ALEX D'LERMA
Founder/Filmmaker/Acting & Directing Coach
I'm an award winning director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. But I started in the industry as an actor. For the last 13 years I have coached actors and directors at the Cinema Gym and even longer at UCLA extension.
When I was an actor I hated having to pay through the nose for over crowded weekly acting workouts taught by many instructors who did not also provide insight into performing for the camera. Many of my teachers where amazing. Some had lost their passion or were unwilling to become mentors to their students outside of the classroom. I decided to establish my Cinema Gym idea on my own and to stay true to the key elements I wanted for my new workout. Affordable, Practical, and Effective through the integration of film making technology and other filmmakers.
That's how the Cinema Gym came to be.
My experience as a filmmaker and a veteran actor enabled me to create the most innovative, practical, and effective acting for camera workout in L.A. I trained in all the important acting philosophies (Meisner, Adler, Strasberg, Alexander technique, etc) used by the American Actor for the past 100 years. Eventually I expanded my interests and studies to include filmmaking. I have directed two award winning feature films, one web series (13 episodes), ten short films, and several cable commercials and industrial videos.
FEAR, LOVE, and AGORAPHOBIA is my latest feature film.
www.FearLoveAndAgoraphobia.com
It was developed in the Cinema Gym and includes 20 Cinema Gym actors and directors working in front of and behind the camera.
THE CINEMA GYM HISTORY
Thirteen years ago Cinema Gym founder Alex D'Lerma wanted to create an innovative on-camera acting and directing workout. Why? Alex started out as an actor and later became an award winning director, writer, producer and editor. Who better to innovate a new way of training actors than a filmmaker? He realized that actors who crave a career in front of the camera should be practicing their craft in front of a camera, not on a stage. Yes the stage is an essential starting point for every actor. But the transition from stage to screen is not so easy for everyone. Alex witnessed many of his very talented friends struggle with that transition and he did too. Meshing together actors, directors, and the technology of Cinema was the answer Alex came up with. And logically speaking directors should have a place that would allow them to practice directing actors on camera too. Directing actors is as hard to do as directing camera but the truth is that most film schools provide very little training in that area. That's what the Cinema Gym is all about. Bringing the two disciplines of acting and directing together so that actors and directors can learn and grow from, and with, each other.
The Gym format simulates the key elements of acting and directing for camera. The price has been kept affordable and the size of the classes are small. Only eight actors and four directors are allowed per clas. This is well below any comparable on-camera workshop that shoots FULL coverage. That term means the actor has to perform the material multiple times from different angles and camera set ups. Integrating the camera and multiple filmmakers into an actor’s training is essential. And being instructed and mentored by a combination filmmaker and seasoned acting/directing coach is are rare thing in LA.
That’s the story of the Cinema Gym. The results have been amazing. Take a look at the credits, testimonials, and videos available on this web site. We look forward to working with you in the gym.