"Introduction to Voice-overs," twelve sessions starting September 21, Tuesdays from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m., limited to twelve students; $470. The New School, 66 West 12th Street (229-5690).

making movies
Even if you've always known deep down that the words a film by... should precede your name, a career in film or TV production takes more than a night class or two; for the truly committed, a short but intensive program -- like Jerry Sherlock's eight-year-old New York Film Academy -- may be the only serious option. Graduate Andrew Wilkinson decided to take two months off from an advertising job in London when he stumbled upon the film academy's Website. After taking the eight-week version of "Total Immersion," a crash course in all technical and creative facets of film-making that results in four short films per student, Wilkinson returned to London to "resign my flashy car and my flashy salary," and signed up for the advanced workshop. Through contacts at the school, he says, "I've been given and offered work that will keep me busy for the next two or three months."

Four-, six-, and eight-week sessions begin every month; $3,500 to $4,000, plus about $1,250 to $2,000 for materials. New York Film Academy, 100 East 17th Street (674-4300).

this just in
If watching TV newsreaders makes you think, I can do that, Nancy Reardon can teach you how. Reardon has been coaching aspiring TV anchors and reporters for eighteen years -- beginners at the New School, more advanced students at her studio. She teaches students "nuts and bolts" -- how to keep their heads from moving, what colors to wear on-air (red is her favorite). Techniques include wearing pieces of tape to keep eyebrows immobile and gesturing just out of camera range to subtly add expression to the voice. Reardon's students, who currently include a lawyer, a model, and an advertiser, are predominantly female, something which she attributes to the fact that many "bright, talented" women in business and law are hitting the glass ceiling and beginning to think about Court TV.

"On Camera," twelve sessions starting September 23, Thursdays from 7:45 to 9:30 p.m., limited to sixteen students; $470. The New School (229-5690).

laughter in concert
Back in the day, the Eddie Murphys of Saturday Night Live went directly to stand-up stardom. Today, SNL grads have only bad movies to look forward to, while Ben Stiller's group skits and the Kids in the Hall are considered seminal. A new generation of comics have become stars by playing well with others. The four members of the Upright Citizens Brigade have been spreading the wealth for three years in perhaps the city's best improv workshop. Four course levels, now taught in the group's theater, indoctrinate comics of all skill levels in long-form improvisation -- what workshop veteran Robert Corddry of Naked Babies calls "the thinking man's improv." Corddry credits the Brigade with making him bolder and smarter. "I've learned to base my sketches in some sort of reality," he says. "It's funnier when it's true." The workshop doubles as a farm team, as students are cast in the theater's shows. "At some point, they become not just students but part of our theater," says the Brigade's Matt Besser, who teaches the fourth level. The first level is open to anyone, but even experienced comics must take the courses in order.