Well, I have been doing this for the last 50 years:
There were no theatre directing training courses in the UK in the 1960s, so I applied and went to Boston University in the USA to add a Masters in Theatre Directing to my Bachelors in Physics. I entered the theatre, and soon was directing, and applying to the BBC to participate in their Screen Directing courses.
I did these in the 1970s, but had no real television experience, putting me at a disadvantage to the other internal BBC candidates on the courses, so I persuaded the drama school where I taught Shakespeare that they should do Screen Acting courses. These were well received, even though my main motive was to give myself more experience of directing for the screen. Freelancing in Liverpool directing Brookside, I applied for the junior post (and junior salary) of staff director, to give myself more regular experience of screen directing at Mersey Television. After a while, I introduced to my shoots the challenge of always doing at least one type of shot that I had never done before - at first most ending up on the cutting room floor, then getting them into the shows themselves.
Developing the teaching side of my career, I wrote two books on screen acting, which challenged me to analyse and articulate the points I advocated. For my classes I collected a series of film clips to illustrate various points of directing and acting, at first on VHS and then on DVD. I keep these up to date by watching the latest important movies. I am also one of the three judges of the UK Film Festival, a position that pays no money, but allows me to keep in touch with what filmmakers all over the world are currently getting up to.
In the UK in 2014 at Central Film School I presented 5 Certificate Courses, and Courses for the Diploma and Degree students. For Raindance I presented 6 two-day Hands on Directing Courses, and 7 Saturday Film School 2 hour lectures on Film Directing. I again officiated at the UK Film Festival, and did numerous private sessions going over scripts with writers and/or directors.
In the Shakespeare world I gave Shakespeare workshops for the RSC in Stratford, for the London Academy of Dramatic Art, and for the Guthrie Theatre London Program.
In America I was the 2013 Eccles Scholar at the University of Southern Utah, which entailed a week of lectures and workshops on Shakespeare and on Screen Acting. Whilst in Utah I did a workshop with the Utah Shakespeare Festival. I also lectured at Yale University on Shakespeare, and on Screen Acting. At the end of 2014 I went to Latvia to do my Screen Directing Courses, and was asked to stay on to direct the pilot for a Russian sit-com Olimpiada 80.
My publishers have just brought out the Third Edition of my Secrets of Screen Acting, and also have asked for a Second Edition of my Secrets of Acting Shakespeare.
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Resume
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2013 Eccles Scholar, Southern Utah University
Judging Panel, UK Film Festival; 2011, 2012, 2013; London’s Iranian Film Festival; 2010
Visiting Fellow in Media Studies: Liverpool John Moores University; 1994-95
Head of Programme: Joint Training School, Mersey Television; 1994-95
Director of Drama & Training: TV2 Øst, Denmark; 1990-91
Council Member: The Directors Guild of Great Britain; 1988-90
Director of Studies: Drama Studio London; 1983-89
Staff Director: “Brookside”, Channel 4; 1986-88
Television and Theatre Workshops devised and directed in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, South Korea, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, and on board the Queen Elizabeth 2.
Directing for Film Workshops
Raindance London; 1997-2015 continuing
Raindance Toronto; 2011-12 continuing
Central Film School; 2009-2015 continuing
Forma Pro Films, Latvia; 2014
Saturday Film School
Raindance London; 2011-2015 continuing
Directing the Director Workshop ITV Yorkshire, Leeds; 2006
Screen Acting Workshops
Actors Centre, London & Manchester; since 2005
Central Film School; 2009-2012
European ACT; 2009-2011
Raindance London; 2012-2015 continuing
8 Giraffes, Latvia; 2014
Screen Acting & Screen Directing Tutor
Academy of Live and Recorded Arts; 2006-07
Drama Studio London; 1979-2001
Guildford School of Acting; 2007-08
Webber Douglas Academy, London; 1980-2005
Author
The Actor’s Survival Handbook (Routledge; 2005)
Secrets of Screen Acting: Third Edition (Routledge; 2014)
Secrets of Acting Shakespeare (Routledge; 2002)
The Shakespeare Globe Council Shakespeare’s Globe London; since 1981
Feature Film directed:
In the Dark
Dragon’s Lair; 2003
Over 150 Television Productions directed, including:
Olimpiada 80 (pilot) Forma Pro Films, Riga Latvia; 2014 (in Russian)
Casualty (2 episodes) BBC-1; 2000, 2001
As the Leaves Fall (5 episodes) BBC-1; 1993
Fair City (4 episodes) RTE: Ireland; 1992
Lizzie and Joggy Bear (14 episodes) Shake Out Productions: Channel 4; 1990 to 1992
Shakespeares Ejendele TV2 Øst: Denmark; 1991 (in Danish)
Brookside (105 episodes) Mersey Television: Channel 4; 1986 to 2002
Jury (Mick’s Story) BBC-1; 1983
Angels (15 episodes) BBC-1; 1979 to 1981
Radio Productions directed:
Doctors (6 episodes) MTV for BBC Radio 4; 1994
Over 200 Stage Productions directed, including:
Measure, For Measure Blackfriars Theatre, Staunton, Virginia; 2008
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (musical) National Theatre, Seoul; 2002 (in Korean)
Romeo and Juliet Jerash Festival, Jordan; 2000
Cymbeline Shakespeare’s Globe, London; 1999
The life and death of King John Shakespeare’s Globe, London; 1998
Les Misérables Sejong Theatre: Seoul; 1988 (in Korean)