Program Outline – Acting for Film and TV (full time / diploma)
Senior Educational Administrator – Joe McCoy

Program Description:
Acting for Film and TV Students will gain a foundation in naturalistic acting techniques that will prepare them to work proficiently in film and T.V. and theatre.
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this program the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • – approach virtually any acting challenge with skill and confidence.
  • – whether in modern or classical texts, to have the skill to create character, articulate vocally, physically and intentionally.
  • – to apply textual analysis skills, to be able to improvise.
  • – to have a well – rounded skill set as an actor and be capable and confident in approaching roles, be they in theatre productions or film and T.V.
  • – with diploma, head shots, demo reel and resume in hand, a student will be able to approach and sign with a reputable talent agency with the skill and confidence to audition proficiently for film, T.V, or theatre.
Instructional Hours
Name of Course # of Hours
Acting for Camera 30
Audition Technique & Career Development 24
Improvisation 20
Meisner 24
Movement 32
Movement Psychology 70
Scene Study 245
Shakespeare 24
Stage Combat 14
Traditions 242
Voice 100
Total: 825
Course Descriptions:
Acting for Camera Acting for Camera is Scene Study photographed. Students will be assigned scenes each class to be shot and viewed in the next, bringing to bear all they have learned in all classes up to this point. As in Scene Study, they will be directed in class and work on their scenes between classes. In addition they will learn the terminology of film acting, such as playing to camera, hitting your mark, stepping into frame, etc. The successful student will be fluent in these terms and confident in front of camera, having completed 8 scenes drawn from scripts specific to film and television.
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • – Act in front of a camera and speak the language you will need on a film set, having completed 8 scenes each.
Audition Technique and Career Development Starting with script breakdown, as film scripts have a language of their own, we proceed to auditioning etiquette, slating, call-backs and the psychology of auditioning. You will practice in a simulated auditioning setting, designed to give you an experience as close to the real thing as possible. Preparing your resume, dealing with agents, unions, casting directors, self-taping, getting the call, preparing to work, what to expect, even being cast – so that when you actually audition out in the world you will be very familiar with the process and know how to handle yourself.
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to prepare and present an audition for film and/or TV, and be able to follow up on the business of acting including finding an agent, networking, how to handle audition call-backs, on auditioning etiquette, and how to become a union member.
Improvisation Improvisational skills enrich an actor's work by inciting them to live truthfully and spontaneously under imaginary circumstances, as they are required to do in scripted work.
  • 1. Establish location
  • 2. Accept the given circumstances
  • 3. Make offers
  • 4. Accept offers rather than block
  • 5. Move the story forward
  • 6. Make strong specific choices
  • 7. Change and be changed
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • – Establish, if has not been beforehand, the location of the given circumstances.
  • – Accept the imaginary reality of the given circumstances or set up.
  • – Actively participate in advancing the story in those circumstances.
  • – Offer and accept
  • – Enhance arcs of their own character and that of their partners within the improvisation (change and be changed)
  • – Choose and play strong and specific actions
Meisner Approach In the Meisner Approach students work on a series of progressively complex improvisational exercises. The successful student will develop an ability to improvise, to access their emotional life, and to bring the spontaneity and richness of their personal response to their work. The technique emphasizes moment-to-moment living through communication with other actors in order to generate behaviour that is truthful and uniquely their own. The successful student will reliably demonstrate qualities of attention* and availability*. Students are responsible for creating their own “activities” and presenting them in class.
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • – Place and sustain attention on partners
  • – Achieve availability
  • – Respond truthfully and spontaneously
  • – Create activities
  • – Present activities
  • – Improvise moment to moment
Movement Psychology The students will learn the theory of Movement Psychology as established by Rudolph Laban in association with Yat Malmgren. The beginning of the course reviews the terms and history of Movement Psychology. Students will learn the six inner attitudes of Near-Remote-Dream-Awake-Mobile-Stable and the four corresponding exercises associated with each.
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • – Understand fully the theory of movement psychology and be able to break down all choices an actor must make based on this theory. In practice this has the effect of enabling the actor to make rapid yet informed character choices in a fraction of the time it would take had they not used this method.
Movement Student will learn basic body awareness, strength training movement dynamics and different ways of moving through the space in order to be combined with and enhance character study. Student will also learn basic dance steps and sequences that are often called upon in a theatrical setting from basic jazz, ballet to partner dancing. Additionally, students will be given group movement studies based on class concepts to be presented to the class in the context of a scene.
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • – Execute physical warm up to avoid any injury
  • – Execute simple dance steps.
  • – Identify and execute effort/flow qualities in movement and incorporate into their scene work
  • – Access a tool box of movement qualities to draw from when developing characters.
  • – Incorporate movement dynamics in their acting
  • – Enhance character work through movement
Scene Study Scene Study is the core reference point in an actor's training. Fundamentals such as text analysis, choosing objectives and actions, moment before, character and story arcs are covered. Scenes and monologues are worked on in class. Each student will work between classes to advance their work. Work will be presented regularly before an audience at scene showings. At the end of first and last term students' work will culminate with performance projects, larger scale scene work (plays) will be rehearsed and performed before an audience.
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • – Identify, choose and play character objectives and beat objectives that are strong, specific and playable and support the text of a given scene.
  • – Action text by assigning active verbs to sentences that can be articulated vocally, physically and intentionally.
  • – Use sense memory work and substitutes to allow the student to actively engage in moments before, thereby enabling them to fight for what they need in the scene.
  • – define and map story and character arcs. In this way they will understand their obligation to story and identify plot points, beat changes and transitions.
  • – Fight, provoke and be affected by the actions of scene partners. They will be proficient and confident in building character, rehearsing and performing.
Key active verbs: engage, fight, conflict, search, provoke, open, play, enact.
Shakespeare Students will learn the basics of acting Shakespeare including: iambic pentameter, scansion, contrast and irony & ambiguity. Students will be assigned scenes to be rehearsed in class as well as between classes. Completed scenes will then be presented in a scene showing at the end of course.
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • – Scan (scansion) Shakespearean verse, using iambic pentameter both as an analysis tool and a speaking one. They will employ irony & ambiguity, contrast in their scene work. At the end of the course students will perform their completed scene in a scene showing.
Stage Combat This course is an introduction to the science and art of combat for stage. The student is introduced to basic unarmed techniques used to create the illusion of combat. Emphasis is given to safety procedures; proper approach to the work; and warm-up and practice techniques.
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • – Have a clear understanding of the safety procedures used in theatrical combat
  • – Understand how to ‘sell’ the illusion of combat
  • – know how to assemble a series of combat movements appropriate to the character, scene and/or situation
Voice & Speech Term 1: Introduction This course introduces students to the history and principles of Voice & Speech training for the Actor (stage/screen): 1) connecting practice and skill-building to the development of the actor’s craft, using a variety of texts; and 2) establishing a modality for ongoing personal study and development to be carried out through Terms 2 & 3.
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • – Overview of modern voice instruction for stage/screen
  • – New vocabulary (support, placement, range, articulation, resonance) for voice training
  • – Connecting the breath to thought, word, and the acting process
  • – How to build a personal warm up regimen
  • – Connecting voice/speech to movement & acting training exploring text through applications of voice & speech
Voice & Speech Term 2: Shakespeare for Stage/Screen This course introduces students to the history and principles of Voice & Speech training for the Actor (stage/screen):
  • 1) Connecting practice and skill-building to the development of the actor’s craft, using a variety of texts; and
  • 2) Establishing a modality for ongoing personal study and development to be carried out through Terms 2 & 3.
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • – A personalized, integrated method for ongoing physical/vocal development (advanced warmup exercises)
  • – The nature of 'discovery' as the primary tool in speaking and understanding Shakespeare's text
  • – The historical context of Shakespeare's plays, and their continuing relevance for actors in the modern era a methodology for learning and practicing Shakespeare soliloquies and scenes (First Folio as the primary actor's text)
  • – Adapting Shakespeare study to film acting studies
Voice & Speech Term 3: Vocal Styles, Independent Study The final semester focuses on independent study (vocal skills) and exploring vocal styles, career orientation (accents/dialects, voice over, narration, commercials, and voices for animation), culminating in a final voice demo assignment and take home exam covering terms 1, 2 & 3.
Learning Objectives / Outcomes: Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • – The process for continuing vocal/physical development as independent study
  • – The variety of off-camera employment opportunities
  • – A phonetics-based method for developing accents and dialects
  • – Reading aloud as the primary skill necessary for narration, commercial voiceover, animation, etc.
  • – A method for developing and preparing original voice demo materials for recording
  • – Microphone technique and studio procedures
  • – Working with directors, producers, and clients