UPDATE 3/1/11: The Conservatory recently entered the 48 hour film festival in Washington DC and won for Best Acting in the comedy How Mulch is Made!  But what would you expect from the best acting school in DC?

During the First Four Semesters, Conservatory students spend 12 hours per semester learning Camera Technique.  These classes include the basic introduction to the camera, as well as vocal production, physical production, Industrials, Close-ups, Green Screens, and much more.  But it is the fifth and sixth semester, once the student becomes comfortable in how to act, that the camera takes a larger role in the students training.

During the third year program, or Actors Repertory Theater (ART), Conservatory students spend 204 hours in front of the camera.  The classes begin with an On Camera Intensive, teaching the students the intricacies of creating full scenes for the camera.  Followed by Adapting Stage Work for the Screen.  Taking a scene from all three plays they work on in ART, the students work on adapting that scene for film.  And culminating with The Short Film Project, where students create two fifteen minute short films, and 4-6 comedy shorts under the guidance of the Conservatory's Director of Film and Media and The Director of Education.

At the end of the third year, the director of film and media edits an acting reel for each student to use in the world when applying for work with agents, and film directors.  For an example, head on over to the page Our Actors In Action to get a look at a sample reel!