Hot Set: Directing Actors and Camera Under Pressure
Actors & directors work together to understand each other & the camera.
With Adamska Elizaveta Rakhilkina
HOT SET is a creative gym where three things learn to move as one: the actor, the director and the camera. This workshop is for BOTH directors and actors who want to practice working with each other. Every week a director is paired with an actor and handed a single room, two pages and twenty-five minutes to build a scene. You make choices fast and think on your feet. Then the part that that transforms this exercise from theatre to film: the director doesn't only talk to the actor, they direct the camera too. Where does the lens sit? What does an angle confess that a line can't? How does the choreography of bodies and the choreography of the camera infect one another? One participant shoots. We gather and watch the playback together. The director adjusts and we shoot again. Actors sharpen their skills in front of the lens and take fuller control of their own process. Directors who can go years between films without ever working with an actor learn to speak actor's language and to think your notes through visually. How differently does an actor’s line read when it is spoken in a wide two-shot versus in a close-up? This is a warm, low-stakes room to try new material and let yourself fail. On request, you may keep the footage. The workshop instructor, Adamska, has run this exercise in their previous class at 90mil art school and this is some of the feedback it received: “I absolutely loved directing in front of everyone and receiving your (Adamska’s) feedback in the moment. It’s rare to have the opportunity to work with such talented actors—and to be able to direct them in that setting made it especially valuable.” “I’m glad I pushed past my fear of being seen. At the same time, I recognize this is just the beginning; like any skill, it requires consistent practice and continued development.” “I think the instructor should continue with the “tough love” approach—their feedback was consistently honest yet encouraging. I honestly wouldn’t change a thing.”
- Dates
- Tue 13 Oct, Tue 20 Oct, Tue 27 Oct, Tue 3 Nov, Tue 10 Nov, Tue 17 Nov
- Time
- 18:30–21:30
- Cost
- €250-350 (+ €5 membership fee for new members)
- Attendance type
- You should attend the full course
- Desired audience
- ∘ Working and emerging FILM DIRECTORS and ACTORS in Berlin who learn by doing, not by lecture. Directors who go stretches between projects without ever putting their hands on a scene and Actors hungry for real on-camera reps outside the audition room. From Beginner level to Professional. ∘ Cinephiles who want to stop talking about scenes and start building them.
- What should I bring?
- ∘ Directors: bring a scene of two pages or less (something you're itching to crack) or pull one from the library I'll bring. Come ready to commit choices fast and direct the camera as well as the actor. Zero technical background required; you'll be walked through the lens side. ∘ Actors: come off-book on your assigned scene, in clothes you can actually move in and open to having a note thrown at you and trying it different ways. ∘ Everyone: no camera knowledge needed. Bring water and something to take notes with.
- Class type
- Audiovisual & Writing, Film, Acting, Directing
- Space
- Theatre
About the artist
Adamska Elizaveta Rakhilkina (they) is a Russian-American award-winning filmmaker, film educator and visual artist based in Berlin. Currently, a DFFB student in the Film Directing program, they hold a BFA from the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, and an MFA from the School of Art + Art History + Design, University of Washington. They have taught Video and Photo at University of Washington in Seattle and a course on film directing at 90mil art school in Berlin. Adamska's work has been exhibited throughout the USA with such highlights as Allouche Gallery (NYC, USA) and Henry Art Gallery (Seattle, USA), as well as Academy Award, BAFTA, and Canadian Award-qualifying film festivals. They have won the Best Narrative Short Film Audience Award at Reeling! Chicago Queer Film Festival for their short film New Flesh for the Old Ceremony. Adamska's practice is a speculative history amid sexual and gender deviance. Their work examines what happens to bodies under fascism—how flesh mutates and resists, how it is surveilled, disciplined and desired. They use surrealism to make political arguments directly, without the alibis of metaphor. They have collaborated with artificial intelligence, textile artists, dancers, and adult performers. Currently, Adamska is developing their debut feature film. Their visuals hurt so bad, but feel so good.
Instagram: @___adamskahttps://adamskaelizavetarakhilkina.com/
Accessibility
One solidarity spot is available for this course at no cost. Please write to 90milartschool@gmail.com to book. 90mil is wheelchair accessible. Please see the yellow section below for more on accessibility.
Sliding scale
We use a sliding scale to make courses as affordable as possible. Here’s how to use it: Lower end: You don’t have a stable income. Mid range: You have a less stable financial situation and are more selective about where you spend your money. Higher end: You experience relative financial stability. Solidarity spot: You’re experiencing financial precarity and wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to come to a workshop.