Performing Arts Film and TV (PAFT)

This course focuses on training the acting instrument. The course introduces students to the fundamental skills and theories of acting for the camera as they begin to learn and experience the craft of acting and what it entails. Exercise work is assigned to achieve spontaneous reactions and authentic behavior in the classroom and in meetings with acting partners for rehearsals. That work is brought into class for critique and discussion. The goal is to develop the actor's personal instrument and acting technique in order to create the life of a character in film and television.

This course begins the exploration of text, developing the character close to the actor's own experience, and the technical demands of working in front of a camera. This includes the student's ability to create a believable performance and bring individuality, vulnerability, and intimacy to the screen. The life of a character is developed from the given circumstances of a scene and the tools needed to create them in an authentic way, to make those circumstances the character's truth. Working "in frame" encourages focus on the material, making valid choices, and working cooperatively. Students learn master shots, coverage, continuity, and the vocabulary of filmmaking for actors. Work will be taped for in-class critique.

This course continues with the work of Functional Training I, building on the strength, flexibility, and shaping of the actor's body from head to toe. Text work between partners is added to advanced physical exercises while applying listening and reacting skills to the rehearsal and performance of film and television work. Additionally, students explore how to vary levels of expressiveness with their voice and body to fit the camera and on-set microphone, and how to release tension in the voice and body to more fully experience and communicate emotion on the text. The class work consists of a fusion of physical training techniques; a combination between performance philosophies, an exploration of dance and movement concepts emphasizing the fundamentals and mechanics of the body as an expressive tool with special focus on contemporary avant-garde forms of expression. It combines dance, theater, improvisation and performance art to create a unique performing art form.

This course is the second of four courses in vocal training for film and television. It is the continuation of a rigorous, sequence of study that uniquely coordinates the many elements and practices of vocal training. The goal is to offer the actor an instrument fully capable of responding imaginatively, truthfully, and freely to the creative and interpretive needs of character and text.

This course focuses on continued development of deep character work applying the "moment-to-moment" work to characters outside of the student's own experience. Additionally, students will continue to develop and strengthen their ability to analyze text for film and primetime television as well as how the physical environment can enable the actor's process. Connections will be made between Acting I, II, and III leading the students to understand and hone in on the depth of their craft. Advanced scenes will give students the confidence in their craft to help launch them into more complex studies in varied genres and styles of film and television drama. In this course, students are required to come to the set fully prepared. THERE IS NO OUTSIDE REHEARSAL. Work will be taped for in-class critique.

In this course, the student explores the various types of audition situations and commercial genres encountered in a professional acting career. This is an "on your feet" course in which actors learn to listen actively, think creatively, trust their instincts, and live "in the moment." Students practice on and off camera, applying these skills to callback situations, interviews, and evolving media such as Skype. They also explore the use of teleprompters and ear prompters. Lectures address key aspects of a commercial career including: agent representation, union affiliation, the casting process, set etiquette, commercial financial formulas, as well as actor interaction and communication with the director and casting personnel. At the conclusion of the course, the student will have the information and tools to effectively begin the professional commercial audition process. Work will be taped for in-class critique.

This course reviews and strengthens the physical techniques learned in Physical Preparation I and II and continues with a deeper investigation of the physical connection, impulse, partnering and improvising. Students gain additional control and strength over their physical technique through advanced warm-ups and exercises, and apply these technical skills to the rehearsal and performance of film and television text: both monologue and scene work. Students also gain an increased awareness of the importance of physicalization and relaxation/concentration in the communication of story in an acting scenario and in the establishment of genre, as well as the connection between voice and an actor's "type." Additionally, students explore how to vary levels of expressiveness with their voice and body to fit the camera and microphone, and how to release tension in the voice and body to more fully experience and communicate emotion on the text.

This course reviews and strengthens the physical techniques learned in Physical Preparation I, II and Ill, and continues with a deeper investigation of the physical connection, impulse, partnering and improvising. Students gain additional control and strength over their physical technique through advanced warm-ups and exercises, and apply these technical skills to the rehearsal and performance of film and television text: both monologue and scene work. Students also gain an increased awareness of the importance of physicalization and relaxation/concentration in the communication of story in an acting scenario and in the establishment of genre, as well as the connection between voice and an actor's "type." Additionally, students explore how to vary levels of expressiveness with their voice and body to fit the camera and microphone, and how to release tension in the voice and body to more fully experience and communicate emotion on the text.

This course helps students who usually use language to tell stories to develop the ability to tell full human stories in a purely visual medium.

As a continuation of Vocal Production II, this course provides students an exploration and discovery of their own dialect. Students analyze and embody the International Phonetic Alphabet through Sound and Movement using Phonetic Pillows. By examining their unique speaking patterns, students inhabit their individual identity and develop dialects based on their lineage through Familiar Donor Accent Projects.

This course is an introduction to the Alexander technique, developed by F.M. Alexander in the late nineteenth century, to unlearn conditioned and habitual muscular patterns and free the natural voice.

This course is an exploration of advanced level work with the Alexander technique to unlearn conditioned and habitual muscular patterns and free the natural voice.

With an emphasis in both acting and movement, this course encourages students to embrace fun and joy as core components of the approach to any acting challenge. Through a progression of highly physical, individual and collaborative exercises, students explore and expand their physical capacity for pleasure in performance, for delight, beauty, and poetry.

In this course students will read, view, work with, and otherwise engage with a number of film/TV texts in order to establish an understanding of the specific analytical needs of actors in performing a script. Students will examine several approaches to text analysis, keeping a keen eye towards finding the approach that best serves in creating specific and meaningful choices for the character. Through readings, viewings, discussions, projects, and presentations, students will function as an artistic community, working together to question and analyze some of the meaningful works of the 111m/TV canon.

This course is a continuation and deepening of the student's understanding of the value of analyzing text in order to discover who the characters are, what happens to them, the world they "live" in, to become the teller of their story. More complex scripts and characters with a rich sub-world, hinted at but not explained, will be introduced, as well as "bad" scripts that are over-explained and obvious so the actor needs to create something behind the words, flesh them out and give them a texture of life. All the separate elements are gleaned, each of them understood and explored in how they work individually and in concert, then they are fit together in a balanced interpretation.

This course continues to develop the actor to meet the needs of the film and television comedy genre including improv, sketch, and stand-up material. The overall goal is to provide the actor with the training and basic performance skills to develop original solo and ensemble material. These skills include writing techniques, a basic understanding of joke structure, timing and rhythm, point of view, and character/persona development. Students will hone acting, writing and editing skills and experience mastering a comedic moment. Work will be taped for in-class critique.

This course is an introduction to voice over acting technique for radio, television, multimedia, and other audio and video presentations. The course covers voice over script analysis, commercial speech and microphone technique, an overview of the industry, and extensive reading of copy aloud for recording and critique. Focus is on learning the tools to deal specifically with microphone work; prepare the moment before; apply subtext to meaning and inflection; identify key words; and work solo and with a partner. Also, to develop the actor's personal warm-up exercises and to master the elements of breaking down copy, slating, character, focus, breath awareness, and broadcast jargon. Copy will be provided ahead of time so the student can rehearse outside of class.

This course focuses on developing the performance skills needed for the film and television comedy genre. The overall goal is to provide the actor with the training and basic performance skills to develop an understanding of joke structure, timing and rhythm, point of view, and character/persona development in scripted material, specifically the TV sitcom. Multi-camera and single-camera comedies are a significant part of the industry. After the technical needs of the job for multi- and single-camera comedies are assimilated, it is easier for the actor to play within the bounds and have fun creating character. Work will be taped for in-class critique.

This course explores a range of movement dynamics and choreography in order to discover the physical core of a character. Drawing on a newfound relationship with the actor's own body, this course helps the student delve deeper into the connection between our physical bodies and our emotional memory; to trust and fill the moments of stillness . These are the moments of the·1 don't know' and demand of us to be present in the here and now.

Harnessing the power within is what this course is all about. It is a physical and spiritual journey through self-maintenance and preservation. Preparing to be out of school and into the "real world," students develop strategies to maintain their creative journey on their own. Finding the drive to "keep going" after a student has left school is an age-old dilemma. This course is designed to arm the students with exercises, meditations, and techniques to keep them connected to their creative instruments.

This course guides students through the process of creating an independent film. The student learns to develop a deeper understanding of the practical process of telling visual stories at the most basic level. The goal of this course is to help the student realize, through the power of making, the potential our own perspectives possess to tell truthful visual stories with limited resources.

This course introduces acting students to methods of filmmakers Mike Leigh and John Cassavetes, and acting coaches Keith Johnstone and Judith Weston in creating characters for film. Using caricature work and improvisation, students develop full-blown, in depth characters. Bringing skills of observation and intuitive analytical thinking, students will sharpen their ability to hold the mirror up to their lives and the world around them.

This course provides a survey of film history from its inception through the present. Form and meaning in the film medium, the techniques of film, and their expressive uses and effects will be the object of study. A wide range of films will be covered: mainstream and alternative, and films from countries all over the world. The transaction between films and their audiences-the ways in which a movie moves us, how it engages and orients its viewers, how it affects us and influences our work as actors-will be a central concern. Films will be considered in relation to the culture and society in which they were made.

This course provides students an opportunity to apply the same skill set of acting for the camera to the medium of theater. It is intended to enhance the actor's toolbox by helping adjust the work to the needs of theater. By exploring plays and playwrights currently establishing themselves in American and international theater, students explore the diversity that exists in the stories being written. A portion of the class will be spent making the appropriate adjustments to fill the story for the theater versus the camera. In the end, the goal is to recognize the similarities and differences in the demands for the stage vs. the screen.

This course offers students the opportunity to use their work on a production as a lab experience to apply the skills, techniques, and knowledge acquired in class.

This course offers the student the opportunity to explore how to approach and rise to the challenge of emotionally volatile on-camera screens for film and television.

This course offers students the opportunity to use their work on a production as a lab experience to apply the skills, techniques, and knowledge acquired in class.

This half-semester course introduces students to the fundamentals of motion picture cinematography with a focus on technical knowledge and practical execution. Special attention is given to specific camera, lighting, and sound equipment used for various PPA productions. The course provides the student comprehensive exploration of camera operation, composition and framing, lens choice, camera movement, proper exposure setting, lighting, use of both boom and wireless microphones, and collaboration on the film set. Course Campus:NY:Spring.

This course is an exploration of the Alexander Technique in how to unlearn conditioned and habitual muscular patterns and free the natural voice. This course will give students of various levels of artistic experience an opportunity to apply the practice created by F.M. Alexander to enhance their own creative endeavors. In all areas, on all levels, the Alexander Technique provides a deep insight into the artist's most prized possession, their instrument.

This course provides students the necessary skills to turn an idea into scripted content. By "learning through the doing" students use their acting training as a jumping-off point to create compelling scripts in drama, comedy, and short-form web-based content. This is a practice-based class, always approaching the work through an actor's lens. Through improvisation and personal narrative, students will these experiences down in script form. Exploring conflict and how to craft good storytelling will then be applied to the students' work.

This comprehensive course is designed to demystify the logistics of working and living in Los Angeles, the audition and booking as well as the creation and implementation of business strategies for a career in film and television.

This course offers students in their senior year an opportunity to revisit the basics, the A B C's of their training. Through returning to the fundamentals of acting and creating characters, students solidify their artistic foundation and delve deeper into their emotional bank. The class will explore emotionally volatile scenes to determine how even the most difficult material demands the most basic elements of craft from the actor.