Acting for Camera Course
Secrets of Screen Acting:
The Patrick Tucker Method
with FIONA GEDDES
Acting Coach Scotland Acting For Camera Training - Secrets of Screen Acting Courses
🎬 Master Screen Acting. Build Precision.
Become Unforgettable on Camera.🎬
A complete three-stage part-time training system based on Patrick Tucker’s world-famous Secrets of Screen Acting — taught by industry professional Fiona Geddes, the only acting coach in the UK trained to deliver Tucker’s revolutionary techniques.
Forget vague “be more natural” advice. This programme gives you clear, repeatable, mechanical skills that make you instantly more watchable on camera.
Whether you're preparing for your first screen audition or levelling up your professional craft, this training gives you what the camera actually sees, and how to control it.
🎥 Course Structure:
4 Clear Stages to Screen Acting Confidence
Each stage is 4 weeks, 3 hours per week.
You can take them individually — or complete all three as a full programme.
Stage 1 Acting for Camera:
Secrets of Screen Acting Technique
4 Weeks – Essential Foundations for Camera Performance
Learn the core tools of screen acting that every serious performer needs.
You will learn:
The key differences between stage and screen work
How to adapt your performance to wide shots, mid shots & close-ups
Frame awareness: where to stand, how to move, and why
How to use reactions, stillness, and micro-behaviours to build presence
Why being “natural” is a technical skill — not an instinct
The principles behind Patrick Tucker’s world-renowned method
Outcome:
You become confident, consistent, and camera-ready.
Perfect For: Beginners, stage actors transitioning to screen, or anyone who gets stiff, tense, or unsure when the camera rolls.
Stage 2 Acting for Camera:
Castings & Self Tapes
4 Weeks – Master the Industry’s Standard Audition Format
Self tapes now dominate casting — and most actors are doing them badly.
This stage shows you how to become one of the few actors who knows exactly what casting teams want.
You will learn:
How typecasting really works, and how to use it strategically
How to approach casting scenes with confidence and clarity
Technical and performance skills for high-quality self tapes
How to light, frame, slate, and deliver compelling tapes
How to let your individuality shine without over-acting
On-camera feedback from Fiona every week
Outcome:
You create casting-ready self tapes and present yourself as a professional.
Stage 3 — From Script to Screen
4 Weeks – Build a Character, Break Down Scenes, Deliver a Performance
Now you put it all together.
This stage teaches you how to go from reading the script → to making choices → to filming scenes with technical precision.
You will learn:
Scene breakdown, beats, objectives, and choices for camera
How to apply Tucker’s techniques to real scripts and monologues
How to craft emotional truth that reads clearly on camera
How to stay consistent from take to take
How to act for editors, directors, and the final viewer
Film scenes under Fiona’s guidance with structured feedback
Outcome:
You walk away with improved on-camera performances and deeper script analysis skills.
Who This Acting Training Is For
This programme is ideal for:
Actors of all levels wanting to build serious screen craft
Stage actors transitioning to film or TV
Performers preparing for auditions, agents, or casting opportunities
Writers, directors & producers wanting to understand how actors work on camera
Anyone who wants to look confident, authentic, and precise on screen
No experience required — just curiosity, commitment, and willingness to learn.
Stage 4 — Acting on Camera Showreel Material
Details to Follow
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No. Complete beginners to working actors are welcome.
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We strongly recommend it, but experienced actors may start at Stage 2 or 3 with Fiona’s approval.
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Yes. You will regularly work on camera with live playback and professional feedback.
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Stage 3 includes filmed scenes, but this is a training programme —the showreel scenes can come later in Stage 4
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No — these are part-time skills courses, but our full-time courses are
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Screen acting relies on micro-expressions, stillness, and precision. The camera picks up tiny details that would be lost in theatre. Our Stage 1 training shows you exactly how to adapt your performance for different shot sizes, eyelines, and camera proximity.
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No. This course is built for both total beginners and experienced actors who want to develop professional on-camera technique.
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You’ll learn how to work with the camera, how to hit marks, how to adjust to shot size, how to create believable reactions, how to deliver clean eyelines, and how to craft natural performances that read well on screen.
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While no course can guarantee representation, developing strong on-camera technique and producing professional-quality self tapes significantly improves your chances. Many ACS students secure agents after showing improved screen work.
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Yes — stage actors often struggle with camera scale, stillness, and reactions. This course is ideal for theatre actors transitioning to film and television.
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Yes. You’ll learn how lenses affect performance, how shot size changes your acting, how continuity works, and how to adapt emotionally to multiple takes.
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Wear simple, solid colours avoiding busy patterns. The camera sees everything, so neutral clothing helps maintain focus on your face and performance.
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Almost every session involves filming, playback, and structured feedback so you can see progress in real time.
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We keep class numbers intentionally small to ensure every actor receives on-camera time, feedback, and personalised coaching.
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Yes — Stage 2 focuses entirely on castings and self tapes, covering lighting, sound, framing, reading, performance choices, and how to avoid common audition mistakes.
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This is a part-time skills training programme focused exclusively on screen acting and self tape craft.
Full-time ACS courses include voice, movement, stagecraft, screen training, Fringe performances, and Spotlight eligibility (depending on course). -
You must be 17+. There is no upper age limit — several adult actors use this course to begin or return to acting.
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Yes. Flexible monthly payments are available through the website’s booking system.
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Part-time courses are not Spotlight-accredited. If Spotlight eligibility is your goal, explore our full-time programmes (HND / Professional Diploma).
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Absolutely — many past students were directors, writers, or producers who wanted to better understand acting for screen.
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Yes. Fiona provides continual one-to-one feedback during filming and playback, adjusting performance, eyelines, reactions, and technical precision.
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Yes — private acting coaching is also available if you prefer individual training
Why This Screen Acting Course Is Different
About your Acting for Camera Coach
Fiona Geddes is a Scottish actress, writer and producer. Following training at East 15 Acting School (BA Acting), she continued her development under the tutorship of Patrick Tucker. Fiona now leads the delivery of Patrick’s famous Secrets Of Screen Acting workshop, sharing his unique and revolutionary methodology. Fiona is a highly experienced acting and screen technique coach with a warm, hands-on, supportive teaching style.
She is one of the few coaches in Scotland trained to deliver Patrick Tucker’s method and has taught actors working across:
Short films
Independent film
TV productions
Theatre
Online media
She translates Tucker’s complex ideas into simple, practical tools you can use immediately.
Most screen acting classes focus on emotional truth.
Fiona’s work focuses on precision, technique, and camera literacy —
the skills that separate amateurs from professionals.
You’ll learn:
How to perform to shot size
What your body language secretly tells the viewer
How to control reactions, stillness, “business”, and eyelines
Why “truth” is not enough — and why naturalism must be crafted
How to create self tapes that casting directors actually watch
How to build a performance from script to final close-up
🗓️ Next Acting for Camera Course: Stage 1: Secrets of Screen Acting
TESTIMONIALS
“As someone who has had plenty experience on stage but limited screen work, I have been looking for a course that would help me gain a better understanding of what to expect when acting for camera. The ‘Secrets of Screen Acting’ course, based on Patrick Tucker’s book of the same name, was the perfect fit and – as we focussed on practical tips and technique rather than acting ability – I feel this would be an asset to any actor. Fiona took us through the ‘three pillars’ of screen acting through a mixture of theory, including watching on screen examples, and practical, during which we all got plenty of time both behind and in front of the camera plus the opportunity to learn by watching ourselves and each other act on screen. The mix of theory, backed up by practical implementation made the material easy to absorb and remember. The technique of acting on camera can feel daunting and overwhelming, yet Fiona’s guidance and support left me feeling excited and empowered to put it all into practice when the time comes to step on set and deliver great work!”
“The Secrets of Screen Acting with Fiona Geddes was one of the best CPD courses I’ve done. Fiona was warm and welcoming but challenged everyone’s thinking and kept us all on our toes, figuratively and literally. It was great to never be sitting too long and be up in front of the camera. Here we explored new technique and most importantly, got things wrong. It was brilliant to see the playback on the TV to see whatdidn’t work, because it cemented Fiona’s teaching of what did. We all got the opportunity to be behind the camera too to further understand how making film and TV works. The tools that Fiona’s equipped me for screen acting with will absolutely stay with me.”
“This course, run by Fiona Geddes, provides a practical guide to Patrick Tucker’s famed book: Secrets of Screen Acting. The three pillars outlined in the book were exceedingly useful and I found Fiona’s teaching style fast-paced but engaging. Perhaps the most invaluable part of this course is the practical experience of being in front of a camera and utilising the skills that were taught. Remembering all techniques of screen acting is a bit like juggling on one foot, but this course provides an excellent foundation for those that want to better their technique”
Interested in full-time professional training?
Explore our Spotlight-eligible courses:
Looking for voice work?
Check out our Voice Acting: Gaming & Character course.