Alan’s brilliant blog on coming in second made me think of another thing that actors and lawyers have in common – “auditioning”.

Nowhere is the actor’s audition process explored more thoroughly in film than in the 2008 documentary EVERY LITTLE STEP. It is on movie channels these days and out on DVD.

This award winning film follows the auditions for the revival of the brilliant Broadway Musical A CHORUS LINE. Of course, A CHORUS LINE is a musical whose plot line revolves around the audition process to get into the chorus of a Broadway Musical. This almost “play within a play” aspect to the film makes it a great study of the auditioning process reflected on many levels – almost like a “Dance In The Mirror” of the joy and angst of this process.

When lawyers compare what they do in court to performing before an audience I always say that what they are doing in the process of the actor’s work life is auditioning. Will they accept you? Will they reject you? Will you get the role (leader of the winning team) or will you not get the role (and thus become the leader of the losing team)?

How does an actor go out day after day – “putting himself/herself on the line”? What effect does it have both on the quality of the audition itself and on the emotional life of that actor? Who can do both really, really well? Who ends up either slighting the audition or their emotional life or both?

Sound familiar if you are a lawyer? Oh, yes. That’s why I find it the same. I challenge you to find yourself in this movie. I know you will. Secretly, I know we all think if we are a legacy in the law we are as relaxed as Charlotte D’Amboise (the daughter of the great choreographer Jaques). Or as brilliant as Jason Tam who “nails” the role of Paul right away. But most of us will find ourselves in some other actor’s reality.

We can accept it, work to make our “auditions” and the emotional response to the rejection more measured…but know that this always was and always will be a part of the process we all share.

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One of the things actors and lawyers share is the sometimes negative feedback from the audience, critic, jury. It’s one thing to not like your work, it’s another for the “not likeness” to be personal. If the critics say, for example, that your not being in the second act was a relief and justified returning after intermission. And if you come in second too often, and if you poll the jury and they just don’t seem to like you or your clients or your cases…..well, what do you do? (more…)

Twas the night before the NITA workshop, Katherine James and Alan Blumenfeld, of ACT of Communication are curled up in bed listening to the rain come down.  Katherine does not realize the roof leak in the office directly above her precious computer with all the info for the program.  The next day, her spirits are not crushed,  she and Alan quickly mobilize and put on an outstanding, interactive and educational program for NITA members on “Control in the Courtroom” at the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. (more…)

KATHERINE:

No one was more flabbergasted than I was not to see a single Oscar nomination for the brilliant British film MADE IN DAGENHAM. I know it is still in some theaters and it certainly is on the menu of the hotel room I am in so I know that you have access to this wonderful film with great insight for attorneys. (more…)

We loved TRUE GRIT and highly recommend it as not only a great ride, but as a great learning tool for attorneys.
Alan:

Joel and Ethan Coen are wonderful filmmakers. In addition to directing, they are also writers and adapters. TRUE GRIT is a spectacular achievement and offers us many lessons for both actors and attorneys.

Again, here is a situation that calls for wearing many hats. When directing, the writer is aware of what is being done, and when writing the director must be aware of what will be done. However, for each task the focus must be complete.

And with TRUE GRIT, there is another important lesson for the attorney. Here is a story that we all thought we knew. John Wayne won an Academy Award for this film, didn’t he? Didn’t this story already get told, several decades ago? (more…)

I teach young actors at Pomona College in Claremont California. And, along with my brilliant partner and wife, Katherine James, I teach trial lawyers. These two groups of folks have a lot in common.

The young students at Pomona are quite brilliant. Their analytical skills and insight into themes and their ability to express all this in writing is very highly developed. They keep track of a lot of information in their brains and for the most part are very adept at the intellectual side of acting and actor preparation. But, getting up, on their feet, and DOING is still a daunting prospect.

Similarly with the attorneys we work with, their intellectual/analytical skills are very highly developed. And they are comfortable with that. But, again, getting up and DOING is hard. (more…)

THE FIGHTER is a film which we find has helpful lessons for lawyers that occurred in the making of the film.

KATHERINE

Alan and I had the pleasure of watching a screening of THE FIGHTER in which the director, David O. Russell was there for a “talk back”. A talk back is when the audience has the chance to talk with someone who is involved with the film after the screening. Russell had with him the real man on whom the film is based (and for whom there were tons of fans there), fighter Micky Ward. This low (for Hollywood) budget movie was shot in 31 days. And here is where the lawyer lesson starts. Russell said that if there had been money, he would have told “the whole story”. The whole beginning of Micky’s life he found interesting and intrinsic to the story. And, of course, everything that happened after the “big fight” which is the climax of this film. However, because of these constraints, he was forced to tell a better story. (more…)

THE SOCIAL NETWORK is a brilliant must-see movie for every attorney. This is what award winning filmmaking looks like. And, like so many films, it has great learning points for lawyers.

ALAN

THE SOCIAL NETWORK is a remarkable achievement.

What a brilliant pairing of writer Aaron Sorkin and director David Fincher. I agree with Aaron Sorkin’s comment at the Golden Globes that director David Fincher was able to make typing or talking about typing dramatic. What can attorneys, who most often are pairing with themselves as both writer and director learn from this duo? (more…)

Alan:

Julie Taymor’s adapatation to film of Shakespeare’s last and greatest play, THE TEMPEST, captures all the magic and poetry of the text and achieves something remarkable. In film, the director captures and controls the attention and focus of the viewer through editing and cutting. By employing extreme close ups and tight shots of one and two actors, Tamor creates an intimate, personal story about relationships. The themes of forgiveness, power, aging and acceptance within the text are maintained here. But, what is most striking is how human and real the relationships are within the story. (more…)

I am very pleased and excited to be announcing our new blog. It places us squarely in the 21^st Century. Along with our monthly eblasts/newsletter, our Twitter account, our Facebook Page and now the Blog, we have every option available to communicate with our friends and attorney/clients. (more…)