Screen Acting 1 Year Course

Aims / Focus

• Discovering responsiveness, spontaneity and truthfulness
• Stillness and presence on screen
• Listening skills
• Internalising (avoiding demonstrating or projecting)
• Efficient and effective line-learning

Class Elements

• Games for spontaneity, freedom and relaxation (on and off camera): Individual and group games building connection, playfulness, observation, and freedom in the body. Encouraging key skills such as connecting with senses, imagination, responsiveness, spontaneity, truthfulness, listening, attention and freedom in the body.
• Own story exercises: Telling a real story on camera, then swapping stories and truthfully “owning” another actor’s story. Focus on truthful and simple connection with imagination and senses.
• Listening: Script and non-script based exercises exploring various approaches and techniques to improve listening.
• Internalising: Exercises and script-work focusing on internalised performance.
• Improvisation: Skills and concepts encouraging playfulness and adaptability on set.

Aims / Focus

• Using key practitioners (e.g. Stanislavski, Hagen, Meisner, Strasberg, Laban, Michael Chekhov) to break down text and develop character/performance
• Developing emotional connection and depth
• Using subtext and inner monologue

Class Elements

• Practitioner technique sessions: Concepts plus exploration of techniques and scenes.
• Subtext: Explanation, examples, and mini-scenes exploring top-text and subtext.
• Inner monologue: Explanation, examples, and exercises.
• Emotions & emotional preparation: Techniques for exploring/creating emotion and building emotional preparation.

Aims / Focus

• Putting technique into practice using a range of scenes
• Exploring and refining screen acting technique across major genres
• High stakes scene performance

Class Elements

• Intro monologues: Rehearsal, performance and playback (close to casting bracket).
• Intro duologues: Rehearsal, performance and playback (close to casting bracket).
• Listening / presence / stillness scenes: Nuanced scenes filmed in close-up.
• Introduction to genre: Understanding genre, analysing patterns and applying them to performance.
• Genres explored include: 9pm Drama (e.g. Line of Duty), Brit-comedy, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Period Drama, Thriller (playing villain/victim), Horror (playing villain/victim), Romance, Heightened Historical (e.g. The Favourite, The Great).
• Genre research & techniques: Finding examples, identifying common patterns and applying exercises.
• Genre script work & rehearsal: Script breakdown and rehearsal based around genre.
• Genre performance & playback: Filmed scenes and detailed feedback.
• Classic scene study: Comedy and drama scenes from 70s–90s film & TV.
• Contemporary scene study: Comedy and drama scenes from recent film & TV.
• Advanced uniting & listening scenes: High-accuracy listening under pressure.
• High-stakes scenes: Emotional prep and strong emotional connection.

Aims / Focus

• Understanding various shot-types and their opportunities/demands
• Blocking, composition, continuity and hitting marks
• Eye-lines and body position on camera
• On-set procedures, roles and jargon
• Improvised performance techniques
• Dealing with high-pressure shoots

Class Elements

• Shot-types introduction: Examples and quizzes using film & TV clips.
• Crew & production roles: Actors take on production roles in improvised scenes.
• Mobile phone short film: Group iPhone project using multiple shot types.
• Blocking & continuity exercises: Progressive challenges increasing in complexity.
• Filmed scene set-ups: Master shots, two-shots, close-ups, tracking shots and multi-set-ups.
• Improvising & adapting on set: Handling line changes, direction changes, ad-libs and pressure challenges.

Aims / focus

• Understanding professional self-tape and audition processes/standards
• Practising self-taping/auditioning in-studio, at home, and with industry professionals

Classes (progression)

• Self-taping introduction: What is a self-tape? Work on professional examples. Covering the fundamentals. Introduction to equipment.
• Technical tips: labelling, editing, sending tapes.
• Performance tips: eye-line, movement, props/costume, interpreting briefs, quick script analysis under pressure. Finding own version and alternatives.
• Self-tape 1: (performance and playback) Simple intro or own story video shot in-studio, self-tape style.
• Self-tape 2: Small roles (rehearsal, performance and playback) Guide to auditioning for small roles (a few lines for a day-player, one scene role), rehearsal, taping in-studio, self-tape style.
• Self-tape 3: One page script (rehearsal, performance and playback) One page scene for a lead or supporting role, shot in-studio, self-tape style.
• Self-tape 4: Simple script, shot at home (rehearsal, performance and playback) One page scene for a guest role, shot at home and reviewed in studio.
• Self-tape 5: Advanced script, shot at home (rehearsal, performance and playback) 2 scenes for a leading or supporting character, shot at home and reviewed in studio.
• In-person auditioning: guidelines and techniques
• Mock audition: (rehearsal and performance) Mock audition with tutors and rest of class
• Commercial casting: guidance for self-tapes and in-person castings.
• Casting Director mock audition: Live in person chance to audition in front of a Casting Director with a chance for feedback and direction.

Aims / focus

• Recreating a full on-set experience
• Process of filming a scene on-set, using set terms and etiquette
• Experiences on real sets (where possible)

Class elements

• Work experience on film sets: behind-the-scenes understanding of professional sets/casting sessions.
• On-set scene preparation: breakdown and prep for in-studio mock on-set scene.
• Mock on-set filming: rehearsal, blocking, multiple takes, director supervision - reflecting professional working conditions.

Aims / focus

• Collaborating with a professional film crew on a fully produced short film
• Bringing together all strands of the course
• Short film rehearsal
• Read-through, breakdown, character prep, scene rehearsal

Classes

• Write/produce/shoot your own short film: teams script, produce and film a short using phones/simple cameras.
• In-house short film: low budget short filmed around the venue with in house director.
• Professional Short film production: collaboration with a professional film crew on a fully produced short film, on a professional set, whilst meeting film festival criteria.

Aims / focus

• Treating your acting career as a business
• Finding an agent
• Finding work
• Joining Spotlight and IMDB
• Organising money
• Long-term career planning
• Defining casting and branding
• Creating tailored reels, headshots and voice clips
• Creating a strategic online presence
• Long-term career planning and taking action on your career
• Industry etiquette

Class elements

• Introduction to the industry: Explanation and exercises around acting as a business. Who’s who and what’s what. Illustration of various career pathways.
• Researching the industry: Explanation and exercises around finding industry information: where to look and what to look for. Tailoring this for each individual actor.
• Finding work through Spotlight and casting sites: Understanding which sites are out there, what they do, and how to find work. Advice on setting up profiles and getting the most out of memberships. Mock submissions/beginning the process of signing up, with guidance.
• Finding an agent: Understanding who to apply to and where to find information. Sending a submission to an agent. Advice for agent meetings. Mock emails and meetings.
• Building a relationship with an agent: Tips on creating a partnership with an agent and troubleshooting.
• Networking for screen actors: Explanation and exercises around what networking is, how to do it, and what opportunities are out there. Mock networking scenarios. Project: actors to find a real networking event and attend.
• Emailing the industry: Explanation and exercises around key principles for emailing the industry. Mock emails.
• Making your own work: Explanation and exercises around making your own work, including idea generation, finding funding and bringing the idea to life. Project: actors mock-pitch for funding for a personal project of their own.
• Finding work through social media: Who to follow and etiquette around interacting. Where to find open castings and other opportunities.
• Self-employment: tax and N.I.: Complete guide to starting as a self-employed actor.
• Organising money as an actor and portfolio careers: Projected spending for actors, and how to run a budget. Tips for saving money. Creating income through multiple sources. Projects: Drawing up a budget. Creating a portfolio career plan.
• Casting types and brand: Defining your casting type and brand as a screen actor.
• Headshot session prep: Using an understanding of casting types and brand to prepare for a headshot shoot.
• Headshot session: Work with an experienced headshot photographer to obtain a professional headshot portfolio.
• Creating a strategic online presence: Creating curated social media feeds that advertise a performer’s strengths. Using other online platforms e.g. IMDb. Project: actors create/update an internet presence, and present it with explanation of their choices (or create skeleton profile, and present on who they are following).
• Career planning: Creating a career plan with actionable next steps. Advice on actionable next steps.

• Showreel scene choices: Based on casting types and branding, choosing scenes for showreels.
• Showreel rehearsal: Prepping and rehearsing showreel scenes.
• Showreel filming: Filming of showreel scenes under supervision and direction of director/course tutor.

Aims / focus

• Performers bringing together everything they have learned on the course in showcases of live and recorded performance

Class Elements

• Choosing material for showcase: Accumulating scenes/monologues during the course and finding fresh material based on the actors casting.
• Rehearsal of material for showcase: Monologue and/or duologue.
• Mid-course internal showcase: Actors are encouraged to invite industry connections.
• Professional showcase event attended by agents, casting directors, and industry guests: Culmination of the course, with live performances and film screening.