FUll Time Program - FEBRUARY Intake

IMMERSIVE PROFESSIONAL SCREEN ACTING PROGRAM

FOR FILM & TELEVISION ACTORS

30 WEEKS | 3 DAYS PER WEEK | 360 CONTACT HOURS

TAFTA is dedicated to teaching and developing the craft of acting for film and television for students of all backgrounds. TAFTA boasts state-of-the art facilities for on-camera acting. We encourage our students to develop their own unique style and offer ongoing mentorship to prepare them for the reality of professional on-set acting work.

Over eight months, three days a week, our full-time professional screen acting program will develop your acting craft to produce powerful, authentic, and truthful screen performances and springboard you into a career in the Australian film and TV industry. Offering representation from the moment you enter the course, TAFTA supports and encourages our students to jump into professional work while training with us, making us the only professional studio to offer this approach.

The Full Time program is an immersive 30 week program of practical screen acting training. TAFTA will cultivate you the artist, you the actor, and you the business, guiding you to be industry ready upon graduation.

  • Allows the actor to improvise with character briefs and scripts.

  • The discovery and development of characters from the script to the screen.

  • Expression of emotions without reference to or reliance on emotional recall. Rather a focus on the physiological approach that allows the expression of emotions on cue.

  • Spacial awareness on camera, understanding shot types and names and how that intertwines with performance

  • General Voice techniques to assist with line delivery - tone, pitch, volume and clarity

  • Understanding and implementing screen structure and screen writing - the creation of your own pilot or shortfilm script.

  • The Self Test - intricacies and realities of modern auditioning

  • Utilising soap opera scripts (Neighbours, Home and Away etc.) to understand the various roles from daily to regular.

  • General American and Standard British (RP) - the basics.

  • Focusing on character perspective when approaching a script

  • Helping the actors trust their instincts with decisions during the filming of a scene.

  • At the end of each trimester, there will be a professional showreel shoot.

    Trimester One will involve one scene - a self tape

    Trimester Two will involve one scene - shot on location

    Trimester Three will involve two scenes - shot on location, utilising the U.S and UK accent work.

    Scenes will be selected by the actor and approved by our director, John Orcsik.

What makes tafta different?

 

ON-CAMERA TRAINING FOCUS

The majority of your training at TAFTA will be done in front of a camera - either in the studio or on location.

We nurture your unique skillset to encourage comfort in front of the lens, increase camera awareness, whilst developing your acting craft. The course will teach you how to make authentic choices, true to your artistry that convey a sense of power, honesty and vulnerability. There is no screen-focused acting program that provides you with the same amount of professional exposure, support, and technical training than our Full-Time Program.

nearly every class will provide you with the opportunity to get up and film a piece - after which the footage is yours to use towards bettering your acting craft and, in some cases to use towards your material, as all class material is filmed and recorded professionally.

THE MODERN ACTOR

At TAFTA, we strongly believe the modern actor needs to be multi-hyphenate, to create and capitalise on all opportunities in the industry. We encourage our students to explore other ways of being creative.

At TAFTA we facilitate learning in other aspects of the Film & TV Industry. You will learn skills including screenwriting, producing, content creation, and crewing, so you can take your career into your own hands - don’t wait for the phone to ring.

Many of our alumni have gone on to write, produce, and direct as well as act in a professional capacity.

THE LIFE OF AN ACTOR

TAFTA not only arms actors with the tools and techniques required to become a professional performer in the industry but also assists in developing personal strengths and the mental endurance to handle the hardships of the industry.

Working as an actor is a fulfilling, exciting, and rewarding career, but there are many unique challenges along the way. With a team of actors and film makers behind the scenes at TAFTA, we will be there to support you every step of the way.

Upon graduation you are part of the TAFTA family - our door is always open if you need guidance along your acting journey as well as a plethora of alumni support services and discounts.

“I can honestly say that everything I know about acting has come from TAFTA, not just the skill and rehearsal practice, it’s the whole mentality and training system behind it. It’s not just a school, it’s more like a family.”

CHRIS PANG | Charlie’s Angels, Crazy Rich Asians

STRUCTURE

CLASS DAYS
Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays

CLASS TIMES
10:00am - 5:00pm

2025 DATES

MELBOURNE

 

FEBRUARY INTAKE

Commencing: Feb 2025, dates TBC

 
 
 
 

QUESTIONS?

What to expect in your audition

Please note we offer zoom and self-tape auditions for interstate actors.

If you have any questions about the interstate audition process OR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS please email ENQUIRIES@tafta.com.au

 

Come prepared

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

Please see below audition pieces. You will need to choose:

1 x Shakespearean monologue

1 x TV Drama two-hander

Please have your lines memorised and have researched the text your piece is from.

Pieces are available via the link the below if you wish to start preparing,

Bring Yourself

The audition is our opportunity to learn about you. So don’t be afraid to bring unique choices to your audition pieces.

Please come prepared with answers to questions about your career goals and aspirations as an actor, plus some other interesting facts about yourself and/or things you are passionate about.

We will provide you with an opportunity to ask us questions about the program, so please write down any questions you have for us or the Full-Time Program that weren’t answered above.

Have fun!

Bryan Cranston’s (Breaking Bad) advice for auditioning actors is:

“You’re not going there to get a job. You are going there to do a job. You act. And there it is."

Acting is an expression of yourself, we want to see choices that you find interesting - not what you think we want to see.

There is no one way to be an actor - have fun with it and remember we want to see what is unique about you.

What happens next?

We will contact you if you are successful in gaining a place in our Full-Time Program

Please remember, there are many factors that come into our selection process, It’s never a no, rather a not-yet. We encourage you to audition again if you weren’t successful the first time around.

Please prepare one monologue and one two-hander from the selection below and arrive prepared to perform both pieces on-camera in our studio. You will audition individually, in front of a TAFTA panel. There will also be a brief interview component as part of the audition process and an opportunity for you to ask us any questions you may have.

MODULE BREAKDOWN TEACHERS

SCREEN UNDERSTANDING AND CHARACTER FOR SCREEN

with MICK PRESTON

We begin the program with developing our actors with a strong foundation for screen acting. You will learn the basics of acting, including building a character, analysing a text, and listening, sensing, reacting and the subsequent releasing of emotional responses. Mick will also work on the visual concepts of performance - you will learn how, as a screen actor, you can work within a frame, using your body, eyes and subtle facial expression to maximise presence on screen. This will all be done on camera so you can see your work in real time. Even if you have acting experience already, this module is a vital foundation element of our course.

VOICE & TECHNICAL APPLICATION

with JOHN PRESTON

Mastery of voice is not just for the stage actor, in fact, the screen requires an even greater vocal range and more subtle technique than the stage. Voice work is not just about volume. You will learn about tone, resonance, strength and range and that mastering these elements is a crucial foundational element to a great on-screen performance, and can be the key to many transformational roles. Adapting the voice to the frame size can be critical. John will also work on developing the Received Pronunciation (UK) accent, a key accent that has many applications in The Australian industry - from period work to fantasy work and many more.

IMPROVISATION

with JASON GEARY

Any scene, even if it is heavily scripted, relies on the skill of improvisation. TAFTA actors are known for their ability to work moment to moment, and this course will reinforce this skill. The common misconception is that you have to be fast and quick witted to improvise well, it helps, but it’s not what this course is based on. This course is based on strengths you already possess and performer;  listening skills, empathy, observation, clarity of ideas and perspective. Improvising characters, like building them though rehearsal, is a process, but, one that happens in the opposite order that you are used to. This is a module where you can play, work and adapt to the moment and to your scene partner - a key component to any acting!

EMOTIONS #1

with JOHN ORCSIK

Expression of the emotions at will is one of the most powerful and important tools a screen actor can possess - on set you will be asked to get to an emotional place quickly, and Emotions #1 can get you there. You will be given exercises to help you with the expression of emotion; simply, sincerely, where you are entirely in control and without delving into your personal trauma. This module is designed to help you understand the various emotions and what stimulates them, to find the keys to their expression. Our physiological technique at TAFTA is unique and not taught anywhere else and is in direct opposition to the “method” and other pseudo-Stanislavskian exponents which can be psychologically damaging. Acting should always be safe, fun, and free.

U.S. ACCENT & DIALOGUE

with MATT FURLANI

For those hoping to work in the US market, mastering the General American accent is vital. You will have specialist coaching from a US accent teacher to help perfect it, from the basic structural elements of language in the mouth to encompassing some cultural characteristics that will authenticate the accent. Culture both general and locally specific are great influences on behaviour. These will be included in your Accent study.

SCENE STUDY

with KATE ELLIS

Scene study will begin to take you through the necessities of deconstructing a scene and how you individually work on screen. Scene study ties together all the work you have done before into working on challenging scenes and effectively telling the story. You will practice analysing a script, working with wants and opinions and attitudes, extended character work, finding truth within the scene, the multitudes of scene preparation, and developing a list of skills to work on in front of the camera.

THE AGENT’S PERSPECTIVE

with Andy Rappos

The actor/agent relationship will be the most important relationship of your career. Guided by Film & TV Agent at Ian White Management, Andy Rappos, ‘The Agent’s Perspective’ will introduce you to branding and how to find where you fit in the industry. Andy will help you understand key business aspects that come part and parcel with your career as a Film & TV Actor, including: Your headshot and showreel, how to get an agent, the best ways to approach an agent, self-tape set up, red flags to avoid but you will also have the opportunity to ask an agent at one of the top agencies in Australia all the burning questions you have always wanted to ask!

GET SET

with KYM VALENTINE

This course will prepare you for Television roles like Home & Away, serial dramas, and nearly all series on Streaming services that run to a similar schedule. You will be guided by the warm and wonderful Kym Valentine who will help deepen your craft of acting, while preparing you for the reality of being on-set (with tips, shortcuts, and practical lessons derived from Kym’s decades of experience).

You will leave with the confidence to nail that audition, produce a successful appearance and increase your chances of being hired again for future work.

FRAME BY FRAME

with COLIN BUDDS

Frame by Frame challenges the actor to understand and implement their performance within a given frames, driven by the possibilities offered by the space and understand the limitations and possibilities of performance within that frame. This element is vital for both self-tape auditions and on-set work! Film and TV is a visual medium, and led by a director with decades of experience, you will begin to understand the performance from the Director's perspective and how to use your physicality to full effect. In Frame by Frame the actors and director work together to produce what might be the final performance in either a single or multi-cam shoot.

EMOTIONS #2

with JOHN ORCSIK

Emotions 2 is the essential next step to Emotions 1. After learning the key to all the basic emotions, Emotions 2 will take you through exploration and combination of the emotions in challenging scenes. This will allow you to find differentiating elements through interesting and unusual combinations of the basic emotions. 

CONTENT CREATION

with TIM MARSHALL

In today's busy industry, actors no longer need to wait for work to come to them. More and more we are seeing actors create their own work, which then gets picked up by networks, Netflix and even successful YouTube productions. Now is the time for all budding actors to get some basic writing and content creating skills under their belt, so they are 100% prepared for the film & television industry of the future! In this module, you will learn how to write for your own performance, to be used in the creation of your showreel shoot.

THE ACTOR/DIRECTOR RELATIONSHIP

with JASON CHRISTOU

With the finale of the Full Time Program coming up, and the realities of the industry looming, it is important to learn how to work with any director. Jason Christou is an award-winning writer-director (Nowhere Boys, Arguments with my Mum) who will help tie together all you have learnt for the last 20 weeks. Taking you through an exercise that connects you with how you best take direction, you will not only understand what being a director means, but you will be able to decipher any direction you are given and make it applicable to you and the way you work.

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SHOWREELS

The final block of your program will be focused on providing you with content to share with agents and the industry post-study. This will be your showreel. TAFTA's professional teachers will guide you through each step of this process to make sure that you create a piece of film work that you are proud of, and that you can expand upon after you graduate. This process will also provide you with an authentic ‘on set’ experience. Each student will be required to be present on set to experience the technical aspects of being on set and working in film and TV. You will learn about the roles required to put a production together directed by a respected, working film & TV director. 

You will be provided with appropriate formats of your showreel that can be uploaded to Vimeo, Casting Networks & Showcast or your own website.

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SHOWREEL SHOOT

 

ANY MORE QUESTIONS?

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