3 Year Acting for Film and Television - Overview

Qualifications

Diploma in Professional Acting (Level 6) validated by Trinity College London
BA (Hons) Acting for Film and Television validated by City University London

View the film overview of the School of Acting here

Aims:

Actors have always been a vital part of any culture because they have a unique ability to express a truthful understanding of the human condition. The stories they enact can inspire, amuse, re-assure, shock, amaze or even edify an audience. It’s a very responsible job and in order to do it convincingly, actors need to be given the appropriate training in a range of performance contexts, including film, television, theatre and radio.

The Modern Actor
This is the acting course for the modern actor. Arts Ed has listened to the industry and redesigned its course to fit the demands made on an actor in the twenty first century. Whilst most drama training concentrates on producing theatre actors Arts Ed has seen that 60% of paid work comes from screen acting of one sort or another. So we have expanded the amount of work that our students do in front of the camera to 50%. Whilst still giving the student a thorough foundation in classical theatre acting, we have strengthened the film and television training throughout the course - enabling our actors to understand that the most profound and important difference between film and television acting, to that of acting on stage, is a different ‘process’ to create the role. Get this process right and the actor can succeed in the modern industry.
Whilst good acting is good acting, the screen actor has to understand that they have to use a totally different process to that of the stage actor to produce a believable character. In theatre, the actor goes into a private space with the other actors and the director to rehearse the play together. The director skilfully draws the performance out of the actor with improvisations and acting exercises designed to free the actor’s imagination. The actors work with each other, developing their characters. So, by the first night all the actors know what the others will be doing at any given point. They work in a linear line from the beginning of the play to the end.
It is totally different for the screen actor.
The screen actor has to do most of their character development on their own, without the stimulus or help of a director. Without knowing who is playing the other parts in the film or how they might play them. They may do the scene where they break up with their husband before the scene where they meet and fall in love with him. The screen actor has to prepare and develop the characters story and emotional arc completely alone.  The screen actor has to be able adapt to playing intimately with virtual strangers, on time pressured sets, revealing a characters frailties in close up whilst surrounded by strangers busy on their own work (The crew).  They shoot not only scenes in the film out of sequence; they may even shoot bits of a single scene out of order. And all of this needs to be done truthfully, in character. 

The Training
ArtsEd concentrates on all the fundamental skills; character creation and analysis, improvisation, story telling, vocal and physical articulation. The course gives a thorough training in these essential skills giving the actor the classical expertise needed for the theatre. The students learn how to use the creative explorations of Stanislavski, Meisner and Mike Leigh to open up and discover character and action in scripts. They perform in a spectrum of plays by Chekhov, Shakespeare as well as the American classics by Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams; theatre experimentalists such as Pirandello, Brecht and Berkoff as well as British playwrights from Coward to Pinter through to Jez Butterworth. Theatre at ArtsEd is seen as essential for developing an actor’s imagination and creative muscle.
The course covers all areas that modern actors need to know, voice overs, additional dialog recording (ADR) and voice for radio as well as Film and Television.
ArtsEd gives the student a thorough and complete training in theatre, radio, television and film.  Our students are fully prepared for all the opportunities that will present themselves when they graduate. In an ever-competitive industry the actor has to be able to grasp their opportunities when they arrive. There is no time now to learn on the job as there was even ten years ago. The modern actor has to be fully prepared to be the person created by the writer under the enormous pressure that the modern industry exerts over the actor.

Course overview

The course is constructed to take the students on a creative journey that allows them to develop their individual skills to become inventive and imaginative actors. They discover how to use their unique personalities in the creation of truthful and original characters.

First Year

The first year concentrates on the development of all the vocal and physical skills that actors need to express their artistic vision. The students are also taught various methods of text analysis and character creation based on the work of Stanislavski; combined with the improvisation methods of Mike Leigh. They are introduced to the performance and craft skills necessary to work confidently and effectively in film and television, and they learn how to create truthful performances that communicate clearly and directly with an audience. This demystifies the film making process for the student, teaching them to how to crew for themselves and fundamentally to readdress their process at creating a character.

Projects

Storytelling (devised)
Chekhov
The Performer and the Audience (i.e. Brecht, Beckett, Ionesco)

Second Year

The second year continues the development of the technical and artistic skills necessary for acting in film, television and theatre, and makes an extensive study of the acting techniques of Sanford Meisner. There is a thorough exploration and analysis of heightened language, verse texts and contemporary theatre, and classes in Interview Technique and the Recorded Voice

Performance projects throughout the year provide the opportunity for a practical application of the training in a variety of styles and genres.

Projects

Screen Acting One - Single Camera Filming - This gives the student a comprehensive understanding of the screen craft needed by today’s modern actor in film & television, from hitting marks to frame size, to vocal levels of intensity and of concentration on the fundamentals of screen acting preparation, concentration and relaxation, top enable the students to give unique performances on film & TV.
Classic American - Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Clifford Odets
Screen Acting Two - This module concentrates on giving the student the real experiences on shoot in today’s TV, giving the students a profound understanding of the need for greater preparation and the courage to make brave choices in the tense and pressurised environments of today’s modern media.
Contemporary Theatre - Verbatim & Recorded Delivery, New Writing, Devised Theatre
Screen Performance -  Each student is cast in at least one short film. These films are put on a show-reel DVD which is circulated to agents, directors and casting directors, attracting immediate industry interest.
Shakespeare

Third Year

The third year offers the students the opportunity to present their work to the public through a series of theatre productions and film screenings. The students are also given a comprehensive induction in self promotion and professional practice.

Professional and Business Preparation

Students are given a thorough, all round professional training not only in the art of acting but also in the logistics of how to succeed in a heavily competitive industry. With regular lectures from industry professionals, students gain knowledge and understanding of all the business aspects and behind-the-scenes workings of the profession.

They will have extensive training in audition techniques, and learn how to present themselves when meeting agents, casting directors, directors and the media. Advice is also given on their promotional photographs and CV; and in their final year the student creates a working Action Plan for use post graduation.

Plays

Each student is cast in two different plays during their final year. The plays are directed by professional free-lance directors who audition the students and cast them in suitable roles. The plays are rehearsed and then presented in one of our two on-site theatres.

Films

Each student is given a part in two or more films which are produced and directed to industry standard with a professional director of photography and multiple locations. The students also get the chance to crew each others films, giving them a crucial insight into how a professional film set actually works. The Third Year films are given a West End screening to industry professionals. DVD show-reels are then available to send to agents and casting directors.

Showcase

All the students are involved in a showcase of short scenes. This is presented at a London Theatre for industry professionals. DVD show-reels are made available for agents and casting directors at this event.