In Front of the Camera in Florence

Jeremy Barnes is a Senior at Knox College, majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in Film. He spent six weeks over the summer getting a taste of what it’s like to act in front of the camera during PAA’s Acting for Film in Florence program.

The Acting for Film in Florence summer program was an unforgettable experience that taught me much about acting in the film industry and working with others. We (the actors) got hands-on experience working with the filmmakers in the joint Filmmaking in Florence program on four of their projects that they did over the 4-week program. We also participated in “Workshop” shoots that were meant for practice for their main project each week. Each week focused on a different element of film, and the shoots became more complex as the program went on.

For example, the first project was focused on Mise-en-scene and was done in only a single shot. The second project focused on Continuity. This one was done with different shots, but the actors needed to make sure their body movements were consistent from different shots to create the illusion of a “continuous” action. The last project was the first to include sound, but depending on the filmmaker, it may have only been music added over the visuals and not dialogue.

We also shot individual monologues and scenes with partners from Hollywood movies on a small interior set. This was done with a boom mic and with dialogue by professional staff at the school (New York Film Academy). In addition to this, we also shot several scenes for practice in preparation for the filmmakers’ projects each week. Overall, this was a very fun and enriching experience.