2022-4: Practise, Practise, Practise

Dates/time: Wednesdays, 21 Sept - 26 Oct 2022, from 6:30pm to 9pm

Director: Jonathan Briden

DOP: Rush Jopson

Cost: $195^*
* = We can provide a discounted rate for those experiencing genuine financial hardship. Please let us know if this applies.

Venue: Edgar Room, Risingholme Community Centre, 22 Cholmondeley Avenue, Opawa - more info

Enrolment: class has ended

About this block

In this block you're going to be put through you paces. We're pulling back on the theory and focusing on learning scripts, taking direction, and getting in front of the camera.

We're rejigging the class format to give you more of a chance to really learn your scripts, work with a scene partner, and get personalised feedback on your performance.

Outline of classes

The following is an outline of the content we will be working on during this block.

Introduction and Neutral Scripts

We'll start with a short introduction to the course, and to each other, then move on to working with some neutral scripts.

Prior to the start of the course, you will be sent some short neutral scripts, which you will be asked to learn. These are simple scripts where the context, character identity, and emotion are non-specific. As such, they provide a platform from which to experiment.

Acting Technique

We'll continue with our neutral scripts, and use these as a basis for working on our acting technique. This includes tone, emotional range, physicality, pacing, presence, and connection.

We're lucky to have a range of different experience levels in the class, and as such, we will work on both general technique and individual feedback based on your level.

Taking Direction

As an actor, you need to be able to accept and respond to direction in a professional manner. We'll look at a range of things that you may be asked to do by a director, and give you the opportunity to try them out.

Script-work

After we've explored a variety of aspects using neutral scripts, we'll move onto more standard scripted dialogue.

We'll look at a variety of techniques that help you to learn and understand your script, as well as elements to help you understand the emotional journey that your character goes on over the course of the scene.

important: In this part of the course you will be working in pairs. The expectation is that when you are given a script, you should be able to have it memorised by the following week. It's important that you do this for your own development, and it's important that you are prepared out of respect for your scene partner.

Filming

We will be doing some very basic filming throughout the course, but primarily for training purposes only.

In the latter part of the course, we will work towards shooting your scene to a more professional level.

Photo by Ron Lach