Acting For The Camera

This acting-for-the-camera workshop prepares actors to step onto a film set with confidence and make strong choices with limited rehearsal. During Friday’s two-hour coaching session, participants will explore Judith Weston’s actor-director tools, including playable verbs, “as ifs", and imagery.

On Saturday, each actor in the filming will put that preparation into practice by performing two interconnected scenes in a new ensemble film. The film will be edited overnight and ready to be screened by participants on Sunday afternoon (exact time TBD).

Entry to the 2-hour workshop is $20 and limited to 20 seats. Admission is included as part of the Tallahassee Film Festival All Access and VIP passes, however registration is required to secure a seat.

Want to go deeper and put your character in front of the camera? Join us for the filming portion of the workshop on Saturday, October 10th (time slots for filming to be scheduled, must have Saturday availability between 8am - 5pm). Tickets for the workshop + filming are $50 (the filming day is NOT included with All Access/VIP passes, but may be purchased as an add-on for $30).

Facilitated by Michael Curtis Johnson

Johnson's film Savage Youth was selected for the Venice International Film Festival's Biennale College Cinema program and had its premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival. His first feature film Hunky Dory won top jury and audience awards at the Slamdance, Atlanta, Nashville, Naples, BendFilm, San Francisco Indie, and American Film Festival (Wroclaw). He was chosen for the Berlin International Film Festival's Berlinale Talents program. He shot the feature film The Undiscovered Country (official selection Tally Film Fest 2026) with students from his acting for the camera class over two days on no budget-- he was the only crew member. He is currently in post-production on the feature film Linger, and his latest feature film Townie shot last month. These two features (thankfully) had a (small) crew and a (small) budget. He is the chair of the Department of Cinematic Arts and Theatre at the University of North Alabama.