How Our Classes Work

Older man with glasses and a beard wearing a colorful Hawaiian shirt, holding a pen and a notebook, sitting and thinking, with a young man in a gray and black hoodie sitting nearby in a dark room.

"Learning to act for the camera without a camera is like learning to ride a horse without a horse. It simply cannot be done."

-Brian Cutler

Four-Week Class Cycle Outline

Week 1: Cold Reading Practice

  • Objective: Introduce students to the material through a cold read.

  • Details: The goal is to quickly understand the character and make strong initial choices without prior preparation.

  • Focus Areas: Emphasizing spontaneity, active listening, and instinctive reactions.

A woman in a white sweater is speaking during an interview or conversation with a person wearing a patterned top, seated across from her. The background is dark.

Week 2: Memorized Performance

  • Objective: Deepen the understanding of the scene.

  • Details: Students return with the memorized script. No rehearsals are allowed outside of class to simulate real-world conditions.

  • Focus Areas: Delivering a more polished performance while staying flexible and open to direction.

Two men sit across from each other at a small black table in a dark room, engaged in a serious conversation. One man wears a dark sweater and ripped jeans, and the other wears a dark jacket with a cream-colored coat draped over the back of his chair.

Week 3: Commercial Class + Scene

  • Objective: Apply learned skills to a commercial piece.

  • Details: Students receive a series of commercial scripts to perform memorized.

  • Focus Areas: Building confidence with commercial copy and working moment to moment on the spot.

Man with short dark hair and a beard in a gray shirt sitting at a table, holding a piece of paper, with a woman with long brown hair in the foreground, against a black background.

Week 4: Memorized Scene Performance

  • Objective: Expand skills with a new memorized scene.

  • Details: Students memorize the new script from Week 3. Again, no rehearsals are allowed outside of class.

  • Focus Areas: Delivering a compelling, polished performance on-camera, focusing on natural interaction.

A video monitor showing a woman with dark hair and makeup, on a filming or interview set, with a notepad and pen in the foreground.

Additional Notes:

  • On-Camera Practice: Each class is recorded with a two-camera setup.

  • Footage: Students receive digital copies of their scenes for review and use in their reels.