Short Cuts

Acting the "Starbucks Guy" Way Dept.: Alleywood Studios (1902 S. Congress) is bound and determined to get you in front of a camera whether you like it or not, pal. To that end, they've got a pair of workshops/salons beginning this weekend: Local actor/author Marco Perella (Adventures of a No Name Actor, and the "Starbucks Guy" in Miss Congeniality) will head up several acting workshops, the first focusing on the audition process ($30) on Sunday, Oct. 6, 6-9pm. That's followed on Saturday, Oct. 19, and Saturday, Oct. 26 (1:30pm-5:30pm) with two film scene classes ($40 or $70 for the pair). Scripts and cameras will be provided, BYO talent. Call 869-0623 for more info, or check out www.actorworkshop.com. This month's Alleywood First Friday Salon is Friday, Oct. 4, 7pm (same location), featuring a character workshop led by director Alana Cash (Anna Freud). Free to actors. Fifteen dollars for actors/writers/directors who bring their own material to work on. More info on these and all of Alleywood's events can be had by calling 916-0001... This Monday, Oct. 7, 6-9pm, at Cafe Mundi (1704 E. Seventh), Reel Women will host a meet & greet for their upcoming 48-Hour Film Project (co-sponsored by the Austin Film Society), which kicks off Friday, Nov. 1. Like the Cinemaker Co-op's popular Make a Film in a Weekend series, this three-day challenge enlists local filmmakers to create "a short film/video from scratch -- writing, shooting, editing -- in one weekend," with the completed films being screened at the Alamo Drafthouse. The actual filmmaking begins Friday, Nov. 1, 7pm, at which point each team will select a genre for their film in a random drawing. Two days later that film gets turned in and voilà, you're a star, baby. There's room for 22 teams, and sign-up is going on right now through Saturday, Oct. 12. Go to www.48hourfilm.com or e-mail [email protected] for more information.