July, 2026 | The Actor's Scene

Student Highlight: Peyton Cooper

From On-Set Experience student to award winning filmmaker- and all before she graduated high school!

Not only do we love watching our students gain confidence and succeed at The Actor’s Scene, but we also love to share their successes with the world! One student that has really caught our attention lately is Peyton Cooper. Peyton is a rising high school Senior who has won multiple awards across the country for her remarkable filmmaking talents. Even though she started as an acting student, she decided to try the TAS On Set Experience program and discovered a deep love for film production.

Peyton, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us. We are SO PROUD of you and your accomplishments! Let's start at the beginning. Tell us how you began your journey?

I originally wanted to be an actress, so I signed up for and completed the conservatory classes at TAS, and I loved it. My acting coach, Molly, mentioned that I should try OSE. I didn’t want to do it at first, but I decided to give it a chance and ended up loving it so much that I switched from wanting to be an actress to becoming a filmmaker.

Awesome! What is something that you love about being a filmmaker?

I love coming up with the shot list because I think how a film looks is much more important than people realize. I also love seeing my story come to life. It is crazy to watch something I made up being portrayed so perfectly on screen.

What is something that surprised you about working on a set?

I was surprised by how long everything takes to film. I usually assume at least three takes of each shot: a blooper, a good take, and a safety. Even at the bare minimum, when you multiply that by the number of shots and scenes, it takes a very long time.

Tell us, what are some of your favorite filming moments?

When we were filming the last shot of my newest film, Disadaption, we wanted a shot that panned up to the sky. On our student budget of basically nothing, we had to improvise. I was sitting outside a window on an icy porch and leaned back while my friend Alison held my back and helped lower me as I tilted the camera up. It was pretty tricky, but it is one of my favorite shots in the whole film. Also, when we were filming Time Will Tell, shooting the sunset montage scenes, it really set in that this film was going to be something very special to me.

So creative! What would you say is the best advice you've been given?

From my Cici: No matter what, God has a plan for you. Whether someone is religious or not, I think it is comforting to believe there is a plan and that you do not have to have everything figured out. You just have to put in the work and trust that things will unfold the way they are meant to.

Who inspires you as a filmmaker?

My film coaches, Adam and Leah, inspire me a lot. I did not think that within the confines of our OSE class we could really make films worth watching, but that class has produced multiple projects I am so proud to have been part of. Crazy in Love by Sofia Escobarr is our most recent example. She is a great writer, and I am so grateful to have worked with her. I think the fact that they could make a film class for a random group of high schoolers and have them make two films that both get accepted into a film festival is pretty cool.

Do you have a dream project?

I want to make my dad’s favorite movie. My dad is not a big movie buff, but he has been a huge part of my filmmaking journey. He has read so many scripts and watched so many edits. I want to make a movie that is genuinely his favorite, not just because it is mine, but because it is objectively a really good film.

That is so sweet. How important is it for filmmakers to have a support system around them?

Relationships are extremely important, especially for creatives. I couldn’t have made the projects I’ve worked on at the level we achieved without my crew, and I wouldn’t have had the final versions of Time Will Tell or Disadaption without sharing them with family and friends for feedback. There’s a limit to how much you can view your own work objectively, so it’s crucial to have people you can ask for input and also just to share your work with. At the end of the day, the point of art is to create value not just for yourself, but for your audience as well.

Do you have any upcoming projects?

I know it sounds simple, but just make something. I have so many old iMovie projects and small films with almost no plot because I just wanted to practice filming and editing. Also, say yes to projects, even if you do not fully understand the vision at first. Get on sets and make connections. I recently got to be on set for I Think You Are Hurting Them by Brendan Kaplan. I only knew him through Christian Frazier, who plays Jake in Time Will Tell. Brendan is an amazing filmmaker. Our styles are very different, so at first I was confused about the vision, but being on set taught me so much and helped me build connections I hope to work with again.

How did it feel when you won your first award?

The first film award I won was at the Austin Film Festival youth competition. I originally thought I had lost because I hadn’t heard back by the date they told me the winners would be contacted. I even told my family that my film hadn’t been selected. Then, the next day, I received an email stating that I had won and that I would be able to fly out to the festival. It was surreal. I kept rereading the email because I couldn’t believe it. Honestly, I also felt imposter syndrome at the awards and pressure, worrying that whatever I made next wouldn’t live up to expectations now that I had won a film award.

You know TAS values building confidence in our students, what makes YOU feel confident?

When I share my work, people ask to show it to others or ask to watch it again. Most people are nice and will say something is good even if it is not. But when someone wants to rewatch it or tells me they were still thinking about it later, that makes me feel confident that I created something meaningful.

Do you have any hacks or tips that have helped you?

Fake confidence. I truly thought Time Will Tell would be a disaster, but I really wanted it to work, so I acted like I knew what I was doing until we made a film I was proud of. I felt the same way going into Disadaption. At the end of the day, it is not that serious. You just have to go for it and give yourself grace for not knowing everything yet.

Explain what you mean by "Fake confidence". What does that look like?

I just had to keep planning and acting as if I wasn’t nervous. Whether it was a callback meeting with people I had never met before for Disadaption, or directing the cast and crew for Time Will Tell, I had to go in with the mindset that I knew I would make things happen when I needed to.

Finally, what resources do you recommend for other young filmmakers?

For people starting out who do not want to pay for Adobe or Final Draft, WriterDuet and DaVinci Resolve both have free options. For writing, I have been told that Save the Cat is a very helpful book. I have not read it yet, but I plan to. StudioBinder’s YouTube videos are also extremely helpful.