Authentic Acting

What is authentic acting? Why is planning how to play a scene bad?

Authentic acting means that the actor is moving in accord to the complex emotions of the character. The actor should never have a plan on how to play a scene because the moment is only understood in the scene. The "performance" is in reality, simply a plan that becomes mechanical very fast. Thinking what the character is feeling will result in a more authentic acting. The director, in this case, needs to stop ordering specifics from the actor. The actor must think for themselves in how the character will think in the moment. Demanding an end result is confusing and infuriating to some actors.

How to Direct a Great Scene

What is the role of director in creating a great scene? What advice did you find most useful out of this video to help you direct a scene?

The role of the director is to dig deep into the intentions of the characters and the relationship between the characters. The actors must fully understand the context of the character in order to express the true emotions of the character. The scene can be enhanced by clearly identifying the objective of every single character. Every scene has a core moment that usually comes at the end of the scene. This could be a brief moment that identifies why the scene is in the movie. The core moment can help the character go through a transformation or the audience can go through a transformation that enhances or evolves the story in some way shape or form.

What Directors say to Actors

What is "creating a safe place" on set? Why is this so important? How can you do this with your directing?

Acknowledging the actor's work is important on set. Creating a safe place is important for actor because being approved for their work helps the actor to continue being open to the director. Even if the performance is not what the director envisioned, it still still important to continue praising them for their work. Sighing and saying "we have to do this again" creates resentment for the character that is detrimental to the acting. Positive reinforcement requires the "character brain" that interrogates the character themselves. The lack of plan is what makes the conversation authentic and effective to the audience.

What Not to Say to an Actor

What are three key things that you shouldn't say or do to your actors? Whats a better way to director your actors that you took away from this video?

Direction towards actors should not be vague. Instructions such as "give me more" and " bring it up" is unhelpful to the audience. Throwing a mixture of emotions to the actor is also ineffective as well. Simply naming an emotion is already ineffective, and combining contradicting emotions can be even more confusing to the audience. Bringing up another actor's name is rude towards the actor. Talking insensitively about other actors is unappealing as well. Having a positive environment and creating that as a director is important for the audience to freely express themselves.

The Acting Method P.4

After watching this entire video, what are 3 key things that you've learned about acting from this lesson? What changed your understanding about the importance of acting in film?

Acting originated from the stage acting that was meant to be obvious in order to convey an emotion from one side of the stage to the other. the development of naturalistic acting came from the idea that emotions can be conveyed in a better fashion if it is relatable to the audience. This comes from life experiences and replicating the physical and emotional movement of that feeling. The words are nothing without the emotion behind it. I now know that acting is more than saying words and moving on the stage, but being the character and living in their situation.

The Method P.3

What is method acting? How was it different from the Stanislavski System? How did Brando, James Dean and Monroe change acting in the 50's?

Method acting, or the Strasberg method, focused on the emotional memory of the actor in order to create a realistic act.  The Stanislaski system focused more on imagination rather than an emotional memory. Thus, it did not emphasize specifically the pains of life but the entire expeirence of life. Brando's film helped spread the success of Method acting. James Dean, as well as Monroe had a great impact to the acting styles in the mid 1900s. Their naturalistic acting proved to be effective on screen, increasing its popularity to this day. As a result, Method acting was cemented as the way to prepare acting for the screen.

Acting and the Method P.2

What was traditional acting for the stage like in the 19th century? How did Stanislavski change acting? What was the Stanislavski System?

Theatre in the 19th century was often exaggerated because it was thought that theatre cannot be real without the over exaggerated emotions. Not only was this practical because there were not microphones, but it was also thought to be an art form. Stanislavski was sick of the set poses that were specifically set aside for certain emotions. Accompanied by another man, Stanislavski created the Moscow Art Theatre where they were given the opportunity to practice natural acting. Stanislavski System emphasized the importance of preparation, immersion into the role, and truth.

Acting and Method

How did Greek and Roman theatre create the art form of acting? What was commedia del' arte's influence on the development of acting?

The Greeks and the Romans introduced the concept of acting in order to tell the stories of Greek mythologies. Since these stories were not written down, they were most commonly passed on my word of mouth. this eventually became what is to be known as theater. Commedia del' arte was a form of professional Greek theatre. Due to the emphasis on improvisation, the actors often took an authorship in their roles. Also during this time period, women also started to take the stage.

Nolan on Directing

What are three key important pieces of advice that Nolan has to say about directing? How do you think you could incorporate this advice into your work going forward?

1. The more you create, the more you learn

Narrative structure can be learned from doing short films. Short films are created in a shorter amount of time, and so therefore it requires less money to make mistakes. Student films can make these mistakes and learn from them.

2. Play to your strengths

If you have a certain strength, consistently practicing the craft will make something that is unique to the individual. Incorporating the desire to pursue their strength may not seem valuable immediately, but it will pay off in the end.

3. Study other's films

There is much to learn from other's films. By looking through the structure of the narrative, geography of the setting, these points can be incorporated into one's own films.

How David Fincher Hijacks Your Eyes

What does this video teach you about the importance of camera movement? How can camera movement tell the story of the characters that the actors play in the story?

 

David Fincher's camera movement follows the actor's movement exactly at the exact velocity. In other words, if the actor stops, the camera stops. Once the actor moves again, the camera moves with them. Such camera movements lock the audience into the behavior of the actor. When a person moves, their perspective moves. In a similar way, the camera moves with the actor. This connection between the actor's movements and the camera allows for the audience to connect emotionally with the character. The physical movement in a shot is a great way for the director to communicate the emotion of the character. Camera movement that captures this motion is significant in his films.

Riley Scott on Directing P.2

Summarize three key things that are interesting about Ridley's advice on directing. What were the biggest challenges he found to being a director?

 He stresses the importance of doing a few good takes of one scene. He claims that jokes would get old and performance would be weakened if one shot is done too many times, even if it means that it is shot from a different angle or framing. Scott likes to be the operator instead of simply standing there and calling for action. He enjoys working with the actor on a personal level according to what he sees on screen. Start by lighting naturally, he says. Always start with what would be available as natural light, and add to it as necessary. His strategy in working on commercials to build up money to create a feature film worked. With his team of directors, he was able to build the company to be successful as it is today.

Riley Scott on Directing P.1

Summarize three key things that are interesting about Ridley's early career. What does he have to say about storyboarding?

Ridley's career in commercials started during his university days. There, he learned the distinct roles of a director and a producer and how they collaborate in order to create a project. His career in making commercials led him to pursue this kind of film for a while until he was in his 40s where he finally started working with real actors. The 18 years of training he had in the industry allowed him to have more experience but it also posed as an additional difficulty. During these years, he learned to be more comfortable with actors and how to direct them in order to create the desired vision. He claims the importance of shooting during the first take because the actors are most likely to deliver exactly what was asked of them.

Innovations of the New Wave P.2

What were some key stylistic innovations of the French New Wave? How did it change shooting?

The new wave also incorporated new styles of camera movement. They rejected the static camera, panning quickly, and shooting a scene handheld. This was also a result of new technological innovations that were available at the time. The new wave was not just about rejecting the old modes of cinema. It was about experimenting beyond the strict rules to see what techniques enhances the story. In this, it did not matter whether or not the scenes seemed realistic or continuous as long as the story was communicated effectively. One interesting technique used in the New Wave was changing the framing without zooming or cutting. They were free to incorporate as many films as they desired in one shot.

Innovation of the New Wave

What were some key stylistic innovations of the French New Wave? How did it change editing?

The French New Wave was primarily based off the philosophy that films can be made without the strict rules of traditional studio films. One of the main differences of these cinema was the jump cut, that was avoided at all costs previously. This type of cut that jumps through space and time was discouraged because it ruined the continuity of the shot. On the other hand, the films of the new wave wanted to make the editing abundantly clear. This style wanted to communicate to the audience that they were watching a film.

The French New Wave

How was the French New Wave connected to Auteur Theory? What was so different about French New Wave films from those that came before it?

The French New Wave came when the World War ended and the German control over film receded. It gave the filmmakers the opportunity to reach beyond the typical studio's filmmaking rules. They often used forbidden techniques such as jump cuts to express certain emotions that were thought to be inappropriate for the cinema. This movement allowed the filmmakers to prove that a great film can be made without the strict rules or high budget productions. The rejection of hollow replications of famous novels paved the way to the break through of the new cinema.

Beginning Director Advice

Summarize the key tips from this piece. What pieces of advice did you find the most useful from this video?

Key Tips:

Don't assume that the director is supposed to know every single move and facial expression of the actors. Instead, having a firm idea of the overall look of the final piece is more important. Rather than specifying the intonation of specific words and the small details of a movement, it is more effective to give the actors a certain feeling that they should replicate.

Always keep an open mind to suggestions. The original plan is not alway the best plan. If someone has a suggestions, there is a chance that their idea can make the scene better than the original

Choosing people who you enjoy working with is important in filmmaking as well. This makes it easier to communicate with one another and makes the filmmaking scene much less stressful at times when the time constraint is strict.

Auteur Theory P.3

Is the director's vision the only one expressed in a film? How much of a film is the director vs. the other artists who worked on it?

The director is not the only vision that is expressed in the film. In reality, all of the people working on set has a part in the overall vision of the film. The director firmly guides the people on set in order to create the basic vision, but the cast and cinematographer also has a say in what the artistic vision of the film will ultimately be. Ultimately, the director will have the biggest say in what the film will look like artistically. However, it is undeniable that others in production also have an important role in the end.