Jeremy Kagan, M.F.A.
Tenured Professor and Head of the Directing Department
Affiliated Divisions:
Division of Film & Television Production
Email: kagan@usc.edu
Work Phone: 914-413-0318
Office: SCA 439
Work Phone: 914-413-0318
Office: SCA 439
Masterclasses and workshops
Directing Intensive
With Professor Jeremy Kagan
Professor Jeremy Kagan is an internationally known film and television director and has been the directing track head at The School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California where he teaches directing courses at the graduate school and runs The Change Making Media Lab www.cmml-usc.org. He is also author of three books on directing including the new interactive eTextbook – Keys to Directing.
His directing intensives emphasize performances and rehearsal techniques as well as use of camera for storytelling. Knowing that the director’s prime responsibility is motivating the actor’s performance, the designs of the courses are to expose the students to a number of “tools’ they can use to achieve the best from their actors.
Depending on the number of directing students and the particular needs of the students, his classes can be as short a one day lecture and demonstration, to a 3 day, 5 day and as long as 11 days.
The workshops are in depth examination of the rehearsal process as scenes are presented to discover alternative ways of achieving a variety of performances.
The courses also provide an opportunity for in-group dynamics that are essential to directing by having each student take on the production jobs of camera and sound for their fellow students when they themselves are not directing. (If the program includes camera people, and sound technicians and editors then they would fill these roles.
He has taught these kinds of intensives all around the world, including: France, Germany, China, Vietnam, Russia, Ireland, Lebanon, and Israel.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
To experience what a director does to translate a script into a living entity of moving images through motivating performance.
To learn various techniques of casting actors.
To experience more in depth the rehearsal process.
To experience leadership qualities motivating others.
To examine use of camera and sound for effective presentation of performances.
To understand and experience how editing can effect the actor’s performance.
To achieve scene analysis abilities.
Course Options
Private Lessons
Professor Kagan gives private lessons for directors and actors in various levels of their creative development.
three-day intensive
In this encounter I divide the experience into:
– a day devoted to a lecture that explores the essentials of directing performance showing a variety of techniques used by many different directors. This lecture is accompanied with a Keynote presentation with many clips from appropriate films and television.
– this day uses local actors (who preferably speak English) to demonstrate rehearsal techniques. A scene is provided and we go through all the stages of rehearsal using various methodologies for developing character and intention.
– the third day has chosen students bring three minutes scenes with cast actors and we will explore their applying principles they have learned.
five-day intensive
Includes the above but the last two days consists of:
- a lecture on camera use.
– an application of some of these principles by shooting one 5 minutes scene with the students using minimum camera and sound available equipment.
