> Talent and training essential (sing/dance)
> Everything wideshot
> Rehearsals 3-4 weeks
> Memorization skills required
> Perform well each performance
Film Acting
Nota:
> Photographic charisma/personality key
> Often uses close-ups
> Rehearsals few/none
> Memorization not as important
> Allowed to fail
- Takes and cuts
What Shakespeare
Says About Acting
Nota:
"Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue... Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand... Suit the action to the word, not the word to the action..."
Acting in the Past
Nota:
Thespis: considered first actor around 555 BC.
> Women: appear in licensed, legitimate theaters during the restoration period (1662, during Charles II rein), but regarded as prostitutes. Some accepted into high society were mistresses of the King (ie. Nell Gwynn).
> Not until later in the 18th/19th century were actors becoming more celebrated.
An Actor Must Have
Nota:
> Talent
> Good timing
> Desire
> "Thick skin"
> Good imagination
> Potential energy ("it" factor)
> Strong power of observation
> Emotional/intellectual commitment
> Great concentration, focus, and discipline
Where to Train
to be an Actor
Universities
Nota:
(BA/BFA/MFA) degrees
> NYC/LA/Chicago
- Acting schools/studios
- Conservatories
>strive to become:
- Triple threat: act, sing, and dance
- Quadruple threat: act, sing, dance, and play an instrument
Training
the Body
Nota:
> Dance
> Period styles movement
> Fencing and stage combat
> Circus and gymnastics techniques
> Yoga
> Martial arts/tai chi
Training
the Mind
Nota:
> Memorization skills
> Imagination
> Levels of empathy
> Keen awareness of surroundings and others
> Analyze info. quickly
Training
the Voice
Nota:
> Breathing/relaxation techniques
> Vocal technique in pitch, volume (projection), diction, and resonance
> Dialects
> IPA: international phonetic alphabet
- pronounce get not git
> Singing
> Avoid vocal fry
Konstantin Stanislavsky
Nota:
1863-1938
> Actor, Director, Co-founder of Moscow Art Theater in Russia
> Involved in both stylized and non-realistic techniques and modern approaches to acting
> Stressed ensemble playing
His Books
Nota:
An actor prepares
Building a character
Creating a role
Acting Methods
Acting Teachers
Stella Adler
Nota:
Conservatory of Acting (NYC)
Sanford Meisher
Nota:
Neighborhood Playhouse (NYC)
Lee Strasberg
Nota:
The Actor's Studio
Acting Techniques
Nota:
> Gestural acting
> Concentration and observation
> Substitution
> Imagery
> Emotional recall
> Sense memory
> Magic "if"
Expressing
Emotions
Nota:
Outside-In: technical approach
Inside-Out: emotional memory
For creating character: use of props and costumes
Characterization
Nota:
> Given circumstances
> Super-objective (overall goal)
> Objective (goal per scene)
> Beat (a change in circumstance)
> Public vs. Personal Image (how others see us vs. how we see ourselves)
> Inner conflict
> Motivation (why we do what we do)
Acting Unions
Nota:
AEA: Actors equity association
SAG: Screen actors guild
AFTRA: American federation of television and radio artists
> Merged in 2012 SAG-AFTRA
> Union vs. Non-union acting work
Stereotypes/Typecasting
Nota:
> Ingenue- young female 18-25
> Juvenile- young male 18-25
> Young leading man/lady: >25-early 30s
> Leading man/lady: older 30s-early 40s
> Heavy: Villain
> Femme Fatale: female, sexual, dangerous
> Straight or confidant: friendly, attentive, willing to help (ie. best friend roles)
Auditions
Nota:
> Agents
> Casting notices (EPA, chorus calls, open or "cattle calls")
> Sides
> Cold readings
> Prepared monologue
> Improvisations
> Sing/dance
> callback list