Acting for Screen, MA

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London

About the course

The MA Acting for Screen degree at Central is a professional training that focuses on acting in film, television and screen-related media. Primarily for those with previous training or professional experience, it explores the expressive potential of performance and the relationship between performers and camera. The course will build on your existing skills and focus on the specific needs of the year group.

Draw on the expertise of Central’s permanent staff team and specialist professionals from the industry
The course aims to encourage your development as a creative artist with the flexibility to work across all performance mediums, specialising in screen performance
The emphasis of the training is on producing actors who, on leaving, have a high skill level, with the necessary technique to apply to a screen context.

Specialist, rigorous training

Throughout the first two terms, you will follow rigorous training in acting, which will concentrate on the core skills of voice, body, acting and creative interpretation. The principles of study derive from psychophysical methods, particularly the techniques of Michael Chekhov and Stanislavski.

The range of classes across the first two terms will include screen technique; this will essentially examine the distinction between screen and live performance. It will also cover visual storytelling, working in – and adapting to – shot size, cheating, hitting the mark, shooting contemporary scenes from television and film, and the preparation of different styles of work, including soap, drama and comedy.

Acting classes will interrogate the body and provide you with a toolbox of exercises. There is a specific focus on relaxing and working with ease, developing the imagination, unpicking personal habits and creating believable performances.

Voice and dialect classes will encourage an understanding of the voice as an instrument and will work with a variety of texts including poetry, verbatim, classical and contemporary material. In the area of movement, there is exposure to various styles, which may include jazz and historical dance, yoga and chi kung.

Other classes include sight-reading, textual analysis, casting and mock auditions led by casting directors, actors and directors. Professional preparation will involve guidance on selecting photographs, writing CVs, self-marketing and online promotion.

Assessment

Modes of assessment include practical assignments, reflective writing, presentations, and written and practice-based research. For the Sustained Independent Project there is an option to make a film, write a dissertation or compile a portfolio, which would include a case study of a filmmaker and an extended research enquiry.