On-Camera TV/Film Act & Audition Technique: Dramatic & Comedic Scenes. (Ages 7-12)

Confidence Breeds Conviction. Casting doesn’t choose talent, they choose conviction.

Camera is a specific genre skill. If you’re going from Stage to Camera acting, it can be quite difficult. You’re used to big motions, loud speech and playing towards the back of the room. Here’s that will hurt you. The camera picks up everything, even the most subtle of moments. Yes, the editor must enjoy the outtakes. The young actor frequently has unrealized eye movements either up or to the side, as well as many things allowable on stage, but not here. Again, the camera picks up everything.

On-Camera, the delivery needs to be organic. It needs to be honest and real. Even when telling a real-life personal story, as soon as we’re aware that there’s a camera or an audience, we’ll fall into the “performance trap” of changing the inflection of our voice or our body language, because there’s a theatrical urge to force the feeling rather than allow it to develop organically as the script unfolds. Let’s take away the ‘presentation’ element together. Elevate your performance level by being comfortable with being truthful in front of the camera and making meaningful eye-contact. In this class, students learn to incorporate a sense of self, and let go of all things performance, and over-the-top theatrical and artificial mannerisms. Make the camera mark your comfort zone! No “performing” arts here. It’s all about subtly and naturalism and being genuinely you.

We’ll use monologue and scene study to illustrate what works best on camera and what has been hurting you. There is no audience on camera. Your moments should not be shared. They are private. Let’s allow you to take the time you need to feel something, and react in real time, without the need to tighten script.