PERF07029 2019 Acting to Camera
This module considers the application of the actor's technique to the business of acting to camera. It will also explore the shift in screen acting practise and philosophy around motion capture and acting to absent places or characters. It will look at how performers and visual and special effects crew work together to produce work of aesthetic value and verisimilitude in an industrial system of technological reproduction.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module the learner will/should be able to;
Demonstrate an understanding of the vernacular of film making terminology pertaining to the actors relationship to the camera
Demonstrate a competency in the art of self taping for audition.
Demonstrate an ability to deliver a believable performance under highly artificial circumstances.(Green screen, Composite image)
Choose and use the acting tool most appropriate to the acting circumstance (Draw from Chekhov Technique/Suzuki/Viewpoints/Stanislavsky Method)
Teaching and Learning Strategies
Principles of technique are embodied through theorised praxis. Classroom activity is supported by a range of reading materials.
Teaching takes place in a weekly workshop setting where the student is guided through a series of activities designed to impart the skills required to effectively produce a nuanced and complete performance for camera.
Calibrating a performance depending on the shot.( Long /Medium, /Close up, Two shot, Master, etc)
Creating believability in composite screen space.
Module Assessment Strategies
Attendance and Engagement 40%
Audition Piece(s) to camera. 20%
Composite screen space performance 20%
Scene work to camera. 20%
Repeat Assessments
Repeat project
Indicative Syllabus
Application of the Chekhov Technique tools to the acting circumstance.
- Inner Gesture.
- Inner Movement.
- Radiating.
- Personal Atmosphere/Objective Atmosphere.
- Centres/Connections.
Developing the Character.
- What does the character want?
- The character's centre/imaginary centre.
- Psychological gesture of the character.
Acting with visual effects.
- Green screen techniques.
- Verisimilitude in the Uncanny Valley.
Audition Techniques
- Self Taping for Audition
- Editing and presenting material in the correct formats.
Coursework & Assessment Breakdown
Coursework Assessment
Title | Type | Form | Percent | Week | Learning Outcomes Assessed | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Self tape Monologue | Project | Assignment | 20 % | OnGoing | 1,2,4 |
2 | Acting in green screen /composite image environment | Project | Assignment | 20 % | OnGoing | 1,3,4 |
3 | Scene Work | Project | Assignment | 20 % | OnGoing | 1,4 |
4 | Attendance/engagement | Coursework Assessment | Performance Evaluation | 40 % | OnGoing | 1,4 |
Full Time Mode Workload
Type | Location | Description | Hours | Frequency | Avg Workload |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tutorial | Studio | Acting techniques to camera through Chekhov Technique | 3 | Weekly | 3.00 |
Independent Learning | Not Specified | Script Analysis for Character information | 0 | Once Per Module | 0.00 |
Required & Recommended Book List
2017-07-07 Making Believe Rutgers University Press
ISBN 9780813580005 ISBN-13 0813580005
In the past twenty years, we have seen the rise of digital effects cinema in which the human performer is entangled with animation, collaged with other performers, or inserted into perilous or fantastic situations and scenery. Making Believe sheds new light on these developments by historicizing screen performance within the context of visual and special effects cinema and technological change in Hollywood filmmaking, through the silent, early sound, and current digital eras. Making Believe incorporates North American film reviews and editorials, actor and crew interviews, trade and fan magazine commentary, actor training manuals, and film production publicity materials to discuss the shifts in screen acting practice and philosophy around transfiguring makeup, doubles, motion capture, and acting to absent places or characters. Along the way it considers how performers and visual and special effects crew work together, and struggle with the industry, critics, and each other to define the aesthetic value of their work, in an industrial system of technological reproduction. Bode opens our eyes to the performing illusions we love and the tensions we experience in wanting to believe in spite of our knowledge that it is all make believe in the end.
2009-10-30 The Michael Chekhov Handbook Routledge
ISBN 9780203872307 ISBN-13 0203872304
'Petit's words go right to the heart of Chekhov's technique ... Anyone looking for a key to understanding more about Michael Chekhov's technique will devour it.' - Jessica Cerullo, Michael Chekhov Association, NYC The Michael Chekhov technique is today seen as one of the most influential and inspiring methods of actor training in existence. In The Michael Chekhov Handbook, Lenard Petit draws on twenty years of teaching experience to unlock and illuminate this often complex technique. Petit uses four sections to guide those studying, working with or encountering Chekhov's approach for the first time: the aims of the technique - outlining the real aims of the actor the principles - acting with energy, imagination and creative power the tools - the actor's use of the body and sensation the application - bringing the technique into practice The Michael Chekhov Handbook's explanations and exercises will provide readers with the essential tools they need to put the rewarding principles of this technique into use. Lenard Petit is the Artistic Director of The Michael Chekhov Acting Studio in New York City. He teaches Chekhov Technique in the MFA and BFA Acting programs at Rutgers University. He was a contributor and co-creator of the DVD, Master Classes in The Michael Chekhov Technique, published by Routledge.
Module Resources
Bode, L., (2017). Making Believe. Rutgers University Press.
Petit, L., (2009). The Michael Chekhov Handbook. Routledge.
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Hi- Def Cameras
Editing facilities
Green screen environment(s)
Motion Capture
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