Directing Actors

Session: June 2026

With: Tessa Blake, Kelly Pike and Omer Ben-Shachar
June 22 – August 16, 2026
$337.50$375
Register by June 1 to receive 10% off 
This discount has been applied to the price shown.
Payment plan available
8 weeks
129
Directing Actors
129
Directing Actors

About this Self-Paced Course

In just eight weeks, an accomplished director will give you the tools to transform a script into a roadmap that takes your vision from ideas to final cut. In this introductory level self-paced course, you'll explore and experiment with how to approach your collaboration with actors from auditions to working on set.


This is a self-paced course. Self-paced courses allow you to watch pre-recorded lectures at your own pace, while working on deadlines to get individualized feedback on your work.


Along the way you will:

  • learn how to look at a script as a director and conduct a scene analysis.
  • be able to create a world for your characters.
  • understand the actors’ process.
  • learn techniques to sharpen your communication with actors.
  • develop an approach for casting, rehearsing and meeting with actors.
  • learn how to effectively block a scene.
  • understand how to work with intimacy coordinators and stunt coordinators.
  • understand the on-set process and best practices as a director.
  • prepare to shoot your project by creating a production binder.
  • create a Director’s Journal and preparation checklist.

This course will include four live class exercises led by a Sundance Collab Advisor. The advisor will guide you through:

  • looking at a scene and determining beat shifts.
  • a practice session on blocking.
  • running a simulated audition.

All exercises will be explained and moderated by the advisor who is a working director. Each live class session will also include time for questions about the course. You are strongly encouraged to attend these sessions live to get the most out of the class, but you will be able to watch the recordings if you are not available.


You will submit your work to a Sundance Collab Advisor for written feedback at two points throughout the 8-week course. For an additional fee, you may elect to meet with your advisor for a 60-minute 1-on-1 session during the course term.


This course is ideal for:

  • directors with a first project they plan to direct.
  • directors who have directed before, but want to get a better understanding of the basics and best practices for working with actors.


A limited number of need-based scholarships are available and are considered on a rolling basis as they are received. Those who apply earlier will have a greater chance of getting support. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the course registration form.


Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Accommodations and services are designed to meet the needs of each participant. Please email us at accessibility@sundance.org to arrange for services.

Self-Paced Course
Beginner to Intermediate
Self-paced course
Live class exercises
Individualized feedback
1-on-1 meeting with advisor (for additional fee)
Certificate of Completion
Access to course for one year

Scholarships

Sundance Collab offers a limited number of full and partial need-based scholarships for individuals who need assistance. 

Due to limited scholarship funds available, we prioritize one course scholarship per participant in a 12-month period. Scholarship applications are available up to one week before the registration deadline and do not stack with discounts or promotions, including early registration.

Outline

Topics covered include:

  • A course overview and the four Director’s tools
  • Objectives, obstacles, & given circumstances
  • Beat shifts
  • Character objectives & story arcs


Topics covered include:

  • The power of design
  • The production binder
  • Design references


Topics covered include:

  • Respecting the actor's instrument
  • Speaking in the actor's language (using verbs)
  • Three tools: personalization/substitution & "as-ifs"
  • Utilizing subtext
  • Technical notes


Topics covered include:

  • Auditions and casting
  • Meetings, table reads and rehearsals
  • A sidebar about casting, for the Episodic Director


Topics covered include:

  • Blocking
  • Working with intimacy
  • Working with stunts


Topics covered include:

  • Annotated script and production binders
  • Sides and facing pages


Topics covered include:

  • Rehearsals
  • Giving notes
  • Do’s and don’ts on set
  • Directing in Episodic Television


Topics covered include:

  • Developing your inspiration & instinct
  • Useful techniques and tools
  • Caring for your body and soul


Team

Part of Sundance Collab's unique educational approach is to create a teaching team of lead instructor and advisors for every course. For our self-paced courses, the video lectures will be delivered by the instructor and the group office hours or live class exercises and feedback will be conducted by a course advisor.

Note that the advisor(s) shown here may include both current and future session advisors.

Instructor

Tessa Blake

Filmmaker / Director

Tessa Blake

Tessa Blake is an award-winning filmmaker and a prolific television director (AMERICAN HORROR STORY; NCIS: TONY & ZIVA; MATLOCK; 9-1-1). Chosen as one of eight women for AFI’s prestigious Directing Workshop for Women, Tessa’s films have premiered at Cannes, Woodstock and SXSW, have won awards at Nantucket Film Festival and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, have been honored by the Academy, and been released theatrically.
Advisor (June 2026)

Kelly Pike

Los Angeles, California, United States

Kelly Pike

A nomad at heart, writer/director Kelly Pike grew up on military bases around the world before putting down roots in Houston, Texas, where she built a career as a sculptor and museum professional. She eventually traded the studio for a film set, earning her M.F.A. in Directing from UCLA and completing the AFI Directing Workshop for Women. Her short films have screened at Cannes, Austin, Palm Springs, and festivals across four continents, picking up jury awards along the way and landing on PBS, Vimeo Staff Picks, and Short of the Week. Her most recent short, PICTURE DAY, was considered for an Academy Award after winning qualifying awards. She is a recipient of the DGA Award of Directing Excellence, has been named one of Austin Film Festival's 25 Screenwriters to Watch, and teaches directing at LMU and UCLA. She is currently writing her first horror feature and lives in Los Angeles.
Advisor (April 2026)

Omer Ben-Shachar

Los Angeles, California, United States

Omer Ben-Shachar

Omer Ben-Shachar is a writer/director most recently named a 2026 Young Guns winner by The One Club for Creativity. His debut short film TREE #3 won a Student Academy Award, his follow-up short SINGLE RESIDENCY OCCUPANCY earned the Academy Award-qualifying Jury Award for Best Narrative Short at the Atlanta Film Festival, and his latest short HOUSTON, WE HAVE A CRUSH is currently on the festival circuit, with wins at Leeds and Guadalajara, and selections at SXSW Sydney, Palm Springs, Urbanworld, NewFest, and Austin, among others.

FAQ

Sundance Collab’s Self-paced courses provide flexibility to complete the work on your own time, but also within a structured timeline that helps you to advance your project. You will travel through the course with a cohort of creators like yourself, and - if applicable - are given assignments with due dates during key weeks of the course:  

  • Each week you will view pre-recorded lectures by the instructor structured around key topics.
  • Post-Video Activities after each session are designed to apply concepts to your own work, and move your project to the next stage.
  • If assigned, a course advisor will give you feedback on elements of your work.
  • You will have the opportunity to join live class exercises or group office hours, hosted by Sundance Collab Advisors, at critical points in the course to ask questions and discuss concepts.
  • In some courses, you will have the opportunity to purchase a 1-on-1 Zoom session with your assigned course advisor.

All members of the Sundance Collab community are welcome to take Sundance Collab Self-paced courses. Please review the course description to ensure the course is a good fit. If you have any questions about a course, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.


Note that each Self-paced course has a registration deadline, so please check the date and time to ensure you don’t miss the cut-off. If the registration window is open, you will see a "Register” button on the course page.

We do not allow creative partners to do our Self-paced courses as a team. However, both creators can individually register for the course.


We often offer a limited number of need-based, full or partial scholarships. Check the course description to see if that course currently has scholarships available. Scholarships are prioritized for one per person per year (from the date of issue). Scholarship applications are available up to one week before the registration deadline. To apply for a scholarship, complete the registration form by clicking the REGISTER button above and selecting the scholarship option, if available.

Applicants will be notified about their scholarship decision prior to the first day of the course. Due to the volume of applicants, we are not always able to provide a scholarship, but we may still offer a spot in the course.In this case, depending on the course, payment plans may be available and can be selected at checkout.

Yes, we offer two or three-part payment plans for Self-paced courses, depending on the length of the course. In all cases, the first payment is due at the point of registration. The remaining payment(s) are spread out throughout the course term. For specific payment plan dates for a course, please reach out to our team at: collab_courses@sundance.org. 

In courses with live class exercises or group office hours, the sessions are recorded and usually made available within two business days. The videos will also contain the chat and transcript from the session, viewable in the video playbar.


Participants will have access to the lecture recordings and course materials for one year following the last class session.

All participants will receive a Certificate of Completion. The certificate will include the name associated with your Collab account.


You can find any courses that you are enrolled in or have already completed in the profile section of your Collab account under “Courses.”


You can access the course videos via a computer or mobile device. All of our live class exercises and group office hour sessions are conducted via Zoom. 


Download and set up the Zoom software (https://zoom.us/download) and make sure you have the latest update. Here are some great resources from Zoom’s Knowledge Base to take a deeper dive into using Zoom:

If you have any further questions, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.

Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Please contact us at (435) 776-7790 or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to ask any questions or to discuss your specific needs after you have been accepted into the course.

Upcoming Sessions

$337.50$375
June 22 – August 16, 2026
With: Tessa Blake and Kelly Pike
Register by June 1 to receive 10% off
Did you apply or register for a session that is not listed above?
* A 3.5% + 20 cent processing fee is applied to all transactions.

Payment Plans:

  • A three-part payment plan is available after you register.

  • Payments are spaced two weeks apart with the first payment due at the time of registration.

Scholarships:

  • A limited number of need-based scholarships are available.

  • Scholarship applications are available up to one week before the registration deadline and do not stack with discounts or promotions, including early registration.

  • To apply for a scholarship, complete the registration form by clicking the REGISTER button above and selecting the scholarship option, if available.