String Performance Consultant
for Film & Television
Make the Music World Feel Real Behind Your Lens
what We provide:
From the first script read to the final cut, we help productions get the musical details right
ACTOR COACHING FOR ON-CAMERA AUTHENTICITY
Prepare actors to convincingly portray string musicians, from basic instrument handling to advanced performance details.
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE + STAGECRAFT
Help actors and productions capture the physical language and professional behaviour of real musicians and real audiences—from entering the stage and tuning, rehearsal styles, audience/ensemble interaction, on-stage and off-stage etiquette, performance, applause, and bows for both modern and period stories.
ON-SET MUSICAL CONSULTING
Real-time guidance on bowing, fingering, posture, physical performance, playback, continuity, and on capturing authentic performance B-roll for post-production.
INSTRUMENT + PROP CONSULTING
Make sure instruments, bows, cases, sheet music, and other musical details are appropriate to the character, period, and storyline.
STRING MUSICIAN CASTING + COORDINATION
Source and coordinate the appropriate quality and pricing of string players, musical doubles, hand doubles, and authentic ensemble design.
PERIOD + HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE
Consult on historically appropriate instruments, technique, repertoire and performance practice.
ENSEMBLE + PERFORMANCE CONSULTING
Ensure chamber groups, orchestras and individual musicians move, interact and perform convincingly on camera.
PRE-PRODUCTION + SCRIPT CONSULTING
Identify musical requirements and potential authenticity issues before filming begins.
POST-PRODUCTION REVIEW
Review footage for musical continuity, performance authenticity and details that may be invisible to a non-musician—but obvious to a professional
THE MUSICAL WORLD MATTERS in your lense
Authentic musical performance is about far more than playing the right notes. It is the physical language, culture and history surrounding the instrument: how a musician holds themselves, prepares to play, breathes, listens, reacts, moves through a phrase and communicates with other musicians. These details change across instruments, traditions, periods and individual styles.
My role is to bring that knowledge into the production process. I advise on the nuances that can be difficult to see from behind a camera, from historically appropriate technique and instrument use to the subtle differences in vibrato, bowing, posture, positioning and movement that distinguish a convincing performance from a generic one. I also help bridge the gap between musical performance and filmmaking, anticipating how camera placement, coverage, playback, editing and continuity can affect what the audience ultimately sees and feels in a musical moment.
My goal is not simply to make a musician look convincing. It is to make the performance feel lived-in—to capture the physical language, emotional world and cultural details of the music so that every movement feels true to the character, the instrument, the period and your story being told.
Dr. Lauren Spaulding, DMA
Dr. Lauren Spaulding is an internationally performing violist, chamber musician, and educator with a Doctorate of Musical Arts and a GRAMMY-winning album. A member of the Thalea String Quartet and Tallā Rouge, Lauren has toured internationally and performed with leading artists and ensembles across North America and Europe, with a career that spans modern and historical performance, recording, broadcast, and television work, giving her an unusually detailed understanding of the technical and physical language of professional string performance. Lauren brings that expertise to film and television productions, helping actors and creative teams achieve performances that look, move, and feel authentically musical.
Professional Violist & Chamber Musician
String Performance Consultant
String Film + Television Expert
Rita Ushakova (They/Them)
Professional Editor & Colourist
Film & Post Production Consultant
Optional On-Set and Post Expert
Rita Ushakova is a Toronto-based video editor and colourist with more than a decade of experience across narrative film, television, commercials, music videos and branded content. Rita brings a strong understanding of on-set production language, camera coverage, editorial needs and the practical communication between directors, camera teams and post-production. As Lauren’s production-side counterpart, Rita ensures musical requirements translate into actionable shots, capture the information and coverage needed for the edit, and ensure that what happens on set carries through accurately into post-production.