You, Your Craft & The Business

You've got the talent and the know-how - so where's the audition? Don't just complain to your agent. You should know how to go and get it for yourself. The Acting faculty will prepare you to find work, by helping you create your business plan, and teaching you how to make the most out of the competitive world of casting and agent representation.

You, Your Craft & The Business

Developing business savvy and putting together a portfolio is the final step students take before graduation.

Acting - Individual Coaching

You'll be prepared for multiple audition situations without sacrificing the authenticity of your performance. In your last term you're given the juiciest and most complex text to work with to challenge your creativity. Students are coached by instructors on a one-on-one basis for strategies in career-planning and artistic development as well as rehearsals for the creation of an industry-standard promotional reel for agents and casting directors.

Dialects

Using the skills you've learned in your voice classes, this is a practical, physical approach to mastering the art of dialects and accents. Studying the history of how a regional or cultural accent develops, students are challenged to find just the right accent for every character. You'll begin your voice-work with the sound placements of the non-regional American sound (US Standard) employed for the majority of film and television characters. Soon you'll be trying out several regional US and Canadian accents as well as a variety of common British, European, and Asian dialects.

The Biz

How do you find the good gigs? What can an agent do for your career? The Biz is a lecture series that talks candidly about the conditions of the acting industry from a business perspective. You'll hear discussions by instructors and visiting guest speakers on topics such as the history of Canadian and international film, union membership, income tax for artists, as well as the role of agents and casting directors. After being shown how to prepare a marketing plan that includes your headshot, resume, and covering letter, you'll rehearse and shoot a short promotional reel to give to your contacts once you graduate. The results are often so impressive that graduates are known to find an agent thanks to these reels.

Final Project: Location Shoots

With the growing online market for independent film distribution, there's no longer any reason for a talented actor to sit by the phone waiting for an agent to call.

The Location Shoot will show you everything that's needed to kick-start your own film project. Each student submits a short screenplay to the faculty and two are chosen to be filmed over a four-day shoot with a professional director. Casting for the roles is based on an audition process. You'll also be required to scout and organize the locations. This project is one of the most ambitious and technically challenging you'll experience while at VFS.