Screen Acting. REQUIRED TEXT: Secrets of Screen Acting By Patrick Tucker. RECOMMENDED TEXT: Acting in Commercials By Joan See

Transcription

1 Screen Acting Instructor - Doug Finlayson Office: Theatre 39 Spring 2013 Office Phone: Spring I W 2:30-4:20 finlaydo@webster.edu F 1-4 Spring II W 4-5:20 F 1-5:20 Course Syllabus OUTCOMES: The student will: Be able to recognize the job descriptions of who s who on a film set; Acquire skill sets that allow them to adjust their acting scale for the camera and with recorded sound through in-class film projects; Demonstrate basic technical skills (including hitting marks, eye-lines, continuity) through class scene work; Participate in video audition preparation through in-class commercial auditions. REQUIRED TEXT: Secrets of Screen Acting By Patrick Tucker RECOMMENDED TEXT: Acting in Commercials By Joan See GRADE PERCENTAGES Who s Who on the Set Project 10% Film Actor Observations 15% Monologue Project 15% Acting/Reacting Scene 20% Notes from the Reading 10% Commercial Audition 10% Reading Assignments 10% Preparation and Participation 10%

2 PROJECTS Who s Who on the Set Project This is an opportunity to find out who everyone is on a film shoot. This will also be a chance to discuss technical aspects of film acting: continuity, eyelines, hitting marks, etc. Film Actor Observation Identify a film actor you admire and watch them in two films. Take notes on what they do to convey character. Think of their work in terms of long shots and close ups. How do they use their faces? How do they use their bodies? What are the choices they make in terms of the way the encounter the physical world (furniture, props, costumes). Monologue This is a monologue of your choosing stick to realism. You will work in groups of four and shoot this yourselves on location. You can do it as one take on the speaker or you can intercut it with someone listening. If you want to edit and don t have the skills I m happy to help. Acting/Reacting Scene Film acting is as much about reacting as it is about acting. You will choose a two person scene (one group will have 3 people). This is an exercise about talking and listening on camera. Notes from the Reading You will take notes on the two books we are reading in class. You will hand these notes in. Commercial Audition Using techniques provided by Joan See in her book Acting In Commercials, each student will approach copy for a commercial audition. STAGE VS. FILM ACTING As you work on the projects, think about: The arc of your emotional journey - it may be shot out of sequence. Understand the story up until the moment you are shooting - when shooting out of sequence, the character may or may not have certain information at a given point. Watch your energy from shot to shot - make sure it matches. Be aware of continuity, but don t let it stifle imagination. Let us see the character's thought process - in the eyes.

3 CALENDAR - SCREENACTING (Calendar subject to change) JANUARY Wed. 16 WEEK ONE Handout syllabus/discuss Projects/Technique for Film ASSIGNMENT - Read Vocabulary Handout and Tucker, Ch 1-8 Watch Film Actor and keep written observations Fri. 18 Shoot Who s Who on the Set [Group 1 will shoot 1-3; Group 2 will shoot 3-5] ASSIGNMENT - Read Tucker, Ch. 10, 11 & 13, 14 Wed. 23 Fri. 25 Wed. 30 FEBRUARY Fri. 1 Wed. 6 Fri. 8 Wed. 13 WEEK TWO Watch edited Who s Who scenes Watch Freaky Links/Discuss Type/Actor reels ASSIGNMENT - Read Joan See Handout WEEK THREE Commercial Auditions DUE: Notes from Film Actor Observations Shoot Commercial Auditions (Shooting Schedule will be posted) DUE: Prepare Commercial Audition WEEK FOUR Watch Commercial auditions ASSIGNMENT - Prepare a contemporary realistic monologue to be shot on Friday on location with a team of three other actors - trade off so all four monologues get shot. Film Monologues. Work in teams of four. You can shoot the monologue in one take or you can intercut another character reacting. Work on location. This should be something you can use on your reel. (Doug in Atlanta) ASSIGNMENT - Pick a film scene from a film with a two partners (one group with have two people). We will shoot these scenes in class on Friday Jan. 27, Wednesday Feb. 1 and Friday Feb. 3. This scene should be memorized and you should make simple decisions about action. Keep blocking to a minimum. Sitting is fine. This is as much about reacting as it is about acting. DUE: Memorized Realistic Monologue Chosen by Student WEEK FIVE Watch Monologues February 13 UNCOMMON WOMEN AND OTHERS Fri. 15 Shoot Acting/Reacting (Two 3-person scenes) DUE: Memorized Film Scene Wed. 20 WEEK SIX Shoot Acting/Reacting (One 3-person scene) DUE: Memorized Film Scene

4 Fri. 22 Shoot Acting/Reacting (Two 3-person scenes) DUE: Memorized Film Scene FEB MIDWEST THEATRE AUDITIONS Wed. 27 MARCH Fri. 1 Wed. 6 Fri. 8 WEEK SEVEN Shoot Acting/Reacting (One 2-person scene) DUE: Memorized Scene Shoot Acting/Reacting (Two 3-person scenes) DUE: Memorized Scene WEEK EIGHT Watch Edited Acting/Reacting Scenes NO CLASS - NY Showcase Prep MID SEMESTER BREAK MARCH 12-16

5 Vocabulary Concepts: Persistence of Vision: The name given by Peter Mark Roget in 1824 to the physiological fact that an image stays on the brain for 1/5th to 1/20th of a second after that image has been removed for the field of view. This fact allows us to view a rapidly moving series of still pictures as continuous motion. Kuleshov Effect: Named for the Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov who articulated the idea that the emotional meaning of an expression on an actor s face is determined by the shots surrounding it. An actor s neutral expression will be read by the audience as sorrow if the image following it is a person lying in a coffin, or as joy, if the image following it is a child at play. 180 Rule: The fact that the camera can be place anywhere along an imaginary 180 line drawn through the heads of the actors in a scene. If the camera crosses this line when shooting coverage, screen direction will be askew. Vocabulary: Instructions Roll Film : Let the camera roll Speed : What the cameraman or sound op says to let the director know the equipment is up to speed. Action : What the director says when he wants the actors to start performing. You must wait for this command before starting. Cut : What the director says when she wants the scene to stop. You must keep acting until you hear this command - there might be something neat in this moment that can be used. Print : Director s command that a particular take is good enough to be printed up for the dailies. Check the Gate / Gate clear : Makes reference to the gate in the camera through which the film travels - if even the smallest amount of fuzz or hair gets in there it can ruin the film Getting Underway Slate - the clapstick board that marks the beginning of each take - also leaves a definitive marker for sound. Set-up: Every time the camera changes position it is a new set-up Take: Each roll of the camera from a particular setup. Camera right: The camera s right - opposite of stage right Camera left: The camera s left - opposite of stage left.

6 Shooting Master Shot: Wide shot that includes one or more actors. It tracks with the movement of the performers in the scene. Two-shot: Includes both people in the scene. Over-the-Shoulder (OTS): This is a shot in which we look across the back of one actor to the face of the other. Close-up (CU): A shot that includes only the face, or the neck and face, or the neck and face and shoulders of one actor. Extreme-close-up (ECU): A very tight shot of the actors face, maybe only eyes. Reaction shot - Shot of the actor reacting to the main action. Coverage - All shots other than the Master. An Actor s responsibility Hitting the mark: When a scene is staged by a director, the actors positions become critical, so marks are generally put on the floor to indicate the position of your feet at the end of each move. You will be expected to move to those marks without looking at them so that the audience will be unaware that you are moving to a predetermined location. Matching: What the actor does in the master shot needs to be repeated almost exactly in the OTS and CU s Cheating: The art and craft of doing something that is untrue, but appears true to the camera. Opening body position, close to another actor, looking at a different place than where the other actor actually is. Overlapping: Voices overlapping - in CU you want to avoid overlapping the other actor s lines. Eye-line: The imaginary line from your eyes (where you are looking) to where the other actor s eyes would be. Important for CU s so that the audience will understand what direction you are looking off screen. Camera, Lights, Sound Depth of Field: Is the distance through which objects will appear sharp in front of and behind the point at which the camera is focused. Greater Depth of Field - Things are in focus deep past and in front of and behind the subject being shot. Shorter Depth of Field - Things are in soft focus past and in front of and behind the subject being shot. Boom: The arm/pole on which the microphone hangs Lights: Key - Lights the face

7 High key - brighter Low key - darker Contrast ratio - light and shadow on either side of the Fill - Illuminate your face Back - Comes from behind to give you dimension Eye - Light that picks up the eyes face Continuity: The elements in the frame remaining the same in every setup MOS - Without sound Number One - Back to one command usually given by the First AD for the actors and the camera to go back to their first positions for the beginning of the shot. People Director Script Supervisor: Records how long each take of a scene is, who is on and off camera in every take, which takes are printed, what went wrong with the ones that weren t printed, records the movements of the actors to make sure they are consistent, and helps the actors with their lines. A copy of her notes is given to the editor at the end of each days shooting. Continuity: Takes copious notes so that the same business is done at the same time on all shots covering the same sequence. First Assistant Director: Runs the set. Calls for crews to stop working. When the camera is ready, calls for the first team. Calls for quiet on the set, calls for rehearsal if that s what the director wants, and calls for the camera and sound to roll. Directs extras and helps prepare each day s call sheet. Second Assistant Director: Usually there are 2 or 3 seconds on a set. They are the people an actor checks in with when arriving on the set. They are responsible for getting the actors their contracts, tax and immigration forms, and script revisions. If an actor needs something, it is best to ask a second A.D. for it first. Never leave a set w/o checking first with a 2nd A.D. At the end of the work day you must sign out with the second. Stand-ins: They stand in for setups, lighting, camera movement. Cinematographer/Director of Photography (DP): In charge of the photographic excellence of the film. Responsible for lighting, choice of film, proper exposure. Camera Operator: Actually handles the camera during the shooting. Follows the actors. Responsible for the final composition of the picture Assistant Camera Operator: The crew member responsible for making sure that the actors are always in focus. Before the take, the focus operator measures the actual distances from camera

8 to performers, and must make sure that the focus knob on the camera is turned to accurately accommodate the actor-to-lens distances throughout the take. Dolly pusher: responsible for moving the camera dolly. Film loader or camera assistant: Loads the film into the camera, may hold the slate. Mixer: Sound crew chief. Responsible for the overall quality of the sound. Listens to the sound through headsets. Boom Operator: Responsible for making sure that the microphone is in the best position to pick up dialogue as the scene is played. Gaffer: Lighting crew chief. Responsible for making sure the proper equipment is available and functioning. Sets lights in concert with the DP. Best boy: Assistant to the gaffer. Key Grip: Sets crew chief. Her crew is responsible for all sets, carpentry, handling of sun reflectors, and movement of camera dollies. Grip: Assists the Key Grip Makeup: Responsible for makeup Wardrobe: Responsible for wardrobe.