Markrmorris2

Well, let me weigh in as an acting teacher with over five hundred performance credits in everything from arena theatre with over four thousand, to film. The same interanl technique will build convincing characters in any genre. If you learn to build characters truly from the inside out it will translate tot he stage, the screen (big or little) comedy, tragedy, farce, you name it! Acting is essentially learning to pretend on purpose, the tools are the same the framework is what changes. For instance, what is acceptable in some social circles is completely out of place in other places, its just a shift in mindset! Check out dramorama.com for more tips on acting.

Billy1970

Soap operas shoot daily and have very little rehearsal time. You generally get your 'sides' the day before the shoot and have a night to remember them. They are generally shot multi-camera on a fixed soundstage and the pace of shooting is pretty quick.

On sit-coms, the script goes out on friday after the wrap and you have the weekend to memorize your stuff. Monday to Wednesday is generally table reads, with set reheasals late Wednesday to Friday morning and then you shoot Friday night.

Hour long TV shows have a 7 to 8 day shooting schedule and you are usually given the script about a week in advance. They shoot about 4 to 5 minutes of screen time per day.

Feature films are usually 60 day shoots, and you may be afforded a great deal of time to learn the material, but this isn't always the case. You shoot an average of 1 to 2 minutes of screen time per day and like russ said, you spend a lot of time waiting around.

With all of these examples, bear in mind that if you are a 'day player' (guest star), most of your stuff is shot at the end of the day and the pace of acquisition is going to be a lot faster than if you are a principle player on the show.

Hope this helps!

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