world is an actor’s oyster to create his or her own content. Such possibilities are thrilling, yet daunting.

Where do you begin? How do you devise crisp, unique storytelling that celebrates your talent, and looks and sounds professional, on a shoestring budget?

SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s The Business program has developed and produced a comprehensive educational series to provide actors with a roadmap for creating their own low to no-budget short films.

Titled Penning, Producing & Performing Your First Short, the popular series took place from October 2017 to February 2018 at the Robin Williams Center and consisted of eight sessions: Idea Generation, Character Development, Storytelling, Rewrites and Polishing, Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, and Release and Promotion.

“Over the past several years, time and again I’ve heard the actor-creators, casting directors, agents and directors who’ve participated in our panel discussions encourage actors to create their own opportunities. After these programs, I would speak with actors who were energized by the idea of being in the driver’s seat but also overwhelmed and not sure where to begin. So, through the lens of an actor, we decided to develop and produce a series that would break down storytelling and producing into manageable steps,” says Melissa Zakri Zareh, the Foundation’s New York program director.

Now available online, the eight sessions consist of actors, writers, filmmakers, producers, cinematographers, composers and attorneys offering information and expertise to demystify the
process and give actors a primer on how to create their own content.

SAG-AFTRA actor, voiceover artist and writer Lori Hammel moderated the entire series, providing continuity. Actors can watch her guide them from the first video — Idea Generation — all the way through the process to the final video, Release and Promotion. “My job as the moderator was to help the experts on the panel break down the information for the actors in the room and those watching online,” says Hammel.

“The goal of the series is to provide actors with the tools to create their first short, because when you’re working with limited resources, you have to be really smart about it.”

More than 650 SAG-AFTRA members took advantage of the free series and attended at least one of the Penning, Producing & Performing Your First Short sessions live at the Robin Williams Center.

“The Release and Promotion panel was so informative,” says SAG-AFTRA actor Colleen Cosgrove, who attended the workshop. “The panelists really gave a plethora of suggestions, tried and true. There’s no one way to make things happen, but learning from those who have gone before is so helpful, and hearing from [panelist] Megan [Costello] from the Hampton International Film Festival was an added bonus, to see how the selection process works on an organic level. I’m looking forward to checking out the other panels online.”

The entire series can be found on the Foundation’s YouTube Channel. Films developed through this program can be submitted to the Foundation’s New York Short Film Showcase, and of course must be produced under a SAG-AFTRA contract. The next Showcase will be held in late September, and the deadline for submissions will be in mid-July, date TBA. SAG-AFTRA members can create a free user account with the Foundation and join the New York email list to receive notifications about the Showcase and all of the Foundation’s free programs.