ONSCREEN · online course
ONSCREEN: online acting classes for adults, made for the camera
Online acting classes for adults: a self-paced, step-by-step course in acting for film and video, in English, for beginners and working actors, from a director who has trained close to 200 actors. In preparation, to be released on the studio’s course platform, TD Film Studio courses.
Watch the school at work on its own channel: Onscreen Acting School in Guwahati on YouTube.
What you will learn
The course, step by step
Stage acting fills a room. Screen acting fills a frame. ONSCREEN teaches the difference.
The camera and the frame
Eyelines, marks, shot sizes and continuity: how the camera sees an actor.
Truth on screen
Thought, listening and stillness, so the camera sees a person rather than a performance.
Self-tapes
Recording professional audition self-tapes at home.
Scene work across genres
Drama, comedy, thriller and more, each given equal weight.
Voice and dialogue
Speaking for a microphone, not for the back row.
For beginners and working actors
Start from the first principles, or go straight to the camera work.
Who this course is for
These online acting classes for adults are for two kinds of learner: beginners who want to start the right way, and working actors who want to be better on camera. The course is in English and self-paced, so it fits around work and life.
Every lesson is taught from behind the camera, by a director who has cast, directed and edited actors across eight feature films and trained close to 200 actors in the Onscreen Acting Workshop. Students of the workshop played every role in the comedy feature Phokotia Tales.
On the record
Teaching on the record
- Nine batches of the Onscreen Acting Workshop since 2016
- Close to 200 actors trained for camera
- 40+ workshops across colleges, universities and schools
- Interns in direction, writing, cinematography and visual effects now working in the film industry
How we work
A director’s view of acting
Most acting courses are taught from the actor’s side. ONSCREEN is taught from behind the camera, by a director who has cast, directed and edited actors across eight feature films.
You learn what a director looks for, and why some takes are used and others are not.
The actors
Actors trained for the camera
The Onscreen Acting Workshop on video, 2016 to 2022
Before ONSCREEN moved online, the workshop ran in Guwahati for nine batches. These films record the classes, the exercises and the actors who came through them.
3:31Acting workshop for beginners 
1:46The 2017 workshop: an introduction 
3:06Meet the actors 
3:41Facial expressions for the camera 
22:27The 7th workshop: an update 
2:22New actors showcase 
0:52The advanced acting class 
0:59Meet the new actors 
1:35The actor’s portfolio 
0:32Online acting classes for beginners 
2:28The Guwahati acting class 
4:19From workshop to lead roles 
Do My Homework: a scene rehearsal 
1:45Diwali wishes from the acting class 
1:36Magh Bihu wishes from the acting class How it runs
How the course works
- Online and self-paced: learn when it suits you, from anywhere.
- Step by step: from first principles to a professional self-tape.
- Exercises: recorded on your own phone or camera.
- In English: for actors in India and around the world.
- Adults only: the course is for learners aged 18 and over.
Questions
Questions about ONSCREEN
When does the course open?
ONSCREEN is in preparation. Register your interest and you will be told when enrolment opens, with the price.
Who is it for?
Adults aged 18 and over: beginners who want to start right, and working actors who want to be better on camera.
Will the course get me roles?
No course can promise roles, and this one does not. It promises the craft: what the camera needs from you, and how to deliver it.
What do I need?
A phone or camera, a quiet room and the willingness to watch yourself back.
Can I take the course from outside India?
Yes. ONSCREEN is online and in English, so actors anywhere can take it, at their own pace.
Related
- Learn with the director: the course, mentorship and the record
- The studio: the director and the full filmography
- Acting profile guide for beginners: headshots, showreel and self-tapes
- All services: the full list, from animation to teaching
- The studio on YouTube: films, song-films and devotional cinema
Be first to know
Register your interest and you will be told when ONSCREEN opens for enrolment.