I’m going to say something slightly outrageous.
I feel like I may have single-handedly changed the landscape of screen acting classes in London.
There. I said it.
And before you think I’ve completely lost the plot, let me explain.
The Screen Acting GYM at Owning It Acting Studio is currently selling out around seven weeks in advance, which is absolutely bonkers. Because of that, I regularly get messages from actors asking:
“Can you recommend any other screen acting classes in London that are similar to the GYM?”
So I thought I’d have a look.
And something quite interesting happened.
Screen acting classes have changed
When I started the Screen Acting GYM two years ago, I created it because I genuinely couldn’t find the kind of class I wanted actors to have.
I had been to plenty of acting workshops myself over the years.
You know the format.
Ten, twelve, sometimes even more actors in a room. Everyone works on the same scene. You do it once, maybe twice if you’re lucky. You get a few notes. Next actor.
And in some classes, you wouldn’t even watch the footage back.
For screen acting.
Which is slightly mad when you think about it.
The camera is literally the thing we are training for.
Why I created the Screen Acting GYM differently
When I created the GYM, I wanted it to resemble the actual process of working on camera much more closely.
So I built the format around a few things that I felt were non-negotiable:
A small group of actors.
Every actor gets their own scene, selected specifically for them.
You perform multiple takes.
You receive direction between takes.
We watch the footage back.
You make adjustments and go again.
And you keep your footage afterwards.
The current GYM format is eight actors across a four-hour session. That means we have time to actually work. Not just perform a scene once and call it screen acting training. Because that, to me, is the important difference.
And now other screen acting classes look… suspiciously familiar
So when actors started asking me to recommend similar classes because the GYM was sold out, I went looking.
And I noticed something. A lot has changed.
I’m now seeing much more established acting schools and studios offering classes that look remarkably similar in structure: smaller groups, individual scenes, multiple takes, camera playback and more time spent actually working with each actor.
And I am beyond delighted to see it. Seriously.
Do I know whether everyone sat down one evening and thought, “Let’s copy Natalia’s Screen Acting GYM”?
Obviously not.
But I do know that when I started the GYM, this format was surprisingly difficult to find. And now I’m seeing more and more of it.
So I’m going to take a tiny bit of credit. You’re welcome, actors.
Actors should expect more from screen acting training
Joking aside, this is actually something I feel very strongly about.
Actors spend a lot of money on training.
And sometimes I think we have been conditioned to simply be grateful for whatever we are given. A room with twelve actors.
One scene. One take. Five minutes of feedback. £40, £50, £60, £100…
Thank you very much. But why?
If something is being advertised as a practical screen acting class, then actors should be getting meaningful time in front of the camera.
You should be able to try something, receive direction, make an adjustment and try again.
Because THAT is the work. Your first take isn't always going to be brilliant.
Sometimes you need to get the scene out of your body first. Sometimes the director gives you one note and suddenly the whole thing opens up. Sometimes you watch yourself back and immediately see something you couldn't feel while performing it.
That process is incredibly valuable.
Watching yourself back is part of learning screen acting
I know some actors hate watching themselves. I understand.
But avoiding it isn't particularly useful if you want to work in TV and film.
What you feel you're doing and what the camera actually sees can be two completely different things.
You might think you're doing nothing and then watch it back and realise everything is happening in your eyes.
Or you might feel incredibly emotional and discover that absolutely none of it is reaching the camera. That's useful information.
Watching your takes teaches you about your face, your eyelines, your movement, your stillness, your listening and how much you can actually get away with on camera.
That is why watching footage has always been such an important part of the Screen Acting GYM.
What should you look for in a screen acting class?
If you're looking for screen acting classes in London — mine or anybody else's — I think there are a few questions worth asking.
How many actors are actually in the class? How much time will you personally spend working? Will the material be appropriate for you? Will you get more than one attempt? Will you receive direction and then have an opportunity to actually apply that direction? Will you watch the footage back?Can you keep your footage afterwards?
And perhaps most importantly:
Are you actually practising the skill you are paying to practise?
A screen acting class should give you the opportunity to practise screen acting.
Revolutionary, I know.
Higher standards are good for everybody
I don't want Owning It Acting Studio to be the only place offering actors good practical screen acting training.
Quite the opposite.
If other studios are changing their formats because actors are demanding more camera time, smaller groups, individual material and proper opportunities to work, that's brilliant.
It means the standard is going up. And actors benefit.
So whether I actually started a trend or whether the industry simply happened to catch up at exactly the same time…
I'll let you decide. But I am very happy to see it. Let's keep raising the standard of screen acting workshops and classes.
And when something isn't good enough?
Say so.
Actors are paying for the training. We should expect it to actually train us.
If you want to see the format that started all of this, you can find the weekly Screen Acting Classes in London at Owning It Acting Studio. And if the GYM is sold out, there are observation spots available too — which is a brilliant way to see how the process works before stepping in front of the camera yourself.
And actually, let’s make this useful.
If you know a screen acting class in London that you genuinely recommend, add it in the comments below. Especially if it gives actors proper camera time, multiple takes, individual feedback and the opportunity to watch their work back.
The GYM is selling out weeks in advance, and actors are constantly asking me where else they can train. I’d love to have some genuinely good places I can point them towards.
The more great screen acting training there is in London, the better for all of us.
And if you want to see the format that started all of this, you can find the weekly Screen Acting Classes in London at Owning It Acting Studio. If the GYM is sold out, there are observation spots available too — which is actually a brilliant way to see how the process works before stepping in front of the camera yourself.
Sending Big Hugs,
Natalia
Owning It Acting Studio
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