Joyce Wagner
In Motion Staff Writer
Daytona State College has a large offering of courses in a variety of areas and continues to add classes in response to student interests and industry needs. RTV 2600, Acting for the Lens and Camera is one of those courses added to benefit students in their careers. The class, along with the accompanying lab, gives students knowledge of and first-hand experience with performing in front of a camera. The course is co-taught by Anita Bevins and Samantha Stern.
According to Professor Bevins, the idea for the class came about when a third semester class of Radio and Television Broadcast Production students did a live improv show last fall. The show, which was set up similar to the popular “What’s My Line,” enlisted DSC acting students.
“I wanted to start this course,” said Bevins, “Because when we did the improv show, I had to teach a crash course in acting for TV. They knew how to act for stage, but they didn’t know how to act for TV. If we’re going to use students in productions in the future, it would be good for them to have more than 15 minutes of instruction.”
Regarding acting for TV, Bevins said, “It’s not like in the theater. You have to know how to respond without the feedback.” Besides not having a large, live audience to work with, there’s a spatial difference, too. “In theater, you have grand motions. For TV, it’s a close-up shot, a small space. It’s a very intimate environment,” Bevins said.
Stern, Director of Theater at the Mike Curb College of Music, Entertainment and Art, said, “The fundamentals are the same. Performing for the camera requires more of a subtlety. The styles are completely different.”
The skills learned during this course will benefit people who are planning to be actors, directors, producers, and also those who do public speaking. Said Bevins of the course, “Its confidence building. It gives a new skill level.”
“I think this is a good class for anyone who will be doing any kind of public speaking,” said Stern, “Or any kind of on camera work.”
Most of the students currently are from the broadcast program. In order to become effective directors or producers, they need to have an understanding of what it’s like on the other side of the camera, as the talent. This gives a much different perspective for when they are running the show and trying to get the talent to move in a certain way. The theater students are taking the class to learn skills needed for acting for film or TV.
Co-teaching brings a lot of knowledge and experience to the students. Bevins knows the technical points of a TV station. Her part includes giving the students experience in the studio, getting accustomed to the equipment used, blocking the set, and having extra people in the studio running cameras. She also introduces them to technical aspects used by the talent in front of the camera. Reading lines from a teleprompter takes time and adjustments. Wearing an IFB, Interruptible Foldback or Feedback, ear-piece is an unusual experience. The IFB, worn by newscasters and sports reporters, gives the producer direct contact with the person in front of the camera. At first, this can be confusing for the talent as they adapt to reading the teleprompter, performing their parts, all while listening to instructions from the control room of the studio.
Splitting time between technical and performance aspects, Stern shares her extensive acting skills with the students. “I’d like to have more time. I could teach five days a week on acting,” said Stern. “We have students that have been acting for a couple of years, then you have students who have been in TV production a couple of years. It’s a great way for them to share their knowledge.”
Stern also noted that because of the interaction between the two fields, the students are showing an interest in the other side of things, too. “We have a few students who have been acting that are interested in learning about TV production and a few students from the broadcast class that are getting into acting,” she said.
“Once a student completes the course,” said Bevins, “If they want to audition for a hosting job, or doing voice-overs at the TV station here, they’ll be better equipped when they walk in the door.”
Both teachers see the benefits of the two departments working together and would like to see more collaboration in the future. The skills learned in one area can be brought to the other to advance their skills, giving a broader understanding of the concepts learned. Students can go on to take an acting class with Stern, or broadcasting classes with Bevins.
The class currently has 10 students with the cap being 15. Once a larger demand for the course is shown, they plan to offer it both spring and fall semesters.