ARIA Film Lab

PUBLIC NOTICE: The ARIA Film Labs are currently suspended pending relocation into the Caribbean. Once relocated, the formats will be re-structured (as needed) for that region. Under normal circumstances ARIA Motion Pictures is NOT in the business of running a full-time training facility. Once new Caribbean production begins, the data contained in this site will be updated accordingly for the new operations.

Starting in San Diego and then branching to Orlando (for Disney); from 1994 to 2010, the ARIA Film Lab has been known as the place to get the highest quality ACCELERATED training for professional work in the motion picture industry. The reason is, it was primarily engineered as "on the job training" for actual working (shoot in progress) crews and actors. There has also been spinoff training for support to related industries, such as effects, makeup, and props.

The Film Labs are comprised of the following departments:

The ARIA Film Lab For Crew
The ARIA Film Lab For On Screen Actor Training
The ARIA Stunt School
The ARIA Film Lab For Youth

One-day clinics are also given for:

Proper Industry Headshot and Resume Formats
Casting Session Do's and Don'ts
How To Get Started In The Motion Picture Industry
So What Is The Stunt World Really Like?

All of these classes (or schools) were given in San Diego, and the Stunt School even had a "ranch", where dedicated high fall platforms and landing areas were setup full time; shooting range for weapon safety (tough as real, even though blanks are used in production - gun safety is the same), and even a vehicle stunt training program (cars, trucks, motorcycles, PWC, and boats). Then production made a shift to Florida and the bulk of the training relocated there, but clinics remained in San Diego, with the potential for week long seminars. In Florida, the program a full class For Youth in 2008, for the purpose of training child actors for film and television work with Disney. This lead to a limited general production clinic For Youth in 2010, for the purpose of trained "actors" to get oriented to set work (established stage actors). In 2011, classes were suspended for a complete relocation of both production and training into the Caribbean.

At this point in time, the entire school is packed up for relocation, with the head instructors searching for the best point in the Caribbean to begin production and re-initiate training, based on production demands. Once in the new location, all listed classes may be offered for the development of movie making operations in the Caribbean. An added note here, for those who may have been tracking progress, originally the entire production and training operations were slated for relocation to Grenada, but following a change in the head of state with the election of Keith Mitchell as Prime Minister, the new Grenada government has decided to devote attention to computer based technologies, as a new "national product". We wish them well in that endeavor. Under the former Prime Minister, ARIA was to relocate there and form a full sized production facility, feature film and television production, as well as the associated training, bringing about 1500 production associated jobs to Grenada, and a new export industry - a project originally started by invitation of the former Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Film Task-force, under the direction of Mr. Sobers Esprit.

If you are a potential student for one of these classes, please do not contact ARIA at this time. Class gear and instructors are still "in transit", and due to the fact that a final location is still in question, this process may still take several months to complete. Once things are in place, then word will be spread, and this site will reflect added scheduling data currently that is removed. Continue reading on this page for more detailed descriptions of each of the classes offered by the Film Lab when they resume...

These are the four ARIA Film Labs:	These are "CLINICS":
The ARIA Film Lab For Crew... was the first training class ever offered under the ARIA Film Lab label. It's original intent was NOT NOT NOT to create a commercial training school, offered to the public for training, but to train new production crew specifically for ARIA's own production operations. With this program design, new crew "worked" as interns, and had added training time on the side, until such time as they were employable. Problem was, our training was SO GOOD, that our graduates were immediately called up to Hollywood by larger productions (producers associated with Paramount, Miramax, Lionsgate and so on), and we had to start over with a new group. Because this kept happening over and over, in later cases, students were eventually charged for admission into the program, but we actually turned those fees into project budgets, and new shows were developed with crews already attached. This meant students stayed, as they were attached to existing shows. Crews got training, and ended up getting immediate work credits for the new shows created. Unfortunately, due to massive TV show competition, the bulk of these were never syndicated. In the upcoming Caribbean version of this training, the first class(es) will initially have more structure, as some crews must first be trained before any shows can be put on schedule for production. However, once a few key crew personnel are ready for field training, then some small projects will be mobilized and the second stage of training will begin. This is when the crew training becomes more like the well known "on the job training" version of the program.	Proper Industry Headshot and Resume Formats... This is a three hour class normally taught by Chase Jazzborne. The reason for this is due to Chase actually working with members of the Casting Society of America (seen as "CSA" in film credits). The details he learned from the CSA were extensive, as it was his mission then to bring back to San Diego, all the locals would need to look as professional as the most seasoned Hollywood actor - at least in print. Another benefit to Chase conducting these workshops, is that he is an ultra experienced photographer, and the aspects of shot angles, backgrounds and crops is best taught by a seasoned photographer who can translate these details to the general public.
The ARIA Film Lab For On Screen Actor Training... was initiated when ARIA was assisting another production company in the casting of a horror feature ("Evil Dead - Terror In The Wood"). A few minor character roles, and the leading role for a young girl was proving very hard to cast from talent sent down from Los Angeles, at that time. Local San Diego screen talent was not all that skilled either, at the time. So, ARIA's President (Chase Jazzborne), who was known for excellent actor training in theater arts, put himself to the task of creating an accelerated actor training program specifically for screen. This program - The ARIA Film Lab - was the result. It also boasted one of the highest professional actor placements of any program in existence - at 93% success rate for acting talent the last session. That's beyond HUGE for an acting program. Most programs see 10-15% at best, even if the training is for "waiting jobs". This is the same program that trained and cast young Jessica Barber, who landed the leading female child role in "Evil Dead - Terror In The Woods", as well as the leading role in "Where's Andy". The following link will take you to a short YouTube video highlight of Jessie's FIVE DAY (one day a week for 5 weeks) training progress and eventual screen test for the horror movie. The speed of the progression from shy little girl to powerful performer will astound you almost as much as her screen test itself... Get ready to be impressed! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH7d_NnHnkY	Casting Session Do's and Don'ts... This is given by the various casting professionals, either directly from ARIA, or from other professional agencies, such as guest members of the CSA. The objective of this clinic is to go into minor detail those things a new screen actor should keep in mind when entering the casting session environment. What are the protocols to be followed - what are the things they should strictly avoid - and tips to make them stand out from their peers. For an inexperienced actor this one clinic can be the most important class of their lives and careers.
The ARIA Stunt School... in it's normal format, is a very intensive weekend workshop, with the opportunity to come back to "The Ranch" to do workouts. It has been the most recognized program by the general public, and news media world-wide. It was originally developed as an introductory stunt class for "actors" wishing to have the skills needed to do their own minor stunt work in roles where they would normally be replaced by stunt performers during the execution of stunts. In many cases, this makes the prospective actor that much more valuable in the casting of the project, as only one person is needed to complete all aspects of the role, instead of an actor/stunt person pair. As the program progressed, so did the stunt performers, so additional training was added as needed. Eventually high falls (to 10 stories) and fire stunts became common for the classes. There were even units in Jerk Line and Air Ram. At the time the program was suspended, it had worked up to precision driving for stunt work in both automotive and marine environments. Motorcycle stunts were always a part of the curriculum.	How To Get Started In The Motion Picture Industry... This is a two hour short clinic (can be cut to one hour as a unit for a larger day program or job fair), with about an hour worth of data combined with an open question and answer session. These are given by various members of the ARIA senior staff, and many times this particular clinic is given by request to organizations or schools, free of charge when crew has extra time. A full general picture of the movie industry as a profession is given. This includes descriptions of the various crew jobs, what training would be involved to fit into those jobs - including actor training and avenues for experience. More often than not, it is the question and answer period which does the most benefit for all participants.
The ARIA Film Lab For Youth... was born during a need to train a few children for roles in a feature film in Orlando. From there the program expanded to an enrollment platform of formal classes - these actually taught in a specialized laboratory class environment (mock set) with twelve to fifteen students. We have found, in over 20 years of production and associated training experience, it is far easier to work with adults right off the street, than it is to work with new children (who are easily confused by the filming process when they have no prior experience with it). This means the kids need to get some basic training in to do well with the technology of filming. From there, classes graduate to a real feature film setting, however, normally the projects shot are written specifically for each class (roles written for participants) and usually entail the shooting of a short film subject. Crew requirements for the short film are actually filled by a combination of students and their parents (parent participation is voluntary). In this setting, parents receive free preliminary crew training. It was the very last Youth class which spawned the feature film: "Fallen".	So What Is The Stunt World Really Like? This is a short version of the weekend Stunt School modified for a general audience, and devoid of aspects such as gun work, high-falls and fire gags. There is a lecture followed by a question and answer period, and then the group is exposed to the basics of screen fight techniques and how they are used to "sell a shot" without causing injury to any of the performers. This is where the hands-on starts to reveal how all of the components of a shot come together to create the illusion of danger. For many actors, this is as far as they need to go to get an edge on casting in many action films not requiring more than hand to hand fighting scenes.