ACTING & FILM SCHOOL

CLASSES

Scene Study
Working on scenes from published plays and screenplays is allows actors to learn all of the basic concepts of approaching a scene: defining objectives, breaking the scene down into beats, understanding the arc, pursuing your objective, playing actions, and working to overcome obstacles. This class provides the most basic technique for understanding acting, therefore it starts at a most basic level, usually with silent scenes or short dialogue scenes. Once the foundation is in place, longer dramatic or comedic scenes are explored.

Acting For Film and Television
Students learn the basics of film acting: calibrating performances based upon shot size and angle, hitting marks, emotional and physical continuity, and strength and imagination in acting choices. Students are assigned scenes from produced screenplays, which are then shot with a crew and edited together. In addition, students learn to perform a number of film crew positions, to broaden their knowledge of the duties of everyone on a professional film set.

Voice and Movement
An actor's body is his or her only instrument, therefore it must be tuned to perform expertly whenever and however needed. Movement classes, in addition to expanding body flexibility and developing the actor's ability to relax and tense when needed, also focus on breaking down inhibitions, building ensemble spirit, and providing the necessary tools to bring physical dimension to performance. A primary tool for the actor is the expressive and free voice. Therefore, voices must be trained to be heard (through volume adjustments), understood (through articulation) and also felt (through expression). Students gain insight into the power of how to nurture and control their voices by exercising various resonators and muscles, enabling them to release emotional impulses. In addition to breath work, classes focus on singing, relaxation, phrasing, and posture as a way of nurturing the actor's instrument. Using text, students learn to identify key words and learn how to link intention with the voice and speak clearly and powerfully through the end of a line.

Acting Technique
Acting teachers throughout the ages have developed many different techniques for teaching the craft to aspiring actors. Since actors oftentimes are required to draw from their many facets of their training to meet the demands of a role or a director, this acting class teaches a range of techniques so that actors can be best prepared for any role they are given to play.

Film Craft
Acting students rarely have the opportunity to immerse themselves in other aspects of filmmaking. However, we feel it is crucial that an actor develops strong collaborative skills by gaining a working knowledge of the film medium and how each member of a film crew contributes to making an actor's performance shine. Therefore we provide all of our students with master classes taught by the NYFA Filmmaking faculty who give a broad outline of the mechanics, language, and production of film.

ENROLLMENT
There are no prerequisites for admission to the program. Please include a contact phone number and a current photo with the application. A New York Film Academy staff member will contact you for a telephone interview in the month preceding the program.