WELCOME TO THE ALCHEMY OF SCREEN ACTING

The complete system for getting regular screen work—built from 40 years in the director's chair.

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Alchemy and Screen Acting
Alchemy and Screen Acting

At film school, my screenwriting tutor Gerry Wilson gave me advice I've never forgotten: "Stop trying to be clever. If your characters are explaining their feelings, you're doing it wrong. Show me what they do."

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The Archer and the Actor: What a Zen Archery Master Can Teach You About Screen Acting
The Archer and the Actor: What a Zen Archery Master Can Teach You About Screen Acting

Every screen actor lives with a contradiction. You have to hit your mark, remember your lines, find the light, and match continuity — while appearing to do none of these things. The camera demands absolute technical precision delivered with absolute naturalness. The moment it sees you trying, it stops believing you.

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The Alchemy of 'Heated Rivalry': What Makes This Show Land So Hard
The Alchemy of 'Heated Rivalry': What Makes This Show Land So Hard

When Heated Rivalry premiered on Crave in November 2025, critics and audiences responded with unusual intensity — 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, Episode 5 achieving a perfect 10.0 on IMDb (tying with Breaking Bad's legendary "Ozymandias").

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Why Talent Alone Won't Get You Cast (The Uncomfortable Truth About the Screen Industry)
Why Talent Alone Won't Get You Cast (The Uncomfortable Truth About the Screen Industry)

This is the conversation most actors don't want to have. You trained for years. You've developed your craft. You understand character, you can access emotion, and you know how to build a performance. You're talented—genuinely talented—and you believe that should be enough. It isn't.

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Why the Screen Casting Process Feels Like a Closed Shop (And What That Actually Tells You)
Why the Screen Casting Process Feels Like a Closed Shop (And What That Actually Tells You)

Every new actor eventually hits the same wall: "How am I supposed to get cast when I can't get an agent without credits, and I can't get credits without an agent?"

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ANDREW HIGGS

Writer/Director with screen projects in development. BAFTA member, 40 years UK television. Teaching actors how to deliver what directors look for when casting.

To subscribe to the free Substack mailing list, please click the image above, which will take you to the The Alchemy of Screen Acting Substack page for regular updates on the forthcoming book, to be published there, chapter by chapter, over the coming months. That's the best way to stay updated on Andrew's work. You can unsubscribe at any time.

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GETTING IN ON THE ACT

With TV producers unwilling to take a chance on unknown faces, actors must be able to make an instant impression," writes Nigel Barrett:

Screen auditions can be an actor's worst nightmare. They are often made to perform like monkeys in a broom cupboard with a runner trying to figure out how to switch the camera on... There is little way around it, but there are ways to cope. I went on a course run by a TV director, Andrew Higgs. His 'Alchemy of Screen Acting' course was born from his frustration at seeing good actors not doing themselves justice at auditions. The pressures of TV schedules did not allow him enough time to coach, and so the job always went to the actor who was reassuringly closest in their audition to what they could do on set. In response to this, his course encourages actors to take the initiative, no matter how scant the script or direction. He believes the actors should redefine themselves as 'self-directing actors'. And this is crucial. If, as an actor, you bring your own ideas to the performance, building a world for your character - even if you only have one line - instead of waiting for advice from an overstretched director trying to get through a room full of auditionees, you've got a much greater chance of getting the gig. Ultimately, however, it's up to the industry if it wants to use our full potential - but, by taking a leaf from Higgs's book, actors can display the technical wherewithal and confidence to embrace the lives they have been asked to portray. And there won't be a monkey in sight.

— Broadcast (10 December 2024)