Photo courtesy of The Mind’s Eye Tribe. © The Mind's Eye Tribe 2021
Source: The Mind’s Eye Tribe: Action Actor’s Academy press release
Special Thanks to Jessica Tseang
The Mind’s Eye Tribe: Action Actor’s Academy (METAAA) was honored to announce on Godzilla’s 67th Anniversary, The Haruo Nakajima Action Actor’s Scholarship, benefitting promising performers to help achieve their goals in Hollywood for Motion Capture, Film, TV, and Video Games.
The scholarship is open to actors, action actors, stunt performers, and creature performers in the Greater Los Angeles area. METAAA will award one year’s worth of classes and training (valued at $12,800) to the scholarship winner.
METAAA founder and actor TJ Storm, [most well known for portraying Godzilla in Legendary’s GODZILLA (2014), and GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS (2019) ] believes that acting and storytelling performance are not only important but vital. Many performers come to Los Angeles with a dream, and while they have the energy and potential, they often do not have the financial means or direction to give their career a chance to flourish. Through The Haruo Nakajima Action Actor’s Scholarship, METAAA hopes to give a few deserving performers their shot at the stars.
Haruo Nakajima, the scholarship’s namesake, was best known as the original suit actor in the film GODZILLA (1954). Nakajima-san started his career as a stunt actor, obtaining his first credited role under director Akira Kurosawa. The suit actor’s energy and dauntless attitude saw him through countless films including SEVEN SAMURAI. Haruo Nakajima was known for his passion and discipline. He brought Godzilla to life, helped fuel the imaginations of millions around the world, and influenced the film industry. Sadly, Mr. Nakajima passed away in 2017, at the age of 88, yet his legacy (twelve films as Godzilla) still burns brightly today.
“Nakajima-san made an impact on my life as a child when my father took me to my first movie: Godzilla vs. Hedorah. I was in awe. His performance made me want to be a part of those stories and stories like them (Godzilla, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, etc...), and that’s all that I thought about. He is the original inspiration that sparked my future career. Through hard work, perseverance, trial and error, but with many helping hands along the way, I’ve made a career that I’m proud of. This is my way of paying it forward. METAAA is committed to investing in the next generation of artists and performers. Every artist has a voice. Every performer has a story. We hope that our new scholarship will not only encourage students who might otherwise not have the opportunity to train at such a high level to strive for their dreams but for those students to become successful and use their voices to tell their stories so that they might someday inspire others as well.” -TJ Storm CEO of METAAA
To apply to The Haruo Nakajima Action Actor’s Scholarship, students can visit the Mind’s Eye Tribe Action Actor’s Academy website at https://MindsEyeTribe.com/Scholarship/ and enter their email at the scholarship prompt. They will be contacted by METAAA as soon as the scholarship application period goes live.
Please email interview requests for METAAA CEO TJ Storm and Director of Operations Andi Norris to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
A Special Thank You to Sonoe Nakajima whose gracious generosity has made this scholarship possible. METAAA is deeply honored to continue your father’s legacy with generations of artists to come. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
About The Mind’s Eye Tribe: Action Actor’s Academy
Mind’s Eye Tribe is a wellspring of knowledge for performers looking to enter and master the world of Performance Capture, Motion Capture performance, and Action Acting. We combine acting, action, movement, and character study so that performers learn the full use of their bodies, spirits, and instincts while understanding the rules of the film and motion capture stage. We produce gifted actors, action actors, and stunt performers who in turn, bring their training and talent to all aspects of performance capture as well as theater, film, VR, and television.
To learn more about METAAA, go to www.MindsEyeTribe.com
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