Tag: acting course

A guide to choosing the right Acting Classes

Posted on by Elle

People pursue acting classes in adult life for a number of different reasons. These can include:

  • Fulfilling a life-long dream of acting
  • Picking acting back up after a hiatus
  • Building on previously learnt skills
  • Advancement of current acting career
  • Confidence building
  • Public speaking
  • Personal development

Acting classes can help with all of the above. However, sifting through the selections of the available classes on offer can be confusing if you are not sure where to start.

We suggest that you consider the following:

Decide on your focus. Do you want to act for film and television or are you more stage focused?

Acting techniques differ depending on the medium you want to work in. Acting for the stage encompasses very different techniques to acting for the camera. Courses will often focus on one or the other.

Stay clear of schools offering to make you famous.  

Don’t believe the hype. Participating in an acting course will not make you famous. Steer clear of any acting school or class that promises fame, representation and on-going work on completion of a course. Reputable acting classes should be designed to help you to learn and integrate the skills necessary for delivering your best performance. Actors develop at different paces and not everyone will be ready to take the world by storm after a single intensive. Schools often have very little influence over casting directors with only few maintaining a reputation with agents and casting directors.

Be prepared to commit to continued training.

Some schools will have you believe that you can become a proficient actor with just weeks of training. The truth is that it takes time and dedication. Some of Australia’s top actors trained for years in their craft and many continue their training well into their careers. If you want to make acting your career then you must be willing to commit to your training. Look for a school with a graduated system and a dedication to providing you with honest and comprehensive feedback so that you are always working at the level you are capable of.

Don’t attend cattle call casting courses.

Some acting schools offer ‘cattle call’ castings workshops with a casting director where hundreds of enthusiastic actors try their luck. Many students enrol in these classes for the opportunity to be seen without the adequate skill set behind them. This can be a damaging career move as it may ruin your chances of being seen by that casting director in the future when your skills are at a higher level and you can present your best work.

Our Philosophy.

The main focus at Brave Studios is providing a safe environment for students to have the courage to take the risks needed in acting training to get to the truth of a scene and character. We want to make sure students are challenged individually throughout the entire acting course, and finding moments of truth in the work in every class. Finding the right acting course for you can be tricky. At Brave Studios our professional staff are always available to help guide you in the right direction making sure you find the acting course best suited to each individual. Brave Studios offer acting courses that run over 8 weeks opening more opportunities and choices for the aspiring actor our courses are designed to challenge our students, expose them to the most supportive casting directors and give them direct and honest feedback to help them be the best they can be.

Teenage School Holiday Acting for Film and TV Workshops

Posted on by Elle

Brave Studios teenage school holiday Acting for Film and TV workshop for teenagers runs every school holidays in conjunction with our sister school Greentree acting school. These workshops are specifically designed for the teenage actor who is serious about acting and about developing their skills towards making acting their profession. Unfortunately, there are very few of these types of intensive acting classes available to teens in Melbourne. We feel it is important to offer a quality experience that rivals our adult classes for content and skill building.

In the past we have found that our passionate teenage actors involved have left the course feeling inspired and motivated. Many do not want it to end which is why we have recently extended the course from 2 days to a 3 day acting intensive, so that students have ample time to forge strong friendships with their classmates and really hone their scene work skills.

Course director Lyndelle Green (who also teaches our beginner and advanced adult courses at Brave Studios) does a spectacular job inspiring young actors who come through the doors. Her infectious passion, nurturing nature and extensive experience creates a wonderful environment for the young actors to move forward in their work. Lyndelle makes sure that the course participants are challenged to give their best possible performances once it comes time to film the scene work.

Throughout the teenage school holiday acting workshop students are directed in numerous ways to get to the truth of a scene and character, they then film scenes in front of the camera. Our teenage acting students always inspire us with their lack of fear and willingness to play with in a scene.

Many casting agents call on Brave Studios and Greentree Acting School when casting as we have a reputation for nurturing raw talent. Our teenage acting students are extremely well trained and continue to make us proud.

 

The Actors Workshop Launches with Ana Kokkinos

Posted on by Elle

Film Maker / Director Ana Kokkinos has launched our Professional Series actors workshop. A 2 day intensive workshop for industry professionals wanting to exercise their talents and/or expand their own process.

Over the last twenty+ years Ana has established herself as one of Australia’s most innovative and creative film makers. Ana hold titles such as ‘Only the Brave’, ‘Head On’  and ‘Blessed’ to her name. She has firmly stamped her mark on the Australian film making landscape. Her television credits include Secret Life of Us and more recently Time of our Lives. Her process and eye for detail have garnered her widespread acclaim from many Australian actors.

The actors workshop provides an exclusive opportunity for professional actors to work with Ana and learn her process for bringing a script to life; a process which can be transferred and used with any script from audition through to performance.

All Actors involved were left wanting more after being introduced to Ana’s unique and beneficial process. Ana Kokkinos has an extraordinary ability to pinpoint what is not working in a scene instantly as well as breaking down a block that might be holding an actor’s performance back. All professional actors involved in the Actors course, including Ana, were reminded how important it was to continue with acting training no matter how experienced an actor you are. Working with other actors on scenes and getting out on the floor to flex those acting muscles can only do you well. After the success of our first Actors workshop, Ana Kokkinos and Brave Studios are very excited to continue working together and look forward to announcing our next workshops soon. Ana is now working on a number of new projects and we can only wish her the best of success. Thank you Ana and to all the Actors involved in ‘The Actors Workshop’. We can’t wait to see you again soon.

WHAT PEOPLE SAID

“It was a pure delight to be in a safe, encouraging environment surround by like minded artists and be at the helm of someone you admire in a warm space. Thank you for creating that … Ana is gracious, honest and inspiring. She brings a beautiful nurturing element into rehearsals where you feel safe, comfortable and free. It was a pure delight to work with her and the other artists.”
Ben Noble

“Absolutely amazing weekend – learning and flexing our acting muscles in a safe place. Ana gave insightful, clear and tailored direction and feedback for each individual to take their acting to the next level. The two intensive days allowed us to focus on particular processes/areas in detail”
Georgia Byrne