Acting Program

COURSES AND WORKSHOPS

Screen Acting Craft

Acting is both an art and a craft. This course will focus on craft, emphasizing the technical demands of screen acting. Students will learn to calibrate their performances specifically for the camera frame, adjusting for close-ups and wide shots. Since the camera photographs thought, students will develop an active and varying inner monologue and understand the nuances of acting, thinking and listening with the eyes. A scene study unit will underscore how to break down a scene and play it effectively for the camera.

Acting Technique

This practical course explores acting techniques applicable to both ensemble work and film. Students will start with basic acting exercises and projects, progressively integrating more complex principles. Students will practice approaches to developing a character and analyzing text. Because film is primarily a naturalistic medium, the main emphasis will be grounded in the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavski and his disciples. Actors will train in the basics of naturalist acting technique such as pursuing an objective, breaking scenes into beats, playing actions, and overcoming obstacles. The course will include a substantial unit on Meisner Technique, which builds the foundation for listening and responding truthfully in character.

Audition Technique

Acting skills are of very little use if they can't be put to practice on a professional set. This course will teach actors how to market and promote themselves in a competitive industry. Actors will learn strategies to tackle cold reading and on-screen castings. Each student will partake in a series of mock castings with a professional casting director who will critique their work. The study also includes self-taping, which is widely used in professional casting.

The Business of Acting

Students will learn specific marketing strategies, and confer about how to navigate their career and attract professional representation. Specifically, actors will learn how to organize a professional CV, choose a winning headshot, organize a successful website, and best take advantage of the Internet for actor marketing. They will also continue to practice and improve audition techniques learned in the first semester.

Film Production

It is an imperative part of the training process for actors to work on an actual film set. Therefore each student will be expected to participate in some short films produced by Prague Film School directors. Other legitimate film work that an actor may obtain while in Prague might also be included towards course credit. Students will be encouraged to combine this material with scene work to produce a marketable show reel. This class will also instruct students to use basic editing programs and provide an introduction to screenwriting.

Voice

The vocal chords are a muscle and must be exercised and strengthened. Students will work with a voice coach to expand vocal range, develop vocal control and work with developing select accents. The second semester includes singing classes and performances.

Movement for Stage and Screen

The actor must be physically fit and flexible. Each class day will begin with a strengthening warm-up regime, preparing students for the physical and vocal aspects of the craft. Units in this class will include yoga and dance.

Workshops

Throughout the year, students are involved in several workshops that provide further training in various disciplines. These have included such topics as combat (sword-fighting, shooting, and body-contact), visualizing and thinking like a director, acting for virtual reality, and makeup, to name a few.

Guest Lecturers

Every year we bring inspiring professionals from around the globe to offer students insider information about the film industry. Most notably is Nancy Bishop, the founder of PFS Acting for Film Program, and a CSA, Emmy-nominated casting director who has cast over a hundred international projects. She teaches film acting and auditioning techniques several times throughout the year.

We also offer a workshop with Francisco Medina, a life coach and acting coach, who teaches internationally and works alongside acting teacher Bernard Hiller from Los Angeles.

Other notable teachers have been Judy Levine, producer of several films including The Sessions and The Catcher was a Spy, film director Bruno Coppola, and Guy Roberts, the artistic director of Prague Shakespeare Company.

The faculty at Prague Film School all work in the film industry in Prague and are constantly in contact with professionals working on international projects. We try to create as many opportunities as possible for students to meet and learn from industry professionals as the possibilities arise.

Acting for film students will also be expected to enroll in one elective offered in the general Prague Film School program. These include: Directing Actors, Good Acting/Bad Acting, Comedy, Lighting for Film, Writing the Feature, Art Direction, Central, and Eastern European Cinema, among others