Acting
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Acting

Definition

Actors portray characters in media products and contribute to character development, creating tension or advancing the narrative. The actors chosen during casting can have a role to play in audience understanding or enjoyment of a media product as we expect and associate certain actors with certain genres.

Acting can be described as either naturalistic or non-naturalistic. Non-naturalistic acting calls attention to itself and was often seen in classic Hollywood films.

Elements of Acting

Facial expression

An actor’s facial expression is a powerful way of expressing emotion when even small movements can have strong symbolic connotations.

Eyebrows are seen as important signifiers in facial expressions and is often a good place to start when doing a description.

Gaze is also an important part of facial expression — it’s a term used to describe the focus of a person’s look. Is the person looking at the camera, at someone else or outside the frame? When two people’s gaze meet, this is called ‘eye contact’.

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Lowered eyebrows can mean anger or pain like in ‘127 Hours’.
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This shot from ‘Grease’s shows the power of gaze.

Body language

Body language is about the way an actor controls their body through gestures, posture and body contact.

gesture is a kind of visible expression made by the actor, a type of movement. It could be a wave, a slap of the forehead, a shake of the head.

Posture is the general way that the body is held, it’s the attitude of the body. Arms crossed suggest someone might be defensive, a rigid posture might suggest someone is tense, slouching might suggest someone is depressed.

Body contact is a very powerful symbolic code that suggests intimacy and is highly dependent on cultural norms.

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Vocal qualities

How a character says dialogue often in more important than what they are saying. Characters might be loud, abrupt, soft-spoken, have an accent, have vocal fry, be slurring their speech or mumble.

Movement

How a character moves can be connected to their body language. A confident strut can be connected to a stern facial expression and a stiff posture. Character movements can be jittery, awkward, stiff, fast, meandering, agitated, still or any other of descriptions.

Video Examples

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Scene library

Magic Trick

The Dark Knight

Taking It Up With HR

The Assistant

You’re tearing me apart

Rebel Without A Cause

Truth or Dare

Eighth Grade

Telling the Parents
Line Up

The Usual Suspects

The Staircase

The Shining

Resources

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Westworld: What Makes Anthony Hopkins Great - YouTube
actingvideo essayvideowestworldnerdwriter
Introduction: gesture in film: Journal for Cultural Research: Vol 19, No 1
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(80) Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 32 Actors' Accents | WIRED - YouTube
actingaccentvoicevideo
Accent Expert Breaks Down 6 Fictional Languages From Film & TV | WIRED - YouTube
actingyoutubevideovoice
Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 31 Actors Playing Real People | WIRED - YouTube
actingvoicevideoyoutube
There Will Be Blood: Vocal Control in Movies - YouTube
actingvoicethere will be bloodyoutubevideo
Observations on film art : THE SOCIAL NETWORK: Faces behind Facebook
actingBordwellThe Social Networkfacial expression