Mark W. Travis “Mark Travis is the only practical teacher of directing I've ever met -- and simply the best. I learned more from him than I did in four years of film school!” - Cyrus Nowrasteh, writer/director

Mark Travis is an award winning director, one of the most famous directing teachers in Hollywood and the Dean of Education at Hollywood School in Ukraine. From November 23 to December 6, 2005, Mark Travis taught his famous course “Directing Feature Film” in our School. The course created quite a stir in the media and received an enthusiastic response from the students - well-known professionals and beginners alike.

read press articles…
read students’ comments…
photo album…
more about Mark Travis’s course in November-December 2005 and its repeat in April 2006…

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Mark Travis has been represented as a director for many years on the Los Angeles and off-Broadway stages by such critically acclaimed productions as A Bronx Tale, Undressing New Jersey, Faithful, Once A Man Twice A Boy, Time Flies When You're Alive, Cafe 50's, No Place Like Home, Equus, Wings and The Coming of Stork.

A graduate of the Yale School of Drama and a former creative consultant to film director Mark Rydell, his highly praised work on A Bronx Tale, Survival of the Heart, Undressing New Jersey, Once A Man Twice A Boy, Wings, The Coming of Stork, Equus, the improvisational Linke vs. Redfield, and Verdigris have garnered a total of twenty-eight Drama-Logue, L.A. Weekly and Drama Critics' Circle awards.

Mark's television directing credits include The Facts of Life, Family Ties, Capitol and the Emmy Award-winning PBS dramatic special, Blind Tom: The Thomas Bethune Story.

In 1990 he completed his first film, Going Under, for Warner Bros., starring Bill Pullman and Ned Beatty. 1992 Mark opened The Travis Group, (which became Travis-Johntz Productions in 1999) a consulting and development company for directors, writers and producers.

Going Under
Produced by Warner Bros.	Director: Марк Тревіс
	Leading roles:
	Bill Pullman	Ned Beatty

In 1999 he directed the documentary, Earlet and in 2001 he wrote and directed The Baritones (a parody of The Sopranos). He is scheduled to direct Jeremy and the Aunties in the summer of 2006 for Kevin Lee Filmproduktions in Munich .

Since 1992 Mark has been sharing his techniques on writing, acting and directing worldwide:

USA :
•  The Directors Guild
•  American Film Institute
•  Pixar Animations Studios
•  UCLA Extension
•  Taos Talking Pictures Film Festival
•  Denver Film Festival
•  Hollywood Actor's Workshop
•  Hollywood Film Institute.

JAPAN :
•  Film & Media Lab
•  Vantan Film School

GERMANY :
•  UW Filmseminares
•  ActionConcept (Production company)
•  IFS
•  Munich Film School

UKRAINE
•  Hollywood School in Ukraine, Kyiv

POLAND :
•  Film Farm in Kotla

ENGLAND :
•  Raindance (Production company, film school, festival)
•  Paradigm Film Productions
•  Hurtwood House (film school)
•  Metropolitan Film School
•  National Film and Television School
•  London Film School

FRANCE
•  The Cannes Film Festival

NETHERLANDS
•  The Binger Institute

Since 2005 Mark Travis has been the Dean of Education at Hollywood School in Ukraine.

CONSULTING

With his partner, Frederick Johntz, Mark has served as a Creative Consultant on several feature films including: Men of Honor; Barbershop; Barbershop 2; The Day Reagan Was Shot; Norma Jean, Jack and Me; The Last Run; Tournament of Dreams, Del Rio and television episodes of: Lois and Clark; The Pretender; Picket Fences, 90210, Melrose Place; Strong Medicine; NYPD Blue; The Practice and Ally MacBeal.

WRITING

Mark's screenwriting credits include: The Baritones; Jeremy and the Aunties (currently in preparation); The Nap; HausFrau;  and Siblings. Travis-Johntz current projects include:
feature films: Deception; Jeremy and the Aunties; The Nap; Siblings; Foreign Excange
television series: From Here To Serenity; HausFrau    

Mark is the author of the Number-One Best Seller (L.A. Times), THE DIRECTOR'S JOURNEY: the Creative Collaboration between Directors, Writers and Actors. His second book on directing, DIRECTING FEATURE FILMS (published in April of 2002) is currently used as required text in film schools worldwide. He is currently writing his third book LifeStories: the Art and Craft of Autobiographical Storytelling.

Famous Hollywood professional who Mark Travis  has taught or worked with

Mark's students include many famous producers, directors, screenwriters and actors as well as cinematographers and editors. Here are only some of the people who he has  taught or intensively worked with or has influenced through his work

ACTORS

(Richard Dreyfuss	Holland Taylor	Robert De Niro	Jimmy Smits	Ice Cube
Charlise Theron	Bill Pullman	Henry Winkler	Chazz Palminteri	Ned Beatty
Cuba Gooding Jr.	Dennis Franz	Michael J . Fox	Martin Landau	Barbara Bain

The famous Mark Rydell's films include:

The Rose
Produced by 20th Century Fox	Director: Mark Rydell
	Leading role
	Bette Midler

Intersection
Produced by Paramount Pictures	Director and producer: Mark Rydel
	Leading roles
	Richard Gere	Sharon Stone	Lolita Davidovich

On Golden Pond
Produced by Universal Pictures, IPC Films, Incorporated Television Company (ITC)	Director: Mark Rydel
	Leading roles
	Katharine Hepburn	Henry Fonda	Jane Fonda

George Tillman about Mark Travis and his partner Frederick Johntz: "Mark and Fred understand that the Director is quintessentially a storyteller. They know what it takes to shape a compelling film."

Robert Teitel about Mark Travis and his partner Frederick Johntz: "Mark and Fred have a unique view that opens up the possibilities of what story development can be."

The famous films of George Tillman and Robert Teitel, include:

Men Of Honor*
Produced by Fox 2000 Pictures, State Street Pictures	Director:George Tillman, Producer: Robert Teitel
	Leading roles
	Robert De Niro	Cuba Gooding Jr.

Barbershop*
Produced by: Cube Vision, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), State Street Pictures	Pdoducers:George Tillman and Robert Teitel
	Leading roles
	Ice Cube	Anthony Anderson

*Mark Travis also worked on the movies' creation as a consultant-teacher

Soul Food
Produced by Edmonds Entertainment, Fox 2000 Pictures	Director and screenwriter: George Tillman Producer: Robert Teitel
	Leading roles
	Vanessa L. Williams	Vivica A. Fox

The Day Reagan Was Shot*
Produced by: Halsted Pictures, Ixtlan Corporation, Paramount: Network Television Productions, Paramount Television, Showtime Networks Inc.	Director and screenwriter: Cyrus Nowrasteh
	Leading roles
	Richard Dreyfuss	Richard Crenna

Into the West
Produced by: Halsted Pictures, Ixtlan Corporation, Paramount: Network Television Productions, Paramount Television, Showtime Networks Inc.	Co-screenwriter: Cyrus Nowrasteh
	Leading roles
Picture unavailable, since it’s year 2005 production
	Nathaniel Arcand	Sean Astin

As Good As It Gets
Produced by: TriStar Pictures, Gracie Films	Cinematographer: John Bailey, Editor: Richard Marks
	Leading roles
	Jack Nicholson	Helen Hunt

Ordinary People
Produced by: Paramount Pictures, Wildwood Enterprises	Cinematographer: John Bailey
	Leading roles
	Donald Sutherland	Mary Tyler Moore

You've Got Mail
Produced by: Warner Brothers	Editor: Richard Marks
	Leading roles
	Tom Hanks	Meg Ryan

ET
Produced by: Amblin Entertainment, Universal Pictures	Editor: Carol Littleton
	Leading roles
	Henry Thomas	Е.Т.

DIRECTING FEATURE FILMS 402 pages, 6 x 8-1/2      ISBN 0-941118-43-4 "Directing Features Films" by Mark Travis is the second edition of Mark's #1 best-seller, "The Director's Journey". In his insightful book, Mark Travis takes the mystery out of directing.  His refreshing approach enhances the reader's directing skills and helps them deliver powerful performances and well-conceived films. "A must read for any serious professional." Mark Rydell, Director, The Rose; On Golden Pond; James Dean Chapter by chapter and page by page, "Directing Feature Films" guides you through establishing a bond of collaboration with your creative team, and especially with actors and writers. " Directing Feature Films" is based on the methods Travis developed in his popular directing seminars attended by hundreds of film directors worldwide. This second edition includes a new introduction plus three new chapters.

CHAPTERS: The Director and the Script Terms and Definitions Working with Writers The Script Breakdown The Creative Team The Casting Process The Rehearsal Process Production Post Production Reconsiderations and Recapitulations No More Acting, No More Directing The Ultimate Collaboration: Directors with Directors

"With astonishing clarity Mark Travis articulates the techniques and skills of film directing. Not only does the beginning student find invaluable guidance on all stages of the directing process, but the experienced director will learn rational explanations for many of the things he may have only been doing intuitively."
John Badham, director
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, WAR GAMES, BLUE THUNDER

His books, THE DIRECTOR’S JOURNEY and DIRECTING FEATURE FILMS have become best-sellers nationally and internationally. They are used as required reading in film schools and production companies in the US (AFI, USC, UCLA) and Europe (Munich, Cologne, Berlin and London).

”A comprehensive and inspired examination of craft. A must read for any serious professional.”
Mark Rydell, director, producer
THE ROSE, ON GOLDEN POND, JAMES DEAN

“For the experienced director, a reminder of why the journey was first undertaken; for the beginning director, a compass that will hopefully set the course for the rewarding explorations to follow.”
Asaad Kelada, director
WHO'S THE BOSS; FAMILY TIES; DHARMA AND GREG

Besides consulting with many independent and first time directors, Mark is constantly in demand by proven directors, writers and producers for his skills of guiding the director through production.

"Mark Travis is the only practical teacher of directing I've ever met -- and simply the best. I learned more from him than I did in four years of film school!"
Cyrus Nowrasteh, writer/director
THE DAY REAGAN WAS SHOT; NORMA JEAN; JACK AND ME

"I was immediately able to apply the principles learned in his class when I began to direct …"
Jonathan Pontell, co-executive producer/director,
ALLY McBEAL, CHICAGO HOPE, PICKET FENCES

"Stimulating and informative … made me want to go out and make a movie."
Larry Moss, renowned acting coach, Larry Moss Studios

And with his partner, Frederick Johntz, Mark has established an invaluable Consulting Service for writers, producers and directors.

"Mark and Fred understand that the Director is quintessentially a storyteller. They know what it takes to shape a compelling film."
George Tillman, Jr., director, producer
SOUL FOOD, MEN OF HONOR, BARBERSHOP, BARBERSHOP 2

"I made the common mistake of thinking that I knew my own script simply because I wrote it. Working with Fred and Mark forces you to go much deeper than the simple text on the page ... Without this sort of work you're winging it without even knowing it."
Brad Gann, writer, STATIC
writer /director BLACK IRISH

"Mark and Fred have a unique view that opens up the possibilities of what story development can be."
Robert Teitel, producer
SOUL FOOD; MEN OF HONOR; BARBERSHOP, BARBERSHOP 2