Training talent to be unstoppable AZ ACTOR’S ACADEMY | On Camera Package [Basics + Terminology] INTRO : + Your main acting note is that you were given the part, so work your looks, personality, and background into your performance. Use yourself; that is what they purchased. + The camera / microphone magically reads what you’re “not” saying. You must be “in the moment.” The camera will reveal it if you are not grounded in the truth. In other words, if you’re delivering your lines but thinking about what you’re going to have for lunch, that is what will come through on camera. Do your work! + The shots the director chooses are in themselves acting notes, so obey their implicit instructions- + Long Shot - allow your body to do the talking (be bigger). + Reaction shot - do a reaction (even if you feel you are “overacting”). + Two-shot - react as you listen to the other actor. + Close-up - put your thoughts onto your face. + Close-up of your hand holding a prop - channel your acting and thoughts into that. + Do all your acting to an Audience of One – the other player (the camera will pick you up). + Justify all your behavior. Create good acting reasons for all your pieces of business (including camera-motivating ones). + Learn your lines well. They should fit you like a glove. If they don’t, and you don’t have the rehearsal time to create the character who would say those lines, then ask to change them. + Find positive ways of communicating negative thoughts. + Hold the moment after a shot ends; keep your face alive right to the end of the take. + Let your inner monologue guide all your actions, reactions, and reveal your character’s inner most secrets and needs. + Let an acting impulse that would lead to a move on stage lead to a gesture or look on the screen. Training talent to be unstoppable BASIC SCREEN ACTING ETIQUETTE: + Always keep going until the director shouts “Cut!” and then keep on acting for a bit. + If you mess up a line, keep going until the director calls a halt to the take. Let it be HIS decision. + Do not stop a take for any reason, eXcept for possible injury or death. + Never look directly into the camera lens unless specifically requested to do so. + Never ask the director what size of shot it is – ask the camera operator. + Hit your mark! Being in the right place is often more important than saying the right line. + Maintain your concentration and eyelines all through the tedium of lineup and rehearsal; it helps both your fellow actors and the crew. + An actor only has status between “Action!” and “Cut!” EXception: A star may have it all the time. + Never say you do not want to play a role; say that you are unavailable. Never say “No,” say “Maybe” instead. THE CAMERA LENS: + In general, ignore the camera lens; let it “find and reveal” you. + Don’t merely cheat an eyeline, justify it. + If both your eyes cannot “see” the camera lens, your face will appear to be obscured. + Keep on an imaginary narrow path that stretches out from the front of the camera. Remember that shots are composed in depth, not width. + Shoulders angled toward the camera often look better than straight-on ones. THE FRAME: + When doing commercials, cheat all business- hands (gestures) and important props (product)- up into the “hot” area in close-ups. + Adjust your acting style within the frame according to the size of shot: + Long Shot - large gestures / scale – back of the house (theatre) + Medium Shot - smaller scale, intimate arena theatre, theatrical reality. + Medium Close Up - Actual reality; the real thing Training talent to be unstoppable + EXtreme Close Up (ECU) - Very intimate; think it, put all concentration / energy into your face. + Be prepared to stand embarrassingly close when acting and speaking with other characters. + There is no reality outside the frame; time and / or distance outside the frame may be eXpanded or contracted. VOCAL TIPS: + Project only as far as your fellow actor(s). + Intensity can be created by increasing enunciation and pace, not volume. + When the camera is moving with you (tracking), talk fast but move slow. + If you are told to tone it all down, try reducing only your volume but keeping the scale of your physicality (such notes usually refer to the voice). + Be aware that when speaking with a strong accent there is a tendency to speak louder – don’t. + With a studio audience, if they can hear you without the benefit of microphones, you are probably speaking too loudly. + Never project louder than the star (or regulars on a series). They set the style for the program. + When speaking at low levels, all other sounds seem too loud, so take care with all footsteps, clattering cups, newspaper rustling – even breathing. + When speaking at low levels, do not lose energy or adopt a slower pace. + As the scene builds, you would eXpect the voices to rise, but since the shots are liable to get tighter, you have to square the circle by getting more intense – and quieter – at the same time. + Gently ask if you are going to be in a contained 2-shot, or if they are going to cross- cut with reverses, in which case be prepared to not overlap dialogue. THE EDITOR: + The better your continuity, the easier it is for the editor to cut to you for your best moments. Training talent to be unstoppable + Editors like to cut on movements, so put some in before one of your important bits of acting. + Mark changes of thought with appropriate pieces of business. Remember that particular piece of business! You may need to halt shooting to reset, and pick back up right where you left off. + During a speech, look at the other characters. The editor needs your inner monologue through “eyeflashes” to motivate cuts. + Reactions don’t have to be logical or consistent. The editor is only looking for a slice of a good reaction, and several different ones give him/her a better choice (to cut to you!). REACTIONS AND BUSINESS: + Make sure you have a moment before! React before you speak, and react to the upcoming thought. This is best done on the intake of breath before the line. + Be fully present in the Given Circumstances. React while others are speaking – on screen we watch the listening character. + The best moments are when the character is not speaking – so give yourself time. + Learn all your lines and business in advance of the shoot very, very well. During the shoot you will be concentrating on all the new things, such as remembering camera angles and hitting marks. But also be prepared to change lines and business at the very last moment – be fleXible in a very cooperative way. + Pace is dictated by the events of the Given Circumstances, not continuous speaking. + Fully motivate / justify any large reactions. Don’t reduce your size, increase your believability. + Remember the camera cannot follow fast movements, so lift that cup slowly, gently rise up out of that chair. + In a multi-camera studio a red light means the camera is on, so stay in the moment until it has been sampled by that camera. + Eyes can be very effective. “Chin down, eyes up!” Be sure to be looking up as well as down, especially when “listening” to another character. Focus on one eye rather than scanning between eyes. Training talent to be unstoppable SOME FINAL THOUGHTS: + Coming across as truthful and believable requires talent, technique, and brains. Proper script breakdown is crucial, and independent rehearsal before showing up on set is a must. + Don’t panic over any problem. There has never been a trouble-free shoot. Whether on film or stage, chaos is part of our work. + Keep the work alive and your instrument relaXed and ready. The days are long, the waiting tedious. It’s your job to be ready when called. + You are part of a larger symphony of players. Everyone on set has as an important a job as you. Be respectful, professional and cooperative with everyone! * Adapted for AZ Actors Academy from “The Famous Screen Acting Checklist” in SECRETS OF SCREEN ACTING, by Patrick Tucker, Routledge, 1994 Training talent to be unstoppable ON-CAMERA TERMINOLOGY / ACRONYMS “ACTION!” | The verbal cue from the director which prompts the actors to start acting from their indicated marks. AC | Assistant Camera. AD | Assistant Director. ADR | Additional (or Automatic) Dialogue Replacement; sometimes called "looping". AEA | Actors Equity Association; often called simply "Equity". AFI | The American Film Institute. AFL-ClO | The American Federation of Labor/Congress of lndustrial Organizations. AFTRA | The American Federation of Television & Radio Artists. AGMA | The American Guild of Musical Artists. AGVA | The American Guild of Variety Artists. ALL-AMERICAN LOOK | Middle-American appearance. ART DIRECTOR | Person who conceives and designs the sets, usually on a commercial. ATA | The Association of Talent Agents. AUDITION | A tryout for a film or television role, usually in front of a casting director, for which a reading is required. AVAIL | A courtesy situation eXtended by an agent to a producer indicating that a performer is available to work a certain job. Avails have no legal or contractual status. “BACK TO ONE!” | A verbal cue for everyone to go back to their initial position at the beginning of a take / shot. BACKGROUND | EXtras. BACK-UP | A performer hired to work only if the designated principal doesn't perform satisfactorily. BEAUTY SHOT | On television soap operas, the shot over which the credits are rolled. BEST BOY | In films, the assistant to the Electrician.