Screen Acting Workshop with Sara Jordan
November 18 @ 7:45 pm – 10:15 pm
Session led by Sara Jordan
Bring your stage craft to camera
Bring your stage craft to camera with clarity and confidence. This focused, two hour workshop is designed for theatre trained performers who want to understand what changes on set, how the lens reads truth, and which habits help you deliver clean, believable takes.
Led by experienced actress and award winning Director Sara Jordan, you will feel the difference between stage scale and screen intimacy, and leave knowing exactly what directors at Sutton FilmMakers are looking for.
What we are aiming to achieve
By the end of the night you will
- recognise how the camera magnifies thought and pares back gesture
- know where to place your eyeline and how to keep it consistent
- use stillness, breath, and listening to carry a moment
- match simple actions for continuity so your performance cuts smoothly
- take a clear redirect and repeat the beat with confidence
Theatre vs. Screen Performances
How the night runs
- A short welcome, why screen acting is different, three simple rules, smaller, later, listen
- Live demonstration with immediate playback to show stage size, medium shot, and close up
- Paired drill off camera to practise eyeline and stillness with a reader just off lens
- On camera hot seat rotations, each actor delivers a short contemporary beat, receives one precise note from Sara, and runs a quick pickup
- Group debrief, five recurring patterns to watch for in future screen auditions, and practical next steps
Who this is for
Actors with strong theatre experience who are new to camera or returning after a break, recent graduates building their first screen credits, am dram performers ready to translate their skills to film, performers who want sharper, simpler on set habits.
- Theatre trained actors who want to translate stage craft to camera with confidence
- Amateur dramatic performers ready to shift from projection to on camera truth
- Recent drama school graduates building screen experience and set discipline
- Actors returning after a break who want a fast, practical refresh on screen habits
- Presenters, creators, and voice actors moving into filmed performance
- Directors or writers who act in their own projects and want cleaner takes
- Any performer who’s heard “smaller, later, listen” and wants to feel what that means under the lens
If you can hold a scene, take a note, and you are curious about how the camera reads thought, this night is designed for you.
What to bring
Neutral top without logos, minimal jewellery, comfortable shoes, a bottle of water, your curiosity and a willingness to listen on camera
Why we are offering this
Our recent anthology casting brought in brilliant theatre talent, and we saw how much potential there is when stage craft meets the lens. This workshop bridges the gap, helping you keep everything you do that works on stage while refining it for the intimacy of screen.
If you are a theatre actor and would like to take part do let us know in advance please as it would be nice (but not essential) to know how many actors we can work with.
Guests welcome. First two sessions free for visitors.