The Acting Skillset Approach

The Online Actor's training philosophy, personally developed by coach Vas Saranga based on his years of set experience, combines On-Camera Technique, Scene Study, Character Development, Audition Technique, and Dramatic Improvisation, with practical on-set skills and knowledge like Blocking, Camera Awareness, Communication, and Collaboration. The O.A. helps actors achieve their most present, playful, connected, and charismatic selves in their screen performances, through a continually evolving approach to the craft. Actors are not bogged down in traditional theory and cerebral analysis, but rather challenged from beginner to advanced level with a paradigm shift of how the craft of screen acting can be viewed more simply, and trained viscerally. Classes use original scenes and exercises, exploring 50+ unique concepts. Actors learn to put forward their best qualities on-camera that create memorable and compelling performances in the most authentic way possible. The Online Actor also boasts acting training and coaching that is affordable and accessible. Actors are invited to see for themselves by attending a free mini-workshop and observing a class for free.

As its basis, the Acting Skillset Approach puts the most practical artistic and technical requirements of the screen actor at the forefront. It looks at all the realities of screen acting, distills them down into required and critical skills that great screen actors need to possess, then takes an exercise-based approach to developing those skills so they can be seamlessly used by actors in performance. Spaces are elements in our approach to acting that are fluid, like gradients. They're malleable and evolving concepts that form the basis of our unique screen acting approach. The Acting Skillset Approach dives deep into dozens of concepts and sub-concepts (see below), however, actors are ultimately treated like artist-atheltes -- they can benefit from knowing theory, but in some cases, raw talent may actually be held back by too much theory -- so, a huge emphasis is placed on playing rather than conceptualizing.

It's important to note that this approach is not derived from traditional acting methods, but rather distilled from the years of on-set experience of head coach Vas Saranga. The actor's skillset is developed in an extraordinary number of different ways to allow them to simply and beautifully harness their authentic selves in performance, viscerally rather than cerebrally. As the approach helps develop an actors skillset, it leaves room for other forms of acting training to complement the development of those skills, rather than counteract it. Many actors that are trained in traditional methods can greatly benefit from this unique approach to the craft, as it can harness their previous training, and take their skills to the next level in terms of useability and practicality as a working screen actor.

Spaces explored:
-energy space
-physicality space
-expression space
-character space
-story space
-emotion space
-behavior space
-being space
-attention space
-want space
-tone space
-comprehension space
-interpretation space
-playful space
-pain space
-humor space
-cerebral / visceral space
-dialogue space
-direction space
-camera space
-blocking space
-relationship space
-conflict space
-perception space
-technique space
-tension space
-breathing space

Sub-spaces and other concepts:

-acting muscle memory (impulses, instincts, intuition)
-observation, listening, feeling, awareness
-dramatic improvisation (not "improv" comedy)
-scene comprehension (understanding)
-scene interpretation (not analysis)
-scene exploration (active discovery)
-concepts of emotion: awareness, intelligence, accessibility, sensitivity, control, complexity, resistance, resonance
-spatial shifts, transitions, weight, vibrato, mask
-inner dialogue & inner monologue
-sending thoughts
-heirarchy of human needs
-naturalism, authenticity, and organic performance
-modes & levels within spaces
-energy modes (kinetic, potential)
-substitution (active vs passive)
-visualization and imagination work (active vs passive)
-conflict modes (external vs internal)
-musicality in dialogue
-dialogue as lyrics, not sheet music
-creative collaboration (making "offers")
-body language
-style vs substance
-risk taking and what it actually means
-on-set communicating with directors, actors, and other creatives
-14 types of direction and how to approach taking each type
-silence
-spontaneity: playing moment-to-moment
-pre-occupation and introspection
-focus and concentration
-eyes up vs mind's eye
-owning the moment
-vulnerability
-dynamics
-shape of a scene
-playing extremes
-rage and aggression
-everything / nothing theory
-thinking, feeling, doing
-stillness and movement
-eyelines and camera awareness
-scale of maturity (child to adult)
-shooting multiple takes (different, same/different, same/same)
-the realities of screen acting
-the requirements of a screen actor
-conscious and subconscious behavior
-scripted repeating
-escalation and de-escalation (upshift and downshift)
-concepts of character: history, ghost, fear, need, misbelief, point of view, arc
-the G.U.T.S. approach to simplifying how to play a scene
-auditioning with F.R.E.E.D.O.M.
-understanding dramatic story structure for actors using S.C.E.N.E.S.

Our approach introduces a great number of concepts and theory, while still allowing actors to completely play on instinct. Actors learn that most compelling performances they see can contain many elements outlined above, however actors don't necessarily need to be aware of any of the above concepts to actually convey them in performance. Many times they are simply present due to the performance being a reflection of human behavior and life. The Acting Skillset Approach helps identify these behavioral characteristics, distills them into concepts and exercises, and then trains actors to be able to convey them through their own instrument with minimal preparation, in environments that are relfective of the realities of auditioning and working on set.