ActingMaking us believe

Types of actorsThere are four kinds of actors

Extras- A face in the crowd

Nonprofessional performers- Amateur performers who “look right” for the part

Trained professionals- Most actors

Stars- A very popular actor who is often cast in leading or very important supporting roles

Examples of actors

Non-professional Performers- Full Metal Jacket

http://youtu.be/5NP8y63Ms4o

The difference between stage and screen

Stage actors are given one chance at a performance

Stage actors perform at a distance from the audience

Stage actors’ entire body is on stage, forcing them to perform with their entire body

The difference between stage and screen

Film actors have to deal with the camera right in their faces, literally

Physical requirements can be overcome via camera angles and props

Film Actors do not have to project, but instead have to perform with their eyes

Formalism v. Realism

The more realistic the film, the more the director must rely upon the performance of the actor

The more formalistic the film, the more actors are props/setting and the director’s vision takes precedent

Nudity in filmLove scenes on stage are very rare... love scenes are done verbally, not physically

By contrast, love scenes on film are done physically and with little dialogue

Most actors hate being nude in a film and especially hate love scenes

In contrast to what you see, it is often done on a sound stage with dozens of onlookers

Nude vs Naked example

Nudity is meant to be admired and beautiful

Naked is meant to be funny or awkward

Austin Powers

http://youtu.be/BBRQ8XUJOeI

The star systemStars bring instant appeal and notoriety to a film and thus command large amounts of money

Stars, especially men, can have careers that last 50 years

As women age, there are fewer and fewer roles available... it’s not fair, but it is the way it is

Stars are made by the public

The Star System cont.The public persona

Stars often end up with a public persona that influences what kind of roles they can get

The hardest transition is for actresses from teenage roles to adult roles

Anne Hathaway vs Lindsey Lohan

The Public Persona cont.

The other part of the persona is someone with a “heroic” or “good guy” persona playing a villain... often times the public won’t accept them in a villain's role

John Travolta vs Robin Williams

Broken Arrow http://youtu.be/uMXZ41psOZk

One Hour Photo http://youtu.be/vjIBX5RrG4Q

Personality vs Actor

Some stars, like Tom Hanks and John Wayne, refuse certain roles because it conflicts with their image

“I play John Wayne in every part regardless of the character, and I have been doing okay, haven’t I?”

True Grit http://youtu.be/g8klvM6zk0s

Acting style

Acting style (formalism vs. realism) is a matter of degree.

Where the actors are from, where the action is set, and genre of film play are large part in what type of acting is used.

ShakespeareActing in Shakespeare is considered the pinnacle of acting because it requires the broadest range of acting skills

The dialogue is incredibly difficult and the amount of research that goes into the characters is significant.

“If you can play Shakespeare convincingly, you can act in anything.”

The Method

Considered the ultimate in realism

Was introduced in the 1950s and has since dominated American Cinema and theatre

It is most associated with director Eli Kazan, who founded The Actors Studio, which was regarded as the best acting school in the world

The Method cont.The basic idea of Method is “You must live the part every moment you are playing it.”

One of the most important techniques is emotional recall, where an actor delves into his/her past to discover feelings that pair with the character’s

Inner truth was not all that was needed... External actions must resemble the character as well

Method cont.

Method-oriented directors generally believe that a player must have a character’s experience within him/her and must go to considerable lengths to learn about the personal lives of their players in order to use such details for characterization

Improv In the 1960s, French directors popularized the technique of on screen improvisation, which resulted in additional realism

Cinema verite epitomizes improvisation and strives to demonstrate what the character would do naturally on stage

Often referred to as documentary style, many modern movies and films use this style

Casting

95% of directing is casting the right actor in a role

95% of the work that goes into a performance after the casting is adapting to the casting mistakes

Casting cont.Most actors are cast into specific roles, called type casting

leading men/ladies, character actors, dancing actors, juveniles, villains, light comedians, tragedians, singing actors, and so on...

Typecasting is rarely violated, but actors work diligently to expand their ranges

For some it works. For some it doesn’t

“casting is Characterization”

By casting an actor, you are casting a personality and it begins to make the character

Many filmmakers will not begin working on a project until the film is cast

“I could no more write, not knowing who the actors was going to be, than an artist could paint, not knowing what color he was using.”