NEXT COURSES

October 13, 2008 - July 1, 2009

2 sessions per week

CAMERA: THE TRUTH 24 fps - 2nd and 3rd part

Teacher: Eric Bartonio

Continuation & intensification of Eric’s 1st year course. Short shootings in studio and/or natural scenery. Watching and critique of the first course rushes. Comments & corrections. Corrective shootings.

ACTION'S ANATOMY

Teacher: Robert Cordier

Studies and shooting roughs with the texts of the 3rd trimester editing. The action’s anatomy is a description of what the action is doing. It is the key of the action’s execution.

SHORT CUTS

Teacher: Robert Cordier

Editing of various French, English and American author’s texts. Hands-on practice of shootings after the texts analysis. The actor accomplishes all these «play parts» simply.

He knows exactly where to focus his energy, so he knows where to direct his gaze, he spots constraints and freedom of movement. He understands the importance of continuity and handles props with creativity.

MEDIUM LENGTH FILM

Director: Yves Collignon

Making of a medium-length film from an editing of texts and improvisations with camera.

STUDENT SHOOTINGS

Making of short films: from sequences of chosen scenes or written especially for the project + one or two monologues.

MEISNER TECHNIQUE FOR FILM

Teacher: Tiffany Stern

Word repetition, independent task, activities.
« The word repetition game » invented by Meisner is an exercise & a work tool that sharpens the impulse, this concrete answer to an inside or outside stimulus. When the actor receives the stimulus –the fact or exciting event- he reacts, moves and « slips » it into his imagination (which must have an effective technique), according to his personal combinations. The actor who plays thoroughly from this stimulus approaches an « impulsive, organic and true » behaviour; he reacts according to the Other « in the moment » - and not with twitches and pre-established behaviour clichés. Meisner declared again and again:

« The exercise eliminates all that “head work”, it takes away all the mental manipulation and gets us to where true impulses come from. »

THE ACTOR & HIS OWN Image

Teacher: Alexandre Velikovski

The approach of the body and soul of the character through what he is saying, what he is doing and how he is doing it. The objective of the first acting training courses can be defined with Stanislavski’s words “on stage, … forget everything : how you walk, how you sit, eat, drink, sleep, talk, watch, listen – in a word, how you act, inwardly and externally. All this, you have to re-learn it on stage, exactly like a child that learns how to walk, talk, watch and listen.”

To create, the painter needs paintbrushes and colours; the architect needs building materials, the musician an instrument… But what does an actor need for his work? The actor needs…himself. He is both interpreter and his own instrument! This means that you have to learn to yourself how to play on yourself! It’s on this acting know-how we will work in our courses.

Of course, all this is the basis of the artistic work of any drama actor, whatever the field and the style. Nevertheless, it is the cinematographer who uses in the most direct way the typical feature of the actor, his appearance, and the particularities of his personality. The actor requires a maximum of naturalness, an organic set… -the camera doesn’t accept any wrong tone, any exaggeration…That means that a film actor must be able more than anyone else to unveil his personality in any situation (given circumstances) proposed by the script.

What can be the I in the different given circumstances? What are « given circumstances »? Looking for answers to these questions, and to many others, is also part of our courses.

The main thing is to realize that without self understanding, without the ability to manage yourself, it is merely impossible to feel joy and pleasure from work… and this what we all aspire to!

CASTING FICTION

Casting Director

Teacher: Eric Bartonio

During the first two trimesters, the actor discovers film and television work. So here, we focus on his future. Even if his experience is still at its beginnings, he has to find work, he must play, practice the profession he is acquiring. He will answer to various demands and will have the occasion to hold many auditions for a part. Castings are the inevitable intermediaries to access a shooting. But there are many actors and many casting directors. That is why it is important to know how to manage these meetings. They are decisive for the success of the actor’s work. It is indeed important to be yourself, to be natural, spontaneous, but not to the detriment of professionalism. It is important to be ready in order to give yourself during an audition. At this moment, the acuity of the actor must be particularly effective. He has to catch, understand, analyse, restitute and illuminate his character in no time. We are far from theatrical rehearsals where the approach towards the other is progressive and can take weeks.

To improve his capacity and prepare him to these contacts with castings, we work on several lines that contribute to strengthen the actor’s personality.

At first we work on monologues where the actor stands facing himself and alone in front of everyone. Concentration has to be optimal so that the actor focuses on the only goal of his work: managing to affect the other, the one that watches and listens, the one that decides, the casting director. Because even if the actor is good, the casting always is a mere step, he can seduce but above all he mustn’t cheat. If the actor is chosen, he will be free to deepen his work and propose something more subtle, deeper, and clearer than during the audition. These monologues can extend to short one -man shows. Therefore, they can unveil the actors’ nature and comfort them facing themselves.

A performance is only complete when the diction is clear and natural. Actors playing monologues will have to be understood and heard, so it is imperative to work your diction. Directors are always grateful for that.