Film Acting Conservatory Co-Op

Reach your full potential with intensive training for TV & Film acting

Film Acting Conservatory Co-Op

Reach your full potential with intensive training for TV & Film acting

Embrace your passion and master the craft of acting

During the Film Acting Conservatory two-year program, you will be guided through a journey of self-exploration. We invite you to uncover your natural ability and utilize our award-winning technique to master the craft of Film and Television performing.

In each block, we will challenge you to grow as an artist, and prepare for the next course ahead, as each module intensifies and builds upon the latter. This is an inspiring and life-changing program, developing the skills necessary to carve out a long-lasting career in TV & Film Acting.

Specializing in on-camera performance for the world’s largest acting markets, Vancouver and Los Angeles, this limited-capacity course will have you experiencing the entire scope of performing. Your education will range from live performance in theatre to acting in an advanced on-camera film project.

Complete in-depth training

From text analysis and scene study to on-camera projects and audition training

Join productions and get IMDb credits

Experience the realities of filmmaking by participating in three productions and get credited on IMDb, jumpstarting your career.

High alumni success rate

94% of NIC’s Film Acting Conservatory alumni sign with an agent before graduation, stepping into the TV & Film industry right away.

Co-Op work portion

Start your film career with the co-op work period and gain professional experience in the industry.

Program Overview

Hone your skills and let your talent shine through on-camera learning

In the Film Acting Conservatory two-year program, students are given the tools to master the craft of acting through a journey of self-exploration. With an approach that is focused on nurturing our student’s unique qualities, they will experience the entire scope of performance from live theatre to acting in advanced film projects.

This life-changing program begins with in-depth modules in movement, voice, text analysis and scene study. As each module intensifies, students will gain ease and confidence in front of the lens and on stage. By the completion of Year 1, students will be capable of portraying grounded and believable characters.

In Year 2, each student will advance their on-camera comfortability by acting in various projects. While preparing characters and working with their ensemble to bring unique stories to life. The students will also be creating their calling cards for agents and casting directors: a demo reel. As the professional industry begins to beckon, the student actors will learn how to successfully audition and will have the opportunity to meet casting directors, agents and industry professionals through a live showcase.

Industry-working mentors

We pride ourselves on having some of North America’s most diverse and experienced mentors. Our instructors have years of experience working on stage, TV and Film. They come from diverse methods of training and bring their daily on-set experiences into the classroom to offer up-to-date, realistic and comprehensive understandings of the acting industry.

Project-Based learning

NIC’s practical approach to learning gives the students the opportunity to apply and validate the theory they just learned, reinforcing each lesson in-depth. While working on your project you will be guided and receive essential feedback to improve and achieve higher levels each time.

We nurture your creativity and will mentor you to become the artist you were born to be.

We want you to explore your passion for acting, experiment with a wide range of techniques and find your own voice and express yourself with purpose. Actors are explorers of human emotions, enchanting storytellers and at NIC we encourage your curious mind to dive deep into the acting world and discover the limitless possibilities of TV & Film performance.

Be industry-ready and step into TV & Film sets

Our program is designed to prepare you for a successful career in TV & Film acting, our instructors will provide you with valuable in-class teachings as well as real-life industry experience so you can transition from classroom to movie sets seamlessly.

For aspiring, beginners or experienced actors

Whether you are just starting out and exploring your interest for acting or you are someone with previous training, NIC’s Film Acting Conservatory will guide you through honing your skills and bringing you to the professional level of TV & Film acting.

Courses Included

The Film Acting Conservatory’s industry-driven curriculum is carefully designed and continuously updated to provide students with challenging and rewarding real-life experiences while they shape their skills and master the craft of acting.

In this course, students will learn how to uncover the meaning behind the written word, focusing on how to be specific with the character’s intentions, and how to bring reality into the fictitious worlds that artists create.

This course is designed to develop in students an appreciation, understanding and practical approach to movement, voice, and speech as key tools necessary to the actor’s work. Students will learn how to embody the physical and vocal demands of the character.

Designed as a foundation course for an actor’s core craft training, this course aims to further explore and expand on students’ basic acting skills. Areas covered include voice/body awareness and development, script analysis, interpreting vs. creating, preparation and development of a role, improvisation, historical perspectives of the actor’s craft and art and comprehensive exploration of the popular techniques and theories created by the renowned Russian actor/director Constantin Stanislavski and others.

This course will cover the beginning elements of film acting. It will address set terminology, film acting technique, and the physical demands of film acting. This module is designed to build on the previous module of scene study, encompassing script analysis, and relaxation techniques. By taking part in the filmmaking aspect of the class, students will gain a better understanding of how a story gets told through a camera. They will develop a sensitivity to the other collaborators involved in the process and they will gain valuable technical experience with the various tasks involved in a film or TV shoot.

This physically demanding course is designed to prepare the actor to perform stage fights, participate in creating fight sequences, perform in actor action in films and TV, and provide an orientation into the world of stunts. Fitness, conditioning, physical preparation, injury prevention, flexibility, choreography, and movement technique are an integral part of staged action and a central component of this course.

The Camera Project course consists of an intensive group project involving choosing a script or scripts, assigning roles and crew positions, and filming the various scenes with a Digital Camera. Students will perform all the functions of the filmmaking process to prepare students for their upcoming Graduation Project.

On-Camera Graduation Project is the ultimate film-acting test. Students will be required to use all the various disciplines that they have been trained in thus far. While being guided by a professional film director, students will experience the pressure and demand of a film shoot schedule. This project will allow students to develop a screen presence through their work with professional film equipment. This project will be used to contribute to the student’s final film portfolio.

This course continues to prepare the acting student for the professional world of acting. It is one of three full-live theatre productions. Students will learn to memorize lines, perform intricate stage blocking, pull off lightning-fast costume changes, and conquer the challenge of live performance!

This course continues to prepare the acting student for the professional world of acting. It is the second and third of three full live theatre productions. The student will continue their studies in structure and dramaturgy. Theatre 2 is comprised of two separate plays, taking place at both the beginning and end of the last term. Students will take on more complex roles in longer theatrical productions, capitalizing on the unique gifts and abilities they have refined. Students will further expand and improve upon acting training mastering the dramatic structure, stage directions, and deliver riveting performances in parts large and small. Students will present role(s) to a live audience in a full-length play from a top playwright.

To win the part, students first must audition effectively. In this course, students will master audition and cold read techniques. The focus will be on various forms of TV and movies, and how to effectively prepare and audition for these roles, given the parameters students will have to face.

In this film acting class, students will be creating filmed scenes designed to demonstrate their range and abilities. The student will gain a greater understanding of the many elements involved in film production. The scenes will then be uploaded onto Vimeo for the students to download.

AFP Improv Actors gain experiential understanding of improvisational acting and develop a strong improvisational perspective essential to scripted work. Through theater games and improvising scenes, actors develop tools to make them more trusting of their own impulses and more generous with their fellow actors. They learn to always go for active choices to play at the top of their intelligence and at the service of the scene. Actors also experience that the best comedy comes out of listening and responding honestly, not “going for jokes”. AFP Voice Over/ Dialect  How to speak with standard American. How to perform radio and television voice over spots. A practical hands on course where you are trained on the MIC in a professional sound booth. At the end, you will have recorded examples of voice-over work you have done. AFP Audition Tech and Business Designed as a counterpart to an actor’s craft training this course addresses the practical business concerns of an actor pursuing a career in film and television. By focusing specifically on the business of show business, students will develop a wider knowledge of the common realities, terminology and requirements of the acting profession. Students will develop a personalized business plan, gain effective tools for goal-setting, marketing, and professional relationship building and gain a wider understanding of their unique casting “types”. The course places a special focus on the audition process and includes a mock- audition session in which students will exercise new skills and tactics for making a strong impression. Areas covered include: agents, managers, casting directors, promotion and marketing, follow-up, auditioning, cold reading, maintaining and improving acting skills, tools of the trade, on-set etiquette and expectations, headshots, resumes, career management and many others. AFP Film Project The actors will gain real on-set experience. This will test the actors with a tight and demanding film schedule. To have the actors understand how pace themselves for long film days. To impart a sense of what it is to be a professional film actor. On a set with a director, sound person, props, set, wardrobe, continuity script supervisor and film crew. The actors will work on various locations. THE DEMANDS will require them to use the skills and techniques cultivated and developed during their acting training. The true test.

With the assistance of the NIC Community and our student resources, students undertake the beginning of their professional film career.

Learn fundamental lifetime-worthy acting techniques.

Practice and experience on-camera acting

Complete training from fundamentals to audition process

Audition preparation and cold read techniques

Audition for top industry agents and casting directors by the end of the program

Career development and acting business understanding

Create your own demo reel

Learn action, improvisation, theatre and voice-acting

Experience a film production environment from casting to on-set performance

Our Faculty

NIC’s Acting faculty is composed of talented, industry-active instructors who are masters of their craft and are committed to provide students with the most enriching acting educational journey.

Success Stories

Check some of the success stories from NIC’s Acting alumni

Upcoming start dates

2024
January
March
June
September
November

2025
January

Program Requirements

At least 19 years of age or have a high school diploma.

Completion of Student Application Form and Admissions Questionnaire (by paper or online)

Successful audition/interview in person and/or online.

Domestic students must also pass the New Image Written English Assessment Test and Domestic Verbal English Assessment Test. Student must have zero #1 mark and no more than one #2. 

International students must also pass with a mark of 25/30 both the New Image Written English Assessment Test and Verbal English Assessment Test.

Qualified Film Acting Conservatory Students that are applying for Year 2 only, also need the following Admission Requirement:

  • Acting diploma from New Image College or equivalent. Equivalent is defined as one of the following:
    • 1-year Performing Arts diploma/certificate from a private postsecondary educational institution OR
    • 1-year BFA from any college or university OR
    • 2 years of professional experience in the entertainment industry.

Program Duration

2920 hours – 146 weeks

This program has been approved by the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training

Admissions & Tuition

From our experience, we understand that each student has different needs in their education and also in their financial planning. Our Admissions Representatives are prepared to guide you through our payment options and what is best for you. Get in touch to schedule a Zoom appointment and discuss.

The tuition fee includes scripts valued at $1,000. The tuition fee doesn’t include basic school supplies (pens, pencils, highlighters, sharpeners, erasers, white-out, tape, scissors, binders, paper, etc.)

Application Fee

International Application Fee: $100

Tuition Fee

International Tuition Fee: $49,950

Ready to apply?

Applying to your favourite school for a career you have always dreamed of is exciting! A New Image advisor is just an email or phone call away to assist you with questions and help make the process achievable. Your application is assessed by the people that will be there every step of the way during your education journey and have your best interests in mind.

Please select the program date, review the admission requirements and fill out the form at the Application Centre. A New Image representative will be calling you to get to know you better and discuss your goals, expectations, admissions and registration procedures within 48 hours.

Application Process

Apply Online

Check the program information and go through the program details, courses included, and tuition fees. Then fill out your application on NIC's Application Centre

Let's Talk

Upon receiving your application, one of our admissions representatives will reach out to you to schedule a Zoom call. We will discuss details regarding your program, tuition payment options and any question you might have.

Audition

Confirming your interest in the program with the Admissions Representative, we will schedule for you to perform an audition for our acting department.

Confirming your enrolment

On the following days of your audition, we will talk to you about your results and. If approved, we will provide you with the documentation to confirm your enrolment and require an initial payment to reserve your seat for your chosen start date.

Get ready for school

This is your time to get organised! Use this period to coordinate your living arrangements, explore Vancouver and set up your route for your educational journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Check below the most frequently asked questions about this program. If you have any further questions, feel free to get in touch with us.

NIC’s film acting programs are considered very intensive and demand the full energy of all students and staff. To ensure that you get the most out of your training. NIC keeps classes at a maximum of 14 students.

NIC schedules our film acting programs to run two and half days a week in the first year semester.

These programs are classified as full-time. In addition, NIC opens it doors for you to use our facilities to gain extra curricular experience, to work with your classmates to enhance your scenes and performances, and to continue to develop your skills as an artist. For inquiries about our second year schedules, please contact one of our Program and Career Advisors.

We pride ourselves in having some of North America’s most diverse and experienced mentors. Our instructors have years of experience working on stage, TV and Film. They come from diverse methods of training, and bring their daily on-set experiences into the classroom to offer up to date, realistic and comprehensive understandings of the acting industry.

NIC uses an audition process to seek out dedicated, fearless and talented artists who are ready to begin their career as a professional actor in TV and Film. After speaking with a Program and Career Advisor, we will schedule either an in-person, or Skype audition with our experienced audition panel. Based on the results on your audition, you will contacted personally to finished the admission requirements and to secure the appropriate intake date.

IMDb stands for Internet Movie Database, the world’s most popular and authoritative source for movies and TV information – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, plot summaries, trivia, ratings, and fan and critical reviews.

Through the course of your Film Acting Conservatory training, you will be guaranteed three IMDb credits on productions that are produced by New Image College’s production company, New Image Entertainment. These credits will serve as the basis of your professional resume.

Depending on your involvement, worth ethic and ability, it is very common for current NIC students and alumni to utilized in New Image Entertainment makeup productions and other forms of media. If you put yourself out there, you’re possibilities are endless!

The demo reel is on-camera showcase of an actor. 

New Image College is always eager to help our students get a step ahead in this ever-expanding business. This is why NIC has our Demo Reel Development module where our students will perform a wide range of on-camera material that compliments their abilities.

After completing this course, you will have a professional demo reel that you can use to attract agents, casting directors and give you basis to develop and build off of.

Yes!

New Image College has been around since 1980, with our faculty and teachers having hundreds of combined credits and years of experience. Our industry connections run deep, but with this said, we believe it is important to place you in front of agents when you are ready! In the end of your second year of training, you will be a part of an agent showcase where you can prepare and perform for some of Vancouver’s top agencies and managers. It is time to put all that hard work into practice, and show these people the amazing skills you have!

Yes!

 

As a graduate of New Image College’s Film Acting Conservatory program, the Union of British Columbia (UBCP/ACTRA) grants an all alumni with an Education Credit. This credit is distributed to only qualifying institutions, and can be registered by you as your first Qualifying Credit toward a UBCP/ACTRA membership. Please refer to the UBCP/ACTRA website for further rules and regulations.