Accelerated Screen Performance

Practical Techniques to Help Performers Deliver Truthful, Controlled and Compelling On-Camera Work

This unit encourages students to develop a deeper understanding of themselves as artists while building the practical tools required to create meaningful, truthful and compelling screen performances.

Throughout Term 1, students will explore techniques designed to strengthen their ability to build authentic screen characters, access and stretch their imagination, become more present and responsive in the moment, and develop greater spontaneity, freedom and control in their work. The focus is on establishing a strong foundation that students can draw upon throughout the remainder of the program, and discovering which approaches and techniques work best for them as individual actors.

Students will engage with principles drawn from Practical Aesthetics, Meisner, Strasberg, Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, Michael Chekhov, Stella Adler and Ivana Chubbuck, working with leading actor trainers and industry professionals specialising in these respective approaches.

Students will also be encouraged to identify their individual strengths and areas for development as actors, and to begin articulating a personal plan for growth over the following 30 weeks of training.

Objectives for Term 1

The first term is designed to introduce students to a broad range of practical acting techniques and approaches, providing a strong foundation from which to explore, develop and refine their own process as screen actors.

Students will work with principles drawn from a range of influential acting methods, developing tools to help them:

• Become more present, responsive, spontaneous and connected in their work.
• Develop greater freedom and confidence in their bodies, voice, imagination and emotional life.
• Explore different approaches to character, text analysis, objectives, actions, relationships, substitution, personalisation, given circumstances and rehearsal.
• Develop the ability to approach a script and character from multiple perspectives, rather than relying on a single acting methodology.
• Apply their developing understanding of script analysis, voice, improvisation and performance technique to monologue and scene work for the camera.
• Build greater specificity, embodiment, connection and truthfulness in their performances.
• Identify their individual strengths and areas for development, while beginning to discover which techniques and approaches best support their own acting process.
• Begin developing a personal toolkit of techniques that they can continue to draw upon and refine throughout the remaining 30 weeks of training.

The objective is not to prescribe one particular acting method, but to expose students to a diverse range of approaches and practical techniques, allowing each actor to explore, question and discover the tools that enable them to do their most truthful, connected and compelling work.

Screen-Focused Immersion into Genre, Character and Professional Practice.

Building on the practical tools and approaches explored in Term 1, Term 2 immerses students in a diverse range of screen genres, performance styles and professional working environments. Students will work alongside leading industry professionals, with each unit designed around a particular genre or area of screen performance and led by an actor, director or specialist with recognised experience in that field. This provides students with the opportunity to not only train with, but also connect with and be mentored by, working screen professionals from across Australia.

Throughout the term, students will be exposed to a wide range of scripts, characters and performance styles, from television soaps and children’s television through to police drama, social drama, telemovies, feature films, period drama, Shakespeare and Chekhov. By working across contrasting genres and forms, students will develop a greater understanding of the demands of different styles of performance and learn how to adapt their approach to the specific requirements of the material, medium and professional environment.

The focus is to extend and challenge the actor’s developing toolkit through increasingly complex material, while providing exposure to the broadest possible range of scripts, genres and professional perspectives. Students will have the opportunity to apply the techniques and approaches explored in Term 1, while continuing to discover how different tools can support their work across a variety of performance contexts.

Afternoon units will take students deeper into script interpretation, character development and the use of language, developing greater confidence, specificity and precision in their work. Students will also be introduced to the technical realities of working on set, including how to work effectively with the camera, understand the demands of a film set and collaborate with directors and crew.

Students will apply their developing skills across a range of genres and specialised areas, training with industry professionals who are leaders in their respective fields, including:

• Television Soaps
• Children’s Television
• Police Drama
• Social Drama
• Telemovies
• Feature Films
• Period Drama
• Shakespeare
• Chekhov
• On-Set Intimacy
• Screen Testing

Physical and Specialist Screen Skills

Term 2 will also challenge students to develop greater physical awareness, discipline and confidence through specialist training in:

• Archery
• Fencing
• Screen Combat

Through this intensive genre-based immersion, students will gain practical experience working with a diverse range of material, performance styles and industry professionals. The objective is to equip each actor with greater versatility, confidence and adaptability, enabling them to approach future auditions, screen roles and professional opportunities with a broader understanding of the demands of the work and a stronger range of practical tools at their disposal.

Refine Your Screen Acting Skills Under Industry Conditions as You Prepare for Your Professional Showcase Shoot & Screening.

Term 3 brings together the knowledge, techniques and practical experience developed throughout the first two terms, allowing students to revisit, strengthen and refine their individual approach to screen performance.

Working with a range of leading trainers, directors and industry professionals, students will continue to challenge and deepen their craft while building greater confidence, consistency and control in front of the camera. Drawing on the diverse range of approaches explored throughout the program, actors will further develop the tools that best support their individual process and prepare them to deliver truthful, compelling and technically assured screen performances.

As the term progresses, the focus shifts towards preparing students for their professional Showcase Shoot.

Showcase Shoot & Industry Screening

In the final weeks of Term 3, each actor will take part in a professionally produced on-location shoot, filming a carefully selected scene under industry conditions with a professional director and crew.

Working closely with the studio team, students will be guided in the selection and preparation of material designed to support their individual casting profile, showcase their strengths and create compelling, industry-ready screen work.

The experience provides actors with the opportunity to apply the skills developed throughout the program, from script analysis and character development to working with a director, camera and professional crew, in a realistic screen production environment.

Following the shoot, students will come together to celebrate the completion of the program at a private cinema screening, where their professionally produced work will be showcased alongside fellow actors, with invited friends and family in attendance.

A Highly Selective Training Experience

This is a highly competitive and in-demand program, with strictly limited places for just 14 participants.

The 30-week experience is designed to challenge, develop and prepare actors through an intensive combination of practical technique, genre-based performance, industry mentorship, specialised skills training and professional screen production, culminating in the opportunity to create high-quality screen work that can support their progression into the industry.