MultiChoice Talent Factory kicks off the year with Acting for Camera virtual Masterclass with AMDA College of the Performing Arts

MultiChoice Talent Factory kicks off the year with Acting for Camera virtual Masterclass with AMDA College of the Performing Arts

The Acting for Camera Masterclass has been most requested and highly anticipated by our MTF Masterclass community.

10 February 2021: The MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) is pleased to announce its very first Acting for Camera Masterclass in partnership with the world-renowned AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts,

AMDA (The American Musical and Dramatic Academy) has been ranked the number one college for performing arts in the United States and will add a game-changing dynamic to the MTF shared-value initiative offering.

Since the introduction of the MTF industry Masterclasses in 2018, MTF has provided some of the most sought-after masterclasses facilitated by film and TV experts including renowned Nigerian filmmaker Tunde Kelani and veteran Kenyan producer Appie Matere, with notable global partners including  Dolby, CBS Justice Africa and the London Film School to mention a few.

AMDA’s collaboration with MTF seeks to further enrich the knowledge base of emerging creatives and seasoned professionals through technique-driven and performance-based learning. The virtual Masterclass will delve into crucial elements including basic film theory, camera focused actor warm-up, on-camera scene work and more. It’s holistically designed to perfect acting for film, TV and new media, and will be facilitated by AMDA faculty members Jason Chaet and Ray Virta.

Chaet is an award-winning filmmaker, theatre director and producer, and serves as the Supervisor of First Semester Acting, Acting for Camera, and Screenwriting at AMDA. Chaet’s film credits include multiple-award-winning film Putzel, and film and TV credits including Remember, Kissing Jessica Stein, Avenues and more recently, Seneca.

Ray Virta has over 40 years of teaching experience at AMDA, New York University and the Playwrights Horizons Theater School. His film acting and theatre legacy includes Broadway, all incarnations of the legal drama TV series Law and Order, as well as directing credits in New York for Comedie of Errors, The Way of the World and As You Like It, among others. Virta has been an AMDA faculty member since 2001.

“AMDA College of the Performing Arts is excited and honoured to begin this enriching partnership and collaboration with Multichoice Talent Factory. We see this as an opportunity to connect our world-renowned faculty with individuals who are already rich with storytelling and performance talent throughout Africa. This MTF and AMDA collaboration is an example of our commitment to the global endowment of humanity through the arts,” says Blake Babbitt, AMDA Director of Outreach.

Alongside the Acting on Camera Masterclass, AMDA will facilitate additional Masterclasses with MTF throughout 2021 including on-camera acting technique, musical theatre performance, dance, and industry tips.

“This partnership with AMDA couldn’t have come at a better time as the continent is experiencing a surge in the demand and consumption of original African content and the exponential growth has resulted in youth seeking careers in the performing arts industry. Since the launch of our industry masterclasses, we have been inundated with requests for acting masterclasses.  We’re excited to kick-off 2021 with a global partnership that will help us respond to this need and to continue to tell great stories that resonate with diverse audiences and honour Africa’s oral cultures and traditions,” says Yolisa Phahle, CEO: General Entertainment & Connected Video, MultiChoice Group.

Please click on the link below to register for the masterclass:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_alVf8_HUQW-3XfUFkeWiqw

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Instagram: @amdaofficial

Twitter: @amdaofficial

Facebook: @AMDANewYorkLA

If you have any questions about the MultiChoice Talent Factory, please contact us on [email protected] 

Notes to Editors

Jason Chaet

Is a multiple award winning filmmaker, theatre director, editor, producer and acting teacher based in New York City. He got his start at the Ensemble Studio Theatre where he developed new work by playwrights including David Mamet and Arthur Miller. Jason has worked for HBO/USCAF and has scores of theater directing credits around the country. His feature film Putzel won multiple awards, appeared in over fifty film festivals around the world, and was distributed internationally. Other Film/TV credits include Remember ,  Kissing Jessica Stein (Creative Consultant), and  Avenues  (TV Pilot). His most recent feature film Seneca  had its world premiere at the HBO NY Latino Film Festival at AMC 42nd in New York City, where it won a Special Jury Prize.  Seneca won multiple awards on the film festival circuit over the past year including the prestigious Ultra Indie award at the Woodstock Film Festival, and most recently Best Picture and Best Director at the Phoenix Film Festival.  Seneca recently premiered exclusively on HBO Latino and HBO Max. Jason is a longtime faculty member at AMDA where he serves as the Supervisor of First Semester Acting, Acting for Camera, and Screenwriting.

Ray Virta

As an actor, Ray was awarded the 2002 St. Clair Bayfield Award for Outstanding Shakespeare Performance in the metropolitan NYC area for his work as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing  at The Pearl. Broadway:  Therese Raquin, An Enemy of the People, Arcadia, Hedda Gabler, A Man for All Seasons, Boeing-Boeing, Naked Girl on the Appian Way, Democracy, Betrayal, The Real Thing, The School for Scandal, Inherit the Wind.  Off-Broadway: 19 shows including  Glimmer, Glimmer and Shine,  Eyes for Consuela  (MTC), Langella's Cyrano (Roundabout); Resident-Pearl Theatre. National Tours:  M. Butterfly; The Acting Company. Regional: Over 40 lead/featured roles including Romeo, Macbeth, Torvald, Orsino, Berowne. His television and film work includes The Thomas Crown Affair, Closer To Home, My First Kiss..., Remembrance, a  ll incarnations of  Law and Order , recurring roles on all New York soap operas, and, most recently, “Egg Sandwich Guy” in the feature film  Seneca,  directed by AMDA Faculty member Jason Chaet.

Directing:  Among his New York directing credits:  Comedie of Errors  (Brooklyn College),  The Way of the World (  Pearl),  As You Like It  (KCSC).  Just South of Providence  and  Booth  , both by Christina Wooden. To date he has directed over 75 AMDA Graduation Showcases.

Teaching: Ray has been a teacher for over 40 years, leading classes and workshops from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Washington, D.C. He taught Shakespeare Performance at NYU/PHTS and for the last 18 years he has been full-time at AMDA, teaching a wide array of classes across all semesters.

About AMDA College of the Performing Arts

For more than 60 years, AMDA has been recognized throughout the industry for its rich history and tradition of launching some of the most successful careers in theatre, film, television, and new media.

Today AMDA continues to build upon its prestige with campuses in Los Angeles and New York City, two of the most influential entertainment hubs in the world. AMDA College of the Performing Arts provides unparalleled education and training for the aspiring actor, dancer, singer, versatile artist, and beyond.

Ranked number one by Niche.com in a deep analysis of performing arts college, and ranked No. 4 on Playbill’s Big 10, AMDA is among the topmost represented colleges on Broadway in the 2018-2019 Season, indicating the tremendous level of success students reach after graduation.

AMDA is a thriving institution and community which includes thousands of prominent alumni in virtually every field of the entertainment industry. Students are positioned for success from the moment they step on campus. With access to more than 300 faculty of acclaimed actors, choreographers, directors, filmmakers, and TV producers, students regularly receive industry insight and expertise from teachers currently working in the business.

AMDA is one of the only performing arts institutions offering Master of Arts, Masters of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees (BFA), Associate of Occupational Studies Degrees, and Professional Conservatory Certificates with campuses located in New York City and Los Angeles.

For more information about AMDA, visit https://www.amda.edu/