My Reel Scene acting training experience by Iqbal.
Anybody can act. No really, anybody can act. But not everybody can act well. There’s an art to it. Technique. Ethic. Mindset. The Reel Scene Event brought the right people together to bring that out in us all. What I liked about the Reel Scene event was that it didn’t bring in a single teacher to cover all the bases of the craft as most acting classes do. Alex knew exactly what he wanted the actors to come out with after the week so he brought in various people (professional actors, agents, directors, casting directors) who were up to date with the industry and great at what they did. For example, Alex wanted us to leave the week with a showreel, which is so vital to landing jobs nowadays. So he invited in a Hollywood director to get to know us and work with us from the very first minute.
Not only that, but he came with a writer too! Since film and TV really are a director’s medium, it was brilliant to be able to work so closely with both Jared and Amanda throughout the entire week, to see things the way they do and understand how they work. Chemistry is important and ultimately, it was Amanda that would write our parts for us and Jared that would direct our showreel scenes. All the while spilling practical gems on being a professional in the business.
And the standards never dropped. Day one of our acting training was with the actress Mina Anwar and boy oh boy is she fantastic. So experienced, she was full of stories to enlighten us on what it’s really like to have a long term career in the industry. When we moved onto scene study I can’t begin to describe how well she would spot the gaps in our performances to draw out truths from a depth I always knew existed but could never quite grasp until she opened it out. Honestly, I’m not a fan of notes – I’ve finished an entire science degree with just a single notebook, yet I found myself endlessly scribbling away pages in just one class with her!
Moving through the week, we took some vital headshots (with a professional photographer, of course) which I’m very pleased with and happy to use in my portfolio. We worked extensively in a real green screen studio in Soho, fully equipped and had the whole floor including the lounge and dressing rooms to ourselves. It really felt like we were on the job and I understood what I could expect from a normal day at a studio (great for an actor to experience). We had a variety of scenes to explore and learn which spanned across genres and character types. Spending a day with actor, Scott Haran was great because he had a whole different perspective on the first few professional gigs which really helped build a complete picture, especially from someone of our own age group. Last but certainly not least, hats off to Alex; he somehow convinced some great, profiled and experienced agents to take time out of their incredibly busy schedules to come to us talk and share their industry knowledge and watch us perform our final scenes and audition for representation. That alone is an opportunity you really won’t find anywhere else.
Everyone on the course maintained a professionalism throughout which made the learning, the feedback, the growth and just the simple enjoyment a pleasure! My favourite part of the Reel Scene Event week is ironically not even the week itself, but what follows. Alex made us a family who care for each other and feel easy enough to throw ideas around with. Now he regularly keeps in touch with us all and we’ve already made plans for follow-up classes. Just the other day, Jared called me from abroad to catch up and discuss script ideas and how to keep the momentum up. That’s real love and support right there. Great atmosphere, great acting training, highly recommend The Reel Scene.