FEST FILM LAB WORKSHOP

Directing Actors for Film with Pete Travis

Pete Travis 27 Feb - 28 Feb 2027 In Person London, UK — University of Greenwich
Open for Registration

GBP 599.99 GBP 399.99

until 5 December 2026.

Register / Book Now
Pete Travis

ABOUT PETE TRAVIS

Established director and BAFTA winner Pete Travis actually had a late start in his filmmaking career: before becoming a director, Pete Travis was a social worker. However, inspired by Alan Clarke and Costa-Gavras, he decided to take a post-graduate course in filmmaking. Soon after graduation he acquired the rights to “Faith” (a short story written by Nick Hornby) and presented his first short film at the London Film Festival (1997).

Later, he directed episodes of “Cold Feet” (1999) and the TV series “Other People’s Children” (2000), as well as “The Jury” (2002) mini-series and the TV movie “Henry VIII” (2003), featuring Helena Bonham Carter and Mark Strong.

Impressed with his work, Paul Greengrass, director of “Captain Phillips”, sent Travis a script that he co-wrote with Guy Hibbert – “Omagh”. The film premiered in 2004 at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the Discovery Award. The film also won the 2005 BAFTA Award for “Best Single Drama”.

“Vantage Point” was his first major motion picture, starring Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox. It was released in the USA in 2008. Just one year later, in January 2009, Pete Travis took to Sundance to premiere “Endgame”, which dramatizes the last days of Apartheid in South Africa and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, William Hurt, Jonny Lee Miller and Mark Strong.

Later, Travis directed a film adaptation of the popular UK comic book series “Dredd” (2012). In Travis’ feature film, Karl Urban takes on the role of Judge Dredd, with Olivia Thirlby playing his young accomplice. The film quickly gathered a cult following.

Pete Travis’ recent work includes “City of Tiny Lights” (2016), starring Riz Ahmed and Billie Piper – a crime thriller written by Patrick Neate and based on his own novel of the same name – and “Project Blue Book”, with Aidan Gillen and Michael Malarkey.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

The Directing Actors for Film workshop will focus on a diversity of topics of the art of directing actors, you will have the chance of not only receive this knowledge from Pete Travis, but also interact in a very strong way, as the group will have up to 25 participants, making it extremely practical and interactive. You will also have the opportunity to assess the issues you encountered on your films, and receiving the feedback to unblock situations in the future.

The workshop will also cover the following structure:

PRE-PRODUCTION
Introduction to “acting” / How to actors work?
The Actor/Director relationship
Letting the actors to build their own characters
The Actor’s tools and methodologies
The director in a casting
What is a character?
The importance of the story through the eyes of the character
Planning Rehearsal – What to Rehearse and Why.
Rehearsal Tools
Directing The Character

ON SET
How to communicate with actors
Staging the Scene and Blocking the Action
How the camera affects performance.
Business and endowment
Keeping performances dynamic and the actors engaged.
Keeping the set as a creative environment.
What to ask for in a new take.
Maintaining Continuity – Emotional and Physical

LOCATION OF THE WORKSHOP

London, UK — University of Greenwich

PROFILE OF PARTICIPANT

The workshop designed for Directors, Assistant Directors, or filmmakers serious about a career in the Film and TV on the area of Directing Actors

Duration: 2 days
10:00 – 18:00
Dates: 27th – 28th of February 2027
Location: London, UK — University of Greenwich
Price: GBP 599.99 (GBP 399.99 until 5 December 2026).
Maximum number of participants: 25
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FUNDING AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT

You may be able to claim a full or partial refund of your workshop fee through an external funding programme.

UNITED KINGDOM

ScreenSkills — UK-Wide Training Bursaries

Applicants aged 18 or over who have the right to work in the UK, hold a UK bank account and work or intend to work in the UK screen industries can apply for practical training. Maximum awards are £750 at entry level, £1,500 in early career and £2,000 for experienced or expert professionals. Workshop fees, travel and accommodation may qualify. Actors, voice-over artists, presenters, performers and current students are excluded. Apply between two weeks and three months before the workshop. ScreenSkills bursary guidelines

Northern Ireland Screen — Skills Fund

Northern Ireland residents currently working in the local independent screen sector, with at least one year of experience, may apply for up to 75% of the course fee, capped at £2,000. Send your CV, course details and costs to Northern Ireland Screen at least three weeks before the workshop. Confirm current funding availability and the proposed location with the agency. Skills Fund details in the Mid Ulster Council funding directory, section 13.4

Screen Scotland — Screen Professional Development Fund

Scotland-based film and television freelancers with at least two to three professional credits can apply for £250 to £5,000 towards training in the UK or abroad. Eligible costs include the workshop fee, economy travel, accommodation and subsistence of up to £30 per day. Applicants must contribute at least 10%, in cash or in kind. Apply at least two weeks before the workshop. Screen Scotland funding guidelines and application

OTHER COUNTRIES

Explore the opportunities available in other countries and check the eligibility requirements.

Register for this workshop

Open for Registration

GBP 599.99 GBP 399.99

until 5 December 2026.