Study Plan

The course is split into a series of subjects and involves 750 hours of teaching time. It is worth 30 university credits, recognised throughout Europe.

• On camera acting: ICFT

  The student will perform monologues and scenes in front of the camera with a professional director of photography and sound technician. You will learn to analyze your performance and progress while observing the recorded exercises. The objective is to define and develop your technique in front of the camera and to achieve mastery and maximum efficiency in your personal acting choices. By working as a team, and through using the first team methods, the student learns the techniques of cinematography, sound, continuity and lenses… You will recognize your own weaknesses and turn them in strengths while learning to communicate without fear in front of the camera in medium shot and close-up. At the end of class you will be provided with the best quality images to use for presentations, video books and for distribution in the entertainment marketplace.

• Camera, Light, Sound, Editing

  Camera: Film technique

  A professional filmmaker will introduce you to camera techniques (framing, lenses, camera movements, marks, multi-camera work, etc). Actors will gain technical knowledge that will help them to understand why their image is how it is. This knowledge will allow them to have more control over the image they project on film whilst also enhancing their creative decision making when performing in front of the camera.

  Light: Film technique

  A professional filmmaker will introduce the student to lighting techniques (light design, ambiance, faces, light continuity in close-up, etc). You will come to understand the expressive power of lighting, and you will also learn how to work with lighting professionals so as to enhance your performance and get the most out of your character. On top of this, you will learn to be more efficient and more competitive in front of the camera.

  Sound in Film and TV

  This part of the course is an introduction to sound technique in film and TV. You will learn how to adjust your voice and your volume for each frame. You will discover the possibilities of sound and how to use it to your advantage.

  Introduction to editing

  Learn and better understand how the final result of your work as an actor is achieved. Get to know the editing process (time, rhythm, narrative structure, continuity, transitions between scenes, etc). When you understand the editor’s work, the final creator of your character, and the mechanisms that affect the spectator’s perception, you will achieve more efficiency in your communication in front of the camera.

• Script

  This part of the course introduces you to the screenwriting process and technique. Students work with a professional screenwriter and learn to create short stories. You will learn basic story structure and how to tell a story to others. This class will also help the actor communicate better with a director and enhance the actor’s skills in self promotion.

• Direction

  
  

  Discover the function of directors and assistant directors. Understand the leadership skills and vision required for the job, and the complexities involved in the director-actor relationship.

• Script readings

  In this workshop writers will listen to their scripts read out loud by professional actors. The workshop is a useful tool to help polish a script. Hearing the script read aloud will help the writer develop more informative dialogue, justify the appearance or disappearance of a character, determine what is unbelievable, strengthen the ending, strengthen scenes, resolve story problems and more. Invite your producer, director and friends to the reading.

• Costumes and image consulting

  Javier Artiñano, the only Spanish costume designer to have won 6 Goya awards, will teach you about the origin and design of period dress and will help you to wear it naturally. By studying the way that accomplished actors wear period dress, you will learn to integrate the costume into your performance and will use it to bring out the style and culture of the period in question.

  Moreover, Pepe Reyes will help you to understand contemporary design and fashion and Natacha Fernández will show you how it is essential to find a harmony between what you are wearing and the surrounding environment when on set.

• Film Appreciation

  Through movie screenings which cover a period from the beginning of the eighties through to the present day, you will have the opportunity to discover and analyze the best and most successful Spanish and European films. You will study the work of contemporary directors and trends in European cinema. Directors, actors and producers will present the film and a historian will then analyze its importance in relation to the director’s career.

• TV and Internet Fiction

  
  You will get to know the history and trends of TV fiction in Europe, the U.S., and the South America in the last ten years. Discover film distribution trends on the internet.

• Production

  Production gives the student an understanding of the producer’s job and concerns. The student receives an introductory course in the development process, financing and distribution of film. You will learn to better understand your position as the actor in the filmmaking process and how teamwork creates a better result. You will understand the producer’s expectations and will learn to respect their work.

• Professional ethics

  This class is designed to help you understand your rights as the author of a film. You will learn the differences between the legal rights of directors, scriptwriters and composers and those of the producer. Furthermore, amongst other useful things, you will learn what image rights you have and how Intellectual Property Laws work.

  Teaching will also focus on the relationship between the creative team, the agent, and the casting director. You will become familiar with the important European film associations, as well how films are marketed either through the radio, TV, press or the web and videobooks.

• History of film actors

  Study the careers of the great film actors.

• Personal Promotion

  This subject is designed to give you the tools that you will need to succeed in the job market. You will learn how to evaluate yourself, as well as the films on which you work. In the classes you will focus on bringing all the aspects of personal promotion together so that your CV, photos, videobooks and applications are all excellent when it comes to having interview with directors and casting directors.

• Master Classes and Seminars with Professionals

  During the course students will attend the seminars and conferences given by internationally prestigious film professionals. The meetings are open spaces for reflection where questions, curiosity, uncertainties, or any other input is all welcome. These seminars prove very useful both for students’ creativity and their career management.

  At the end of the course, social events with a select group of directors and scriptwriters. These events, which we call ‘speed-dating’ are a fun and useful way to meet other professionals and form film creation groups.

• Action scenes

  Learn and practice with all the tools you need to do an action scene. In this class you will master basic combat techniques; and, you will receive a basic understanding of sword fighting, fencing, boxing, blows, kicks, punches and martial arts, and how to act realistically in an action sequence.

• Film and Literature

  Students gain an understanding of the dramatic structure of a novel and how a particular character functions within the plot. In Film and Literature you will analyze and compare the two. You will work on simple examples and develop a dramatic analysis of certain texts. You will acquire knowledge that will allow you to better express the choices you make for your characters.

Teaching Method

The training is both theoretical and practical. Students will sit written and oral exams. At the end of the course each student will record their own short film. Students will also attend certain master classes and seminars and they will visit film and TV companies, organizations and associations.

List of Teachers

Scott Cleverdon
Teaching film performance for 10 years
Creator of the teaching programmes at First Team
Been a part of over 40 films, as an actor and a writer
Author of the book ´Director and Actor´

Assumpta Serna
International actress, performed in 98 films, winning 25 ´Best Actress´awards
Author of the first Spanish book on film acting: ´The work of the film actor´, as well as ´Monologues in V.O.´
Experienced teacher of screen acting

María Lafuente
Fashion designer

Fernando Loygorri
TV and film writer, on series such as ´Hospital Central´

Carlos Gil
Director, producer and writer
Has worked for thirty years with directors like Steven Spielberg, George Cuckor and Stephen Frears

Antonio Fernández Oliva
A graduate in Information Sciences, a historian and an author of five books on film

Raquel Bello
Editor
Has worked on series like ´Cuéntame´and programmes such as ´Pekín Express´ and ´Ajuste de cuentas´

Javier Artiñano
Costume designer and Set designer
Has won 6 Goyas (5 for Best Costume Design and 1 for Best Production Design)
Has worked on renowned films such as ´El maestro de esgrima´, ´Juana la loca´ and the recent ´La conjura del escorial´

Fernando Jover
Director of Photography, Camera Operator and Producer

Daniela Alvarado
Production Manager
Works with Tornasol Films where she´s helped produce films like ´La educación de las hadas´ and Él club de los suicidas´
Production Coordinator on the Oscar-winning film ´El Secreto de sus Ojos´

Alejandra Gomendio
Executive and private coach
Has accumulated over 15 years of experience in management and communication at multinational companies

Mar Paúl
Doctorate in Humanities and Social Sciences
Has worked on 40 films
Teaches Literature and Film at First Team

Pablo Segura
Stuntman
Has worked as a stuntman and choreographed fight scenes in numerous productions, such as the famous series ´Los hombres de Paco

José Mª Álvarez
Professor of Audiovisual Communication

Rafael Gómez Alonso
Professor of Audiovisual Communication

Lorenzo Javier Torres
Professor in the theory of Audiovisual Communication

Admission

To apply for a first team course, candidates should be available for interview by one of first team’s admission departments, and they should send the following to first team’s Madrid headquarters:

• A CV and a professional videobook, if they are in possession of one.
• A close-up photo of themselves.
• A cover letter, which explains their reasons for wanting to study at first team.
• 2 passport sized photos,
• A cheque covering the deposit, which reserves their place on the course, and is made out to: Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
• A photocopy of their degree/diploma/ relevant educational certificates.

Matriculation Dates and Prices

Duration: 8 months (750 teaching hours) Credits: 30, Course start date: November 2011, Graduation: July 2011. Timetable: afternoons, Monday to Friday

Price: the total cost of the program for the 2011/2012 course, which will begin in November 2011 is €6.600. To reserve a place, a deposit of 10% is payable. This amount is included in the total price, and should a candidate’s application not prove successful, it will be returned in full. First team will help you finance the course through their membership card and the bank Caixa Catalunya.