Acting for Film and Screen: Foundations of On-Camera Performance

Acting for film and screen looks deceptively similar to stage acting at first glance, but the camera reshapes almost everything about the performance. The smallest movements register, large gestures feel theatrical, and the demands of continuity and self-tape auditions add layers that beginners rarely anticipate. This course gives you a structured introduction so you can study screen acting with real understanding. You will learn what the camera actually captures, how performance scales for different shot sizes, and how working actors prepare for the realities of modern film and television. The course stays grounded in widely used principles and respects the long arc of developing as a performer. What you'll learn: - Understand how the camera reads performance differently from a live audience - Recognize how shot sizes from wide to close-up shape the scale of acting choices - Apply hitting your marks, eye lines, and continuity awareness to support the shot list - Prepare and record self-tape auditions that present your work cleanly without distractions - Read sides and scripts with attention to the small specific choices that lift a scene - Understand the production realities that surround screen performances including coverage and editing The course begins with how the camera changes performance, moves through shot sizes, marks and continuity, self-tapes, script analysis, and production realities. Written exercises help you analyze scenes and plan choices before any practical work begins. This course is designed for absolute beginners with no acting background, including stage actors crossing into screen work, aspiring performers, and students of film. No prior on-camera experience is required. The course explains every concept as it appears and respects how craft develops slowly through structured practice.