10 lessons in film acting

10 lessons I learned from Sir Michael Caine on film acting:

1) When speaking to an actor off-camera, look into one eye and stick with it.

2) Film acting is, in large part, reacting and listening.

3) While rehearsing something with a fellow actor, if a crew member can come up and recognize you’re rehearsing vs. having a real conversation, then you aren’t doing it right.

4) An actor relaxes in front of the camera by concentrating, and knowing that you have no enemies on set, everyone’s on your side and doing their best to make you look your best for the movie.

5) The camera catches everything you do, so don’t be afraid to play things subtley.

6) If you’re going to smoke on-screen, you must plan it absolutely perfectly, don’t mess up the continuity.

7) All actors steal certain gestures and behaviors from other actors -- but the best actors make these gestures their own.  Steal from the best, and make it your own.

8) You can make four pictures as an actor in the time it takes a director to make one -- so if you’re an actor planning on becoming a director, consider the financial aspect.

9) A majority of movie acting is relaxation.  If you’re knocking yourself out, you’re doing it wrong.

10) Theater acting is an operation with a scalpel, movie acting is an operation with a laser.

7 Need-to-Know Tips for Acting On Camera

BY CASEY MINK | JULY 11, 2017 9:30 PM | LAST UPDATED: MARCH 14, 2020 2:46 AM

Photo Source: Pexels

This week at Backstage, we’re delving into on-camera acting in a major way. From our extensive guide on becoming a master to a focus on the film schools that will help launch a healthy career, there won’t be a stone left unturned. Whether you’re a newer actor with a dream to make it on screen (big or small), or a stage actor itching to transition to on-camera work, there are certain things you need to know that apply specifically to this facet of the craft. Below, check out a few must-know tips from Backstage Experts that you’ll want to get down before the next time you hear “Action!”

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Know your nonverbal skills.“To define the difference between acting for the stage and acting for the camera, all stage actors are trained in two channels of nonverbal communication: the body and the voice. However, what separates the on-camera actor from the theatrical actor is the on-camera actor must know the three channels of nonverbal communication: the body, the voice, and the face. Some people are wired to internalize emotion, meaning what they’re feeling isn’t being revealed, whereas there are externalizers who know what emotions look like but they don’t connect to the intensity unless they have a lot of stimuli. This same idea can apply to your headshot, too, if you’re wondering why all of your headshots look exactly the same!” —John Sudol, acting coach and author of “Acting: Face to Face: The Actor’s Guide to Understanding How Your Face Communicates Emotion for TV and Film”

Relax into your performance.
“Start by relaxing and getting into your body by just ‘slobbing out.’ You need to get out of your head and into your body. It’s important to physically loosen your body and to unfreeze it so that natural life energy and subconscious reactions are set free to happen.

“I always teach students a simple relaxation technique of breathing in through your nose on a count of four, holding for a count of seven, and breathing out through your mouth on a count of eight. Deep-breathing is the fastest way to balance and relax. The counting helps your brain to shut down so that you can be more in the moment instead of spinning past everything.” —Cathryn Hartt, Dallas-based acting coach, founder of Hartt and Soul Studio, and Backstage Expert

Seriously, do less.
“I believe the ‘secret’ to film acting is telling the story as simply as possible. In the theater, a performance must carry to last row. In film, cameras and microphones are perilously close and capture even the smallest gesture and sound, but the ‘internals’ for the actor are exactly the same as they would be for the stage, only their outward expression must be much subtler. Theater-trained actors, with limited or no on-camera experience, tend to reveal too much of their work externally. ‘Less is more’ is never truer than when it comes to acting for film.” —Todd Thaler, casting director, acting teacher, and private on-camera audition coach

Get to the point—ASAP.
“Most actors, whether they realize it or not, are trained for the stage. All of the famous methods and techniques were designed for the stage, not the camera. These methods carry with them certain assumptions. For example, most methods presume a long rehearsal time that gives the actor a chance to explore the text and the character deeply with the help of a supportive director.

“This, of course, falls completely apart if you’re working in TV/film, where there is sometimes no rehearsal and oftentimes the director doesn’t know your name. Actors who recognize the difference are able to immediately adapt to the rigors of film by finding the most compelling intersection of themselves and the character, and are able to call up the right qualities whenever action is called. They don’t need tons of rehearsal, they’ve done the work themselves and are ready at a moment’s notice to connect and shine.” —Craig Wallace, acting teacher and Backstage Expert

Specificity is invaluable.
“On camera, limitless possibilities translate as general. Human limitations translate as clearly defined character. Human beings, and therefore characters, are defined by their prejudices which limit the ways they see and respond to the world. Watching a limited human being or character clash with the world is what makes a story interesting. The ‘you are the character and the character is you’ approach would actually work if actors isolated specific qualities or character traits (or character limitations if you will) that they themselves possess and let those specific qualities dictate how they play the entire scene.” —John Swanbeck, director, author, and Backstage Expert

Let the camera come to you.
“Camera acting is acting ‘without an audience.’ Think about it: Although there might be 30 crew members standing around when a TV show is being filmed, there’s literally no audience present. The camera is there only to record what happens between the two people. You do not have to “send” your performance anywhere. Unlike stage work, the camera comes to you.” —David Dean Bottrell, veteran actor and acting teacher

Over-enunciation is an enemy.
“Even if you’re loud enough on stage, you still have to speak clearly and enunciate your words so the audience can understand you as well. But when stage actors bring that practice into on-camera acting IT CaN SounD LiKe ThiS, which can be very distracting, obviously. I have to remind actors that it’s actually very hard to not understand someone speaking English, so feel free to be Mushmouth. Not mumbly or slurry, but you just have to know when to let go oF BeinG So CleaR WiTH EaCH WorD.” —Shaan Sharma, co-founder of the Westside On-Camera Acting Studio

Acting for film and television is a skill set separate from the theatre. In addition to all of the challenges faced when acting in a theatrical context, Screen Acting  has its own unique set of technical, logistical, and creative obstacles (and opportunities), and is a skill set honed over time through training and experience in front of the camera. The great screen actors have these techniques mastered.

Here are our top 5 screen acting tips that will help you deliver the performance you need on camera:

 1. Your eyes are the window into your soul

The camera captures every moment; what you're thinking, what you're feeling, your internal conflicts, and your physical impulses. What's more, it can get all of this through your eyes. Treat them like magnets. They pull the viewer into the soul of the person you're portraying. Imagine a rectangle around the lens, and when in thoughts or transitions between lines, allow the lens to see what you're thinking and feeling by giving the camera your eyes. The closer the frame, the tighter the rectangle for you.

2. Treat the silences as lines and be the editor's friend

No moment should be missed, no emotional stone unturned. Emotional investment in only your lines are not enough. Every moment and beat needs to be considered. What is the other character saying to you, and how is it affecting you? Film and television editing requires reaction shots; they are integral to the flow of the narrative and character development. The editor will be looking for those reactions in post production. By treating the pauses and silences in the script as lines themselves, imbued with intention and thought, you will find a greater depth to your performance and connection with the other character(s) in the scene. You'll probably bag more screen time because of it!

3. Know your audience

Unlike the theatre, there is no live audience. There is a lengthy and important post production process that happens between your performance and the viewing public. Your audience is not present when you film, and this needs to be remembered when you are on set. The director isn't the audience, the crew aren't the audience, the camera operator isn't the audience, the camera isn't your audience, the only audience you have are within the fictional realms of the narrative, and the other characters that inhabit it. Resist, at all costs, to perform for the crew.

4. Be Prepared and Flexible

You will film out of sequence on set. Schedules change all the time. Not only do you have to be prepared in terms of your character journey at every moment in the story, but also for last minute changes to the plan of the filming process. There are so many varying factors; weather, daylight hours, transportation issues, technical glitches, that you do not want to be one of them. Be prepared to step on set and only get two or three takes to get it right. Don't let your first take be a rehearsal or a warm up. Full character preparation will assist you in getting in getting it right first time. It will also help you to change your performance in the ways that the director wants in the next takes. By fluid and flexible, and in doing so you won't only give a more nuanced performance, but you'll also have a much better working relationship with the director and the crew.

5. Learn the jargon and who’s on set

Be versed in the technical language of the film set. Know which person does which job on set, the jargon that they use, and how they operate. Know the shot sizes and the intended camera movement from on set discussions, so you don't have to ask the DOP or director all the time. Film and television requires many different departments working simultaneously to produce a final product. You are a piece of that jigsaw puzzle, no more or less important than all the rest of the pieces. By knowing your way round a film set you are instantly respectful of everyone's important job within the process, and as a result you will be painless to work with. Don't underestimate the power of being polite and easy to work with, repeat work will come your way because of the positive way you conduct yourself.