AUDITION WORKSHOP 2010: Presented by Libe Ferreira (libe777@gmail.com)

The Audition and Beyond

A series of 4 workshops opening up explored and unexplored avenues to fine-tune acting skills.

Because casting sessions do not allow enough time to work with actors and develop talent, I am presenting acting workshops as from Saturday 22 May.

The course has the potential of culminating in an actors showcase in August, open to the industry’s producers and directors. And this in turn holds the promise of work for actors not yet discovered.

The material we workshop is derived from film and TV scripts. A complete set of scenes will be handed out to actors at the first session. Work will be recorded on camera. During every session scenes will be played back, notes will be given and scenes will be reworked. During the week following every Saturday session, each actor will be given a DVD so that he can review his work in preparation for the next workshop. This can be helpful in monitoring his own progress.

Course content:

Workshop 1

►What makes a good audition

An overview and a few laughs.

►Stage acting vs film acting

Finding your individual key to enter different doors to different worlds.

►Preparing for the audition

“I only have a few speeches in my audition script and the character brief doesn’t really help a lot. How can I develop a character at all?” Creative vs academic script interpretation.

►Audition flexibility

Exploring different genres (film, TV series, soaps).

Workshop 2

►Technique and thought process

Breathing, movement, body language, voice. Technique should be so deeply embedded in an actor’s subconscious that it becomes part and parcel of his character’s thought process. Practice practice practice…

►Subtext

Making the “unsaid / invisible” part of the story visible - understanding visual grammar from a psychological and creative perspective.

►Listening skills

All action is reaction. If you’re not listening in-character to your fellow actor, your reaction will be… Fake – no matter how well you know your lines.

►Props “and other dead objects”

How to handle them so that they act with you, not against you. Props are dead things but as soon as you touch them on camera they become as alive as you are. The same goes for wardrobe. You can use the clothes you wear for or against you in a performance.

Workshop 3

►Blocking

Are your moves motivated? Hitting your marks. Single cam vs. multi cam.

►Taking director’s notes

Making sure your vision for and interpretation of your character is the same as that of your director. If your performance is based on compromise, it may lead to little more than mimicry and a sense of falseness.

►Rehearsal

A crucial time in preparation of character and story - not a mere practice session. It is an opportunity to develop stronger understanding of characters, relationships, and the feel of the story in terms of style, tempo and energy.

►Work ethics

Workshop 4

► An evaluation of work done and

► Auditioning for the August showcase.

When:

Every Saturday from 10:00 – 17:00 (first workshop: 22 May)

Where:

Sasani Studios, Highlands North

Cost:

R400-00 per workshop.