The art of film acting : a guide for actors and directors / Jeremiah Comey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Comey, Jeremiah.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Motion picture acting.

Physical Description:

xiii, 290 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; Boston : Focal Press, [2002]

Summary:

Applies a proven stage method to screen acting

-- Includes exercises and practice material

-- Helps actors train themselves to relate and respond

This guide for actors and directors develops a valid method for training performers to act from their core -- whether they are cold reading, auditioning, or performing for film or television. This book teaches actors how to achieve and respond to believable and honest emotions before the camera, and it maintains that the key to a successful performance lies in how the actors relate to one another and to the circumstances. Exercises throughout the book, including script examples, give readers an easy resource for practicing the principles outlined.

The Art of Film Acting applies a classic stage acting method (Stainslavsky) to the more intimate medium of performing before a camera, teaching readers to experience an emotion rather than to indicate it.

Contents:

1. The Exercise 1

Transcript of two actors doing a scene in class. Jeremiah interacts with them and guides them through the scene using the Five Arts 1

2. Stage versus Film Acting 10

Preparing for a Role 11

The Demands of Performance 12

One Good Performance 13

Projecting 13

Film and Theater Close-Ups 14

Emotions and Feelings 14

Subtext 15

Camera and Proscenium Arch 18

Personality and Character 19

Dialogue 22

Monologues 22

Film Experience versus Stage Experience 24

Reacting 25

3. Becoming a Great Actor 28

The Actor's Responsibility 28

Casablanca 28

Acting Is Being and Awareness 29

The Five Arts of Film Acting 30

The Power of Relating 36

Acting "On the Nose" 37

Listen to the Other Actor 37

Acting Is a Profession 38

4. Sight Reading 42

How Sight Reading Works 42

How to Sight Read 43

Importance of Sight Reading 45

Second-Guessing the Director 45

Multiple Auditions 46

Helpful Hints 46

5. The Art of Concentration 48

Concentration 48

Internal Rap 48

Interest Is the Focal Point of Concentration 49

Feedback 50

Emotions 50

Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Love 52

Differentiating between the Emotions 59

Laughter and Sadness 60

Focused Concentration 63

How to Increase Your Concentration 63

6. The Art of Not Knowing 68

Everything Happens As If for the First Time 68

Being Intimate without Taking It Personally 74

Beginner's Mind and Logical Mind 74

After the Scene, Forget It 74

Opinions and Beliefs Will Destroy You 75

Play the Character, Not the Stereotype 75

Judgment Is a Trap 78

Leave Your Feelings on the Set 78

Self-Criticism 79

Use Your Beginner's Mind to Not Know 80

7. More on the Art of Not Knowing 81

The First Time 81

Bad Acting on Film Is the Triumph of Logic 88

Don't Be Safe 89

The Power of Not Knowing 92

Memorizing and Not Knowing 93

Repeating an Emotional Experience 94

Discover Facts by Concentrating on the Other Actor 94

Judgments Ruin Your Acting 97

A Genuine Experience 97

8. Still More on the Art of Not Knowing 100

The Director's Ideas 100

Ideas and the Actors 101

The Director's Vision 101

Good Actors Make Things Happen 106

Directors Use Blocking to Elicit Responses 110

A Director's Scene Preparation 111

Importance of the Art of Not Knowing 114

9. The Art of Acceptance 117

Acceptance 117

Play the Game 120

Trust the Roller Coaster 124

Having Fun 125

Sets and Locations Are Real 128

10. The Art of Giving and Receiving 131

Giving and Receiving 131

Giving, Receiving, and Subtext 137

Accepting Responsibility 138

The Relating Exercise 141

Different Emotional Levels 141

There Are No Officially Sanctioned Responses 146

11. The Senses 148

See through Untainted Eyes 148

The Abilities 151

The Maestro's Ears 153

The Sense of Touch 158

Touching to Relax 158

Touching to Stimulate Love 160

Touching to Provoke Anger 160

Touching to Stimulate Laughter 163

Smell and Taste 164

12. Intimacy, Empathy, and Intuition 167

You Are What You Are: The First Ingredient of Intimacy 167

Intimacy: The Quality of Good Actors 168

Memory and Fear: The Enemies of Intimacy 168

Empathy 171

Intimacy and Empathy 172

Scenes "Not Worthy" of an Actor 174

Physical Actions 176

Intuition: Your Sixth Sense 177

The Creative Inner Child 179

Words That Prevent Good Acting 183

Act, Don't Think 185

13. The Audition 187

Getting Ready to Audition 187

Casting for Type 188

Film and Stage Casting 189

Auditioning 190

Film Audition 191

Acting in Plays 192

Approaches to Acting 192

Physical and Emotional Aspects of Characterization 195

Imagination 202

Subtext 202

Types of Actors 205

The Message You Send 206

Actor Practice 207

14. More on the Audition 209

The Casting Director 209

The Job 210

Acting Is a Business 210

Why Actors Don't Get Cast 213

The Differences between the Relating Exercise and the Audition 215

The Art of Not Knowing 216

The "Where." 218

Sides 219

Fear 219

Relaxing 220

Benefit of the Relating Exercise in Audition 220

Skills for the Audition 220

Preparation for Audition 225

The Audition 226

Commercial Improvisation 228

Comedic Improvisation 229

Dramatic Improvisation 229

Actor Practice 231

15. The Comedy Audition 233

Comedy and Exposition 233

Characterization 238

Absurd Situations 239

Environment 241

Comedy Patterns 241

Auditioning for Comedy 242

Find the Humor 243

The Elements of Comedy 243

Comic Actors 254

Physical Comedy or Farce 255

Punching and Undercutting 257

Rhythm, Tempo, and Pacing 258

Rehearsal 260

Emotional Ideas 261

Preparing for the Comedy Audition 265

In the Audition 265

Actor Practice 267

How It Happens 268

How to Get in Touch with Jeremiah 275.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 276-277), videography (pages 278-281), and index.

ISBN:

0240805070

OCLC:

48620324