Some tips to help you as an Actor when working to Camera...
INTRODUCTION
| Working to camera is all about INTERNALISATION | Working on stage is all about EXTERNALISATION |
IN SHORT: On stage, the performance needs to be clear to the people sitting in the cheapest seats right at the back of the auditorium. Therefore, you need to “wear” your emotions, make the performance EXTERNAL and thereby make everything really obvious so that the message traverses often quite large distances… You may think you're being subtle on stage, but if all you do is half-close your eyes when reacting to a pensive line of dialogue, then no one more than ten feet away will notice!
Conversely, when working on screen, the camera is a mute, passive and intimate observer. Any externalization will look completely unreal and will hurt the audience’s suspension of disbelief. Therefore, when working with Actors, I encourage them AT ALL TIMES TO BE INTERNAL. Using the same example as above, when you do a close up of someone listening to some dramatic piece of dialogue that makes their character think about something, if all the Actor does is half-close his eyes, then it works really well - just look at any CLINT EASTWOOD moment and you'll see what I mean.
REMEMBER: ALL YOU HAVE TO DO ON CAMERA IS BELIEVABLY "THINK IT" RATHER THAN UNBELIEVEABLY "DO IT" AND THE CAMERA WILL CATCH YOU EVERY TIME.
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HISTORY
STAGE CRAFT has been around at least 3,000 years. Ancient Greeks were experts at the dramatic arts and Greek Theatre is often celebrated to this day. No wonder, in all this time, the practice of acting on stage has been discussed, debated and dissected over and over again until there is a massive body of reference work an Actor can refer to when talking about the various techniques of acting on stage.
However, the art and craft of working to camera has been around for less than 100 years. Technology continues to develop the art of filmmaking at a breathtaking rate and with all these changes so comes a more and more advanced style of acting to camera. Acting to Camera is still so very much in its infancy, in fact, we haven't even decided what to call it yet - we all know what is meant by the term STAGE CRAFT but we haven't even settled on what is the corresponding term for acting to camera, LENS CRAFT? SCREEN CRAFT? CAMERA CRAFT? - I quite like SCREEN CRAFT...
Remember, it wasn't until the 1927 that films had sound... Cameras these days can be very lightweight, quick, mobile and hand-held without causing the audience to get motion sick and run the risk of them revisiting their last meal. Also, we don't even have to use film any more if we don't want to, such is the remarkable quality available these days by working digitally and recording direct to disc. In fact, if working DIRECT TO DISC, it is more than possible for the camera to be rolling ALL THE TIME and therefore the whole concept of a TAKE could be called into question. Five years ago, working direct to disc wasn't really an option as the quality was not considered to be good enough to broadcast... Not now! How exciting is that???!!!
So then, when you hear people (and I include myself in this) pontificating about working to camera, remember, THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF WORKING TO CAMERA IS STILL VERY, VERY MUCH IN ITS EXTREME INFANCY WHEN YOU COMPARE IT TO WORKING ON STAGE AND THEREFORE EVERYTHING SHOULD BE UP FOR DISCUSSION, EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY...
WHAT TO DO NOW
TAKE EVERY OPORTUNTY TO EXPLORE, EXPERIEMENT AND FIND YOUR OWN VOICE AS A SCREEN ACTOR . If you have not already done so, go out and beg, borrow, buy or steal a lightweight video camcorder and mess around as much as you can. Record yourself doing your audition pieces, walking around, sitting in a chair, spending half an hour in character, in fact ANYTHING AT ALL THAT MAKES YOU ACT TO CAMERA. THEN, SHUT THE DOOR, SIT ALONE AND WATCH YOURSELF BACK. ASK YOURSELF..."DO I BELIEVE THIS PERFORMANCE?" Do this again and again until you begin to feel comfortable being objective about your own performance.
A very respected Drama Teacher from one of the best and well-thought of Drama schools in London is on record as saying "Acting on camera is a lot like acting on stage, you just do everything smaller". I couldn't disagree with this more and when I heard this, it made me realize why, that in a three year Drama degree that they run, their students spend just ten days "learning" how to act to camera....
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SOME TIPS TO REMEMBER WHEN ACTING TO CAMERA...
1) KNOW YOUR FRAME SIZE
Regardless of how far away the camera is, the resultant shot may be of you in a really big close up or else a really wide shot revealing your entire body...
WHEN WORKING TO CAMERA, YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW BIG YOUR ACTING SPACE IS. Therefore, ALWAYS ASK " HOW BIG IS THE FRAME?". Sometimes, the Director will have already told you, sometimes the Director will be otherwise engaged and so you'll have to ask the CAMERA OPERATOR.
A trained Director or other more Technical people will often refer to a shot by its proper name, e.g. an MCU or an XLS (see below). Either way, make sure someone shows you how much of your body is going to be in shot. THIS IS VITAL AND SO OFTEN OVERLOOKED!!!
TECHNICAL SHOT NAME |
DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THE CAMERA CAN SEE |
XCU |
Eyes |
BCU |
Forehead to chin |
CU |
Head shot |
MCU |
Chest to top of head |
MS |
Waist to above head |
MLS |
Below knees to above head |
LS |
Full length |
VLS |
Person in the frame |
XLS |
Person in a field |
REMEMBER, YOUR FRAME SIZE IS YOUR VIRTUAL STAGE...
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2) KNOW YOUR CHARACTER ARC
Films, and a great deal of television, are nearly always shot OUT OF SEQUENCE. On a film, and on TV, TIME IS NEARLY ALWAYS MONEY and therefore, ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO SAVE TIME IS USUALLY THOUGHT TO BE A GOOD THING. It takes time to move the lighting and the camera around and it is nearly always so very much easier to just move the Actors! Therefore, any and all shots that can be achieved from a particular camera setup will usually be done at the same time. In reality, this may mean that you might very well shoot the scene where you die in your lover's arms before you shoot the scene where you meet for the first time!
To cope with this, IT IS ABSOLUTLEY VITAL THAT YOU KNOW YOUR CHARACTER'S CHARACTER ARC INTIMATELY AND CAN SWITCH TO ANY POINT ON IT AT WILL.
Herein lies the problem with METHOD ACTING when it comes to working to camera. Jumping around the character arc at will is often more an exercise in technique than anything else... If you have to stop the entire filmmaking process whilst you examine what your motivation is for that particular moment as if it was for the first time, you're going to piss off anyone watching the clock. IN ALL REALITY, WORKING THIS SORT OF STUFF OUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE LONG BEFORE YOU STAND IN FRONT OF A CAMERA. NO MATTER WHAT SCHOOL OF ACTING YOU COME FROM, BE IT MEISNER, METHOD OR EVEN THE RSC, A GOOD AND USEFUL ACTOR WILL BE ABLE TO SUMMON UP THE RELEVANT BEHAVIOUR CALLED UPON REGARDING THEIR CHARACTER'S POSITION ON THEIR CHARACTER ARC AT WILL.
This brings me on to my next point...
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3) DO YOUR RESEARCH
TO GET AROUND THE PROBLEMS OF THE PREVIOUS POINT, YOU CAN NEVER DO TOO MUCH RESEARCH.
If you were working with me on something, before we shot a frame we would work on character background and I would encourage you to build up a complete profile of the character...
So much of TV (and, regrettably, a great deal of film) is formulaic. As an Actor, you can usually find within oneself a group of different characters, or archetypes, that you can play well, characters that really fit you. I would actively encourage you to build up a library of different archetypal characters that you believe you can comfortably play. In my workshops with Actors, I often encourage them to have a number of different packing boxes, each labeled with the name of a different specific character that is personal to them and lies within their own archetypes. Then, over time, I would get them to add as much detail to each of these characters as is possible and pack the boxes with all sorts of research material, from photos to costume, props to plays that they character may well fit in. I've even been known to encourage Actors to spend the entire day in the character of one of these personal archetypes, just having a normal day but a day as each character in turn.
I'm really hot on this - it is a massive issue with me. Drama Schools in the UK seem to school young minds to become so damn reactive that once they graduate, they sincerely believe that they are now "Actors" and often just sit around, waiting for their career to happen. Have a look at the link WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO HELP MY CAREER? to see more.
Chances are that at the start of your career, you'll be called upon to play some two-dimensional supporting character in something where everyone is focused on something else. Should this happen, I would then actively encourage you to look long and hard at the part and try and see if any of your library of archetypal characters fit this part. Maybe you're lucky and there is a good fit, maybe you have to glue certain traits from a number of different characters together... Either way, bring all the research you've done on these archetypes to this two dimensional character and suddenly, the character will begin to be fleshed out, alive maybe, and certainly no longer two dimensional.
Like I say, as far as I am concerned, YOU CAN NEVER DO TOO MUCH RESEARCH!
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4) FILM SETS CAN BE VARY SCARY PLACES - "RED LIGHT FEVER" AND HOW TO OVERCOME IT
Film sets are a hive of activity, all these highly trained and experienced people rushing around, doing stuff... to the casual observer, a buzzing set can be a wonder to behold. However, at some point, chances are that those busy people will stop what they are doing, go deathly quiet and watch what is happening in front of the camera. Now, if you are not prepared for this (and I'm assuming here that you may be relatively new to working to camera at this point) then the sight of all those eyes watching your every move can be paralyzing.
I call this fear RED LIGHT FEVER and I've seen it in the eyes of so many an Actor.
LET THE CHARACTER TAKE OVER AND LISTETN TO THE OTHER ACTOR AS HE OR SHE SPEAKS THEIR DIALOGUE...
And so to my next point...
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5) LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN!!!
LISTEN TO THE OTHER ACTORS
LISTEN TO THE DIRECTOR
LISTEN TO YOURSELF
OK, so you know your lines, you know your character inside out and you're completely at ease with the character arc. I would assume you are already in this state before you go anywhere near the camera. BUT THIS IS NOT ENOUGH!!! Once that camera is rolling, you need to be "COMPLETELY IN THE MOMENT" and the quickest and most effective way of making that journey is to trust in all your preparation and research and then focus as hard as you can on LISTENING TO THE DIALOGUE THAT IS BEING SPOKEN TO YOU AS IF IT WERE BEING SAID FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!!!
THIS IS PROBABLY THE SINGLE, MOST IMPORTANT ACTING TIP THAT CAN EVER BE GIVEN:- LISTEN TO THE DIALOGUE SPOKEN BY OTHER ACTORS AS IF IT WERE BEING SPOKEN FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.
I know I just repeated myself there but I just want to make the point.
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6) MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE DOP (that means Director of Photography or Cinematographer - if you don't know what that means, go look it up!)
Never neglect the Crew, especially the Camera crew. Try to remember that the CAMERA OPERATOR WILL ALWAYS BE WATCHING YOU ACT, EVEN IF NO ONE ELSE IS and they can be an extremely useful friend. REMEMBER THEIR NAMES, GET TO KNOW THEM, EVEN CONFIDE IN THEM AND WIN THEM OVER ONTO YOUR SIDE. They might wind up being your best friends on the set.
7) MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE VIDEO ASSIST
The VIDEO ASSIST is the video playback device that is present on most, if not all, shoots these days. One of the first questions I always ask Actors is "ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THE VIDEO ASSIST?" If they say YES, then I know I can work with them. The Actor will be able to divorce themselves from the character they are playing and we'll be able to get somewhere. If they say NO, then what they are actually saying is that they are insecure and seeing their performance played back to them the moment they have done it will make them either self-conscious, or even more self-conscious than they already are.
If you're uncomfortable with the VIDEO ASSIST, learn the art of divorcing yourself from the character you see playing on screen. Don’t be frightened of seeing yourself on tape – see your character rather than you and remember to give your character “notes”.
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WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS ON A FILM/TV SET?
The first time you walk onto a set, don't be surprised if it seems as if a lot of people stand around doing nothing whilst a small group of people, or even one person, seems to be working their arse off! To make a film requires the intimate coordination of a great many different specialists, all doing their own specialist task. It just so happens that rarely are they all doing their tasks at exactly the same time. In fact, the only time I see everyone running around all at the same time is when either I call "OK everyone, it's a WRAP!" (meaning it's bugger off home time) or else if something catches fire that isn't supposed to (and I've NEVER seen the latter!)
Here are some other points of note:
1)
Blocking a scene. This is where the actual camera movements and actor movements are worked out. It usually happens first, perhaps whilst you walk through your scene, even rehearsing dialogue and is absolutely vital for cameras and lighting. Once this is done, the TALENT is usually released to go to HAIR AND MAKEUP or back to their trailer and a STAND-IN takes their place.
2) Lighting the scene – It can take an age to set up the cameras and lights but expect anything from 5 minutes on a STUDENT FILM to the best part of a day on a massive budget commercial or with a feature film with a massive budget, massive Stars and some massive sequence to shoot. USE THIS TIME WELL! Don't bugger off and start flirting with people in MAKEUP. Instead, remember you are at work so use the time to run through your lines, perhaps work on the scene with other Actors who are looking for something to do, rehearse your performance, familiarize yourself with the props, ANYTHING AT ALL THAT WILL MAKE YOUR SCENE GO SMOOTHER!
3) Be prepared for hardly any rehearsal time - TIME IS MONEY and "THE MONEY" hate seeing precious time used up whilst so-called temperamental ARTY TYPES bugger around "TRYING TO FIGURE THINGS OUT" – Use the time well. Perhaps a read-through is all you’ll get! Maybe not even that! Remember, this isn't like being in a Stage Production where a great deal of time is devoted to "getting the thing up on it's feet and seeing what happens"... FILMMAKING IS EXPENSIVE, BLOODY EXPENSIVE!!!
4) The Focus Puller and his tape. Once the scene is lit, you'll be called back onto the set by the FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR or THE THIRD ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (the Second Assistant Director is probably in the Production Office worrying about something relevant to the next day's shooting) so make sure that they know how to find you and that you haven't wandered off somewhere. Once you're standing in front of the camera, the FOCUS PULLER will suddenly start running a tape measure from the camera right up to you eye as well as making all sorts of marks on the floor where you will wind up at some point during the take.
N.B. HOW DO YOU FIND YOUR "MARK" ON A SET WITHOUT LOOKING DOWN AT YOUR FEET? The FOCUS PULLER will have left you all sorts of useful little marks on the floor of the set for you to hit whilst you deliver your dialogue. He or she will be really pissed off if you fail to make them and you run a very real risk of at best being out of focus and at worst, requiring the entire scene to be reshot (HOW EXPENSIVE IS THAT???!!!). To make sure you hit your mark each and every time, run your performance backwards whilst they are still setting up, starting at where you are supposed to end up and then counting how many paces it takes to get to your FIRST POSITION (i.e. where you are at the start of the take). REMEMBER THIS NUMBER then simply count your steps as you walk through the scene. Chances are that by doing this, you'll wind up where you're supposed to be without EVER HAVING TO LOOK DOWN and give the whole game away.
5) Microphones and their dislike of rustling or being covered (a few words for “level”). Should you be wired up with a microphone, try to remember that they ARE VERY SENSITIVE and absolutely HATE being around rustling clothes etc. ALSO, REMEMBER TO MAKE SURE THE SOUND RECORDIST SWITCHES THE MIC OFF, BETTER STILL REMOVES IT COMPLETELY WHEN THE SCENE IS OVER AND YOU ARE FREE TO WANDER OFF FOR A WHILE! There are many stories of people doing or saying things they shouldn't have done or said whilst still wearing a functioning microphone! BEFORE THE TAKE HAPPENS, THE SOUND RECORDIST WILL ASK YOU GIVE A FEW WORDS FOR LEVEL. What is meant by this is "can you talk at the volume you will do during the scene so I can set my ever-so-sensitive equipment up to make sure we can hear you and that you don't distort". Be nice to the SOUND CREW, they often can be forgotten and are very receptive to people being nice to them,
6) Don’t EVER be ignorant of what else goes on. Is there a special effect in the scene? Does another Actor have a difficult sequence to shoot? What else is happening and how can you be aware of it?
7) Can you see the camera? If you cant see the camera then the camera can’t see you! You'\d be amazed how many Actors forget this when they are starting off. If you want to be seen by the camera, make sure you can see it!
8) How to find your light. This is actually much easier than you might think. One really good way is to feel the heat of the lights rather than see its results. The DoP (DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPY) AND THE CAMERA OPERATOR will help you here. ASK FOR HELP IF YOU NEED IT!!!
9) What to do if you fluff or dry. It happens to EVERYONE. If you fluff or dry, don't make a big deal of it. DON'T OVER-REACT AND OVER-APOLOGISE! JUST GO BACK A LINE OR TWO AND PICK UP IMMEDIATELY FROM WHERE YOU FLUFFED, BEFORE SOMEONE EVEN SAYS CUT.
10) Keep acting for a few seconds after someone says cut. This is because the Camera Operator may be a bit slow in turning off the camera for a reason and therefore any performance that you continue to give could be useful to THE EDITOR ONCE THE FILM IS BEING CUT.
11) Keep acting even if the camera isn’t on you. Not only may you not be completely certain that the camera isn't catching some part of you, it is also INVALUABLE to the other Actors if you do this.
12) ALWAYS DO ALL THAT YOU CAN TO MAKE THE OTHER ACTORS LOOK GOOD!!! Their CU (CLOSE UP) might not have you in frame but you can still work for them. Making your fellow actors look good will only reflect well on you!
13) ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR OWN CONTINUTITY. I know there is a SCRIPT SUPERVISOR AND/OR CONTINUITY PERSON watching out for CONTINUITY ERRORS but do this job for yourself as well. YOU MIGHT SPOT SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT NO ONE ELSE DID AND THAT WOULD SAVE THE PROBLEM BEING DISCOVERED LATER...
14) Don’t be a Prima Donna! NO ONE will love you if you behave this way and if they don't even like you, then chances are they won't do anything to help you if you get stuck and need to call on their help.
15) KEEP SEXUAL POLITICS OFF THE SET! Even if you fall madly in love with someone on a shoot, KEEP THE ROMANCE OUT OF THE PICTURE UNTIL YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE FILM IS OVER! Otherwise, you run the risk of being found out by the crew (who won't particularly enjoy witnessing your being madly in love), the husband/wife of who you are attracted to or just as being seen as being damn UNPROFESSIONAL! DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING THAT THE EMOTIONS BEING DISPLAYED TOWARDS YOU BY THE LEADING MAN/WOMAN ARE REAL - REMEMBER, ACTING IS JUST BEING PAID FOR "PLAYING MAKE-BELIEVE".
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WORKING AS AN EXTRA WHEN OUT OF WORK
Did you know that Brad Pitt started out as an Extra? I happen to think that it is really a good idea to work as an Extra or Supporting Artist when “resting”. You’ll get to see films of all sorts being made, get to feel familiar with film creation, get to know all sorts of people and get paid.
HOWEVER, HERE IN THE UK, THE RECEIVED THOUGHT IS THAT A RESTING ACTOR SHOULD BE WORKING AT MCDONALDS RATHER THAN AS AN EXTRA ON A SET SOMEWHERE.
Why is this? Partly snobbery, partly class and partly history and I couldn’t disagree with it more. I would actively cast from extras, would look favourably on someone demonstrating their commitment to their craft to such a degree that they are prepared to do real background work just on the off-chance that they might learn something or meet someone, but then, hey, I’m only a Director, what do I know?!!!
Feel free to contact me any time if I can be of further use to you…
MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS info@christophernicholson.com
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