{"id":19019,"date":"2019-08-30T17:08:19","date_gmt":"2019-08-30T16:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/?p=19019"},"modified":"2021-06-16T13:38:07","modified_gmt":"2021-06-16T12:38:07","slug":"why-screen-acting-the-rounded-actor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/why-screen-acting-the-rounded-actor\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Screen Acting: The Rounded Actor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Head of Screen Acting<\/a> Tom Colley\u00a0talks us through his career progression from stage to screen, the importance of diverse acting training and how our\u00a04 week screen acting intensive<\/a> will equip you for the industry and the opportunities that come your way.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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When I went to train in acting for screen<\/a> I was obsessed with working within the television and film industry. It was all I wanted to do. I had brief stints doing theatre in several different guises through a university course at Leeds. These theatrical experiences filled me with creative enthusiasm, curiosity for the art, and a hunger for more chances to perform. But I kept coming around to the nagging little voice in my head, steadily rising in velocity, which said;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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\u201cWHAT ABOUT FILM?\u201d<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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I couldn\u2019t ignore it and so off I went to drama school with resolve and determination \u2013 I was going to be a screen actor<\/a>. After completing my training all I wanted to do was play characters in front of the camera. I was desperate for it. Predictably, it didn\u2019t work out like that. I found that I was still working in the theatre more than ever and the elusive TV or film role would come about once every blue moon. As grateful as I was for working the frustration that it wasn\u2019t predominantly on screen was very present.<\/p>\n

Why am I telling you this? Well, it took me a couple of years to realise \u2026 but the fact remains that the \u2018rounded\u2019 actor is the successful actor. \u2018Rounded\u2019 means a versatility for whichever artistic medium (TV, film, theatre, radio, site specific and promenade, performance art) you find yourself in when you are working. Why narrow your chances of getting a job by focusing only on one medium? They are all a chance to develop craft, explore character, and get to grips with understanding the nuances of performance. The training you embark on as an actor should be a reflection of the kaleidoscopic nature of the business. I can guarantee that all the assorted methodologies that I have been exposed to throughout my training and education have been useful in my working life. How\u2019s about a couple of examples then?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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ANIMAL STUDIES:<\/h2>\n

I went along to Spotlight (the main casting centre in London) for an audition for some TV drama (the name escapes me). Whilst I was in the waiting room I heard a bunch of noises coming from the adjacent casting room which sounded suspiciously like varying degrees of primate. Sweaty men in vests would leave one by one, rolling their eyes or joking with each other about how bizarre the last fifteen minutes of their lives were. I couldn\u2019t resist a little smile to myself, along with the thought \u201cthank God I\u2019m not in there!\u201d Of course, as dire fate would have it, my agent called to say I had a last minute audition for Tarzan, and since I was already there I might as well go for it. Of \u2026 course. Out I went to get shorts and a vest and the next thing I know I\u2019m bouncing from floor to table to chair, howling at the top of my lungs. I\u2019ll never forget that audition, weirdly one of most fun and exhilarating ones I\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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JUST MAKE IT UP:<\/h2>\n

I was filming in Wales over a freakishly hot summer. The script was fantastic, the character had delicious depth, and the relationships between the protagonists unique. All my character preparation was done, false tattoos and gold teeth in place, the lines seared into my memory. We do a take and it fizzes, it\u2019s electric, it\u2019s alive. It doesn\u2019t get better than this, I thought. The director saunters up, hat half obscuring deep and thoughtful eyes. \u201cOK, let\u2019s go for another everyone. Tom, you can say the lines, or not say the lines, I don\u2019t really care. Do whatever you like.\u201d My mouth drops open as I see him trudge back to his monitor. \u201cAnd, ACTION!\u201d From then on I don\u2019t really know what happened, I just had to dive into the rapids improvisation without an idea how to navigate it. Those frustrating improvisation classes somehow got me through, and the film turned out pretty good too.<\/p>\n

We can never expect how things will turn out as actors. We can\u2019t plan what we don\u2019t know. The best we can do is have a training that is \u2018rounded\u2019, full and extensive, giving us the widest possible knowledge and skills that we can utilize in our careers going forward. It\u2019s the most relevant advice I\u2019ve acquired \u2013 don\u2019t narrow yourself down! We have our preferences, and we are entitled to them, but don\u2019t let them get in the way of creative opportunities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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4 Week Screen Acting Course<\/h2>\n