Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
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Hello Val
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In the early days of video tape it was wide and think and splicing was impossible. So each full segment of a television program needed to be taped as a whole. Things have improved quite well since then though there are still limitations. A vast amount of lighting is still needed for a scene to look natural and not dim.
Years ago I was involved in the taping of a variety show for TV. The program began with an invisible announcer, then an orchestra began to play. Some dancers came out and did a vigorous dance. Following them the star of the show came out and introduced the guest star, who was a well known film and stage actor and singer. They talked for a bit and then sang a duet. After the duet the star said they would be back after a message from the automobile company that was sponsoring the show. That was the complete first segment.
When the taping started the announcer spoke and the dancers came out and did their dance. The star was late getting into his place so they stopped. They went back to the announcer, the music started again and the dancers did their dance again. The star was in place and did his opening remarks. He introduced the guest. While they were chatting the star flubbed a line. So they went back to the announcer, the music, the dancers, the star coming out and the guest artist. That time they made it to the song but in the song the guest singer forgot on of the lyrics. So they began again with the announcer, the music, the dancers, the star, the guest, the chat, the song and the closing announcement.
The thing that impressed me the most was the spirit of the dancers. It was a very vigorous dance, as those variety shows could often present, and yet the dancers never lost their enthusiasm for doing it, no matter how many times they would have to do it.
I've done films in which I had to do the same simple scene over again more than a half dozen times for one reason or another and it's difficult but you have to deliver the scene at the same quality each time because you don't know which one will end up in the film.
For each successful performance there are scores of failures that end up in the trash bin.
Unfortunately there is usually no trash bin in real life and our failures have a tendency to stick around like doggy poop on a shoe until we get over them and get on with life. That word "enthusiasm" is the key. The joy of any accomplishment is getting it the way you want it. Holding the expectation of that joy in mind can push our efforts along no matter how many times we flop.
It was clear to me those dancers loved what they did, and they had more dancing to do later in the show, but I'm sure they and everyone else sighed with gratitude and relief when the director said "That's a take."
Getting it wrong a few times is usually inevitable. But there is nothing better than to keep going until you get it right.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
Never Give Up
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AUTUMN QUESTION
What event over the past year changed your life, a lot or a little?
Only 4 answers so far.
dbdacoba@aol.com
I await your answers.
DB
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Showing posts with label film acting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film acting. Show all posts
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Obligatory Observation 4/19/09
The actor should be able to create the universe in the palm of his hand.
Lawrence Olivier
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A big greeting to you.
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After many years as a theatre actor, I finally got cast in my first film. Doing that job was a learning experience for me in a lot of ways.
Almost all film actors, even if they have spent their entire professional careers working in front of a camera, will tell you that they really enjoy working on the stage with a live audience, and some of them often take a big cut in salary to do it. From the 7th Century BCE until the 20th Century CE the stage is where actors worked. Film acting is an unusual and difficult process. The principles are the same but the circumstances are different. From the audience seats in a theatre you can see the entire playing area at once. If an actor needs to get your attention he can do that with a gesture or a movement. It's called "taking focus" (some nasty actors do it when they're not supposed to, that's called "stealing focus"). Since the director decides what is going to be shown on the screen, focus is not an issue to an actor in a film. There is a different kind of focus involved.
In my first film I had one scene. It was with the leading actor only and during it my character had to perform an intricate task sitting at a table.
The first lesson I learned was that while in theatre the playing area stays the same, in film it keeps changing. The "stage" can be as large as a desert or as small as the eye of a needle. In performing my table top task I was surrounded by equipment. The camera was focused on my fingers, the microphone was suspended in front of my face, there were hot, bright lights all around me. Neither my face, nor the rest of my body were involved in the scene, only my fingers. My stage was very small.
The other lesson I learned was that, while in theatre the actor has his body, his face and his own voice to communicate his intent, the reason he is doing something. In this case I had only my fingers to tell the story. Which meant that even though nothing else was involved, it was necessary for me to know, as my character the what and why of the scene. It was my fingers really doing the intricate task, not pretending to do it. And something more than simple task making was being communicated, if only in the subtlest, almost invisible, manner. As I have said before it's the thinking behind every action that gives it its life, on stage or off. Will, desire, objective, love are all in every detail the actor does on stage, but especially in a film where the action is so specific,
It is imagination that leads us to art and invention. It is possible through thought, imagination and careful attention to details to create the universe in the hand, on a table or anywhere it's needed.
DB Vagabond Journeys
_____________________
Put some spring in someone's life today.
------------------------------
Happy birthday J.B. wherever you are.
**************************
Lawrence Olivier
***************
A big greeting to you.
-------------------
After many years as a theatre actor, I finally got cast in my first film. Doing that job was a learning experience for me in a lot of ways.
Almost all film actors, even if they have spent their entire professional careers working in front of a camera, will tell you that they really enjoy working on the stage with a live audience, and some of them often take a big cut in salary to do it. From the 7th Century BCE until the 20th Century CE the stage is where actors worked. Film acting is an unusual and difficult process. The principles are the same but the circumstances are different. From the audience seats in a theatre you can see the entire playing area at once. If an actor needs to get your attention he can do that with a gesture or a movement. It's called "taking focus" (some nasty actors do it when they're not supposed to, that's called "stealing focus"). Since the director decides what is going to be shown on the screen, focus is not an issue to an actor in a film. There is a different kind of focus involved.
In my first film I had one scene. It was with the leading actor only and during it my character had to perform an intricate task sitting at a table.
The first lesson I learned was that while in theatre the playing area stays the same, in film it keeps changing. The "stage" can be as large as a desert or as small as the eye of a needle. In performing my table top task I was surrounded by equipment. The camera was focused on my fingers, the microphone was suspended in front of my face, there were hot, bright lights all around me. Neither my face, nor the rest of my body were involved in the scene, only my fingers. My stage was very small.
The other lesson I learned was that, while in theatre the actor has his body, his face and his own voice to communicate his intent, the reason he is doing something. In this case I had only my fingers to tell the story. Which meant that even though nothing else was involved, it was necessary for me to know, as my character the what and why of the scene. It was my fingers really doing the intricate task, not pretending to do it. And something more than simple task making was being communicated, if only in the subtlest, almost invisible, manner. As I have said before it's the thinking behind every action that gives it its life, on stage or off. Will, desire, objective, love are all in every detail the actor does on stage, but especially in a film where the action is so specific,
It is imagination that leads us to art and invention. It is possible through thought, imagination and careful attention to details to create the universe in the hand, on a table or anywhere it's needed.
DB Vagabond Journeys
_____________________
Put some spring in someone's life today.
------------------------------
Happy birthday J.B. wherever you are.
**************************
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