ACTING & FILM SCHOOL

SEMESTER ONE OVERVIEW

The first semester concentrates on building a foundation in the craft of acting, using training techniques rooted in the theater but applicable to screen acting. Students participate in a broad array of core classes that introduce them to finding the actor within, while simultaneously training their instrument to do the kind of technical, emotional, and physical work necessary for film acting. Since we believe that film actors also benefit immeasurably from working in front of a live audience, in addition to work in front of the camera, training in the first semester builds towards a live performance.

Learning Goals
• Explore and learn the principles of acting technique.
• Learn the vocabulary of filmmaking for actors.
• Become familiarized with the logistics of performance on a film set.
• Recognize the differences between film acting and stage performance.
• Understand how to break down a scene and analyze a character.

Performance Goals
• Rehearse and tape film scenes to be analyzed and critiqued in class.
• Break down, analyze, and rehearse a selected monologue and perform it in front of a live audience.

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Voice and Movement I
In both film and theatre, a character’s objective is often illuminated by the playing of strong physical actions. In other words, what a character does, more than what he or she says, is what defines his or her true desire.

Movement, in addition to strengthening body posture and contributing to an actor’s ability to relax and prepare to play a role, also focuses on breaking down inhibitions, building ensemble spirit, and giving the necessary tools to bring depth to the physical dimension of assigned roles from dramatic texts. Additionally, in this class, students gain insight into the power of how to nurture and control their voices through various resonators and muscles, which enables them to tap into primal emotional impulses.

Spech
An extension of the Voice work, Speech focuses on the elimination of foreign accents and regional dialects by developing Standard American Speech. Using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), the actor learns to correct habitual speech problems and prepare for future dialect study. The results include greater ease, clarity, and expression with text, and the ability to undertake a wide variety of roles.

Text Analysis
Actors learn the history and development of seminal dramatic texts from the 20th Century to the present. Both stage and screenplays are studied. Often the same script is read in both formats: e.g. Tennessee Williams; A Streetcar Named Desire; Eugene O’Neill’s, Long Day’s Journey into Night.

Improvisation
The ability to improvise can never be underestimated when it comes to acting, especially on camera where there is usually very little rehearsal. Whether in comedy or drama, actors improvise well when they are fully engaged, listening to their partners, and releasing their inhibitions about failing. Through games and exercises, students learn how to let their imaginations run wild, how to play well with others, and how to live “in the moment” — free from anticipating or planning what to do next.

Shakespeare
Some people say that if you can play Shakespeare truthfully, you can play anything. Students learn how to speak, physicalize and bring strong subtextual insights to Shakespeare’s classical language, but with a modern approach that assimilates the actor’s personal experiences.

First Semester Performance
Students do a live performance of monologues that are developed and rehearsed in their Acting Technique classes of the first semester. The performances are staged for a live audience comprised of classmates, faculty, staff and invited guests. The live performances during the year allow students to gain valuable experience and opportunities to compare and contrast their stage acting work with their work in front of the camera.      Continue >>

SEMESTER TWO CLASSES

Acting For Film II
In semester two, students assimilate a range of highly demanding physical, vocal, and psychological acting techniques for the analysis, rehearsal, and blocking of scenes to be filmed in the studio or on location. These scenes are digitally shot and edited. They are screened for an invited audience of classmates, crew, family and friends. All acting students are also required to serve in other crew capacities. Critiques will focus on the techniques of calibrating energy for various shot sizes as well as on the strength and imagination of acting choices.

Scene Study
Students use the techniques they learned in the first semester Acting Technique class to break down scenes into “beats” (i.e. moments of emotional transition) and then assign specific psychological actions, physical actions, and obstacles to each beat. They incorporate various acting techniques including Stanislavsky’s System and Strasberg’s Method, as well as the skills learned in the Meisner Technique class. Additionally, students learn how to build a comprehensive scored script that includes: a lengthy character biography, description of the dramatic arc, as well as how environment impacts the character’s overall objective. Scene Study class culminates with a showcase presentation for classmates, faculty, and an invited audience at the end of the semester.

Acting for Film Production Workshop (Optional)
Students are cast in short scenes that are produced by the One-Year Filmmaking students with the supervision of the faculty and staff. These are full day productions shot on either film or DV and are an excellent opportunity for acting students to get more experience acting on a film set. The completed scenes may also provide material for the acting student’s reel.

Meisner II
A continuation of Meisner I, students learn how to apply the “moment to moment” work to characters outside of their own experience. This culminates in a Meisner scene presentation in front of a live audience.

Audition Technique
Acting is as much of a business as it is a craft. In addition to training, successful actors must develop strong marketing skills in order to build a career. These classes focus on such topics as feeling comfortable at cold readings, preparing a resume, choosing a head-shot photographer, and developing a career strategy. Additionally, actors have the opportunity to get live auditioning experience both in class and during an open casting call with directors from the Academy’s Filmmaking program.

Combat for Film
Students learn how to safely portray choreographed violence for the screen. Elements of various martial arts are employed to create convincing fight sequences that keep the actor safe from injury.

Acting for Television
There are many ways to record a performance. The object of this course is to explore the differences between shooting “film style” (one camera) and the world of a multi-camera set. Students are assigned scenes from either sitcoms or soap operas, which are rehearsed and staged over the course of several weeks culminating in a multi-camera taping that is analyzed by the instructor and class.

Voice & Movement II
Actors continue with more demanding physical work designed to heighten performances. Elements of movement are addressed for specific works that require specific character and/or historical accuracy.

Improvisation II
Building on the skills of Improvisation 1, students move onto more advanced exercises and long-form improvisation styles. Students learn to connect scenes together to build a complete story arc, as well as to develop more complex characters and relationships within the improvisational structure. At mid-term, students perform a live improvisation show for family and friends. Lastly, students work to bring the skills gained from live format improvisation to faster spontaneity and organic behavior in their film work.

One-Year Final Performance
In addition to a screening of students’ work in front of the camera, students perform live scenes that have been analyzed and rehearsed throughout the semester in Scene Study class. Students are also required to commit additional time outside of class to rehearse. The chosen material can range from classic stage plays to contemporary films. The scenes are fully-realized with costumes, props, lighting and sound effects and are performed for classmates, faculty, staff and invited guests. This performance is an exciting event that allows students to showcase their abilities and celebrate the completion of their year’s study.