Most young people today will be more familiar with TV and film than they will be with the stage, and the enjoyment they derive from these forms makes them particularly relevant and fun. In addition, we believe they have just as equally valuable skills attached to them as straight theatre training. All students are able to gain an insight into the fascinating world of television and film with this module – from writing for television and story structure, through to directing, camera work and performing. We gear the content of this module very specifically to the age groups – so whilst the older groups get to tackle the more complex areas of film making, our youngest students feel very at home with work based around TV programmes they will be familiar with.

Students who attend theatre schools often tend to over-perform, as they are more familiar performing in front of a large audience, in a theatrical style. This module teaches them to explore more realistic emotions and performance styles, becoming more ‘in touch’ with something that approaches truth and less concerned with an overt expression of theatricality. The result is a more rounded, interesting and ultimately better performer.

Another important skill this module covers is sight-reading - the ability to quickly ascertain the content and style of a piece of writing and perform it in a truthful way, with little or no time to prepare.  An essential skill in everyday life, as well as in TV and film and for those that may choose to audition this is a great skill to have mastered. This module provides constant practice and aims to greatly increase the student’s reading skills.

The module will also look at how ‘story’ is dealt with differently in television and film – and how the camera can help us. This is dealt with very simply with the younger groups – and in a much more advanced way with the oldest groups.

During more advanced sessions and holiday workshops, projects may be mounted where students write, direct and perform in their own short films, using the knowledge they have ascertained during their time at the academy work – and providing parents with a reminder of their child’s ‘fifteen minutes of fame’ on DVD!

It must be stressed that whilst these skills are highly valuable to anyone wanting to work in the industry, the aim of this module is not to prepare the students for professional work. In our experience, students respond particularly positively to work in this area, in part due to the relevance and familiarity of the medium and the different technical equipment involved, but crucially because of the chance to watch themselves in performance – which provides them with the opportunity to improve by actually seeing and hearing what they are doing.