If theatre is your thing, there are many schools to choose from. But if screen acting is your passion then your options are extremely limited, as there are only a handful of on-camera schools in Sydney.
When searching for a good screen acting class to attend make sure the school is dedicated to the craft: the school should have a fully-equipped studio space with cameras, film lighting, sets, props, a green screen and editing facilities. Finding a school like this narrows your limited choices even further.
To properly train actors for the film and television industry the school must be dedicated to this purpose. This requires a large financial investment in equipment and facilities. But there is no other alternative. The school either does it right or it doesn’t. There is no in between when it comes to training for the screen. Otherwise you aren’t going to learn anything of value to support a career in the industry. And as far as your presence on screen is concerned, if you don’t see yourself lit and recorded properly when class scenes are played back and reviewed, then what’s the point?Shooting scenes without the appropriate sets, props and lighting not only gives you no idea of how you really appear on screen but the scenes are useless for show reel purposes. Quite simply, if it isn’t done properly, it’s a waste of your precious time and hard-earned money.
Any school that claims to be a genuine screen acting school must have its own editing facilities. Editing is a huge contributor to your performance, as it shapes and defines story and character and the rhythm and pace of the scene. If a school does not have their own edit suite then you do not understand the process and have no idea of the impact editing has on your work.Therefore you do not fully understand what is required of you when it comes to performing in front of a camera. You will also have no concept of continuity – either with props or with your actual physical performance.
Editing enhances your performance as the editor can use any good material from the number of takes recorded. For example, a well delivered line from Take 3, can be lip synced over your line in Take 2, if Take 2 is being used as the master take. A powerful look or reaction from Take 4 can be inserted into Take 2, to show the audience exactly how you feel about what is being said or done to you by the other actor, or actors in the scene.
To demonstrate the impact editing has on performance, imagine the finished program as a pie chart:25% of what effects you on screen is the actors’ performances, 25% is the music and sound effects and a whopping 50% is the editing. No matter how good your performance on set, the editing will only make it stronger.
Therefore a basic understanding of editing and how it impacts upon your performance is vital for any aspiring actor.
When I set up the Screen Actors Workshop in 1988, I committed myself financially to setting up a television studio environment for my students; a dedicated space where the step from classroom to film set would be a very small step indeed. This approach has paid dividends over the years for my students as they not only understand the machinations of a film set, but exactly what is required of them when they step in front of the camera.
A good school makes the effort to do it right. The students deserve nothing less.
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