The Science of On-Camera Acting

by Andréa Morris

  ***

  “It blows me away that everyone is so passive aggressive,” laughs Zee. Zee’s advice: “Don’t come in with guns blazing telling your makeup artist how it’s going to be, and don’t let the makeup artists steamroll you either. Make a human connection. Hold out your hand to shake theirs so they don’t have a spare hand to pick up a brush.”

  ***

  Exercise interpersonal skills. Juggle kindness and assertiveness to strike that balance so necessary for creative collaboration. You cannot do your own look, your own final touches, check the monitor, and keep track of continuity. You need a good working relationship with vanities. As Zee says, “It all boils down to confidence. If you’re confident about what you want and you tell me, I will do it for you and I will probably do it better than you.”

  Chapter Endnotes

  1 Isser, David (Director), “Beyond the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman,” Discovery Channel, 2013.

  2 Ibid.

  3 Hayes, Helen, quote, n.d., Poem Hunter, www.poemhunter.com/quotations/famous.asp?people=helen%20hayesl, accessed March 9, 2014.

  Part IV

  Epilogue

  DIY Filmmaking

  In early November 2008, my agent called with an appointment at Sony studios to meet with director Kevin MacDonald, who’d been forwarded my self-tape for the role of Sonia Baker in his upcoming film State of Play. At the time, the film’s stars were Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. I was told I wouldn’t have to audition again, the online audition my agent submitted was enough. Kevin blocked out Sonia’s scenes and we verified availabilities for the Washington, DC shoot dates in December. It was the eve of the 2007 to 2008 writers’ strike, and I was relieved something might come through before the looming dry spell.

  But Pitt requested script changes. At midnight on November 5, the strike was struck; no more changes could be made. Pitt dropped out. Norton dropped out. The role of Sonia Baker went to another actress, but the role was largely cut out anyway. This would have been more frustrating if some variation of it hadn’t happened countless times before, to myself, and every actor I know. Only now I was in a position where I had verifiable evidence my auditions were strong, so the realization that the traditional route is more chance than skill really hit home.

  On the heels of the strike came the global recession. Employment pretty much came to a halt for anyone in Hollywood who worked in scripted. In the midst of widespread creative frustration, I bought a truckload of camera equipment (never do this—rent), set up an editing bay, produced and directed an improvised spec pilot, and fell in love with every aspect of filmmaking. Through casting, I better understood the audition process. By editing, I learned the ideal performance elements for editing a scene together. The experience also ingrained a profound respect for the actor’s voice and the art of audio capture and sound mixing.

  At this point it dawned on me that this business is like a Rubik’s Cube. You have to keep cranking it until eventually the color squares line up. It takes a lot of time, creative thinking, and patience, and the DIY route allows you to peel off some of the stickers and put them where you want.

  I recently had lunch with two young women in their third year at one of the most prestigious acting programs in North America. One of the women was describing her passion for every area of filmmaking in front of and behind the camera. But she had been given some advice from a university counselor citing some arbitrary or archaic policy that you have to choose between working in front of or behind the camera. Working behind the camera provides an invaluable perspective of the business and art of film acting. There is no better place to learn, and pay your rent, than on the job. In 2012, I worked for an executive who ran a major studio and I saw Hollywood’s fabricated rules crumbling under the ever-sharpening scrutiny of common sense. The bottom line: if you are pursuing your goals with integrity you can do anything you want as long as you don’t apologize for it. And never apologize for learning.

  In 2012, my iPhone 4S with a FiLMiC Pro app was a better camera than the Panasonic HVX200 that was state-of-the-art and shot many independent films back in 2008. The iPhone plus the app combined were less than a sixth of the price. Editing software is soon coming to phones, and I recently heard the CEO of a postproduction firm talk about how his entire field will be obsolete in the next ten years as most editing will be done in real time in the cloud. In the few months since I started jotting down notes for this chapter, the technology has already gone through a new evolution. For this reason, I will forgo specifics about DIY filmmaking. Google searches within the past year will yield more relevant information on technology and trends. I also suggest you reach out to others interested or already working in film. Following the DIY route is becoming ubiquitous. Within a dime’s throw are people in your area who want to tell stories with cameras.

  * * *

  “Film will only become an art when its materials are as inexpensive as pencil and paper.”

  Jean Cocteau1

  * * *

  I am not suggesting any actor forgo the traditional route. I am pointing out that at the time of publication, many actors, even actors with good agents, run into difficulties just getting seen by casting. The traditional route of struggling for the opportunity to petition others for work via auditions leaves actors with a lot of frustrating downtime that could easily be diverted into more productive and creatively fulfilling endeavors that complement the traditional path.

  In dedicating myself to cracking the code behind a modern, practical acting technique, I fell in love with filmmaking. Yet in this area, I am still quite a novice. Learning all over again from this new perspective, I hope to have an update with more techniques to help actors in future editions of this book or through articles on my website www.TheScienceOfOnCameraActing.com. In the meantime, I encourage you to work with the camera, experiment with this approach, test it against others, build on it. Surround yourself with trusted advisors who can watch your on-camera work with you and give you constructive feedback. Keep honing your craft in a no-nonsense, evidence-based way of experimentation and observation. In no time you will meet the criteria of breadth and consistency that define what it means to be a talented screen actor. I wish you success and look forward to seeing your work.

  Chapter Endnotes

  1 Cocteau, Jean, quote, n.d., www.jeancocteau.com, accessed July 7, 2014.

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