ACTING FOR FILM


WITH AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR, JASON RAFTOPOULOS

“Authenticity drives all my choices and eliciting honest performances from actors and non-actors was key in the film.  My job is ultimately to create an environment on set where actors could live unencumbered, regardless of the difficulties of the shoot.” - Jason Raftopoulos

Join internationally acclaimed Director and Writer, Jason Raftopoulos for a three day dive into the heart of screen acting. This intensive is designed to challenge the actor and uncover raw, honest performances on camera. The curriculum centers on the intersection of narrative analysis and technical execution. Working exclusively with an original screenplay, you will deconstruct the text to master both the psychological depth and the technical precision demanded by the lens. 

This course is set to be a joy for actors looking to work closely with a director on channelling their emotional depths in rehearsal and on the screen.  

“Jason encouraged me to push past my habits as an actor, which led me to major breakthroughs. His teaching was simple and straightforward and allowed me to dig deeper than I had ever before.” 

Jason Raftopoulos is an award-winning director with an impressive list of credits. His feature film, West of Sunshine, (which featured 16th Street alumni) premiered In Competition (Orizzonti) at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in 2017, which garnered Jason nominations for both "The Golden Lion of the Future" award and for "Best Film". 

COURSE BREAKDOWN

    • The Architecture of the Script: Go beyond the lines with an in depth exploration of subtext and narrative intent.

    • The Director Actor Dialectic: Feel empowered collaborating on set with a director and how to process direction and feedback.

    • Physicality & The Lens: Dive further into the techniques for conveying meaning and emotion through physicality, reactions and subtext.

    • The Chemistry of Connection: Understand the subtleties and ways of working with your scene partner to create moments of genuine spontaneity.

    A Note on Process: To ensure total focus on the craft rather than the result, we use live camera setups as educational tools. This is a space for raw discovery, footage will not be taken in class.

JASON RAFTOPOULOS

Jason Raftopoulos is an award-winning director.

His feature film West of Sunshine premiered In Competition (Orizzonti) at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in 2017, garnering Jason nominations for both ‘The Golden Lion of the Future’ award and for ‘Best Film’ as well as winning Best Director at the Barcelona International Film Festival and the ‘Jury Grand Prix’ Award for Best Film for West of Sunshine at the Festival des Antipodes in Saint Tropez. 

In 2018 Jason received nominations from the Australian Directors Guild, the Australian Film Critics Association as well as the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA).

In 2023 Jason’s film Voices In Deep staring Angeliki Papoulia (Dogtooth) and 16th Street Alumni, Hannah Sims premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival and screened In Competition at SXSW Sydney and at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and is currently available on Amazon Prime.

DETAILS

  • March 19th - 21st

    Thursday - Saturday

    10am - 5pm

  • $645 (Inc. GST)

  • Ensemble size for Authenticity on Screen is 14 actors. Class placement is at the discretion of the studio admissions.

    This course is ideal for graduates and professional actors. 

    Applicants must provide a current CV and Showreel to be considered for this course. 

    Please note, scenes will not be recorded in class.

    All our courses and programs are for ages 18+, if you’re under 18 please look at our youth programs or email our admissions team for training opportunities.