PRACTICAL (50%) [LO 2, 3,4]
You will undertake an short acting role in ONE of the mediums that we have explored on the module. This can either be via a student led piece and/or in association another award such as radio, film, animation or gaming project.

PORTFOLIO (50%) [LO 1,4]
Your portfolio will include:
1. a reflective analysis of the practical work (1,000 words) and
2. a short written essay (1000 words) on one other medium examined (but not explored practically) which will test your knowledge and understanding of this area.

You will be introduced to the theory and practice of acting for various digital media as a form of storytelling and emotion capture, including:
1. Performance Capture (PeCap) and Motion Capture (MoCap) covering the way that ‘performance’ and ‘movement’ are captured by digital technologies for use within the film, animation and gaming industries. You will take your theatre based work on interaction with human beings, and through a focused approach on imagination, transfer these skills into a virtual environment to ensure a sense of truth is explored and Developing character for Motion Capture: performance adaptation for MoCap and the use of the ‘imagination’.
2. Animation. You will explore the skills of acting for animation, including the creative techniques required to create a voice over for an animated piece such as voices and accents, as well as the technical requirements of matching with the animation.
3. Voice Overs. Using your natural voice, you will examine the microphone techniques required as used in adverts, promotional materials and documentaries.
4. Audio Drama. Creating a character for an audio book or radio drama is a unique skill and requires a specific approach utilising theatre based skills.

You will be introduced to each topic through an interactive lecture/workshop situation with your full cohort. These sessions will examine the history, conventions and theory underpinning each area and enable you to analyse previous productions. You will also undertake reading in each area to ensure that you can contextualise the practical and theoretical work.

Workshops and Masterclasses will enable you to practically explore the differing mediums and allow you to put into practice ideas and concepts introduced in the larger lecture/workshop sessions and test the efficacy of these idea.

You will also be involved in student led workshops and sessions, deepening and developing your ideas from the contact sessions. This will include any practical work for the assessment.

Alburger, J. (2011) The Art of Voice Acting, London: Focal.
Brierton, T. (2006) Stop-Motion Filming and Performance, London: McFarland.
Delbridge, M. (2015) Motion Capture in Performance, London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Dixon, S. (2007) Digital Performance, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT.
Hayes, D. & Webster, C. (2013) Acting and Performance for Animation, Abingdon: Focal Press.
Klich, R. and Scheer, E. (2012) Multimedia Performance, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Springer, C. and Levinson, J. eds. (2015) Acting, London: I. B. Tauris.

See module handbook for a full listing of reading texts.

Motion Capture TV Studio
Drama Studio
Radio Studios
Animation/Game Studios

1. IDENTIFY THE KEY PRINCIPLES OF ACTING FOR NEW? MEDIA USING TECHNOLOGIES TO CREATE CHARACTERISATION WHICH ARE SENSITIVE TO THE DEMANDS OF THE CREATIVE TEAMS.
COMMUNICATION

2. DEVELOP A CONSIDERATION OF THE PERSONAL PERFORMANCE STRENGTHS AND IMPROVEMENT ASPECTS IN RELATION TO CREATING PERFORMANCE IN A DIGITAL CONTEXT, AND TO EVALUATE THESE IN A COMPLETED CONTEXT.

REFLECTION

3. DEMONSTRATE APPROPRIATE PERFORMANCE STYLES, TECHNIQUES AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT WHEN WORKING WITHIN A DIGITAL MEDIA PROJECT.

APPLICATION

4. DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ACTING PERFORMANCE IMPACT WITHIN A DIGITAL PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND TO UNDERSTAND THE IMAGINATIVE CHOICES THE ACTOR CAN MAKE IN NEGOTIATION WITH CREATIVE TEAMS.

KNOWLEDGE & UNDERSTANDING