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Designed for directors with some filmmaking experience, but little or no involvement in the performing arts, the course examines how actors are trained and the various methods they use in order to inhabit their characters and bring them vividly to life.
What directors far too often lack is an understanding of the specific needs actors have in their efforts to help the director achieve her/his vision and a vocabulary with which to communicate effectively with their cast. This workshop aims to address that deficiency by helping participants to develop means of communications that are both concise and effective.
Additionally the course will demonstrate how the methodologies actors use can help the director make informed decisions on camera placement and visual language.
In order to have as clear an understanding of what actors require from their director, participants will fulfil the roles of both actor and director during the first two days, reversing roles with their fellow participants. This exploration of the actor/director relationship will examine:
• What is ‘acting’? Participants will take part in practical acting exercises.
• The actor/director relationship. Trust, Collaboration, Delegation.
• The dangers of preconceived performance. Choreographing every single aspect of an actor’s performance versus the value of stimulating the actors' imaginations in their efforts to bring their characters to life.
• The actor’s toolbox. What’s in it? And how do you ensure that the actor can use these tools effectively?
• Actor’s Methodologies. Participants examine some of the different methodologies that actors use when preparing to inhabit their characters.
• Giving notes to actors. The need for clarity and simplicity. How much information? When and how to give notes? Playable notes and the need for verbs.
• The importance of the story. Everything begins and ends with the story: the imperative of seeing the world through the eyes of the character. What are the character’s objectives and needs? What are the given facts about the character in the screenplay?
The third day of the course will be spent in rehearsals/readings with professional actors in order to learn about their methodologies. We will be carrying out the kind of detailed analyses of scenes that actors routinely do from existing feature film screenplays.
Participants will see how and to what extent they mine text for information that is essential in order to truthfully play any scene. And just how useful this methodology can be for directors when they are planning how to shoot any scene.
Although there are no specific entry requirements for this course, some experience of directing actors is preferred. This could have been gained through a variety of experiences such as theatre, commercials, short/independent film.
Please fill in the application form,.
