Confidence on Camera A Handbook for Young Actors Confidence on Camera This is not a perfect book it is a tool for young actors. The author is not a perfect actor, nor is he a perfect teacher, and many of the ideas in this book are based on the work of other very smart and talented people. Special thanks to Vancouver master teacher Shea Hampton and her Acting From Source classes, and to Randy Dixon Artistic Director of Seattlebased improv company Unexpected Productions. Performing of any kind is about confidence. People take their cue from you when deciding how to evaluate your work the more confident you are in your work, the more people will believe in it and you. This is extra true of on-camera work, because the camera sees every little part of your performance. Developing confidence is a lifelong process this book is full of practical exercises and techniques to increase your confidence specifically on camera. And developing on-camera acting skills is a great way to develop your selfconfidence overall. This book is also in many ways a teacher s guide. Everything we learn in life, we learn through experience, and it s up to you to be your own teacher. True confidence comes from knowing that you re doing your best work and that comes with practice, experience and hard work. The exercises and techniques in this book are a starting point for anyone interested in acting on camera. For most of the exercises you ll need a camera and a TV/VCR. It s important to watch yourself on a TV screen, instead of on a camera s LCD display. You need to be able to see the detail in your work. Any video camera and TV/VCR will work you don t need professional equipment to practice with. Take advantage of existing space and equipment whenever possible. If you have the option of using school equipment, do it! Good luck! -Michael Bean
WELCOME! The goal of this book is to provide detailed, practical on-camera instruction for young actors and those of you who are working with young actors. Ideally, this book will help you discover the basics for yourself and be your own teacher. The book is laid out in a progression from basic skills to more advanced ones, but each page stands on its own. So feel free to open it up and get started! GLOSSARYLOSSARY ON-CAMERA EXERCISES This book is designed to be as practical as possible for each page of theory and technique you ll find an page of practical exercises, many of them oncamera exercises. Tape as many of the exercises in this book as you can and watch them evaluating your own work is a powerful learning tool. Any time you see a word in bold you can flip to the glossary (listed from A Z on p.54-69) to find out what the word means and see examples. APPENDIXESPPENDIXES In Appendix A you ll find lines of dialogue you can copy and use for the Character Lines exercises. Appendix B has eight sample scripts and a dozen commercial scenarios for practice, and Appendix C has sample resumes to look at when making yours.
INDEX BASICS Be Yourself Technique: Mark, Frame & Slate p.4-5 Keep It Real Exercise: Careful Observation p.6-7 The Casting Process The Actor s Food Chain: Vancouver p.8-9 4 PILLARS 4 Pillars: Confidence p.10 4 Pillars: Skill p.11 4 Pillars: Look p.12 4 Pillars: Connections p.13 SELF-AWARNESS Self Assessment Exercise Visualization & Goal Setting p.14-15 Watch Yourself Exercise: Character Lines I p.16-17 Stay Relaxed Exercise: Body Tension p.18-19 It s Not About You Exercise: Character Lines II p.20-21 Feel Everything Exercise: Body Memory p.22-23 Playing a Character Exercise: Character Lines III p.24-25 Use Your Real Voice Exercise: Voice Control Basics p.26-27 Finding The Feeling Exercise: Cold Reading p.28-29 SCRIPTS & SIDES Scripts & Sides Technique: Memorize Flat p.30-31 Script Analysis I: Physical Exercise: Character Lines IV p.32-33 Script Analysis II: Emotional Exercise: Moment Before p.34-35 Script Analysis III: Shifts & Changes Exercise: Layers p.36-37 THE BUSINESS OF ACTING Agents for Film & TV Exercise: Finding Representation p.38-39 Casting Directors Exercise: Mock Casting Session p.40-41 Commercials Exercise: The Slate p.42-43 Auditions Exercise: Mock Audition p.44-45 Acting Unions Exercise: Union Research p.46-47 Background Work Exercise: Find an Extras Agent p.48-49 State of the Industry p.50-51 Finding an Acting Coach Practice & Experience p.52-53 Glossary of Terms p.54-69 Appendix A: Character Lines p.70-79 Appendix B: Scripts p.80-97 Appendix C: Sample Resumes p.98-99
Be Yourself The person that you are is a thousand times more interesting than the best actor you could ever - Constantin Stanislavski 1863 1938, Dir. Moscow Rep About 100 years ago, theatre people started thinking that acting should be more like real life. Before that, actors were largerthan-life, with big movements, big facial expressions, big everything. And the reason everything used to be so big is that actors used to play to really big, loud, rowdy audiences. If you weren t really big, the audience didn t hear or see you. So actors learned to be bigger. But things have changed a lot. Acting for film and TV can be smaller because the camera sees everything that you do. Every time you twitch your nose or blink your eyes, the camera sees it. A good film & TV performance has to include all of those small things and more. In fact, a really good on-camera performance has to include so many small things that it s almost impossible to prepare them all in advance. So the best way to approach acting for the camera is to start by being yourself. It s harder than it sounds to be yourself on film, because the acting has to feel real and look right. If it feels real but the camera only sees the back of your head, it s boring. If it looks great but it doesn t feel real, it s cheesy. Acting on camera is always about finding that balance between making it feel real and making it look right. Making it feel real is the art of acting. Making it look right is the science of acting. This book covers some of both. The techniques and exercises covered here will help you make sure that the camera sees only your best work, and that it always sees you. A great actor can play a wide range of characters with all the simple little quirks and feelings and movements that people have in real life, and make it all look good on camera at the same time. It takes practice, patience and hard work to get there.
TECHNIQUE: Mark, Frame & Slate Most auditions are held on camera, which means that whatever you do will go on tape. For the simplest auditions, all you have to do is come in with a smile, say who you are, and leave. It can be that simple. There are some basic things that you should know before your first simple audition: The Mark If you ve ever used a camera, you ll know that it s important to be well-lit and in-focus. In auditions, the lighting and the camera focus will always be set before you get into the room, and you ll want to find the perfect spot where you ll look best on camera. There will usually be a T-shaped line of tape on the floor on that perfect spot this line is called a mark. If you stand so that your toes are on the mark, you ll be well lit and in-focus. That s why hitting your mark knowing where your mark is and staying within a few centimeters of it at all times is one of the most basic skills that every actor is expected to have. Practice hitting your mark every time you get on camera. The Frame A camera only sees one little square of the world at a time this is called the camera s frame. It s like the frame of a picture or the frame of the TV, and whatever is outside the frame doesn t show up on camera. It s like whatever s not in frame doesn t exist. So as an actor you need to be aware of your frame at all times so that you can be sure the camera is seeing the good work you re doing. The standard frame for auditions and most on-camera work is head-andshoulders, so the camera usually only sees from about armpit level right up to the top of your head, and only a few centimeters on either side of you. Be very careful about shifting your weight from foot to foot, because you might go sideways out of the frame. Stay on the mark at all times. The Slate Look directly at the camera (this is one of the only times that you look at the camera) and say your first and last name, your age, and your agent (i.e. I m so-and-so, I m fifteen, and I m with XYZ Talent. ) If you don t have an agent, say I m self-represented. Relax, smile and be yourself. Then do profiles turn on the mark and show the camera each side of you. Now you re 90% ready for your first audition! Never look into the camera. The illusion of film & TV is that it s just like real life and when you look at the camera you break the illusion. The only time you should look into the lens of the camera is when you are doing the slate or when the casting director tells you to. Camera pic
Keep it Real The actor s task is to tell the truth under imaginary circumstances. Pic of actor w. crazy green screen etc. around them You ll hear something like this from a lot of acting teachers and no matter who said it first it s one of the clearest and simplest descriptions of what acting is like today. The goal of acting for the camera is to deliver a performance that is truthful you want it to look, sound and feel real to the people who are watching you. The best movies, TV, and even the best theatre lets you forget that you re watching actors for a while and instead pulls you into the story and the lives of the characters. A great actor gives the people watching an emotional experience and the best way to do that is to be as truthful and as real as possible in each scene. But when you re actually shooting a film or TV project, not everything around you is real. Actors are always surrounded by imaginary circumstances situations, people and things that the actors have to pretend are real. For instance, if you re acting in a student film there may be half a dozen crew and other people around you. If it s a feature film there can easily be fifty or more. Furthermore, you may be shooting scenes out of order the end of the movie first, then the beginning, then the middle, etc. You may also be surrounded by green screen and pretending to react to a bunch of computer animated sets and special effects that won t be added until long after you re done filming. Or you may get lucky and be shooting your café scene in a real café, and the only distractions will be lights, a camera, sound gear, maybe a crane, production staff, extras, and lots of people looking from the sidelines. Not exactly a real moment, is it? The way to find the truth in any scene is to focus on the parts of the scene that are real. Focus on how you feel in each moment, what you re doing and saying in each moment. Especially focus on the other actors what they re saying, what they re feeling and doing, and how they re reacting to you in the scene. Those are real things that don t change, no matter what s happening around you.
EXERCISE: Careful Observation The ability to stay focused on your character and the scene and ignore distractions (camera crew, director, onlookers, traffic, etc.) is an important professional skill for any working or aspiring actor. What you re doing in these exercises is practicing using careful observation as a way to focus your attention and energy on real objects and people. Exercise I Choose a simple object (pen, doorknob, a potted plant) and find a comfortable sitting position approximately six feet away. Keep your eyes open and focus on your object. Keep your eyes moving don t get stuck staring at only one part of the object. Imagine that you will have to draw the object from memory and try to see everything about your object its colour, weight, texture, how the light falls on it, the shadows it casts, everything. Do this activity for two full minutes. Anytime you get distracted just take a deep breath and return to carefully examining your object. Exercise II With a partner, sit comfortably facing each other a short distance apart. Begin to observe your partner focus entirely on them. Relax your face, relax your body. This exercise is about focusing on your partner, not communicating. Keep your eyes moving don t get stuck staring into their eyes. It s as though you were going to paint a detailed portrait of that person and needed to examine every aspect of them. How long are their fingernails? Are their hands smooth or calloused? What colour are their socks? Concentrate on seeing everything about your partner. You don t have to remember all of it, just observe it carefully. At first you may find yourself wanting to smile or laugh, or to goof around and communicate with your partner in some way. If that happens just pause, take a breath and focus on your partner again. Keep observing every aspect of your partner for two full minutes. If you want your acting to be real and truthful, you need to take the time to fill each moment with feeling. New actors often race through their lines great actors take their time. The way to succeed at the imaginary parts of acting is to keep your focus on the parts of each scene that are real. Carefully watching and listening to your fellow actors will help you maintain that focus.
The Casting Process The way it works is like this the producer is a business person who s got a sack of cash and needs to make a movie, TV show or commercial. So the producer hires a director and a crew to put it together. Then the producer and the director hire a casting director to find actors for all the roles in their project. The first thing that the casting director does is read the script and write up little descriptions of all the characters called a breakdown (i.e. STUDENT, age 13-16, smart kid in class, 2 lines ). These short character descriptions get sent out only to provincially licensed talent agents if an agency isn t registered with the province, they can t even receive the breakdown. Once they get the breakdown, the agents submit any of their actors who fit the character descriptions each agent sends their actors resumes and headshots (usually by email) to the casting director. For a one or two line role the casting director will get 60-100 submissions. For a lead role the casting director will get as many as 500. 6-10 of the actors submitted are called in for an audition. Each actor gets sides (a short script) to prepare for the audition. Auditions are always held on-camera so that the producer and director can watch the tape afterwards. There will be at least three people in the room: the casting director, the reader who will read the scene with you, and the camera operator who puts the scene on tape. Sometimes an agent will convince a casting director to see a new actor for a prescreen which is like a pre-audition with just the casting director. A prescreen is a chance for the casting director to see you in person before deciding to give you an audition. Usually you ll be alone with the casting director, and the audition won t be on camera. If you do good work and the casting director likes what they see, you ll be called for an audition. For larger roles, 3-5 of the actors who audition for each part will get a callback a second audition for the same part. Most of the time the director and/ or the producer(s) will be in the room with the casting director during the callback (if you want to know who s in the room you can always ask the casting assistant). One actor will book the part and be cast in the role.
The Actor s Food Chain: Vancouver Producers (10) At any time there are a small number of producers in town actively making a feature, TV show or commercial. Some are local producers, some are big-money producers from the USA and elsewhere. Top of the food chain, because they ve Casting Directors (20) Commercial casting directors generally cast only commercials. The others cast TV movies & series, feature films, etc. depending on what s available. Some of them cast bigger projects, some smaller. They are hired by the producer to find actors who would fit each role the final decision is often made by the director and the producer(s). For commercials the client and the ad agency also have input on the final decision Agents (200) About 50 agencies, each with between one and six agents. Each agent represents 50-150 actors. #3 on the food chain because they can get you an Actors (20,000) 5000 members in the Union of BC Performers. Approximately 15,000 additional non-union actors auditioning for roles in Film, TV & Commercials. Bottom of the food chain. It is possible to submit a resume and headshot yourself. BUT since you can t get the breakdown, you won t know who is casting what and when. And it s unlikely that a casting director will take a risk on you. You can get auditions without an agent it just takes a lot of hard work.
Finding an Acting Coach Things to Look For 99.9% of all Olympic athletes have coaches, and 99.9% of all A-list actors have had highly skilled coaches. One of the best things that you can do for yourself as an actor is find a coach that you trust who can give you perspective on your work and suggest improvements. The best way to find a coach is by working with them. Whenever you can, book a single session before signing up for a full course. Some coaches will also let you audit to sit in on a class (usually for free), observing but not participating, so that you can see how the teacher works and the kind of work being done by their students. It pays to be choosy, so keep looking until you find a coach who s style suits you. Look for a coach or teacher who is more interested in you as an actor than they are in any one piece of work. A coach s job is to help you be a better actor the scenes don t matter nearly as much as your progress. Look for someone who gives encouragement and specific advice on how to improve your performance. Look for a coach who s ideas excite you. If you re excited, you ll work harder and your work will improve faster. Things to Avoid Avoid teachers whose advice consists of endless variations on "And you should say this part like..." A good coach will help you find your own way to say the lines in the script. Avoid teachers who require you to work on the same scene for months at a time the only way that you get to be a better actor is through experience, so look for training that gives you with a variety of new experiences. Avoid coaches who always think that everything s great. Experienced feedback and evaluation of your work speeds your development as an actor.