Menu
Acting is something many people are passionate about either professionally or just for fun. Either way acting requires skill, and saying that it is all based on talent is simply not true. Acting, like any other skill, requires focus, and effort to be learned properly. Even if you’re “naturally talented”, you need to learn this skill properly to polish your talent. If you’re someone who is interested in acting, this blog is for you.
There are different types of acting classes, including acting technique, cold reading, improvisation, commercial, and on-camera acting classes.
There are many reasons why you should take advantage of acting classes, and here are just a few.
No matter what you decide to accomplish in life, whatever field you are in, one thing that you always need is experience. Experience and practice are crucial when it comes to acting. Acting is not just reading lines from a piece of paper. Rather you have to create an entire living, breathing character, and make those words on the paper totally believable and in the moment. Acting lessons give you the experience of breathing life into something that was just an idea on paper. Practicing acting all by yourself is different from doing it in front of a group of people and a teacher, and that experience can only be gained by going to an acting class.
Whether you are new or experienced, guidance is so important. Ideally you want to work with someone you trust, who has insight, intuition and knowledge; who can observe you and help you get deeply grounded in your work. Even A list actors will hire an acting coach to work a specific role they have booked. You can read books on acting and gain knowledge. But knowledge alone will not be enough. You need the hands on experience within a class to implement the knowledge.
You might have excellent talent and skill in acting, but isn’t it a waste if you do not have the confidence to relax and expose all of your human quirks that are unique to you in front of a camera? It is natural and normal for people to be ‘camera-shy’ or have feelings of anxiety when they get in front of the camera. Acting classes help you deal with this and bring you out of your comfort zone. This helps the impact of your performance, as it can be clearly seen when a performer is nervous. Having to act in front of people on a regular basis gives you the necessary confidence when you encounter a big audience or a professional film or tv gig.
Acting is much more than delivering the dialogue that you’re given. There is alot of human behaviour involved in acting. Because acting is really just living authentically in front of a camera. In life, we have behaviour. Our own behaviours that no one else has. The movements, gestures, facial expressions that are uniquely ours. Even though these behaviours may be subtle, they create a very strong impact on the performance. Bringing real behaviour to your acting is so important. Acting classes creates an environment for you to bring forth your natural behaviours and endow them to the character you are inhabiting.
As mentioned above as well, acting is a skill that requires focus and hard work. But the work you’re putting in, must be harnessed in the right way. If you are working hard but not working smart, you will never improve from your bad habits or you may not be aware you have them. Acting classes help you find your stride, and overcome habits that don’t serve you in on camera acting.
You might find acting fun, and it is. However, it definitely requires discipline to excel at it. Classes teach you how to develop that discipline within yourself and use it to stay focused and see your work through to the end.
With the advent of Zoom and the internet, it has become easier to find good acting classes. Simply type in, “film acting classes in Vancouver” (if you live in Vancouver) and find the best class that suits you.
Acting classes are crucial if you want to refine your acting skills. Other than skills, these classes also help in building your confidence, overcome anxiety and relax into your essence on camera. You can opt for any acting class, such as improv or on-camera acting class, according to your preference and needs. I suggest the boutique acting school: Acting With William MacDonald. One of Canada’s foremost acting teachers with over 35 years of professional on camera acting experience. He offers film acting classes and is based in Vancouver, but the classes are available globally via Zoom.
Keep learning, keep growing, and enjoy the experience of learning acting to the fullest!