Hands-on 10-Week Acting for Film Workshop

The 10-Week Acting for Film Workshop is an immersion workshop that takes students from the basic principles of the craft through a broad working understanding of the aesthetic and technical aspects of the medium. The basis of this and all other NYFA programs is learning by doing, using a hands-on, practical, experiential approach. Acting for Film and Voice and Speech are the two principal areas of concentration in this workshop.

The Acting for Film workshop sees the students embedded with the Diploma students in their first term.

The following subjects will be covered:

• Acting for Film I
• Voice & Speech

Acting for Film I

This course introduces students to the skills necessary for creating a fully realised performance on camera.The primary emphasis of the class is two-fold: a study of film terminology and set etiquette and an introduction to the acting challenges unique to the art of cinema, such as shot size and how it relates to performance, continuity, hitting a mark, eye line, and the importance of subtlety and nuance. Students will learn the terminology used on a professional film set and the various roles involved.

In order to understand the collaborative relationship between a director and actor, students will be directing scenes, rehearsing scenes and performing in scenes. Students will study the fundamentals of the director's palette, including camera placement, blocking, staging, and visual image design, to learn the basic building blocks of visual storytelling and how this affects an actor’s choices in performance.

Voice & Speech

This course gives students the tools to explore basic elements of clear and understandable speech. Working with a speech specialist, students will develop speech skills through a variety of techniques before studying different Australian and American dialects to develop expertise in applying accents for the local and overseas market and identifying popular trends in the industry. Students will apply the speech techniques through a range of practical and theory-based activities.

In this course, students will hone a vocal technique that is open, free, flexible, lively, and possessing an extensive and colourful range, while also identifying habits that may impact the connection between the body and the voice.

No significant prior experience or knowledge is assumed. The program brings everyone to the same level very quickly, beginning with the fundamentals while also filling in the inevitable gaps in the understanding of those with some prior experience.