On Camera Confidence
a course for actors
If you're an actor building your career in film and tv and you are craving holistic one-on-one support focussed on your craft, your heart, your mind and what you are here to offer this course is for you.
Through this work you will:
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Discover a new level of authenticity, ease and freedom in front of the camera.
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Reignite an embodied sense of aliveness in your creative practice.
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Learn practical strategies and frameworks for supporting yourself through challenges.
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Clarify what you want to create for yourself and move forward in alignment with that vision.
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Be prouder than ever of the work you are putting out into the world.
We get you there by focussing on:
On Camera Practice
You will dig into scene work every week with lead characters from film and tv and be encouraged to:
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Connect with your breath and open to presence
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Let go of anything blocking you from sharing your authentic experience with the camera
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Trust and re- connect with your instincts
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Make grounded, active choices with smart script analysis
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Try things, take risks, play and work off your partner organically
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Learn what you need to do your best work
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Set yourself up for self tape success
Guided
Inner Work
What do you need in order to share the truest, strangest, wildest parts of you on screen? What needs to soften, what needs to be ignited? Often our greatest obstacles to feeling comfortable and confident on camera are our own beliefs, doubts and fears about ourselves. A major focus of this course will be on giving you new ways of relating to yourself so that you can get out of your head and into your body, stop over thinking and beating yourself up and start finding kinder, more effective approaches for supporting yourself in the face of rejection, resistance and emotional risk.
Creative
Visioning
Re-connect with what fuels you, what drives you, makes you curious and lights you up. Explore how you want to show up for yourself and connect with your audience. Who are you? What are you offering and why? How can you meet this moment as a working actor in film & tv without sacrificing your artistic integrity? How can you lean into your strengths & allow yourself to be seen fully? What are you here to say?
Career Strategy
Focus on what you can control. What small promises would you like to make and keep with yourself? How can we make your to- do list more simple & manageable? What is one small leap you can take today? Clarify where you want to be and create a realistic, step by step, process for moving forward in the direction of your goals. I will support you with lots of feedback, encouragement, tough love and accountability.
One on One Support
This course follows a carefully designed curriculum while leaving room for the specific goals of each individual.
Change takes time. From years of experimentation and practice, I have found that three months is the sweet spot for metabolizing the tools and practices taught in this course. The one on one nature of this work allows us to create a schedule and pace that works for each individual. Sustainability is of utmost importance. This is not a quick fix. These are tools and practices that will serve you for the rest of your life as an artist and human.
Our partnership is built on trust and mutual respect. We will create a safe container for you to build on your strengths, work through challenges, align with your deepest intentions and create your best work yet!
Let's talk through what you'd like to create for yourself right now.
“Sometimes in acting class, I feel like I'm not allowed to be human" I told Viv during our first session. Over the past few months, while working with enlivenment coaching, I've been allowed to feel overwhelmingly human and guided to see the humanity in the characters I play. It's a beautiful and also terrifying thing. What makes the On Camera Confidence course so unique is that not only are you doing scene study and character work but you're also cultivating personal growth and self compassion. Vivien has coached me through some of the most exciting times in my life, but also, through the times when I was at my lowest, when all I could do was cry. She never once told me that I should grow thick skin because the industry was hard. In fact, we embraced the opposite philosophy, because not growing thick skin means that you allow yourself to feel all your emotions and that's not a bad thing and can actually help you do better work. So yeah, I think it's obvious that I give this course a glowing five stars and I recommend it to all actors who have big goals but aren't sure how to put them into action. Thank you for guiding me towards scary and exciting life changes. I am so filled with gratitude and love for you.”
- Shayla Brown, Actor (Women Talking, See)
“When I say working with enlivenment coaching has been life changing I am not exaggerating. I have grown so much as an actor in our twelve weeks together, but I've also come away with a whole new mindset and a set of strategies for how to approach my work, this industry and the highs and lows we experience as artists.
I cannot recommend the On Camera Confidence course enough. I am going into this year with a healthier outlook, a sense of purpose and a lot of excitement
- Sarah Hime, Actor (Pink is In)
“Funnily, the opportunity to work meaty and challenging scenes, weekly, with so astute an eye as Vivien’s - and to receive her imminently useful feedback - becomes almost a bonus feature of this course, as Vivien guides you on a deep dive of your own creative drive. She’s so compassionate in this role of guide - so wholeheartedly supportive and generous with her personalised attention - that I couldn’t help but emerge with an incandescent sense of mission and viscerally re-enlivened creative fire.
This is unlike any acting course I’ve ever taken; it transformed not only my relationship to my artistic practice, but to my very self, as I sometimes stumble, sometimes soar along my way".
- Amelia Sargisson,
Actor (See, Murdoch Mysteries)
"Vivien goes out of her way to make me feel seen and heard; it’s more than just the craft of acting— we talk about what it is to be a woman in the industry and how being in tune with all parts of me ties into my work.
I leave every session feeling empowered and inspired!
- Lindsay Wu, Actor (Grand Army)
"Viv is an amazing listener, teacher and mentor. A lot of growth these past few years has been thanks to her.
Our sessions always fill me with inspiration and determination and I truly believe that so many people can benefit from working with her".
- Erin Humphry, Actor
(Breathing Corpses, CoalMine Theatre)
"Viv helped me make the transition from theatre to on-camera acting smoothly and effectively. Her methods helped me discover more about who I am as a person and artist more than any coach has before.
Together, we developed a process that I can rely on every time I get a set of sides. She is an incredible resource to have on your side!"
- Teigan Litke, Actor (The Crew)
Vivien has helped me find better ways to work through the uncertainty of this industry, develop a personal practice, and work from my own experience to create more truthful performances.
She is a highly qualified, incredibly supportive, hands on acting coach and her warm and nurturing personality is what I love most about her!
- Lauren Wolanski, Actor (Work Party)
"Vivien's approach allowed her to get to know me in an organic way and meant our work was perfectly tailored to what I needed in my personal growth and development as an actor.
Techniques I learned with Viv remain invaluable to me every time I prepare for a role".
- Justine Christensen,
Actor (Murdoch Mysteries, Maps and Mistletoe)
How it Works:
Phase One
8 weeks
The first eight weeks of the program are focussed on pairing On Camera Practice with Inner Work and Creative Visioning. Grounded in emotional, cognitive and embodiment practices, you will use these tools to connect with your authentic truth on camera and off. We will delve into Growth Mindset, Cultivating your Awareness Practice, Noticing Habitual Patterns, Working with the Inner Critic, Supporting your Nervous System, Coaching Yourself Through & Finding Your Why.
What exactly is included in this phase...
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8 live, 80 minute private sessions in person or over zoom including;
on camera scene work + personal check-ins tailored to your needs
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lesson videos with key tools & frameworks
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optional worksheets and self reflection prompts
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regular support via text message & email
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notes & feedback on your on camera work
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you will be sent your footage to keep
This phase is designed to serve professional actors who want to...
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transform their relationship to on camera work
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play, make discoveries, be in process and reawaken the artist within
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gain tools and practices for working with difficult emotions, opening to presence and connecting with the body's innate wisdom
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deepen their capacity to support themselves through the unique challenges of this industry
Phase Two
4 weeks
The last four weeks of the course are focussed on Career Strategy with the explicit intention of clarifying your next steps and taking bold, decisive action in alignment with your goals. We will spruce up your materials, create a realistic to- do list and make sure you are putting your best foot forward professionally.
What exactly is included in this phase...
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4 live, 80 minute private sessions in person or over zoom;
we will polish favourite scenes for your demo clips (you will be sent your footage to keep)
+ accountability tailored to your to- do list and goals
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regular check- ins and support via text message & email
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personalized feed back on your materials (headshots, demo reel website, clips, letters of intent etc)
This phase is designed to serve professional actors who want...
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a space to get real about the "business" side of their careers; what's working, what isn't and where to go next
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personalized feed back on your materials (headshots, demo reel, website, clips, letters of intent etc)
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direct consultation on communicating with your reps & how to get seen.