Secrets of Screen Acting

Bring a good notebook. Wear comfortable clothes. There are lots of group demonstrations and exercises!

Most acting techniques teach ‘truth’, but nothing in movies is real. Fiona will take you through a series of exercises and tutorials that will explain how screen acting is very different from stage acting and why.

Understand the core techniques being used by great screen actors and try them out in front of the camera. It’s all about the cheats – positions, vocal levels and reactions, with a splash of screen business!

Put your new knowledge and skills to work – shoot a scene, watch it back and get valuable feedback.

Understand why it’s used, the plusses and minuses, and how to leverage it to your advantage!

If you’ve ever been to a casting session and not been booked, does it mean you weren’t good enough? Or maybe you were taught the wrong way to approach a casting. In this session Fiona will explain how to read and play for an audition.

In short, anyone wishing to be an actor, or any actor wanting to hone up on their screen acting skills. This intensive one day workshop is also recommended for writers, directors and producers at any level. It is essential for those who have attended a Drama School, but feel that they were not prepared for the real world of Screen Acting in their course, and what to do in their auditions.

Fiona Geddes is a Scottish actress, writer and producer, who works across both stage and screen. Following training at East 15 Acting School (BA Acting), she continued her development under the tutorship of Patrick Tucker, which led to them working together on the delivery of his famous Secrets Of Screen Acting workshop. Subsequently, Patrick handed the mantle to Fiona and she is delighted to continue to share his unique and revolutionary methodology.

Fiona is the Artistic Director of new writing theatre company, Kidder. She founded and ran The Actors Practice, a professional development collective for actors, between 2012-2014 . Selected credits include: Five Daughters (BBC); Tezz (Feature Film); The Forgotten (Feature Film); As You Like It (Iris Theatre), Normal/Madness (Kidder); The Audition (Greenwich Playhouse).

“The Secrets of Screen Acting with Fiona Geddes was one of the best CPD courses I’ve done. Fiona was warm and welcoming but challenged everyone’s thinking and kept us all on our toes, figuratively and literally. It was great to never be sitting too long and be up in front of the camera. Here we explored new technique and most importantly, got things wrong. It was brilliant to see the playback on the TV to see whatdidn’t work, because it cemented Fiona’s teaching of what did. We all got the opportunity to be behind the camera too to further understand how making film and TV works. The tools that Fiona’s equipped me for screen acting with will absolutely stay with me.”

– Kate

“As someone who has had plenty experience on stage but limited screen work, I have been looking for a course that would help me gain a better understanding of what to expect when acting for camera. The ‘Secrets of Screen Acting’ course, based on Patrick Tucker’s book of the same name, was the perfect fit and – as we focussed on practical tips and technique rather than acting ability – I feel this would be an asset to any actor. Fiona took us through the ‘three pillars’ of screen acting through a mixture of theory, including watching on screen examples, and practical, during which we all got plenty of time both behind and in front of the camera plus the opportunity to learn by watching ourselves and each other act on screen. The mix of theory, backed up by practical implementation made the material easy to absorb and remember. The technique of acting on camera can feel daunting and overwhelming, yet Fiona’s guidance and support left me feeling excited and empowered to put it all into practice when the time comes to step on set and deliver great work!”

– Tarah-Mae

“This course, run by Fiona Geddes, provides a practical guide to Patrick Tucker’s famed book: Secrets of Screen Acting. The three pillars outlined in the book were exceedingly useful and I found Fiona’s teaching style fast-paced but engaging. Perhaps the most invaluable part of this course is the practical experience of being in front of a camera and utilising the skills that were taught. Remembering all techniques of screen acting is a bit like juggling on one foot, but this course provides an excellent foundation for those that want to better their technique.”

– Louisa

Patrick Tucker started directing for the stage in 1968, and for the screen in 1976, and has been doing both ever since. To date he has directed over 250 theatre productions and over 200 dramas for the screen (including one feature) at venues in the UK and all over the world, including America, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, South Africa, South Korea, and three productions at Shakespeare’s Globe London.

His last stage work was Measure, For Measure for the Blackfriars Theatre in Virginia, and on screen a Russian sit-com Olimpiada 80 filmed in Latvia (in Russian). He has lectured and run courses on the various aspects of acting and directing since the mid-1970s (presenting directing workshops for Raindance since 1997, and at Central Film School since it opened in 2009), and his books Secrets of Acting Shakespeare (Routledge 2nd Edition 2017) and Secrets of Screen Acting (3rd Edition Routledge 2014) contain many original insights – as do his workshops. He is currently preparing Secrets of Screen Directing – the Tricks of the Trade for publication in 2019.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Raindance Film Training Centre, 10a Craven Street, London, United Kingdom