TRAINING A FILM ACTOR
A Comprehensive Guide for Teachers
100 classroom-tested exercises. Seven progressive tiers.
A practical system for teaching actors to work truthfully on camera.
FILM ACTING IS NOT
STAGE ACTING
SHOT BY A CAMERA
The camera changes everything. What works on stage can become too large, too external, or simply untruthful on screen. Training a Film Actor gives teachers a practical, progressive system for helping actors understand the demands of the camera—and meet them truthfully.
WHAT'S INSIDE
PROGRESSIVE TIERS
7
ACTS OF TRAINING
3
100
CLASSROOM-TESTED EXERCISES
THE FOUNDATION EXERCISES
Exercises 1–15:
Camera Fluency, Shot Awareness & The Close-Up
PERFORMANCE ON CAMERA
Exercises 36–50:
Calibration, Truth, Silence & The Internal Life
SEVEN TIERS
TIER I
TIER III
SINGLE CAMERA TECHNIQUE
Exercises 16–35:
The Two-Shot, Coverage, Eyeline & Continuity
TIER II
TIER IV
MULTI-CAMERA WORK
Exercises 51–65:
Sitcom, Soap, Live Audience & The Multi-Camera Mindset
TIER VI
SPECIALTY WORK
Exercises 76–90:
Green Screen, FX, Stunts, Motion Capture & ADR
MOVEMENT & THE MOVING CAMERA
TIER V
Exercises 66–75:
Handheld, Steadicam, Crane & Camera Choreography
PROFESSIONAL SIMULATION
TIER VII
Exercises 91–100:
Auditions, Self-Taping, Set Etiquette & The Culmination
TEACHER RESOURCE HUB
Practical materials designed to help teachers bring the methods in Training a Film Actor directly into the classroom
ACT III: THE TEACHER'S HANDBOOK
A practical framework for building a film acting curriculum, structuring classroom exercises, and adapting the training for different students and teaching environments.
ABOUT TODD
Todd Patrick Breaugh has spent more than three decades figuring out what the camera actually wants from an actor—and then teaching it
His approach to film acting grew from years of experience as an actor and decades in the classroom, where he developed a practical, progressive method for teaching actors how to work truthfully and effectively on camera.
Breaugh’s professional background includes work in film, television, and theatre, alongside an extensive career teaching film acting.
That combination of professional practice and classroom experience comes together in Training A Film Actor—a comprehensive, classroom-tested guide created specifically for teachers.
TRAINING A FILM ACTOR
A comprehensive, classroom-tested guide for teachers of film acting, featuring 100 exercises across seven progressive tiers and a practical framework for building a film acting curriculum.
COMING DECEMBER 2026