Description
The Science and Art of Acting for the Camera provides a precise yet practical approach to help unlock the mysteries of acting for film and television. Written by veteran actor, producer, and director John Howard Swain, the book offers a clear-cut, no-nonsense technique that equips aspiring or working actors with the necessary skills to succeed on camera. The technique teaches you how to build multi-dimensional characters; construct truthful and exciting relationships; ignite stimulating emotions; craft a series of discoveries guaranteed to energize your work; and much, much more. The book also provides instruction for actors working in commercials—from slating, to the dreaded "tell us about yourself" interview, to nailing "the tag" and embracing the cliché—and supplies sample commercial copy for students to practice.
Table of Contents
Shout Outs
Introduction
Chapter One: Things Every Actor Should Know
Chapter Two: The Basics
Chapter Three: The Bones
Chapter Four: Ten Positive Attributes
Chapter Five: Relationships
Chapter Six: Main Objective
Chapter Seven: Opposites
Chapter Eight: Moment Before
Chapter Nine: Discoveries/Emotions
Chapter Ten: Beats, Tactics and Actions
Chapter Eleven: Humor
Chapter Twelve: Place, Transitions and Sense Memory
Chapter Thirteen: Status, Power and Secrets
Chapter Fourteen: Summary
Chapter Fifteen: The Technique—Condensed
Chapter Sixteen: Self-Taping
And A Few Words About Commercials
Introduction to Commercial Acting
Chapter Seventeen: The Slate
Chapter Eighteen: From Slate to Copy
Chapter Nineteen: Relationships
Chapter Twenty: Line-to-Line Objectives
Chapter Twenty-One: Moment Before and The Tag
Chapter Twenty-Two: Banter
Chapter Twenty-Three: Environment
Chapter Twenty-Four: Embracing the Cliché
Chapter Twenty-Five: Double Copy
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Dreaded Interview
Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Few Last Things
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Your Greatest Asset-You
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Commercial Practice Copy
Appendix
Index
