Student Practice & Growth

Students watch films together and, guided by the director, examine character motivation, the logic behind actions, emotional changes and performance choices. They ask why a character acts a certain way and how gaze, movement, pauses and rhythm convey emotion. Studying cinematic language also helps them understand how acting works with camera, lighting and blocking, connecting character analysis with performance suited to the screen.

Students across age groups participate, including learners in their sixties who continue developing character understanding through film analysis and sharing. Life experience can inform a character, but interpretations still need to be tested against the story and the character’s circumstances. Discussion across generations encourages students to consider other perspectives and explain their observations clearly, turning personal experience into deliberate performance choices.

Classroom learning goes beyond watching and listening. Notes, questions, group discussion and interactive exercises help students organise their observations, then test them through role preparation and camera practice. The emphasis is on explaining the reasoning behind a performance, understanding the director’s requirements and refining choices through playback and adjustment, rather than simply copying an expression or gesture. This process builds a foundation for screen performance and the technical collaboration required on a working set.

At Singapore’s National Library, students consult historical references as part of preparing a role before filming. They explore the character’s period, living environment and cultural context. A character does not exist in isolation: social relationships, everyday habits and cultural beliefs can shape speech, behaviour and decisions. Research helps actors ground these details in evidence rather than relying on imagination alone.

Research requires interpretation and judgement, not just the collection of information. Students consider which findings relate to the role, which details can inform script analysis and how the background clarifies motivation and behaviour. Older learners also continue this work, comparing life experience with new references to deepen their understanding of character.

Shared research and discussion bring historical and cultural context back into character relationships, emotions and actions. Actors can then ask why the character responds in a particular way and which performance details fit that person’s life and circumstances. The aim is to develop a habit of understanding, practising and reviewing, so that the character on screen has a grounded background, coherent behaviour and a sense of authenticity.

The skills a role requires come from thorough, specific preparation before filming. Students practise 24 Festive Drums to meet the needs of the story, gradually becoming familiar with the drumming movements, rhythm and physical coordination. Connecting these abilities with the character’s identity builds a foundation for performance on camera.

The aim is to move from consciously remembering each action to a familiar, natural response through repeated training—the embodied memory described here as “body memory cells”. In the story, the actor must play the drums while shedding tears, allowing physical action and the character’s emotions to coexist. Having to keep thinking about the next drumming movement can draw attention away from the character’s circumstances and emotional state. Preparation therefore develops the force, rhythm and continuity of the movements while making room for emotional expression. With the drumming familiar, the actor can remain immersed in the character’s feelings, allowing tears, movement and rhythm to convey the character’s state together.

Moving from practice to filming, actors must integrate familiar movements into the story and adjust to the camera, blocking and the director’s on-set requirements. We value students taking initiative in preparing a role: understanding the abilities the character needs and investing time in practice. This gives the actions a grounded basis and the details a sense of authenticity, bringing role preparation into the work on set.

For a ritual master role, students repeatedly practise talisman drawing, connecting the rhythm of their brushwork with the character’s identity. The aim is not simply to reproduce the shapes, but to become familiar enough with the movement to draw fluently in one continuous action. Repeated practice makes the handling of the brush and each stroke look like something the character does regularly, avoiding stiffness or hesitation and giving the character’s everyday habits and professional identity a sense of authenticity. The paper talisman props used in filming are also handwritten by the student, bringing role preparation into the objects actually used on set.

We value an actor’s familiarity with the objects a character encounters in everyday life: picking them up, using them and putting them down should feel as natural as handling their own belongings. Professional preparation means taking the initiative to understand what the role needs and accepting responsibility for the practice and preparation they can undertake, while collaborating with the production team, rather than simply waiting for the props department to supply everything. This commitment makes performance details more believable and reflects a professional attitude towards both the role and the work.