Acting
Acting
is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television,
film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a
character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or
play.
Most
early sources in the West that examine the art of acting (Greek: ὑπόκρισις,
hypokrisis) discuss it as part of rhetoric.
Definition and
history
One of the
first actors is believed to be an ancient Greek called Thespis of Icaria. An
apocryphal story says that Thespis stepped out of the dithyrambic chorus and
spoke to them as a separate character. Before Thespis, the chorus narrated (for
example, "Dionysus did this, Dionysus said that"). When Thespis stepped out from
the chorus, he spoke as if he was the character (for example, "I am Dionysus. I
did this"). From Thespis' name derives the word
thespian.
Acting
requires a wide range of skills, including vocal projection, clarity of speech,
physical expressivity, emotional facility, a well-developed imagination, and the
ability to interpret drama. Acting also often demands an ability to employ
dialects, accents and body language, improvisation, observation and emulation,
mime, and stage combat. Many actors train at length in special programs or
colleges to develop these skills, and today the vast majority of professional
actors have undergone extensive training. Even though one actor may have years
of training, they always strive for more lessons; the cinematic and theatrical
world is always changing and because of this, the actor must stay as up to date
as possible. Actors and actresses will often have many instructors and teachers
for a full range of training involving, but not limited to, singing, scene-work,
monologue techniques, audition techniques, and partner
work.
Professional
actors
Not all
people working as actors in film, television or theatre are professionally
trained. Conservatories typically offer two- to four-year training on all
aspects of acting. Universities will offer three- to four-year programs, where a
student is often able to choose to focus on drama, while still learning about
other aspects of theatre. Schools will vary in their approach, but in North
America the most popular method taught derives from the "system" of Constantin
Stanislavski, which was developed and popularised in America by Lee Strasberg,
Stella Adler, and others. The ambiguously termed method acting came about
through iterations of Stanislavski's system by Strasberg. Part of this style of
training includes actors memorizing lines to be able to work off-book, a term
that means being able to work without a script. Other approaches may include a
more physical approach, following the teachings of Jerzy Grotowski and others,
or may be based on the training developed by other theatre practitioners
including Sanford Meisner. Other classes may include mask work, improvisation,
and acting for the camera. Regardless of a school's approach, students should
expect intensive training in textual interpretation, voice and movement.
Although there are some teachers who will encourage the improvisation as
technique in order to free the actor of limitations in rehearsal. Harold
Guskin's approach or "taking it off the page" as he calls it is steeped in this
philosophy. Applications to drama programs and conservatories are through
auditions in the United States. Anybody over the age of 18 can usually apply to
drama school.
Training may
also start at a very young age. Acting classes and professional schools targeted
at the under-18 crowd are offered in many locations. These classes introduce
young actors to different aspects of acting and theatre from scene study to the
marines
Amateur
actors
Amateur
actors are actors who do not require payment for
performances.
Improvisation
Improv was
created by Viola Spolin when working with Neva Boyd at a Hull House in Chicago,
Illinois. Improv was created on the realization that adults do not play games.
Spolin felt that playing games were good exercises and can benefit in future
acting. With improv, people can find true expressive freedom since they don't
ever know how the situation is going to turn out. When one continues to operate
with an open mind they will have a real sense of spontaneity rather than
pre-planning a response. You perform a character of your own making, and with
that character and the others working with you, you create a new and spontaneous
piece. Improv is also used to cover up if an actor or actress makes a
mistake.
Semiotics of
Acting
Semiotics of
Acting is the actor’s ability to transform into a convincing character in front
of the audience. The audience no longer sees the actor as a performer, but sees
a character as a completely different being. Once this shift occurs, the actor
becomes a semiotic device communicating a set of signs to the audience. A
character’s signification can represent a multitude of different meanings to the
audience. This may or may not be intended by the actor, who has limited control
over how the audience will “read” the character. For example, if the actor is
playing a character diagnosed with cancer, the audience may not just see a
cancer patient, but may instead see a character similar to other cancer victims
or survivors they have known. The actor’s performance, like any text, must be
read by the audience.
However, the
actor is judged by giving a convincing and believable performance. The actor’s
performance is mediated by particular semiotic signs including facial
expression, emotion, and vocabulary. All these examples are known as performance
signs. Performance signs are simple codes that the audience must decode during
the actor's performance. It is the actor’s job to deliver those codes
effectively to the audience. If the audience does not find the character
believable, then the actor has failed in their performance. Like other forms of
communication, non-verbal or visual clues are tremendously important. Acting
teacher Sanford Meisner once said, “An ounce of emotion is worth a pound of
words.” Great actors master performance signs in order to win over an
audience.
Acting
involves two forms of communication: intrascenic (communication between
characters) and extrascenic (communication between the characters and the
audience). Both infrascenic and extrascenic communication must work in order for
the audience to read the semiotic signs of the actor’s performance. The
characters must have intrascenic skills – “good chemistry” – in a scene in order
for the audience to understand the performance.
The actor
represents the text of the script as performance signs. Actors bring the text to
life through performance and through the personal qualities they may contribute
to the narrative of script. Actors represent the ideas of the text, but also
create a new visually dimensioned reality through their
performance.
Becoming an
actor representing semiotic signs can be a very difficult process. One must
understand the performance signs, the audience, and human
emotion.
is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television,
film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a
character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or
play.
Most
early sources in the West that examine the art of acting (Greek: ὑπόκρισις,
hypokrisis) discuss it as part of rhetoric.
Definition and
history
One of the
first actors is believed to be an ancient Greek called Thespis of Icaria. An
apocryphal story says that Thespis stepped out of the dithyrambic chorus and
spoke to them as a separate character. Before Thespis, the chorus narrated (for
example, "Dionysus did this, Dionysus said that"). When Thespis stepped out from
the chorus, he spoke as if he was the character (for example, "I am Dionysus. I
did this"). From Thespis' name derives the word
thespian.
Acting
requires a wide range of skills, including vocal projection, clarity of speech,
physical expressivity, emotional facility, a well-developed imagination, and the
ability to interpret drama. Acting also often demands an ability to employ
dialects, accents and body language, improvisation, observation and emulation,
mime, and stage combat. Many actors train at length in special programs or
colleges to develop these skills, and today the vast majority of professional
actors have undergone extensive training. Even though one actor may have years
of training, they always strive for more lessons; the cinematic and theatrical
world is always changing and because of this, the actor must stay as up to date
as possible. Actors and actresses will often have many instructors and teachers
for a full range of training involving, but not limited to, singing, scene-work,
monologue techniques, audition techniques, and partner
work.
Professional
actors
Not all
people working as actors in film, television or theatre are professionally
trained. Conservatories typically offer two- to four-year training on all
aspects of acting. Universities will offer three- to four-year programs, where a
student is often able to choose to focus on drama, while still learning about
other aspects of theatre. Schools will vary in their approach, but in North
America the most popular method taught derives from the "system" of Constantin
Stanislavski, which was developed and popularised in America by Lee Strasberg,
Stella Adler, and others. The ambiguously termed method acting came about
through iterations of Stanislavski's system by Strasberg. Part of this style of
training includes actors memorizing lines to be able to work off-book, a term
that means being able to work without a script. Other approaches may include a
more physical approach, following the teachings of Jerzy Grotowski and others,
or may be based on the training developed by other theatre practitioners
including Sanford Meisner. Other classes may include mask work, improvisation,
and acting for the camera. Regardless of a school's approach, students should
expect intensive training in textual interpretation, voice and movement.
Although there are some teachers who will encourage the improvisation as
technique in order to free the actor of limitations in rehearsal. Harold
Guskin's approach or "taking it off the page" as he calls it is steeped in this
philosophy. Applications to drama programs and conservatories are through
auditions in the United States. Anybody over the age of 18 can usually apply to
drama school.
Training may
also start at a very young age. Acting classes and professional schools targeted
at the under-18 crowd are offered in many locations. These classes introduce
young actors to different aspects of acting and theatre from scene study to the
marines
Amateur
actors
Amateur
actors are actors who do not require payment for
performances.
Improvisation
Improv was
created by Viola Spolin when working with Neva Boyd at a Hull House in Chicago,
Illinois. Improv was created on the realization that adults do not play games.
Spolin felt that playing games were good exercises and can benefit in future
acting. With improv, people can find true expressive freedom since they don't
ever know how the situation is going to turn out. When one continues to operate
with an open mind they will have a real sense of spontaneity rather than
pre-planning a response. You perform a character of your own making, and with
that character and the others working with you, you create a new and spontaneous
piece. Improv is also used to cover up if an actor or actress makes a
mistake.
Semiotics of
Acting
Semiotics of
Acting is the actor’s ability to transform into a convincing character in front
of the audience. The audience no longer sees the actor as a performer, but sees
a character as a completely different being. Once this shift occurs, the actor
becomes a semiotic device communicating a set of signs to the audience. A
character’s signification can represent a multitude of different meanings to the
audience. This may or may not be intended by the actor, who has limited control
over how the audience will “read” the character. For example, if the actor is
playing a character diagnosed with cancer, the audience may not just see a
cancer patient, but may instead see a character similar to other cancer victims
or survivors they have known. The actor’s performance, like any text, must be
read by the audience.
However, the
actor is judged by giving a convincing and believable performance. The actor’s
performance is mediated by particular semiotic signs including facial
expression, emotion, and vocabulary. All these examples are known as performance
signs. Performance signs are simple codes that the audience must decode during
the actor's performance. It is the actor’s job to deliver those codes
effectively to the audience. If the audience does not find the character
believable, then the actor has failed in their performance. Like other forms of
communication, non-verbal or visual clues are tremendously important. Acting
teacher Sanford Meisner once said, “An ounce of emotion is worth a pound of
words.” Great actors master performance signs in order to win over an
audience.
Acting
involves two forms of communication: intrascenic (communication between
characters) and extrascenic (communication between the characters and the
audience). Both infrascenic and extrascenic communication must work in order for
the audience to read the semiotic signs of the actor’s performance. The
characters must have intrascenic skills – “good chemistry” – in a scene in order
for the audience to understand the performance.
The actor
represents the text of the script as performance signs. Actors bring the text to
life through performance and through the personal qualities they may contribute
to the narrative of script. Actors represent the ideas of the text, but also
create a new visually dimensioned reality through their
performance.
Becoming an
actor representing semiotic signs can be a very difficult process. One must
understand the performance signs, the audience, and human
emotion.
