Scene, Take,

Slate, ACTION!

5th 9th January 2015

Games and
Exercises:
Dodge Ball

Acting for Camera

On Wednesday, we started the acting for camera! I felt
quite daunted at first because we are so used to theatre
and everything that is required of you as an actor.
However, I was looking forward to the challenge!

(Credited: Google Images)

Acting for Camera

5th 9th January 2015

We started off learning the basics and finding your mark. This involves a piece of tape
being put down and you have to make sure you hit that point at certain moments in
the scene. It means the shot will stay in perspective and ensure good positioning and
flow. We had to simply walk without looking down and hit the tape.

We then did the same thing but in pairs whilst one person said some speech. It was
actually much harder than I anticipated! I found myself focusing so much on the
marks and where I had to go that it was then really hard to connect to the character.

As we were doing this we learnt about how the crew works and the process of
starting to film a scene.

The following are roles we adopted and how it works:

- Director
- 1st Assistant Director (1st AD)
- Cameraman
- Camera guider
- Boom operator

Assistant Director- Silence on set, we are going for another take. Actors are you ok
and ready to go?
Turn over
Cameraman - Camera Rolling
Boom operator - Speed
Assistant Director - Scene _ Take _ Slate _
ACTION!
(Slate means the shot e.g.: wide then into close up would be two different slates)

Acting for Camera

5th 9th January 2015

We also did a version where we physically created the camera in front of the actors.
This became even more of a challenge as you cant let the camera distract you or look
straight into it! It was really fun to have a go at various roles and doing them
practically helps to cement in your mind what it is they exactly do. It feels like such a
challenge because everyone has such a vital role to play so you have to be specific
and remember exactly what he or she does. I also found that being an actor was so
difficult. I felt so fake and struggled to find the ease and fluency inside what I was
doing. However, I hope this will come with practice and understanding more about
how it all works!
Michael Caine - Acting for camera

We watched a clip of Michael Caine teaching acting for camera. It was so interesting
and I learnt so many new things from it. Its such a different world to theatre and a lot
of the concepts seem to contradict everything you would do on stage. For example,
forgetting about everyone else and just focusing on you and the other actor in the
scene, its all about listening and reacting. Something Michael Caine said was that to
achieve a good performance you have to be concentrated, have no enemies, relax
and let it come out. I feel this is going to be a challenge and something that will feel
strange at first because naturally in theatre you go into a performance mode where
you are exerting yourself and injecting a big energy. However, I would imagine once
you find that state where youre natural and are simply reacting truthfully you
connect to the style, scene and characters. Its amazing when he was demonstrating a
close up just how much detail the camera picks up. I think its about finding balance -
you need to convey the character and meaning over but at the same time you dont
have to demonstrate everything. Just by thinking about it and feeling it, it will read in
your face. Michael Caine is a great source to have and I am intrigued and excited by
the challenge and chance to learn more.

We all got given a short scene in pairs. It is about a couple and one of them has had
an affair. I found it difficult at first to connect with the scene and find the truth in the
scenario and the character. I am discovering how acting for camera requires you to be
much more naturalistic and most of the time its about doing less. As an actor this
makes me feel quite vulnerable at times because you dont have a big character to
hide behind and it becomes much more intimate. However, I am up for the challenge
and am always open to learning new techniques.
3

Acting for Camera

5th 9th January 2015

On Thursday, we did a lot more work on acting for camera. We started by going
through the Acting for camera booklet. We read through the first section which is all
about Equipment I actually found it quite a task to take in so much information and
having never done filming in this way before it was hard to imagine how everything
works. However, it really helped when we did a little quiz at the end, this helped me
to remember everything more and it was good to actually talk about it all.
Gavin then went through all of the real equipment we will be using with us! There is
so much to remember and it seems quite technical but Im sure we will get to grips
with it all as we practice! Its also vital how the equipment is put away and how to
handle it all. For example:

- You always have to remember to take the cassette out of the camera before you put
it away.
- There always has to be a battery on charge.

We then actually started to film the scenes Gav gave us. Its funny because he told us
not to rehearse them again before we film them. This feels strange because in theatre
you always rehearse whenever you get the chance. I think this will keep it more raw
and in the moment though.
The first pair was Harriet and Levi. We all then took on different responsibilities as
crew. I was continuity. This was actually quite a tough job as you always have to be a
step ahead, know what the time is, the scene, take and slate as well as noting what
the actors are doing in case they change anything and its going to affect the
continuity. Its all recorded in a table, which we did.
The next was Lewis and Charley and I was sound. This was really difficult! The pole
was actually really heavy and I struggled to keep it in the air the whole time. You also
have to move it towards the actors when they are speaking so that you pick up the
best sound. You also have to make sure there is no rustling or other sound being
picked up so that you get a crisp and clear dialogue.

Alex and Erol were next and I was white balance. White balancing is there to ensure
consistency from shot to shot for each new lighting circumstance. Its really interesting
discovering more about the different roles and putting it all into practice.

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Acting for Camera

5th 9th January 2015

This week the Michael Caine video was a big source of inspiration it inspired me as to how
real and honest acting for camera should be. He is a brilliant film actor and the way he
explains his techniques was thought provoking and inspiring to watch. Throughout this
process I wills strive to be the best I can be and this clip has helped me to understand some
of the basic rules and concepts I need to always be thinking about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZPLVDwEr7Y

Julia also put a video up on the company site that showed a time lapse. Its a great clip
and show how good camera work can be. Its amazing the shots and affects that can
be created in any piece of film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlGqdUWmDtQ


I feel like we have been doing Acting for Camera much
longer than two days, we have learnt so much! It has been
great to test ideas and be so practical. Getting scenes
filmed is great fun and although there is still a lot to learn
its proving very interesting and exciting. My strength this
week has included learning so much about all the different
roles in film. I think I managed to take on a lot of
information and enjoyed learning one role then swapping
immediately to another. I enjoyed gaining a deeper
understanding of filming as a whole too and think the more
we do this and the more we discuss all the different
aspects this will help us when working on the floor
immensely.

(Credited: Google Images)

My weaknesses have included confidence. Going into the

acting for camera has felt quite daunting and at times I have
really doubted myself, which sometimes causes me to feel I
cant take as many risks. I think I have held back at points
because I felt in the dark about what I was doing. I think its
natural to be apprehensive about something so new but at
the same time to improve I will learn to take on the
challenge with more confidence and have faith in what we
have learnt already, in such a short period of time too!

I do feel quite daunted by the tasks ahead but at the same
time excited and determined to develop a new skill. I want
to continue learning more about all the different
responsibilities and put the facts and techniques to work on
the floor allowing me to be more confident in what I am
doing.

I am excited by what is ahead, I want to push myself

and not be afraid to fail because that shows you are
taking risks!