Michael Merton |
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My goal in establishing The Actors Safehouse was to help actors stop working so hard. We've all 
seen actors "acting," and if we're honest, we all catch ourselves doing it from time to time. I offer actors the opportunity to discover when they're trying too hard to create the illusion of reality. I then offer practical usable techniques designed to give them the confidence to do less on camera, and let reality happen.
I like to target different aspects of film and television acting when I work with actors, such as close-ups, eye contact, listening, non-dialogue scenes, etc. Actors can choose to target a particular aspect of the acting process prior to a workshop. For those just starting out with my workshops, I assess your performance and choose the targets I feel could be of benefit to you.
When actors arrive at a workshop, they are given a scene to prepare for filming that has been specifically selected for them. After all filming is completed, the group watches the footage. Actors also practice on-camera auditioning in every workshop, for which they are emailed audition sides 24 hours in advance; this gives them the same amount of prep time they usually have before an audition in the real world. In my workshops, every actor works in front of the camera twice.
I hope you'll join us for an evening of on-camera exploration.
Michael Merton, the man behind The Actors Safehouse, has been a working actor for over thirty years. He has appeared on dozens of television shows, such as Last Man Standing, Enlisted, Criminal Minds, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Two and a Half Men, Men of a Certain Age, Brothers & Sisters, FlashForward, Grey's Anatomy, House, Desperate Housewives, Pushing Daisies, Will & Grace, Malcolm in the Middle, and many more. Michael is also an accomplished writer of television animation, with two Emmy Award nominations to his credit. He has worked on a wide variety of television cartoons, including X-Men: Evolution, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Hercules, Tarzan, 101 Dalmations, Krypto the Superdog, Brandy & Mr. Whiskers, Casper, Tutenstein, and Pinky Dinky Doo, to name just a few.
Michael considers himself fortunate to be able to call himself a professional actor. He truly loves being an actor and also loves to share what he has learned about the craft of acting with others. Michael created The Actors Safehouse to provide an affordable opportunity for actors to hone their on-camera skills in a safe and supportive environment.
You can find out more about Michael on the following websites:
