Zombies, Tour Guides, Korean Drama, A Shopping Mall, A great team of Actors and Supporting Team
What more could any director wish for?
Most recently I directed an immersive theatre show. Within one week we put together a strong team of actors, edited the script and applied all necessary changes to make the show a success.
The immersive theatre show was staged for 3 days. We had 55 performances within those 3 days with more than 1200 people seeing the show and generating an online buzz. If you put in the hashtag #netflixkingdom you will be able to see some of the reviews we received.
On the positive side, we utilized the space of MasterClass Studio perfectly. The immersive theatre show was set in three ‘exhibition rooms’ which we re-created at MasterClass Studio. The audience could walk through our studio and get the experience, similar to the real location. Also the actors managed to get a feel for the space, distances and time it takes to move the audience through all rooms.
We realized that the space we have available at MasterClass Studio offers itself to stage an immersive theatre show, where the audience is moved through one room to the next.
It was exhausting. The deadline was so tight. We had a minimum time to rehearse and only one day for dry tech, tech and dress rehearsal. The costumes arrived on the day of the dress rehearsal and there were tons of last minute changes that had to be arranged.
The MasterClass Studio Team dealt with all requests professionally and in a timely manner. I couldn’t be more proud of our achievement.
Are you looking for a director for your immersive theatre event? Contact me here!
While meditation is an important skill for anybody, the benefit for actors cannot be underestimated.
Most acting training includes some form of meditation.
Lying Down / Relaxation / Meditation
One of the most popular kinds of meditation is the relaxation training of the Actor’s Studio. You lie on your back. You move and subsequently relax all parts of your body. This relaxation method is nothing different than a form of mediation. I think the reason why they call this kind of mediation “Relaxation” rather than “mediation” is because in the
Walking meditation.
The walking mediation is another popular form of mediation as part of an actor’s training. In the walking mediation you walk slowly. You focus on each breathe and synchronize it with your movements. Through this you are bringing yourself to the here and now.
My directing teacher at university was an avid mediator. My fellow students told me he only sleeps for 2-3 hours every day, but meditates for another 4-5 hours. He always seemed in tune and be able to manage and assess his surrounding – whether he was looking or not. Sometimes he seemed to just be playing on his Ipad, but he always caught everything going on around him. Naturally, I was impressed by this.
My directing studies itself had been very hard on me for several reasons. During this time I took up mediation. I meditated regularly. Every day for at least 20 minutes. This period also saw a spark in my creativity and creative output. Ever since I have become a stark believer that mediation should be part of every actor’s training. Best to be applied before any given job.
Why is mediation important?
Being in the moment
Acting is all about being in the moment. Being present. Only by being present you are alive. You are not living in the past, reliving your past regrets, and not thinking about your future, but you are in the here and now. What else is meditation? Meditation is a practice to bring you into the here and now. Sometimes it is so easy to get lost in all the mental clutter. Regular meditation practice is one of the best ways to bring you back to the now.
Open your perception
By focusing on one sense, on your breathe. your senses open up. By shutting out your mental clutter you can start to perceive again.You can hear, you can see, you can feel, and because of that you can react to what is going on around you
Lessons For Life and The Actor though Mediation
Regular meditation practice can have a profound impact on a persons life, how he deals with his surrounding and his effect and attitude on other people. If you are dealing with things that you think are beyond you, or if you just want all the noise around you be tuned down, mediation can teach you some invaluable lessons. Finding by not looking.
Get in Touch
If you want to learn mediation, I offer weekly mediation sessions at our studio where I teach various mediation and relaxation techniques.
I am glad to be one of the few good Western casting directors in Bangkok.
Sometimes I am surprised by the way the tides turn and where life takes you. My first time as casting director in Bangkok was for the award winning film Patong Girl 2014. During my time in theatre I had made a number of contacts to Thai actors many of which I invited to the casting. Susanna Salonen, the director loved the actors I suggested, and many of them have made the movie what it is today.
Part of my studies of my MA Directing was casting actors for my own productions.
I didn’t pursue the role as casting director any further until after my MA Directing studies.
My next time as casting director was for BBDO Canada / Right to Play Thailand (See the final commercial below). In this case it was a voice over casting. The production company needed Tai girls between the ages 10-16 to perform an emotional poem . The girls had to speak in English with Thai accent. The turnover time was limited and we had to work on a tight schedule. The requirements to the sound studio were very high since the client needed to edit the footage in real-time.
More recently I worked as casting director for a commercial for the German shoe store “Deichmann”. The commercial is directed by the award winning director Hauke Hilberg. The casting went so well that the German production decided to skip the call backs since all talent had been coached so well. So the production saved costs and time, since initially they planned on holding 2 extra days of call backs. Because of this casting I now partnered up with Sparkling Eye Prouductions (Singapore) and 69 Productions (Thailand) as casting director for future castings for German productions.
Even before working as casting director in Bangkok I had good contacts to agents and talents / actors.
I have studied here and still maintain good connections to the universities. Furthermore, I have worked in the film industry in Thailand for 10 years and during that time worked with most production companies at least once. People that have worked with me know that I am professional. Hence I have 10 years of reputation in Thailand on my back.
If you are looking for someone to do talent scouting, I am one of the few people that offer that service. Most agencies that offer scouting service, don’t actually go out to scout, but invite the same old talent to the casting and just film it outside. The saying same same but different comes to mind.
In case you are still undecided whether to hire or contact me, I can put a little cherry on top. MasterClass Studio, my performing arts school, has its own studio where we can do castings in house. What are you waiting for? Hire me as casting director for your project!
Your professional on-site casting director in Bangkok,
Robin Schroeter, the only Western Acting Coach with a Master’s Degree in Performing Arts (Directing) in Bangkok, Thailand. Robin works as acting coach, actor and casting director.
Acting Coach
Being an Acting Coach is a work of passion for me. I love seeing my clients succeed and get compliments on their acting from the production and the director. I have been coaching actors for the last 8 years. Currently, I am specialize in coaching Thai actors that take on parts in Western movies. I find this kind of work particularly exciting. It combines my experience and skills in acting as well as my language and cultural skills. I offer acting coach services for adults and children. Every client teaches me as much as I teach them.
The Language Coach
Another skill that I enjoy exploring is the work as language coach for German movies. Since 2012 I have taken on more and more work as language coach. I am proud that the client of my first job “Fai” in Patong Girl” won an Award (The Grimme Preis) for her performance. I worked with Fai for more than 3 months prior to the production. Two other german movies that I would like to name here are Schwarzbrot in Pattaya, shot in 2015-16 and Herr Lenz reist in den Fruehling (the part of Luck, 2015), Luck was the co-star with the german star Ulrich Tukur.
An acting coach’s training is never finished.
Throughout my life I have been training as actor in various techniques. Now at this point, all of these techniques help me to become a better acting coach. I am able to adapt my acting coach approach depending on the actor. As actors we are all different; our personalities and our ways of life. Some techniques that work for me, don’t work for another actor and vice versa. Some actors work very well physically, others have a very strong imagination, others again need to understand everything intellectually first. While most of my coaching is based on the Method, I don’t think there is a one of approach as an acting coach. Therefore, similar to the work as an actor, an acting coach’s work, learning and developing himself is never finished.
As acting coach I am interested to find out: What kind of person are you? What works for you and how can I help you to become a better actor; and finally, a better person, because all we learn in acting had an effect on our lives.
Contact me for any requirements or coaching sessions.
Creative Drama can play such an important role in a child’s development.
“Of all the arts, drama involves the participant the most fully: intellectually, emotionally, physically, verbally, and socially. As players, children assume the roles of others, and they learn about becoming more sensitive to the problems and values of persons different from themselves. At the same time, they are learning to work cooperatively, for drama is a communal art; each person is necessary to the whole.”
Creative Drama for kids
Creative drama activities offer an opportunity for children to:
Expand self-awareness
Develop imagination
Think independently
Work cooperatively
Improve communication skills
Express a healthy release of emotions
Build social awareness
In essence, creative drama is dramatic activities which have the experience of the participants as the goal. Creative drama can include dramatic play, story enactment, imagination journeys, theatre/drama games, music, and dance. “Let’s pretend” is the norm in creative drama class, it’s not just a child’s game.
Because the emphasis in creative drama is process rather than product, teachers should have the freedom to take as much time as needed with their classes. When a student in a creative drama class prefers to watch instead of participate, because of shyness or fear, a teacher should be able to allow this also. The teacher can also become a participant at any stage and let the children lead the activities rather than being guided through them. Creative drama can help children learn about emotions, problem solving, and relating to other people. Through their experiences with drama, students develop their imaginations and their confidence. One of the most special things about creative drama is that there are no “wrong” answers – through pretending, animals can talk, kids can travel to outer space or the jungle, and the sky can be green while the grass is blue.
Creative Drama for Children
Dramatic play is so important in all stages of child development. Through creative dramatic activities:
Children learn about themselves and the world. Dramatic play experiences are some of the first ways children learn about their likes and dislikes, their interests, and their abilities. They experiment with role playing and work to make sense out of what they’re observing in real life.
Children work out confusing, scary, or new life issues. Have you ever witnessed children pretending to visit the doctor? One child dutifully holds the mock stethoscope as the others line up for a check-up. Through these role plays, children become more comfortable and prepared for life events in a safe way. Children often use pretend play to work out more personal challenging life events too, whether it is coping with an illness in the family, or the absence of a parent or divorce.
Children develop important complex social and higher order thinking skills. Dramatic play is much more than simple play activities; it requires advanced thinking strategies, communication, and social skills. Through dramatic play, children learn to do things like negotiate, consider others’ perspectives, transfer knowledge from one situation to another, delay gratification, balance their own ideas with others, develop a plan and act on it, express and listen to thoughts and ideas, assign tasks and roles, and create different information and ideas. In this creative play description, we could just as easily be describing the skills needed to successfully manage a work project for an adult as describing children’s dramatic play.
Children cultivate social and emotional intelligence. How we interact with others is key to our lifelong success and happiness. Knowing how to read social cues, recognize and regulate emotions, negotiate and take turns, and engage in a long-term activity that is mutually beneficial are no easy tasks. There is no substitute for creative and imaginative play when it comes to teaching and enhancing these abilities in children.
Children create knowledge and skills. Because learning and child development doesn’t happen in discrete pockets of time or during isolated activities, children need opportunities to blend their skills and knowledge together. Dramatic play is an ideal way to do this. Think of children acting out a ‘supermarket’ scenario. They take on roles such as shopkeeper, shop assistant and customers working collaboratively they are interacting and engaging with one another, using their imaginations to help make sense of the world around them.
For all these reasons, play and games are a huge part of MasterClass Studio’s classes. We believe that the process, the development and the personal impact creative drama has on the child far outweighs the end product, particularly with young children.
Time and again parents communicate to us how MasterClass Studio classes have improved their child’s confidence, sense of self and social skills. We believe strongly in the value of creative drama for a child’s development – come sign up for a Try for Free day to witness it yourself!
MasterClass Studio offers professional preparation classes for Premiere castings in Thailand
Did your son or your daughter get invited to audition for Premiere? We offer professional audition classes for your children to prepare them for the Premiere audition.
Auditions are always exciting no matter how old you are. Auditions are especially exciting if they are important. Nerves get in the way and you don’t feel free anymore.
A good preparation can help. The better you are prepared and the more training you have the more secure you are since you know what you are doing.
MasterClass Studio has guided many children and adults through casting processes and helped them get the parts.
The best way to prepare for your child’s Premiere Audition is by taking MasterClass Studio’s private acting class for Premiere auditioning. This way your child will be prepared as good as possible for its Premiere audition and pass tge audition masterfully.
Contact Us for more information or to book your class
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Ask MasterClass Studio for an offer for professional voice over casting services!
Thailand has a big talent pool with a wide range of different accents. From RPG, American, British, Thai, Russian, you name it . There are a dozen of international schools that teach their children both British and American accents.
A lot of the students have aspirations to become artists or actors / actresses.
The parents are supportive of their children. Many of them have extra curricular acting and singing classes and are involved in stage plays or in movies.
MasterClass Studio offers professional voice over casting service for children and adults in Thailand.
We offer acting and singing classes for children and therefore have access to a wide range of trained youth talent that are passionate about what they are doing.
MasterClass Studio can suggest talent for you. We can manage the casting process and produce professional voice recording and voice over services.
MasterClass studios has access to a wide range of voice over studios for all kinds of requirements. Do you need voice over recordings with real time acces through source connect or other real time connecting service? We can prodice it at a reasonable price.
We have a dedicated international team to make sure communication is smooth for both sides – client and talent.
Here is a sample for a voice over casting of children for Right to Play, Canada.
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You should consider taking acting classes, if you are serious about acting.
And you are lucky, because these days there are a lot more acting classes on offer than used to be. Especially, if you are considering English language classes.
So who is out there?
MasterClass Studio offers the Best Acting Classes for Adults and Children
MasterClass Studio offers acting classes for children and adults of all skill levels. Robin Schroeter has an MA in Directing and has been active in Film and Theatre for more than 10 years.
or Email them: info@masterclass-studio.com or call 0869488384
MasterClass Studioo is located on Ladprao 25 with is a five minute walk from the MRT Ladprao.
John Marengo
Really nice guy. One of my first acting classes. Good insights. Trained actor, lanugage / dialect coach.
Kaprice Kea
Film maker, agent and casting director. Teaches basic and medium acting classes.
Thierry Bleu
The one with training from NY. A lot of people swear by him and take his classes continually.
Arts on Location
Twice a year week-long acting workshops by international coaches. Teach you really weird shit that you usually can’t get your hands on. Definitely not the ‘classic method’ but so much more if you are serious about performing than ‘just another acting class’. Teaches you how to become a wholesome performer using all aspects of your body, voice, mind, and emotions. Weird shit before, best acting classes I have ever taken and eternally grateful.
Culture Collective
Loni Berry. Trained and has a studio by the river.
Spark Drama
If your Thai is reasonable, you may also consider Thai language acting classes. Try Spark Drama Academy. They offer ongoing acting workshops by industry professionals. Good for networking and to get in touch with the Thai side of the industry. With other words, if you want to be more than just another stupid farang taking acting workshops by other farang operating in a bubble of non-thai speakers, this is something for you.
You can get a certificate in Film from SAE, which will also involve some acting classes.
This certificate will be internationally recognized. A lot of people that are active in the Thai Film industry got their degree from SAE. It has definitely become a household name. However, the certificate will focus on film-making, not just on acting.
AND…if you are really serious about acting and still young and speak Thai fluently, you may consider a degree in drama from one of these Thai Universities:
Bangkok University
Most practical
Chulalongkorn University
The big name in Thailand, but a lot of theory
Srinakarin Wirot
Just a great uni in the center of Bangkok
Mahidol University
Beautiful campus out at Salaya. Some very good drama teachers are operating there.
Chiang Mai University
Mor Burapa
This one is in Cholburi. Some of my friends are teaching there. A very open environment a bit off the track.
First off, there is currently no ‘Standard Minimum Rate for Actors’ in Thailand.
Because the system is the way it is, actors are given whatever is deemed right for them – and whatever they accept as their wage.
Actors in thailand need to fight for their money – and their rights
Supply and demand:
There is a never-ending influx of Russia, Eastern European, and Iranian models that come from an industry where rates are much lower than here. Some are trained, some are not, all have a dream and want to survive. This influx of talent pushes the rates down, because: They Just Don’t Know what people are being paid here.
So the question is:
What are you willing to work for?
This is the big question and the hardest to answer.
Standard Minimum Rates for Extras:
For extras the going rate right now is 2000,- baht for a day’s work 12hrs). If it is below that it is too low. Some agents post jobs for 1500 baht, and even lower. You don’t want to go there.
The going rate is 2000,- for one day of work.
This is for commercial, film, thai tv, everything.
I start off with extras because it is the easiest. The most straight forward. Everything else is more tricky and more complicated. It always depends on your negotiating skills, their budget, your skills and how bad they really want you.
There is room for argument about flexible rates, but I will write about that in another article.
Standard Minimum Rate for Actors in Commercial Work / Advertisement
The widest range we probably have in Commercial Work / Advertisement. Producing a commercial gets cheaper and cheaper, you need less equipment, less crew, less lighting, it takes less effort to upload something. So we have more commercials, but each gets less exposure. Hence the rates for actors are going down. Especially in a market-based system without regulations or Unions.
In commercials they differentiate between: Online / TV / Worldwide + Pictures
The following are rates that I have received and that I think are fair.
Online
The cheapest rates are nowadays ‘online’ or what they like to call ‘viral’ commercials. These are low-budget productions usually done by small advertisement firms. Sometimes the term is also misleading, used to push the budget down.
Featured Extra
Any advertisement the featured extra part should pay 10,000 baht. Minus commission that is around 6,500-7,000 baht into the hand of the talent. In my opinion for featured parts that should be the absolute minimum.
Not including the buyout. See more about the buyout below.
Main
Main parts should start from 20,000 baht. Yes, also for virals / online ads. Minus commission of your agent that is between 13,000-14,000 baht in your hands. And that is low.
Worldwide / All Media
All media means all media, tv, online, social media. You will get paid extra if they want to use it on billboards or printed media as well. That should multiply your budget by 2. Always check the region as well. If it is a big advertisement the budget goes up exponentially with each region added. For example: region 1: France; region 2: Germany; Region 3: US/UK. You will get paid extra for each region. The biggest buyout is worldwide since it covers all regions.
Featured Extra
Again, the feautured extras should get paid no less than 10,000 baht. If it is worldwide it should really be 20,000 baht per day or more.
Main
The budget for the main for worldwide exposure should be at least 20,000 baht, but really more like 50,000-100,000 baht up. Up means, for a big campaign it should be more than that.
Remember: For all commercials, there is usually a buyout.
That buyout should be anywhere from 200-2000% of the original budget. This buyout is limited for a certain area and for a certain period of time and is being determined in your contract. So if your budget is 10,000 baht, the buyout can be anywhere between 20,000-200,000 (or more) baht.
If you have a main part in a worldwide ad your budget may be 50,000 baht per day. The buyout should be 100,000-500,000 plus an extra buyout per region, and if they want to use stills for billboards or printed ads you should again be paid a certain amount.
In Thailand a lot of that money ‘disappears’. Talents never see it. You get to see the final budget which is being watered down.
The Standard Minimum Rate for Actors in TV Work
The rates are different for Thai or Foreign TV. Foreign TV usually pays better.
Thai Tv / Film
It really depends on your negotiating skills. I would not work in a speaking part for Thai TV for less than 3,500. That is my minimum. I usually try to aim for 5,000-6,000. If they really like you, you can get 10,000 or more, especially if you can do stunts.
Thai films usually pay a bit less than Thai Tv. The production value or Thai Gilms is higher, the acting better, but there is less money in it. Most of the Thai Films are independent movies. The exposure in the cinemas is low, since Thai people usually prefer to watch the latest Hollywood Blockbuster than a local production with possibly less quality entertainment for the same price. Between 5,000-6,000 Baht per day is common for a speaking part in aThai film.
Foreign TV / Film
Usually I aim for around 10,000 baht per day for a speaking part. But depending on the production and your name it can be 20-30k or even 50,000 baht per day or more
Recently I came across a number of people that posted selfies on public boards as a means to getting acting jobs. This is a big No No!
Why?
The main reason is simple: Using selfies makes you look unprofessional.
“You cannot afford someone to hold the camera and take a picture for you”
There are a lot of other reasons I can list here, but they all come back to one thing: a selfie, even a good one is not professional.
It should be an absolute no no to send selfies to casting directors / agent or post them on public boards, such as, but not only the Actors Association.
It sends a message to everyone: you are not willing to invest even the slightest bit in yourself – like having professional pictures taken, which in Bangkok you can do for free at Mikael Ranta’s Studio. Check out his webpage and get in touch with him here: http://rantaimages.com/
Who wants to hire someone like that?
no selfies please
Compare this to that:
Portraits
A professional headshot shows that you are serious about what you are doing.
I takes time to have a good picture taken. You need to go to a studio, you need to hire a photographer, the pictures need to be edited, all of this takes work. Work that will show in the final product.
A selfie just shows that you are too lazy to do any of that.
But why?
Your face is your first step into the door of castings. If you want to be an actor, get training, if you want to be a stunt man, get training or stay in shape and if you want to enter a highly competitive industry you need to have something to show for. A good picture can open doors, whereas a selfie can close them just as fast.
Even better would be posting a comp card with all relevant information about yourself and maybe a short bio.
On your private profile / Instagram it may be ok to post some cool looking selfies. And it is a definite yes for self promotion if you get to work with a star or someone who has a big online / social media following.
If you post a reel of your work, or pictures in different characters / costumes to give people an idea of what you can do. That is perfectly acceptable.
