Acting

Like photography and production design, acting can be a medium for communicating ideas and emotions.

Many stars fall somewhere between the two extremes, veering toward personality in some films, toward impersonation in others.

Theories in Acting

1. Realistic or formalistic
2. Truth in acting can only be achieved by exploring a good character’s inner spirit, which must be fused with the actor’s own emotions.
3. Emotional recall - an actor delves into his or her past to discover feelings that analogous to those of the character.
4. Ensemble playing, with genre interactions among the actor/character, players were encouraged to analyze all the specific of scene: What does the character really want? What is his or her history or “backstory”? What has happened prior to the immediate moment? What time of day is it?
5. Improvisation while the players are on camera.

Styles of acting

It depends on period, genre, tone, national origins, and directorial emphasis


Casting

“Casting is characterization,” once a role has been cast, especially with personality star, the essence of the fictional character is already established.

Cast director and Film director could have two ways to pick their ideal cast.

1. Pick a star who is not only has the “look”, he or she can act so well to cope the character according to the film or the director’s vision.
2. Pick someone, may or may not be professional, who has the “look” and personality that is extremely close, 90%, to the character according to the film or the director’s vision. Therefore, these players usually are trying to be themselves while filming.

Types of casts

Extras

These actors are used primarily to provide a sense of crowd – as in “a cast of thousands”

Nonprofessional performers

These are amateur players who are chosen not because of their acting ability, which can be negligible, but because of their authentic appearance – they look right for a given part.

Trained professionals

These stage and screen performers are capable of playing a variety of roles in variety of styles.

Stars

These are famous performers who are widely recognized by the public. Their drawing power is one of the main attractions of a film.

The distinction between a professional actor and a star is not based on skill, but on mass popularity.



Creating a Character

When developing a character, different types of energy can have a great deal of affection.

• Different energy = different emotion, or different attitude.

Sometimes director needs to unify the actor’s performance through out the whole movie because a film is usually shot without according to its actual sequence.

However, if the actor is good enough, and understands the director well, one should be able to develop the character independently and professionally without the director’s order. Thus, some directors usually work with their favorite actors like Tim Burton and Johnny Depp because they understand each other: what they want, and their capabilities.

Speech

Different ways of speech or tone of voices can be applied to different characteristic, or emotions of a character in a film.

Body language

It is a term for communication using body movements or gestures instead of, or in addition to, sounds, verbal language or other communication. This includes the subtlest of movements that many people are not aware of, including winking and slight movement of the eyebrows. In addition body language can also incorporate the use of facial expressions

Production Design / Art department

Production Design
Production designer is a term used in the movie and television industries to refer to the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production Designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the director and producer, they must select the settings and style to visually tell the story.

The term was created in 1939 in respect for the amount and level of design work single-handedly accomplished by William Cameron Menzies on the film Gone with the Wind. Previously, and often subsequently, the person(s) with the same responsibility had been called "art directors."

the crew who work in the art department under the production designer include:

1. art director
2. assistant art director
3. set designer
4. set decorator
5. costume designer
6. property master
7. concept illustrator
8. graphic designer
9. model maker

Production illustration

• Each member of the art department contributes illustrations that fall into three basic categories.

1. Concept and final design illustration: these are used to describe individual elements for a production, including sets, props, costumes, makeup and special effects. These are individual illustrations intended to establish a style a visual direction and do necessarily depict a shot or sequence in the film.
2. Plans, elevations and projections: These are the highly technical descriptions that give that exact specifications needed to manufacture whatever is depicted more evocatively in the design illustrations.
3. Continuity sketches and storyboards: these are the sequential panels that describe the individual compositions of each shot and their order in each scene of a film.