Learn how to
relate to the
camera lens
and approach
script analysis

Train your techniques for on-camera acting and gain experience executing a self-taped audition
The UCLA Camera Acting Summer Institute is a two-week, intensive program for students interested in the performing arts. This program encompasses voice, scene study, storytelling, and on-camera acting training. Students will learn about the process of relating to the camera lens and approaches to understanding a script so that specific choices can be made to prepare for and connect in the audition room.
Students will learn the technical components of acting for the camera and writing and filming their own content, while also gaining hands-on experience executing a self-taped audition. Beyond the classroom, students will attend guest workshops and learn the art of collaboration.
This program is designed for high school students who seek the discipline and training required for participation in a university on-camera program or a career in the entertainment industry.
Please note that all levels are encouraged to apply.
Camera Acting Summer Institute Program Overview
Students will participate in person at UCLA, experiencing all that our campus has to offer during their summer program.
For participants of the Camera Acting Summer Institute, living in on-campus housing is mandatory. The total cost for housing, which includes room, board (two meals per day), student supervision, and evening and weekend activities, is an additional $1,521.
For more information on UCLA housing precollege programs, please see the Housing for Minors page.
The Camera Acting Summer Institute awards credit for the following UCLA coursework:
- Theater 72: Production (2 units)
Class will take place in Macgowan Hall, part of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Macgowan Hall is located beside the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden, in the northeast corner of the UCLA campus.
Eligibility
To apply for the Camera Acting Summer Institute, students must be enrolled in:
- Grades 8 – 12 during Spring 2022
Students who do not meet the eligibility requirements will not be considered and are encouraged to explore other summer opportunities.
Admission
The program has application requirements for admission. Applicants who successfully submit all requirements will be reviewed and notified via email of an admission decision within ~3 weeks. See Application Requirements below for more details. Early application is strongly encouraged.
Applicants are required to provide the following during the online registration process:
- A 500-word essay responding to the following prompt: How do you plan to impact the world through your storytelling?
- A letter of recommendation from a teacher, director, or someone similar that can attest to your theatrical ability, challenges, and areas for growth.
- A resume. If you do not have a resume, please submit a brief description of your theatrical and/or artistic experience.
- A video of a 1- 1½ minute monologue or improvised scene. Prompts are provided. See Video Audition Guidelines below.
The essay will be prompted on the registration form; we recommend having your essay pre-written to copy/paste. Both the letter of recommendation and resume can be uploaded (.pdf) during the application process.
For the video component, you will need to upload your video and make it private to YouTube, Vimeo, or a similar site, and paste the private link during the application process.
Note: All responses and links will not be accessible to edit in any form after submission of the application.
You will need to upload one file into a private link on either YouTube or Vimeo and include the password to your private link on the registration form. The link will be your audition, which consists of your slate and monologue.
Slate: Please provide your first and last name, the name of the play your piece is from, the character’s name, and the playwright. There is no need to explain what is happening in the play. Feel free to say hello to us.
Monologue Length: 1- 1 ½ minutes is preferred
How to film your monologue: Frame it so that you are facing the camera for a medium to close upshot. Use your best judgment for what will work best for your monologue. If you will be moving during your monologue, a medium shot may be better. You may choose to speak into the camera or slightly off-camera.
Please remember to review your takes, see what works, and adjust as needed before submitting your audition. Trust the process and try not to be overly critical of yourself.
- Audition against a blank wall or door.
- Please do the monologue in one take.
- If you would like to film your slate in a separate take and then edit the take of your monologue into one file, that is acceptable.
- You may film your monologue from your phone or tablet. We are not worried about high production value. The most important thing is that we can see and hear you.
- Do not do a scene with someone reading lines off-camera.
- Do not send prior performances or tapings from plays. Record a new video according to the audition guidelines for the purposes of this application.
- Do not put pressure on yourself to deliver the “perfect” audition. Do your personal best, be authentic, and don’t forget to have fun!
Applying for the Camera Acting Summer Institute can be done conveniently online with the following steps:
- Prepare all “Application Requirements” prior to starting the registration process.
- Access the Summer Institute Online Registration Form starting February 15 at 8am Pacific Standard Time (PST). Read all terms and conditions, then scroll to the bottom and select “Yes, Continue to Registration.”
- Provide responses to all required questions on both pages of the registration form and then “Submit”.
- Once your form is submitted, you will be directed to the Retrieve Registration page. Select “File Uploads” to upload application materials (see Application Requirements above for more information).
- Allow up to two weeks for the program instructor(s) to review your application after submission. An email will be sent to you with the official decision.
- If accepted to the program, follow the steps in your acceptance email to make payment of the $350 non-refundable registration fee* to reserve your space in the program.
A space in the program is not reserved until a valid payment of the $350 non-refundable registration fee* is made. If you are not prepared to pay after submitting the registration form, you may retrieve your registration at another time to make payment; however, this risks losing a space in the program if it reaches capacity prior to payment being submitted. An email with instructions to retrieve registration with your five-digit registration number will be sent within an hour after submitting your registration.
*The registration fee is required for each program and is not refundable under any circumstances including, but not limited to, drop for non-payment and withdrawal, even if you withdraw from the program before it begins.
If the program is full, you will not be prompted to make payment. If the program offers a waitlist and your application is accepted from the waitlist, you will be notified by email with instructions for how to submit payment. Please note if the payment is not submitted within 24 hours of receiving the email, you will be moved to the end of the waitlist.
If registering after May 1, full payment of the program fee and non-refundable registration fee will be required to reserve your space in the program. Additional fees, such as the document fee and IEI fees, will be assessed after enrollment.
For questions and assistance, please contact us at info@summer.ucla.edu.
UCLA Summer Sessions Summer Scholars Support
Qualified students attending grades 8th – 11th in Spring 2022 in the state of California may be eligible for Summer Scholars Support, a need- and merit-based scholarship offered by the UCLA Summer Sessions Office. A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available to support enrollment in SCIP/eSCIP, one Summer Course, or a Precollege Summer Institute. Summer 2022 deadline to apply: April 1.
The Nicholas Endowment Scholarship
The Nicholas Endowment TFT Summer Institute Scholarship is a need- and merit-based scholarship opportunity for underserved/underrepresented high school students enrolled in grades 9-12 who have been impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19 and would benefit significantly from a Summer Institute experience. Both partial and full scholarships are available for high school students enrolled in UCLA Theater Summer Institutes including Acting and Performance, Camera Acting and Musical Theater.
Eligibility:
To apply for the Nicholas Endowment TFT Summer Institute Scholarship, you must meet the following minimum eligibility criteria:
- You will be a high school student in Fall 2022 (seniors graduating in 2022 are eligible)
- You have not received any UCLA Summer Sessions support or scholarship in the past
- You have a family annual adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less
- You have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak
- You are a high school student enrolled in one of the following UCLA Theater Summer Institutes: Acting and Performance, Camera Acting, Musical Theater, Voice-over and Camera Acting, Stage Management, Design Summer Institute-Costume, Live Performance and Media
The Nicholas Endowment Award will be awarded based on academic ability and financial need for those who have been impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19 and would benefit significantly from a Summer Institute experience.
Awards vary but will not exceed the total amount for a single Summer Institute. Awards are not intended to cover travel costs and may not cover accommodations or textbooks and other course materials.
This year, $25,000 is available to support selected high school students. Both partial and full scholarships will be awarded. The award amount will reflect the fees of the Summer Institute in which the applicant is enrolled.
If selected, scholarship recipients will create a short thank you video and contribute to a book of images and messages documenting their experience in the program for our generous donors.
Application Requirements:
All requirements below should be acquired and prepared prior to starting the online Nicholas Endowment TFT Summer Institute Scholarship form.
- Unofficial transcript showing all grades from 9th to present and a cumulative GPA
- Student resume
- Personal statement (see below for specifications)
- W-2 tax form (if eligible for one)
- 1040 tax form
Questions? Please email dadams@tft.ucla.edu.
Personal Statement:
Applicants must answer three essay prompts. Please answer the question below (Section 1) and then select two out of the six questions in Section 2 to answer. Each answer should be between 250–300 words.
Section 1 (must be answered):
- How have you and/or your family been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak?
Section 2 (Please choose two from the following questions):
- Submit a creative writing piece set during the COVID-19 outbreak that focuses on a fictional character and includes an act of kindness or heroism. Feel free to use your imagination.
- Explain your passion for the program you have applied to.
- How do you hope to incorporate theater/musical theater/camera acting/voice-over/design/stage management/live performance and media into your academic or career goals after the program?
- Describe how a specific play, musical, film or TV show has influenced you as a storyteller?
- Tell us about a time you were challenged to do something out of your comfort zone. How did you face this challenge and what lesson(s) did you take away from the experience?
Personal Statements should be prepared ahead of application and saved in one singular Word or PDF document to upload into the online form.
How To Apply:
- Register for a Pre-College Summer Institute starting Feb. 15, 2022. Payment of the nonrefundable deposit is required (with the exception of those applying for Deferred Deposit. For information Deferred Deposit, see “Deferred Deposit” below)
- Prepare the Application Requirement paperwork and Personal Statement
- Complete the Nicholas Endowment TFT Summer Institute Scholarship online application, which is available from April 2 through May 5 at 5:00 p.m. (Link will appear below when application is active).
Important Dates:
- 15, 2022: Registration for UCLA Theater Summer Institutes available
- May 5: Nicholas Endowment Scholarship Application due by 5:00 p.m.
- May 12: Award announcements are emailed at 5:00 p.m.
- May 19: Students who have been awarded support must confirm acceptance by replying to the award announcement email.
Program Dates:
Session A: June 26 – July 9
Session B: July 10 – 23
The schedule and syllabus are subject to change. Enrolled students will be given updated materials closer to the program start date.
Fees and Payment Info
The program fee includes the unit fees for the UCLA coursework offered as part of the program and thus varies by UC student status. In addition to the program fee, students are assessed other campus and administrative fees during the summer. This is a summary of fees that commonly apply to the selected student type.
Actual tuition and fees are subject to change by the University of California. Visit the fees, payment, and financial aid section for important disclaimer, as well as more details on fees, payment instructions, and information on delinquency, refunds, and financial aid.
**MANDATORY HOUSING FEE** = $1,521
Students living in on-campus housing will be charged an additional housing fee.
Program Fee | $2,850 |
Registration Fee | $350 |
IEI Fee | $61 |
Document Fee (for first-time Summer Sessions students) | $50 |
Meet Your Instructors
Rod Menzies
LecturerActor and director Rod Menzies is an internationally recognized voice, speech, text, and dialect coach. He is a former co-artistic director of Ensemble Studio Theatre Los Angeles (EST/LA), where he serves on the Board of Directors and contributes as an actor and director in the development of new American plays. He is also a member of the Open Fist Theatre Company, where he acts and directs. In 2018, he appeared in Zuri Alexander’s award-winning short film, Quiet Denial, which has screened at a number of film festivals including L.A. Shorts, where it was recognized with an Audience Award.
As a director, Menzies has helmed more than 60 theatrical productions, including three world premieres for EST/LA, and an award-winning world premiere of Tom Jacobson’s Walking to Buchenwald for Open Fist. In Los Angeles, he has performed leading roles at Open Fist, A Noise Within, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, Pico Playhouse, Getty Villa, Chalk Repertory Theatre and EST/LA. A veteran of the Shakespearean Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, Menzies has played many leading Shakespearean roles, including Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet; Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night; Hortensio in Taming of the Shrew; Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the title role in King Henry V.
As a faculty member in nationally recognized conservatory programs, Menzies has taught acting and directing through many courses in voice, speech, text, and dialects. He is a founding faculty member of Canada’s National Voice Intensive where he taught voice and Shakespeare text for 15 years. As the founding producing director of New York Theatre Intensives, he taught a summer intensive in new play development in collaboration with the member artists of EST/NY.
Among the actors he has coached are Patricia Arquette, Neve Campbell, David Duchovny, Mariska Hargitay, Adrian Homes, James Purefoy, Marcus Scribner, Alicia Silverstone, TJ Thyne, and Sophie Turner.
In addition to UCLA TFT, Menzies teaches at the AMDA Conservatory of the Performing Arts. He received his master of fine arts degree in theatre from York University in Toronto and a diploma in acting from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, England.

April Shawhan
LecturerApril Shawhan teaches acting at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. She has taught acting at New York City’s Playwright’s Horizons and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Additionally, Shawhan was the head of the acting department at Trinity Rep Conservatory. She has directed many plays, including A Lie of the Mind, Top Girls, and A Savage in Limbo.
As an actress, Shawhan has appeared in eight Broadway plays, including A History of American Film, Rex, and Over Here. She also starred as Blanche in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Her regional theater credits include roles such as Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Nora in A Doll House. Shawhan appeared in her first film, The Lay of the Land, written by UCLA TFT Professor Emeritus Mel Shapiro, in 1997.

Les Miller
LecturerLes Miller is an award-winning short film director and screenwriter. Her acting journey began at 16, when she took an intensive summer course in the Meisner Technique with Sidney Kay from The Neighborhood Playhouse. Encouraged to continue training full-time, Les moved from her home in Pennsylvania to study with the legendary Stella Adler in NYC. After completing 2-years at the Stella Adler Acting Conservatory, she furthered her studies at the HB Studio with Uta Hagen. Les applied her expertise in the craft of acting as a Casting Director in NYC, having cast small independent feature films, and commercials for major brands such as Snickers, AT&T and Renuzit. Les has directed several plays, staged readings, and many actor showcases for high level industry insiders.
Previously, Ms. Miller taught acting and film directing at the New York Film Academy at Universal Studios, served as Director of New Works for the Ark Theatre Company, and was a member of the Playwrights Unit at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, LA.
Currently, Les teaches acting for the camera, and audition technique at the prestigious Theatre of Arts, and the art of directing actors for the screen at the UCLA Extension. In addition, Les is a much sought-after private audition coach whose clients regularly appear in film and television.
As an academic, Ms. Miller holds an M.F.A. in Film Directing and Production from UCLA. She also holds a Certificate in Screenwriting from the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a double Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, and the Thomas Hunter Honors Program from Hunter College, City University of New York.

Camera Acting Summer Institute FAQ
We welcome students of all levels. However, there should be a strong interest in learning how to act for the camera.
Students will learn how to act on camera, as well as the technical components of a set, movement, and voice.
Students should wear comfortable clothes as they will be participating in classes that have physical movement.
There will not be a final performance. Instead, students will participate in short films that are created, directed, and produced by the students in the TFT Film Department.
Laptops are not required but are recommended.
Students will receive a letter grade upon completion. See University Credit, Grades and Transcripts for more information about academic credit.
Still have questions? Check out the general Summer Institutes FAQ.