The actor is supported by some unorthodox concepts: it is non-judgemental; it includes the notion that ‘only directors make mistakes’; it establishes a different kind of dialogue between director and actor and it supports both the inventive actor and the receptive actor.
The atmosphere during the workshop is one of trust and great good humour. Above all, my approach to the actor’s work encourages the intimate, subtle, for-the-camera-only performance that I believe is the essence of screen acting.
Similarly, I’m inviting the director to see the relationship – and the actor’s work – as something more than just fitting a performance into the film’s narrative. How a director shapes what the actor does contributes more completely to themes and narrative than might seem to be the case at first.
It is dynamic, informative and interactive – participants get direct, first-hand experience through progressive character and scene building exercises.
At the heart of the process is an improvisation-based method founded on logic and common-sense and drawing from real-life observations.
Every aspect of the process has equally great value for the actor or film-maker who is working with the script.
The many tools within the process can be applied directly to any project they are working on.
The workshop is intensive, experiential, and playful! Participants find themselves bonding with others in a creative, collaborative way – sometimes leading to partnerships for new projects.
It provides terrific empowerment and self-affirmation to all participants – who go back to their own projects with renewed enthusiasm and plenty of new tools to play with.Every step of the workshop provides director, writer, and actor with new opportunities to explore and play, to be reconnected with their skills and potential in an excitingly different way.