Where
Online + Pinewood Studios
Format
Weekday Evenings + Monthly Weekends
Outcome
Starring Role in a Short Film
Next Intake
September 2026 – August 2027
Fully Booked
March 2027 – February 2028
Applications Open
Course Highlights
Your Journey To
The Silver Screen
A 12-month professional screen acting programme for actors ready to stop training in isolation, and start building a real career.
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Flexible 0% Finance
Secure your place and spread the cost with flexible payment options including 0% Finance.
Film Industry Access
Most Actors Train.
Few Enter The Industry.
Many acting courses teach performance in isolation. Few show you how the industry actually works. At Actors Studio, training happens inside the film industry.
Industry Made.
Industry Ready.
Train with professionals working in film and television and develop the skills casting directors look for.
Work With Directors
Train with working film and television directors.
Learn how directors shape performance, communicate notes and guide actors through scenes — giving you the confidence to collaborate professionally on set.
Professional Film Sets
Learn the processes used in real productions.
Understand blocking, continuity, camera awareness and the rhythm of a working set.
The Language of Production
Actors who succeed on screen understand how Film & TV sets function.
You’ll learn how to work with cinematographers, sound teams and production crews — helping you move through productions with confidence and professionalism.
Bespoke Showreels
Hero. Or villain?
Over the 12 Month programme, you will film scenes in multiple genres, developing a growing body of professional showreel material that casting directors actually want to watch.
Cinematic Scenes.
Shot for the Big Screen.
Your scenes are filmed with cinema cameras, crafted lighting and carefully designed framing — creating footage that looks and feels like it belongs in film and television.
Scenes Filmed using Sony CineAlta Cameras.
Range That
Reveals You.
Explore contrasting characters, tones and genres across your scenes, giving casting directors a clear sense of your range and where you truly come alive.
Bespoke scripts written by award-winning writers.
Cut for
Casting.
Your showreel scenes are edited to highlight you.
Each cut is shaped around the strongest beats of your performance so the final footage works exactly as it should — putting your acting front and centre.
Professionally edited and colour graded deliverables.
Casting Ready
First impressions.
Done properly.
Your course includes professional YellowBelly headshots — one of the most respected headshot studios in the industry.
Three Cinematic
Headshot Looks.
Professional headshots are fundamental to showcasing your look on an Acting CV.
You’ll participate in a professional headshot shoot showcasing different looks, designed to represent you authentically and professionally.
Star In a Short Film
A lead role.
This time it’s you.
In the final month of the programme, training becomes production. You step onto set as the lead actor in a professionally produced short film, working with an industry director and full crew to bring a story to life.
Graduates of our 1 Year Screen Acting Programme took to the Red Carpet for the exclusive screening of two films at Pinewood Studios.
Red Carpet Screening Event
Award-Winning Talent
You will work alongside award-winning crews of industry professionals in various productions as you accumulate cinematic showreel material.
Apply your new skills on a professional set as you star in a short film.
A Marketing Tool for Success
You’ll lead in a short film which will be submitted to various film festivals, including the Cannes Short Film Corner.
Gain credibility with a leading role in a professionally produced film.
Premiere at Pinewood Studios
Attend top Film Festivals, including BFI and Raindance, included as part of your course providing an opportunity to network.
Get your acting work seen by the industry as you launch your brand.
Course Breakdown.
Your Year.
Behind The Scenes.
See the full progression of skills, shoots, and milestones that shape you into a working screen actor.
- Icon Represents In-Person Training Held at Pinewood Studios
Unit 1 - Fundamentals of Screen Performance
Unit 1: Introduction to Screen Acting
Amongst being able to define key screen acting terms you will apply the differences between stage and screen acting and develop on-camera presence in practical filming sessions.
- Define key screen acting terms.
- Identify differences between stage and screen acting.
- Begin developing on-camera presence.
- Analyse and dissect screenplays – props and continuity.
- Understand character motivations and objectives.
- Practice script breakdown techniques.
Introduction to the concepts of on-camera blocking. Exercises in understanding space and camera angles. Practicing blocking with simple dialogues and movements.
Learning Outcomes:
- Gain foundational knowledge of on-camera blocking.
- Understand how to move effectively in relation to the camera.
Workshops on physical expression and presence in front of the camera.
Exercises in maintaining continuity of movement across different shots.
Group activities to enhance spatial awareness and physicality.
Learning Outcomes:
- Develop skills in maintaining physical continuity basics within a scene.
- Enhance on-screen physicality and presence.
Unit 2 - Physical & Vocal Screen Development
Unit 2: Physical and Vocal Screen Development
Having built the structure for performing on screen, Unit 2 will arm you with a unique skillset for bringing emotion to your performance, supported by psychological gestures, vocal delivery and physical freedom on set.
- Understand the fundamentals of voice in screen acting and how it impacts a take.
- Learn techniques to improve tone and diction for scripts of any genre.
- Develop daily habits to protect and look after your voice even when you’re not acting.
- Learn and implement the quick fixes for finding free vocal tone before auditions and filming.
Begin to enable increased emotional and creative freedom through physical and vocal delivery. Consolidate your vocal technique and increase confidence.
Learning Outcomes:
- Advance your understanding of how the body can support the voice and encourage a fresh delivery for every take.
- Build an advanced understanding of how a performance can be inverted to provide an editor or director with choice.
- Discover a variety of emotional possibilities.
Advanced scene study focusing on character development.
Practicing scene blocking with a focus on character dynamics on camera.
Group critiques and discussions on character portrayal from playback.
Learning Outcomes:
- Deepen understanding of character development within scenes.
- Enhance ability to integrate character backstory into blocking on camera.
Unit 3 - Self-Taping & Auditioning
Unit 3: Self-Taping & Auditioning
This month is dedicated to not only teaching the foundational skills required for successful auditions but also to identifying and addressing the individual fallbacks or weaknesses that each student may have.
This self-awareness and targeted improvement will be crucial for your growth as an actor for future months of the course and enable tutors to provide more specificity in their direction.
- Learn how to prepare for screen auditions.
- How the audition process has changed, and what these changes mean for actors today.
- Introduction to Self Taping.
- Scripts set to self tape.
- Experience a ‘recall’ and gain feedback on what to do at this stage of auditioning.
Learn the technicalities of self-taping, including equipment, how to set it up, and submission process including editing and cutting.
Workshops on preparing for screen auditions, including self-tape setups.
Mock auditions with peers and instructors, simulating real audition scenarios.
Group discussions on techniques and strategies for successful auditions.
Learning Outcomes:
- Master the art of audition preparation.
- Learn effective techniques for screen auditions.
Ever been asked to ‘switch it up’ in an audition? This session is designed to help you with that.
Receiving and implementing feedback from mock auditions.
Improvisation exercises to enhance spontaneity in auditions.
Final round of auditions incorporating improvisational elements.
Learning Outcomes:
Understand how to adapt based on audition feedback.
Improve improvisational skills in audition settings to offer fresh delivery for casting directors.
Unit 4- Advanced Scene Analysis & Showreel Scene Filming
Unit 4: Advanced Scene Analysis & Showreel Scene Filming
Unlock the secrets of subtext in screenwriting enabling you to discover complex emotions and thoughts beyond the text of the script. Working with Director Sue Dunerdale, you will learn how to build upon overarching scene analysis by dissecting dialogue line by line, building specific subtext for every word of a character.
To support analysis of the text, you will introduce non-verbal communication and develop skills in improvisation, supported by character and story motivations; fundamental for successful auditions and fresh performance delivery on set.
Understand subtext in screenwriting.
Practice conveying emotions through non-verbal cues.
Analyse scenes for subtextual layers.
Dive deeper into script analysis.
Explore subtext and character motivations.
Develop strategies for navigating complex scenes.
Scenes given for weekend filming.
Nervous about stepping onto set for the first time? Unsure what everybody does?
You’ll learn the roles and responsibilities of the crew, what to ask, and when to ask it preparing you for a weekend of filming.
Working with an experienced Screen Director
Exercises in conveying subtext through non-verbal cues to enable improvisation.
Scene rehearsals focusing on the layers of subtextual communication.
Feedback and analysis of non-verbal performance elements.
Learning Outcomes:
Develop ability to convey subtext through non-verbal means.
Gain deeper understanding of non-verbal communication in scenes.
In-depth scene work exploring complex character motivations and subtext.
Group performances filmed for showreel material, with a focus on nuanced emotional delivery.
Critique and feedback session on scene analysis and performance.
Learning Outcomes:
Enhance skills in analysing and performing complex scenes.
Refine ability to deliver nuanced emotional performances.
- Experience working on set with a professional crew and develop confidence in a real production environment.
Unit 5 - Critical Film Analysis & The Period Drama
Unit 5: Critical Film Analysis & The Period Drama
You will explore the history of film and discover how technological innovations have shaped the way films are made. You’ll also examine why certain films, filmmakers and technical contributions have had such a significant impact on the development of cinema.
You will also work on your physicality, exploring how to adapt your movement, posture and mannerisms for different periods and historical settings, helping you create authentic characters across a range of period dramas.
Explore Film History
Technological Innovation
- Explore your physicality.
- Adapt movement and posture for different historical periods.
- Develop period-appropriate mannerisms and behaviour.
- Create authentic characters for period dramas.
Unit 6- Principles of the Meisner Technique
Unit 6: Discovering the Meisner Technique
This unit introduces you to the fundamental principles of the Meisner Technique, helping you develop a more truthful, spontaneous and instinctive approach to acting. You will explore how to listen and respond truthfully to your scene partner, rather than simply planning or anticipating your next line.
Through practical exercises, you will work on being present, active listening, emotional truth, repetition and genuine responses, developing your ability to react naturally and authentically in the moment.
The aim is to help you move beyond simply “performing” a character and instead create believable behaviour and relationships that feel truthful and alive on camera.
Focus: Getting out of your head and into truthful behaviour
- Introduction to the Meisner Technique
- The Repetition Exercise
- Active listening and observation
- Responding truthfully in the moment
- Emotional authenticity and freedom
- Introduction to text
Focus: Building emotional connection and instinctive responses
- Advanced repetition exercises
- Physical activities
- Fictional Circumstances
- Moment-to-moment truth
- Partner connection work
- Approaching Text with Action.
Focus: Bringing real behaviour into performance
- Independent activity exercises
- Working truthfully under imaginary circumstances
- Scene introduction using Meisner principles
- Text Analysis introduction
- Application to text
- Emotional Preparations
- On-camera practice
Focus: Preparing for filming
- Scene rehearsals
- Application of previous techniques to scenes.
- Blocking for camera
- Performance refinement
- Camera awareness without losing spontaneity
Unit 7- The Chubbuck Technique
Unit 7: The Chubbuck Technique
Explore Ivana Chubbuck’s 12-step acting technique, focusing on how actors can use personal objectives, emotional connection and strong actions to create truthful, compelling performances.
- Objectives & Stakes – identify what the character wants and why it matters.
- Obstacles & Tactics – explore what stands in the character’s way and how they fight to achieve their objective.
- Personalisation – connect the character’s circumstances to personal experiences and emotional understanding.
- Actions & Choices – use active choices rather than simply playing emotions.
- Emotional Preparation – develop the emotional state needed before entering a scene.
- Truthful Performance – combine technique with instinct to create authentic, emotionally engaging work for stage and screen.
Put the technique into practice through practical scene work. Actors will break down a scene using objectives, stakes, obstacles, tactics and personalisation before applying these choices to performance.
- Scene analysis and character objectives
- Identifying obstacles and tactics
- Personalising the character’s circumstances
- Making active, playable choices
- Practical scene work with direction and feedback
Develop the actor’s ability to prepare emotionally and use the Chubbuck technique to create truthful, compelling performances on camera.
- Emotional preparation before a scene
- Connecting emotion to action and objective
- Exploring different choices and tactics
- Maintaining truth and spontaneity under pressure
- On-camera scene work with individual feedback
- Personalising the character’s circumstances
- Making active, playable choices
- Practical scene work with direction and feedback
Unit 8- Acting for Comedy & Showreel Scene Filming
Unit 8: Acting for Comedy
Comedy on screen requires precision, confidence and a strong understanding of timing. This unit explores how to create truthful, engaging comic performances without forcing the humour. Actors will develop the skills to respond naturally to the script, character and other performers while understanding how camera technique, pacing and direction can shape a comedic performance.
Showing clips from different films.
- Sitcom Comedy
- Romantic Comedy
- Slapstick & Physical Comedy
- Deadpan & Dry Comedy
- Dark Comedy
- Observational Comedy
- Improvisational Comedy
- Farce
- Absurdist Comedy
- Explore comedic timing and delivery.
- Perform comedic scenes with precision.
- Develop a strong sense of humour on screen.
- Work on scenes with Director
- Table read.
- Text work.
- Truth & Character
Play the character truthfully rather than trying to “be funny.” Understand the character’s objective, circumstances and point of view. - Timing & Rhythm
Respond to direction around pace, pauses, beats and the rhythm of the scene — knowing when to hold a moment and when to move it on. - Reactions & Listening
Stay genuinely connected to your scene partner. Your reactions, pauses and listening can often create as much comedy as the dialogue. - Taking Direction & Making Adjustments
Be prepared to try different approaches quickly — changing the level, pace, physicality or tone while keeping the character and scene truthful.
- Workshops on acting for comedic genres and showreel filming with a Director and Crew.
- Exploration of comedic timing and delivery.
- Performing and analysing comedic scenes.
- Techniques for creating humour and engaging the audience.
Unit 9- Shakespearean Verse Speaking & Monologue Filming
Unit 9: Shakespearean Verse Speaking & Monologue Filming
Explore Shakespeare through the language and text of the First Folio, then discover how his work is adapted for a contemporary screen audience. This unit will help actors move beyond simply “performing Shakespeare” to finding truthful, accessible and camera-ready performances while respecting the original text.
- Transformed Theatre & Storytelling – changed what drama could explore and how stories could be told.
- Created Complex, Human Characters – explored ambition, love, jealousy, power, guilt and identity with remarkable psychological depth.
- Explored Universal Themes – his stories deal with human experiences that remain relevant regardless of time or culture.
- Influenced the English Language – introduced and popularised words, phrases and expressions that remain part of everyday English.
- Still Shapes Film & Television Still Shapes Film & Television – his characters, stories and themes continue to be adapted, reimagined and used as inspiration for modern screen storytelling.
- Understand the Original Text – work from Shakespeare’s First Folio and explore the language, punctuation and original wording.
- Verse & Prose – recognise the difference between verse and prose, including rhythm, metre and how they reveal character and intention.
- Speak the Language Naturally – make Shakespeare’s language feel conversational and truthful rather than overly theatrical.
- Use Rhetoric & Language – explore imagery, repetition, contrasts, word choices and rhetorical devices to uncover meaning and subtext.
- Make It Work for Screen – adapt the performance for camera through natural delivery, subtle reactions, eye lines, stillness and emotional truth.
- Spotlight & Professional Profiles
Setting up and maintaining your Spotlight profile, credits, headshots, showreel, skills and keeping your profile casting-ready. - Equity & Industry Memberships
Understanding Equity, professional membership, performer rights, contracts and industry standards. - Agents & Casting
Finding suitable representation, approaching agents, self-submissions, casting platforms, auditions and building relationships with casting professionals. - Showreels & Future Career Materials
Understanding what makes an effective showreel, when to update it, creating new scenes as your career develops and building material for different types of roles. - Professionalism & Managing Your Career
Networking, communication, finances, contracts, tax, availability, reputation and developing a sustainable long-term career.
- Continue exploring First Folio Technique.
- Rehearsal of Shakespearean monologues.
- Filming of Shakespearean monologues
- Take professional direction
Unit 10 - American & RP: Essential Dialects for Professional Actors
Unit 10: Dialect & Accents On Screen
Expand your casting potential and ability to authentically portray characters from diverse backgrounds and regions with the asset of accents.
Through hands-on exercises, interactive workshops, and expert guidance from a dialect and accent coach, you will develop a keen ear for accents and learn the techniques necessary to convincingly embody characters with precision and authenticity.
These tools can be applied to any accent and help those who’s English is their second language improve on their delivery of dialogue in varying genres.
Focused practice on Standard American and British (RP) accents, including vowel and consonant adjustments, rhythm, and intonation patterns.
Learning Outcomes:
- Ability to perform basic exercises in Standard American and British accents.
- Understand the key differences and nuances between these accents.
- Start developing proficiency in switching accents.
Comprehensive practice sessions focusing on Standard American and British accents.
Use of audio-visual materials and exercises for imitation and correction.
Personalised feedback from a dialect coach.
Learning Outcomes:
- Improve proficiency in Standard American and British accents.
- Develop skills to accurately mimic accents through listening and practice.
Applying learned accents to scripted scenes.
Exercises on maintaining accents consistently during performances.
Exploring the influence of character backstory on accent.
Learning Outcomes:
- Apply acquired accents in a scripted performance context.
- Maintain consistency in accent use throughout a scene.
- Understand the impact of character background on accent choice.
Unit 11 -Advanced Acting for Drama and Showreel Scene Filming
Unit 11: Advanced Acting for Drama and Showreel Scene Filming
Develop the precision, subtlety and adaptability required for professional screen acting. This unit explores how to create detailed, truthful performances while responding to the camera, other actors and the demands of a working set.
- Subtext & Inner Life – communicate what the character is thinking and feeling without necessarily saying it.
- Camera Technique & Continuity – understand framing, eyelines, marks, continuity and adjusting performance for different shot sizes.
- Listening & Reaction – develop genuine responses and understand how subtle reactions can drive a scene.
- Taking Direction – make quick, specific adjustments while maintaining character and emotional truth.
- Working for Different Shots – adapt performance for wide shots, mediums, close-ups and coverage without losing consistency.
- Multiple Takes & Consistency – recreate the same emotional journey while keeping each take fresh and spontaneous.
- Pace, Rhythm & Stillness – use timing, pauses and physical restraint to create compelling screen performances.
- Professional Set Skills – understand the expectations of working on a professional film or television set, including preparation, focus and collaboration.
- Comprehensive rehearsal with Director.
- In person Showreel rehearsal with Director.
- Shooting at speed.
Month 9: Success On Screen - Audition Success
Unit 12: Short Film Production
Unit 12 is your film shoot. You step into the lead of a professionally made short film, working with an industry director and full crew to bring your character to life.
You’ll rehearse, block, and film like a working actor — then walk away as the star of a polished, professional short film ready to showcase your talent.
You will work alongside an award-winning crew and Director to apply your training on a professional film set. Over a diverse 5 Days you will shoot on location and at Pinewood Studios, learning the demands of performance in difference scenarios. Your film will receive a Red Carpet Screening at Pinewood Studios and will also be submitted to selected film festivals.
Check Your Eligibility
Start Your Journey To The Silver Screen
Next Intake
September 2025 – August 2026
Fully Booked
March 2027 – February 2028
Applications Open
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You will be required to submit a Self-Tape before your booking is finalised. Based on your self-tape, if you’re not eligible for the programme you will be refunded.
Please read our Terms and Conditions before making a booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
All weekend workshops will be filmed and available to download shortly after your session, crucial to your development.
Upon completion of the course you will be eligible to apply for Spotlight.
Over the duration of the course you will film showreel scenes with a professional crew and Director. These scenes will be professional edited and available to use on casting platforms.
Yes! We have partnered with YellowBelly to provide actors with professional headshots. You will be given a slot during your time on the course.
You can book through our website. We accept all major Credit & Debit Cards, PayPal and International Payment Providers. After payment we will request a self-tape and your acting CV. Your booking will be confirmed upon review of this information.
Yes, we welcome international students on all of our courses. The course is taught in English, so it is important that you have proficient English language skills.
All in-person workshops are held at Pinewood Studios on the weekend, either on a Saturday, Sunday or across both days. Please see our Getting To Pinewood page for details on getting to the studios.
The course is limited to a maximum of 14 participants.
Online Sessions are held from 6pm to 9pm UK Time. In-Person Sessions are held on the weekend 10am to 5pm UK Time with the exception of showreel filming days which are longer.
