Film Chapter 7 – Flashcards

Early 1900s -Amateurs with little or no experience 1930s D.W Griffith needed actors to be trained professionally -Cinema began silent -Tell stories through movement of body and face -Charlie Chaplin 1930s -Sound became a thing in film -Difficult transition for some -Train vocal performance as well -Actors had a more restricted space to work with until could record sound while moving the camera "Golden Age of Hollywood" 1930s-1960s -An actor's option contract was reviewed every six months which decided whether or not an actor would stay or be cut; under this contract actors had to stay with the studio they signed with, had no salary negotiations, were forced to change their name and image, and had no say in what roles they played -Easily typecast Today -They are free agents meaning they can contract one film at a time, negotiate salaries for each film, use their own name, and have more say in what they do

Actors interpret the director's guidance in the area between them and the lens-an intimate and narrowly defined space that necessarily concentrates much of the actors energy on their faces. Through composition, close-ups, camera angle, and movements, and other cinematic techniques, movie actors always come closer to the audience and appear larger than stage actors. The camera makes possible an attention to detail that was impossible before, the invention of cinema, mainly because stage acting forced actors to project and exaggerate gestures. Screen acting can be as tight and intimate as examining a painting at arm's length. Crawford "A movie actor paint with the tiniest brush"

An art in which an actor used imagination, intelligence, psychology, memory, vocal technique, facial expressions, body language, and an overall knowledge of the filmmaking process to realize the character created by the screen writer. -Directors have the least precise control

Actors had to adjust their movements where recording took place, and it created a need dialogue and dialogue coaches to help actors find their voices and master language.

Movie Stars -A star has exceptional looks. Outstanding talent. A distinctive voice. A set of mannerisms. Palpable sexual appeal. Energy that comes down off the screen. Glamour. ETC. AND something else that can't be defined. Movie Actors -Movie actors using gesture, movement, and voice convey their character directly to the camera. -A commodity created by the studio system through promotion, publicity, movies, criticism and commentary -Stars are involved in making themselves into commodities; they are both labour and the thing that labour produces. They do not produce themselves alone.

How the prospective actors strengths and weaknesses relate to the roles they are being considered for. -Depends heavily on the movie's budget and expected revenues. An actors popularity in one film could lead to another. The actor's -reputation and popularity -prior experience on screen or stage -chemistry with other actors -results of screen tests -reputation for professionalism, reliability, ability to withstand physical challenges of filming certain productions, and personal behavior on set.

Naturalistic -When actors re-create recognizable or plausible human behavior for the camera. -Look like the characters should and also think, speak, and move the way people would offscreen. Non naturalistic -Excessive, exaggerated, even overacted, strange or outlandish appearance, aim for effects beyond human capabilities, intend to distance or estrange audiences from characters -horror, fantasy, and action films

-extemporizing, delivering lines based only loosely on the written script or without the preparation that comes with studying a script before rehearsing it -involves collaboration -sense of discovery that comes from the unexpected -adding to our sense of the liveliness of art

Framing and composition reveal relationships

-camera creates a greater naturalism and intimacy between actors and audience than would ever be possible on stage -serves as screen actors most important collaborator -effect on the actor's role is greatest in close up -active or passive

-Appropriateness -Inherent thoughtfulness or emotionality -Expressive coherence -Wholeness and unity