Description
Actors often underperform on set, not because they lack talent, but because they do not understand the filmmaking process. Fear, misinformation, and technical confusion create tension — and tension kills truth on camera.
This course will aim to demystify the process.
The goal is simple: to enable actors to give dynamic, truthful performances that excite directors and give editors real choices. When actors understand the rhythm of filmmaking, and how to deliver truthful performances they become artistic collaborators rather than obstacles.
Actors will learn how:
To concentrate on a busy film set.
To bring truthful emotion to your character within the scene, and importantly how to keep it real over many takes.
To understand the dynamic range within a scene to increase the dramatic possibilities. Avoiding cliché and dull naturalism.
To make your character truly unique.
To listen on screen, where to look on screen to reveal your characters thinking.
To understand the rhythm of filmmaking so you can give your best performance on camera and not in the greenroom/dressing room or the rehearsal process.
Work breed’s work. Strong screen performances create more work opportunities.
Michael Bray is an Award-winning Actor/Writer/Director/Producer.
He started his career at the National Theatre where he worked for seven years, culminating in writing and directing his first two plays, “The Rhythm of Love”, and “Back of the Bus Girls”. He then moved into television, directing “Let’s Pretend”, and “Family Pride” for Channel 4, and the BAFTA Award winning “Battered Baby”, for BBC Films, alongside writing and directing many other series and serials.
He started the film company Winchester Films in the 90’s, where he directed and produced a slate of films including “The Sea Change”, starring Ray Winstone and Maryam D’Arbo, that was chosen to open the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win many awards world-wide including the Producers Alliance Award for Best Film.
Most recently he directed the film adaptation of Brian Friel’s brilliant play, “Faith Healer”, at the world- famous Shaw Studio’s in Hong Kong. It is due to be released at Cannes next year. He originally directed the play for the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, as part of the world play season, where it won the award for Best Actor.
He has recently published his latest book on screen acting, “So You Want to Act on Screen”, and his next book “Stanislavsky Goes to the Movies”, will be published in December 2026 by Nick Hern Books. This is a modern adaptation of Stanislavsky’s groundbreaking method enabling actors and directors use it for the screen.
Michael has also had an extensive career in education, first as Director of the School of Acting at Arts Educational Schools London. Then as Director of the Post Graduate film making courses at Central Saint Martins, UAL. developing and running MA Screen Acting, MA Screen, Directing, MA Screen Writing. Most recently he was made a Professor at Hong Kong Baptist University where he was Programme Director on Acting for Global Screen. He has taught and lectured at many schools including The London Film School, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, East 15, the National Film and Television School, Drama Centre, Yale University, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Ecole Internationale de theatre Le Coq, University of Rome.
