UPDATE - @Shawn V. Brow unfortunately saw the time as 11am PST not BST - Now while we encourage you to work at your craft, 3am is pushing it! Any takers - it's a great scene opp @Eliza Leonard Saturday 14th November, 11am UK time Our first Saturday Scene Study with Stephen was a rewarding session, and we’re ready to go again. This Saturday, we’ll be working with @Shawn V. Brow and @Eliza Leonard in one scene, and @Ellen Molina and @Yasmine Sabir in the other. Each scene has been written especially for the actors, giving them a chance to explore the kinds of roles they’d love to play or that we feel would challenge them to grow. Want to take part next month? Get in early — there are already only two slots left! Not performing? Come and join the audience. Watching other actors work is a brilliant way to learn. You get to see the choices they make, hear the feedback, and watch what happens when they try something different. A note given to another actor might be exactly what you need for your own work. Even Claire and I, as the coaches behind these sessions, learn something every time. That’s the thing about this craft: it’s constantly evolving, and none of us ever stops learning. We’ve said it before: we’re here to support you, but we can’t do the work for you. Showing up, getting involved and making time for your craft is your part. Whether you’re in the scene or in the audience, we want to see you there. Saturday, the 14th, at 11am UK time. Tracey and Claire ❤️

There is one note screen actors hear more than almost any other, and it's often the one that changes everything. 𝗗𝗢 𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦. But before we talk about doing less, let's talk about something every actor should understand before they record a self-tape. 𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚. For most film and television self-tapes, unless casting requests otherwise, your ideal framing is a 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗨𝗠 𝗖𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗘-𝗨𝗣 (𝗠𝗖𝗨). That means framing yourself from approximately mid-chest to around three or four inches above your head. Depending on your proportions, the bottom of that frame might fall roughly 12 to 20 inches below your chin. The important thing is the composition, not an exact measurement. Your camera should be at eye level, filming horizontally, with your eyeline just off the lens towards your reader. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁? Because your framing determines how much of your performance casting can actually see. Too wide, and those beautiful, subtle changes in thought can disappear. Too tight, and you lose the freedom to move naturally. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝘁. One of the quickest ways an actor loses an audience in close-up is by doing too much. Not because they lack talent, but because they're performing for a space that simply isn't there. They're playing to the back row of a theatre when the camera is capturing the smallest details of their face. Think about that for a moment. On stage, your performance needs to reach the person sitting in the very back row. On camera, a single genuine thought passing behind your eyes can be enough. The lens captures details that an audience sitting twenty rows away would never see. And when you pile a big expression on top of a genuine feeling, the camera doesn't read more emotion, it simply reads the effort. 𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲? 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧: 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁. In a medium close-up, we can see your eyes, your facial expressions, your shoulders and some natural physical movement. You don't need to demonstrate every emotion with your entire body. Understand what is visible and allow your performance to live within that frame.

Hello all! I am a PNW actor, currently immersed in the Scottish Highlands. Favorite project - indie films, especially those which require international travel. Kudos and thanks to Tracie & Claire for this brilliant gathering of like minds! 🙏