Each week we will be choosing one of our dramatic classes to highlight for our #ClassoftheWeek! This week we have chosen the Bell Top Elementary Lower Primary class! "If I had to sum up my thoughts on the Bell Top LP class in one word, it would be JOY. Every Monday they come marching into class, all smiles and full of enthusiasm. These youngsters have an unquenchable thirst for all things dramatic, and never fail to exceed my already high expectations. In short, they are full of joy, make a joyful noise, and are a joy for me to teach!" - Miss Jillian "The Bell Top LP class is always ready to play along and try new things. They consistently bring their best energy and their willingness to have fun. And they never seem to stop smiling!" - Mr. Tony In-Class Photo Gallery!
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Each week we will be choosing one of our dramatic classes to highlight for our #ClassoftheWeek! This week we have chosen our Schenectady Junior Acting Academy! “I’ll admit it – working with middle schoolers can be quite the challenge. But not with our Schenectady Jr. Acting Academy - they are a breath of fresh air! Their willingness to release their inhibitions, step out of their comfort zones and support one another is what I adore most about them. They have to be one of the sweetest, most sincere group of Drama Kids I’ve ever had the pleasure of teaching. This is the sort of middle school “drama” I wish I had growing up!” - Drama Mama "The Schenectady Jr. AA, though new to the Acting Academy, are one of our more fearless and enthusiastic AA classes I've seen! They always come to class excited about whatever we are doing. Each student has their hand raised to volunteer, without receiving all or any of the directions! I know plenty of Senior Acting Academy classes that don't even do that!" - Miss Lita In-Class Photo GalleryStay tuned for this week's #FILMFRIDAY starring the class of the week!
Each week we will be choosing one of our dramatic classes to highlight for our #ClassoftheWeek! This week we have chosen our Genet Elementary Upper Primary class!
"Genet! What a bunch of hams! But, they are very talented hams, lol. They have a boundless energy that is contagious. Every week, even though they're exhausted from a full day of school, they race into class raring to go! I look forward to seeing them every week to see what fantastic ideas they'll come up with next!" - Miss Jillian
"Talk about CREATIVE! Our students at Genet Elementary are the most creative and quirky cast of characters I teach. From 'Skinny-Jean John' to 'Arnold Schwarzenegger" - we never know who is going to walk through the door! Their energy and enthusiasm never falters, and they never fail to make me LOL." - Miss Kristyn In-Class PhotosWatch & share our #FILMFRIDAY VIDEO!
Each week we will be choosing one of our dramatic classes to highlight for our #ClassoftheWeek! This week we have chosen our Loudonville Senior Acting Academy! "Some people have to wait their entire lives to meet their favorite performers – I raised mine!" - Drama Mama "The Loudonville Senior Acting Academy is everything you could ask for and more in a Drama Kids Class. They have unbridled enthusiasm for learning and a general exuberance for life that is contagious. Even though at times they definitely push the envelope on age appropriateness (lol!) they also push each other to be the best they can be. They have found in each other kindred spirits, and it's that cohesiveness that makes this class such a success. I am honored to be able to teach them every week, and learn from them as well." - Miss Jillian "Our Loudonville Sr. Acting Academy holds a very special place in my heart. Many of them have been a Drama Kid for 6, 7, 8…even 11 years! Yes, they were my babies before I had babies! They embody what I love most about being a Drama Kids teacher and Director. I am blessed to have witnessed these exuberant, fun-loving little kids, grow and mature into the most creative and talented performers (and teachers!) I have ever had the pleasure of working with. They are true examples of the power of Drama Kids and I am so proud to have been their “Drama Mama” these past 11 years. Some people have to wait their entire lives to meet their favorite performers – I raised mine!" - Drama Mama In-Class Photos#FIlmFriday Video!So, what movies are our Drama Kids making THIS year? The short answer: SPOOFS! We thought our students would have a lot of FUN "poking fun" at various movies, musicals, and life as we know it!
LOWER PRIMARY What happens when a group of six-year-olds are forced to endure a boring dinner party? What is the outcome of a fender bender between two seven-year-olds? What on earth would happen if you asked a five-year-old to work on a Saturday!? Kids are so eager to grow up. They just don't appreciate what they have! "Adulting" is hard - a fact that parents know ALL too well. So... how about we take a break, and let the kids "take the wheel"? Our Drama Kids are going to have a lot of FUN when we turn the tables and let them navigate some of life's most difficult situations. Who knows... maybe we can learn a thing or two from them! After all, they are bound to have some interesting and zany ideas up their sleeve! Our Lower Primary kiddos will take a walk in our shoes for their starring role in: "ADULTING" A Drama Kids Original Picture! UPPER PRIMARY "Luke... I am your... 3rd cousin twice removed?" Hmmm... that doesn't sound right! How about,"Live long and lobster?" No...? Oh! I know! "May the pancakes be with you!" "Toto, I have a feeling those aren't the correct movie quotes!" Our Upper Primary students are going to step into some of the most famous movies ever made - and completely turn them upside down! Wait until you see what they come up with for our "Mad Libs" style movie scripts; it's going to be the wackiest award ceremony you've ever attended! Join our Upper Primary students for our first ever Drama Kids Academy Awards! ACTING ACADEMY Have you ever wondered what life would be like if we were all in a musical? Do you ever wish you could just break out into song whenever a major life event occurs? Have you ever dreamed of being on Broadway, but you can't sing a note in tune? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions then you are going to LOVE the Acting Academy's #ProjectSilverScreen film! This year our teens and tweens have been learning about various musicals before class, and with that knowledge they will be answering the question, "What if life was like a musical?" So, what normal, mundane situation in life could warrant a show-stopping number? Find out in January when our Acting Academy students lip sync their hearts out in their very own installment of: Musicals in Real Life! Another year, another exciting #ProjectSilverScreen session! Our students love this time of the year, and so should YOU! While our students are busy being captivated by our screenplays, entranced by the green screen, and primping for their close-up - they are also learning and experiencing so many of our #FUNdamentals! That's right - our movie-stars getting the red carpet treatment AND learning some valuable life lessons along the way!
CONFIDENCE AND SELF-ESTEEM Our top priority has always been (and always will be!) to instill confidence in our students and boost their self-esteem! Nothing makes us happier than to see our Drama Kids happy and bursting with pride. Extroverts and introverts alike can find their niche in our program - especially during Project Silver Screen! The quietest wallflower, who may not view himself or herself as a "performer" yet, shines big and bright on our screen. Even our students who have not yet conquered their stage fright can feel completely at ease in front of our camera. Plus, our movie-making session gives our students opportunity for lots of one-on-one coaching and interaction with the teachers! This allows us to make them "picture perfect", and create a performance they can be proud of. At Drama Kids, all of our students are stars! SELF-ASSESSMENT We LOVE theatre! How could we not? We're Drama teachers! There is something truly magical about a live performance. It is a moment in time that can never be replicated exactly the same way, ever again! However, this is also the downfall of live theatre. Sometimes you wish you could just watch a performance again and again. Even when you're an actor in a play, sometimes you wish you could take a seat in the audience to see how you're doing - just for a second! Well, that is precisely is the beauty of Project Silver Screen! Our students have been working SO hard in class, and their performances have been phenomenal! With a movie, they don't just have to take our word for it. They can SEE how phenomenal they are! What a wonderful way for a child to see his or her own skills develop on the screen! They will finally see the fruit of all the character development, speech work, and movement activities in action. We guarantee that they will want to replay their movies again and again... and again! CREATIVE THINKING We always encourage creative thinking and imagination in our classrooms, and Project Silver Screen is no exception! The creative process is a vital skill that every child should learn, because it applies to much more than just the arts. Even our youngest Drama Kids get to play "screenwriter", and help develop the scripts we use for the final product! In Drama Kids everyone gets a say, and we encourage our future filmmakers to use creative problem solving and fine collaboration to write up a movie they can be proud of! Plus, each student gets to develop and discover their own zany characters along the way! Talk about creative free rein! So, while your Drama Kid is having multitudes of FUN, just remember... they are learning even more! We all know #ProjectSilverScreen is a Drama Kids favorite amongst our students and parents, but did you know that we are the only Drama Kids franchise in the world that offers this exciting session? That's right! Our Drama Kids are very lucky that they get to participate in this rewarding project - and it's not an easy project to pull off! Our teachers devote countless hours outside of the classroom to make our students' movies a reality!
So... just how much work goes into making the #ProjectSilverScreen session a success? For starters, we begin developing our scripts over the summer! Our team figures out what our theme of the year will be, what we think our students would enjoy creating, and then we get to work writing! Plenty of drafts are written and rewritten before hitting our classrooms for our students to further develop and explore. And that's just the beginning of the writing process! In November, once all of our Drama Kids have jotted down their ideas, our teachers go home and sprinkle in our "teacher magic". That's our fun way of saying we take five students' ideas, and combine them all together to make a cohesive and polished screenplay. Trust us - it's a lot tougher than it sounds! Have you ever tried to create a musical involving a variety of different types of singing cheese? Our teachers have! Once the script is set, we start rehearsing! One-on-one coaching and attention is something we pride ourselves in during this session. We often don't have that kind of time in a classroom of 20 students one hour a week - so we cherish these moments! We prepare for our filming sessions as though we are the actors in the scene. Before a shoot we dissect a script to figure out what type of shots would work best with our student's vision. We will shoot a scene again and again until we know it's just right! So, what happens once the filming is all done? While our students resume their usual classes, we hit the computer to edit! Our movies may not be full length feature films... but the numbers do add up! Last year we edited around 50 films - yes, that's not a typo - 50 films! Throughout the Holiday break and into January, we work around the clock to make sure we don't miss any deadlines! It takes a lot of patience and passion (and perhaps a few tears!) to make #ProjectSilverScreen a reality - but it's all worth it in the end to see our Drama Kids light up on the big screen! Video Production Fee: Due to the extra staffing, equipment and production time spent to bring your child's #IMAGINATION to life, we charge a nominal $15 video production fee per family. A small price to pay for a visual keepsake you can keep for years to come! (Yes, you'll be able to download your child's film from our Youtube page!) For those set up on the monthly tuition plan, your credit card will automatically be charged this additional fee on January 15, along with your tuition payment for the month. For those that have pre-paid for the year or semi-annual term, you can pay cash, check or charge...or with DRAMA BUCKS! There are some important changes to Project Silver Screen this year, which we would like all of our Drama Families to take note of!
FILMING SCHEDULE In years past, we have held regular classes alongside our filming sessions. This format has proven to be quite difficult, because we pride ourselves in the one-on-one coaching during Project Silver Screen! So, in order to give our students the individual coaching they deserve, we ask that students only come to class the days they are filming during our Project Silver Screen session. Our film schedule includes three filming days - the third of which everyone will have a chance to film! However, the first two classes will have specific allotted times for different filming groups. Half of the class will film on the first day of the film schedule, and the other half will film on the second day. Therefore, there will only be one class that your child will not be attending! Again, we want to give all of our students our undivided attention during these film days, and this new scheduling will only make their movies and their performances stronger! If your Drama Kid has any conflicts for the month of December, like school concerts or sports games, please let us know! We will be developing our filming schedule ASAP - and we want to make sure all of our students are "picture perfect" before the Holiday Break! We will try our absolute best to create a film schedule that works around any foreseeable conflicts! VIDEO PRODUCTION FEE Due to the extra staffing, equipment and production time spent to bring your child's #IMAGINATION to life, we charge a nominal $15 video production fee per family. A small price to pay for a visual keepsake you can keep for years to come! (Yes, you'll be able to download your child's film from our Youtube page!) For those set up on the monthly tuition plan, your credit card will automatically be charged this additional fee on January 15, along with your tuition payment for the month. For those that have pre-paid for the year or semi-annual term, you can pay cash, check or charge...or with DRAMA BUCKS!
DON'T wear green! Wearing green will cause your Drama Kid to have the "floating head" effect, like the meteorologist in the picture above! Also try not to dress your child in any close variation of green; such as, turquoise, aqua, neon yellow, etc. These colors often trick our software, and while it won't create a "floating head" it may make your child's body a little transparent! We also suggest avoiding any reflective white fabrics, because it will often pick up the green color of the screen and create a "fuzzy" texture around the actor.
DO look for warmer colors like reds and oranges, as well as purples, dark/navy blues, and neutrals! These colors provide a stark contrast to the green screen, and will create a better effect! DO look for solid-color shirts, and avoid patterns! Patterned shirts will often contain flecks of green or yellow and will cause the image to flicker - which can become very distracting! DON'T be late for your child's scheduled film time! We schedule our film groups back to back, so please help us stay on track by making sure your child is on-time (if not a few minutes early!) Plus, an actor's performance will be much more polished if he or she feels calm and comfortable. We don't want our Drama Kids feeling rushed and frazzled before their shoot! DO arrive at the shoot in costume with hair and/or make-up complete. Obviously we know that life is busy - and if your Drama Kid needs to get ready at our location that's totally fine! However, please make sure you arrive a little early in this instance so your child can prep before his/her film time, and please only do so in restrooms or rooms you know you have permission to use. Your child by no means needs to wear make-up, but if they would like to we ask that all primping and polishing be done before the shoot as well. We will have a lot of set-up and prep work with the camera, lights, sound, etc. so we won't have time to help with wardrobe! If you have any other questions regarding the filming process, do not hesitate to ask! |
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