In this compulsory MA/ Postgraduate Diploma Acting class students are required to assess dispassionately and objectively how they appear and what messages their physicality and vocal patterns communicate to audiences. Strategies are then developed with the acquisition of tools for acting technique, to create an open, ready, energised available physicality and voice, free of unhelpful habits. Likewise, students are encouraged to move to a psychological attitude of open readiness to work, liberating their imagination towards artistic creative development whilst developing an understanding of professional discipline.
The work will focus on will developing skills so that the actor can communicate effectively. Students will be required to be vocally adept and appear physically plausible when working. Students will develop powers of observation and analysis and gain the vocabulary and skill to break down a text. Improvisation tools and exercises to encourage spontaneity and creativity will open minds as the technical work opens the body.
At the end of the first term students will engage with professional development practice working with directors, writers or other theatre practitioners on new endeavours in development to gain understanding of professional project development models and processes.
In the second term further in depth scene study - context, idea, character, relationship and improvisation into the scenes are supported by animal study and movement work into performance of scenes from play texts.
Media (Radio & Camera)
Over two terms students will be given the opportunity to:
Experience the pressures of creating roles for radio and TV/film
Work under close to professional pressure in creating a role for the media
Radio
In Radio, students will create a radio drama under conditions similar to those of the industry. You will be expected to show that:
1. You can put into practice the skill introduced earlier
2. You can produce a professional standard of work under time pressure
Acting For Camera
In this unit, students will be introduced to:
1. audition, casting, and interview situations for TV/Film
2. sight reading for audition purposes
3. basic problems of listening and reacting, hitting the mark, eye lines, continuity
4. the different types of "shots" (close-up, long shot, etc, etc)
5. integration of acting skills applied with the confines and disciplines of the medium
6. the pressures and problems of location shooting
7. the pressures of non-linear approach to film acting
8. the perception of the actor's persona on camera
9. the need to apply "units and objectives" to screen acting
During an intensive week of work with outside directors and technicians, students will be expected to:
create and sustain believable characters on screen
work creatively under pressure
adapt their previous experience to the technology surrounding them on location under professional conditions
The work will focus on will developing skills so that the actor can communicate effectively. Students will be required to be vocally adept and appear physically plausible when working. Students will develop powers of observation and analysis and gain the vocabulary and skill to break down a text. Improvisation tools and exercises to encourage spontaneity and creativity will open minds as the technical work opens the body.
At the end of the first term students will engage with professional development practice working with directors, writers or other theatre practitioners on new endeavours in development to gain understanding of professional project development models and processes.
In the second term further in depth scene study - context, idea, character, relationship and improvisation into the scenes are supported by animal study and movement work into performance of scenes from play texts.
Media (Radio & Camera)
Over two terms students will be given the opportunity to:
Experience the pressures of creating roles for radio and TV/film
Work under close to professional pressure in creating a role for the media
Radio
In Radio, students will create a radio drama under conditions similar to those of the industry. You will be expected to show that:
1. You can put into practice the skill introduced earlier
2. You can produce a professional standard of work under time pressure
Acting For Camera
In this unit, students will be introduced to:
1. audition, casting, and interview situations for TV/Film
2. sight reading for audition purposes
3. basic problems of listening and reacting, hitting the mark, eye lines, continuity
4. the different types of "shots" (close-up, long shot, etc, etc)
5. integration of acting skills applied with the confines and disciplines of the medium
6. the pressures and problems of location shooting
7. the pressures of non-linear approach to film acting
8. the perception of the actor's persona on camera
9. the need to apply "units and objectives" to screen acting
During an intensive week of work with outside directors and technicians, students will be expected to:
create and sustain believable characters on screen
work creatively under pressure
adapt their previous experience to the technology surrounding them on location under professional conditions