sci-fi b-movie!
Brand new online course with Chris Mead.
We asked Chris to come up with the most FUN course imaginable to help us through the (hopefully) final weeks of lockdown and this is what we came up with!
An improvised sci-fi b-movie EXTRAVAGANZA!
Channeling the low budget yet ambitious special effects of classic sci-fi b-movies this course is specifically designed for zoom and will be pushing the potential of the medium to the maximum. We’ll be making costumes, playing with props, using virtual backgrounds and filters, using our cameras like movie directors and getting creative with lighting to create an immersive sci-fi spectacle.
Together we’ll be looking at character types like Mutants, Evil Robots, Time Travelers, Heroes and Heroines, Mad Professors, Plucky Reporters and more.
There will be alien invasions galore, both the giant aliens that come straight for you and the subtle aliens that fit in and look like you and I and were with us all along. Maybe I’m an alien typing this website copy.
There will also be “light touch” narrative skills to help tie scenes together to tell a great story, and popular sci-fi b-movie tropes like discoveries that change the course of human kind, struggling to avert imminent disaster and the big reveal of the menace to humanity.
Chris will be taking inspiration from classic movies like The Forbidden Planet, Plan 9 from Outer Space, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Quatermass Experiment and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Then at the end – there’s an online show! A great chance to invite some chums along and have some fun improvising sci-fi b-movies based on audience suggestions!
This is an advanced course. Please only sign up if you are already confident with improvised scenework.
This course is more tech-heavy than our other online courses so a laptop/desktop will be needed instead of a phone/ipad.
online version
Dates:
Every Tuesday for 5 weeks from Tuesday 13th April 2021, plus optional online show on Tuesday 18th May 2021. SOLD OUT
Time: 7pm – 9pm (UK time).
Price: £145.
Teacher: Chris Mead.
Venue: Online using zoom. All details for login for zoom will be emailed to participants on the day of the first workshop.
This is an advanced course. Please only sign up if you are already confident with improvised scenework.
This course is more tech-heavy than our other online courses so a laptop/desktop will be needed instead of a phone/ipad.
The above course is online:
1. Book your place on this page.
2. On the day of the first workshop we will email you log-in for the zoom chat.
3. You then click on the link in the email to join the zoom chat and enter password.
4. You will just need a laptop with camera and internet connection, everything else will be in the link. Laptops work better than ipads and phones for improv over Zoom.
5. Don’t worry if you haven’t used Zoom before, we start the first session with an overview of how to use it.
teacher Chris Mead
Chris improvises with the award winning Maydays and sci-fi group Project2.
He is co-founder and Director of The Unmade Theatre Company, specialising in improvised theatre.
Chris is also co-founder of The Improv Place, an online international community of experienced improvisers.
Chris has studied improv internationally at iO Chicago, The Annoyance Theatre Chicago and The Hideout in Austin, Texas.
He has performed at various improv festivals internationally including Austin Texas, Norway, Edinburgh, Dublin, Sweden and Barcelona.
Chris studied theatre at Royal Holloway College and University of London.
Chris is one of the Artistic Directors of The Nursery Theatre.
He also hosts YesBot, a podcast dedicated to the theory and craft of improv (but with added exploding robots) featuring leading performers from around the world.
Who is this suitable for?
People with previous improv or acting experience who want to have loads of fun improvising in the style of sci-fi b-movies!
How much improv or acting should I have done before doing this course?
You should have done at least a couple of courses with us or somewhere else and already be confident improvising scenes.
What comes after this course?
We have a variety of other advanced improv courses that would be suitable, both in-real-life and online.
What if I’m running late?
We’ll be starting each session at 7pm. This is an advanced course and we’re trying to form a team, so please don’t book this course if you are likely to be late on a regular basis.
What’s the class size?
Currently around 12 people while running online.
How does the show work at the end?
It is online on zoom and you can invite people to come along and join us in the zoom room as audience. We do it this way instead of streaming now as it felt more like a theatre having them in the zoom meeting as the audience can interact with the casts and host and give suggestions. They are welcome to bring drinks too!
What do I need to take part in the online version?
Laptop with camera and an internet connection. This course is more tech heavy than our other online courses so you will need a laptop or desktop instead of a phone or ipad.
Do I need to sign up to Zoom in advance for the online version?
No. On the day of the workshop we email you with all you need for zoom.
When do you email the Zoom link to take part in the online version?
On the day of the first workshop.