The basics

                                       Acting for Camera        

       

Key Points

Don’t analyse yourself during the performance.  Facial muscles will betray you if you do this.  Particularly the eyebrows and mouth, these are dead give-aways.

Avoid eyebrow acting

Go through script and write an internal monologue

The word fuck is often primal, from gut

Write action verbs on margins of script

Stanislavski Exercise – imagine a pin of light focus and block everything else out.  Spotlight, internalize.

Emotional shots are closer and close, typically run through scene twice with different cameras

When listening on screen you have to actually listen.

Do not worry about your face.  Think only about your character’s thoughts and what you’re hearing.  It’s your characters thoughts which drive the narrative.  Allows you to get into the subtext of the scene.  It’s not all in the dialogue.  You can hear it.

Never be intimidated x 100

Never be shy

Follow impulses

Ask questions, particularly with regards to shot size – this is especially when it’s a medium/medium close/two shot

Look at your eyes and be aware of how much time you spend at the other person.

If you’re talking to someone you know or someone you don’t know.

When we have thought processes tend to be looking away from the person we are talking to.

We tend to listen and thinking to where we say

Looking up to see response

Continuity Issues

If you do something which changes your physical appearance make a note.  Do this in blocking as much as possible.

Narrative continuity

Spatial continuity – see hitting the marks but also includes 180 rule or “crossing the line”.  However, this can be done to underscore subtext.

Temporal Continuity – small things such as hair in front or behind shoulders.  These can add up to betraying the illusion of time/shot construction

Relationships are continuous

Physical continuity – at which point do you do a gesture/push a strand of hair back

Hitting Marks

Need to be good at it

3 Dimensions

Never stress about it.  Often a sausage shaped sandbag.  Use your peripheral vision.

Relatively close to camera, rather than far away

Cheating to camera – angles matter