Acting

1. Acting • Making us believe

2. Types of actors • There 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

3. Examples of actors • Non-professional Performers- Full Metal Jacket • http://youtu.be/5NP8y63Ms4o

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. Nudity in film • Love 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

8. 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

9. The star system • Stars 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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.

14. Shakespeare • Acting 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.”

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. “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.”