Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Four Character Acting Objectives Actors Need Know

Characters, like people, are machines that want things and do things to get those things they want. They want something now and later. The wants change and sometimes even conflict with each other. You might want one thing in your 20's and another when you turn 45. You may have a certain set of desires when you are single and they may drastically change once you have children.

A character's desires will affect how you portray this character and it's important to know the major types of desires and how they can function in a production.

Lifetime


Not something that can be defined precisely in the text of a production, nevertheless it can be useful to make specific a character. Everybody has issues, dilemmas, or problems that last a life time. These things never get solved so we deal with them our entire lives. Often they are two conflicting desires and the dilemma is the choosing between one or the other. We may think we have the problem handled when later in life it rears its ugly head again. This can help you color any parts of your performance that you don't feel are definitive. It needn't be fireworks and nobody has to consciously notice. It could be that added touch that often elevates great performances to the sublime.

Story


Each character has something they mean to achieve by the end of the play, movie, act, episode, whatever. It may not seem to match any scene or immediate objective but will none the less become evident. More likely the scene and immediate objectives are related somehow to the task of achieving the overall objective of the piece. We don't always take the most obvious route to get something. Every person has a unique way of thinking and they can come to drastically different conclusions about how to get something important to them.


Scene


No matter what little desires the scene may be filled with, overall the scene will have a single overarching desire that supersedes it. At times another desire may become more important and conflict can come into play between scene and immediate objectives. A scene is a story in miniature. The character lives out this scene as if there is no story but just these moments. They do what they think will work, gauge reaction, are reminded of their desires occasionally and then regroup. There is no straight line to getting things that are difficult to get. There is a lot of guessing, risk-taking and side tracking. The thing that will hold them all together is character desires now and soon.

Immediate


This is what the character wants right now. Not in a few minutes but in a few seconds. This might be in reaction to another character or to a physical sensation. This immediate desire may or may not help the character achieve any other desire and in fact may conflict with it. These desires will at times be stronger than others and will change the way you go about trying to get something. In the best of circumstances a person will always be goal-oriented and never let any other desire get in the way but people and characters are rarely like that. We meander and wander our way to our goals and along the way have to take care of others that might seem important at the time.
It's crucial to be able to have a good conception of what your character is about and desire is one of the best ways. Contemplate not only what your character wants in the scene you're doing now but for the whole play and in their lifetime. It might seem like a lot of work for little gain but the slightest advantage is something you can't overlook.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

PREPRODUCTION CHECKLIST


Make a Production Schedule:
 a. Block out dates for all your shoots; Aim to leave at least 3 weeks for
careful editing. If you are editing at the last minute, you will be stuck using your first cut rather than having time to try a few different versions, and you won’t have time for polishing, fine-tuning, and post- picture lock work such as color correction and sound mixing (these can make a huge difference).
b. Log, take notes, and assemble selects / rough scenes while you are still in production
c. Check with other members of your camera group to make sure you are not planning overlapping shoot dates.
d. Be realistic about scheduling – a typical rule of thumb is that it takes approximately one 8-hour shooting day to cover 2-4 minutes of script time.

Crew Up: 
a. Plan in advance to make sure you have all the crew members you need
for your shoots. Make sure to ask members of your group and other members of the class ahead of time to make sure you aren’t scrambling for crewmembers at the last minute.
b. Remember, the more you are able to delegate specific jobs to specific people, the more you’ll be able to focus on directing and getting the performances you want out of your actors. At a minimum, you should consider having at least a gaffer and a sound recordist / boom operator on your crew. Additionally, you might consider having a DP (so you are not shooting and directing at the same time), a camera assistant (especially if you’re doing dolly moves or complicated focus pulls), a production / costume designer, etc.

Visualize your project’s “Look”: 
a. As you move from the written script to thinking about your piece on
screen, think broadly about what kind of color palette, mood and tone
you want your piece to have. 
b. Collect images that inspire you visually and post them to the class blog.

Find and secure Locations: 
a. Make a list of all the locations that appear in your script, and list a few
options for each one. 
b. Always bring a still camera with you for location scouting. Visit at
several times of day if possible 
c. Take notes about the available light in the location. Think in terms of
planning your lighting creatively around what’s already there. 
d. Think about the size of the location and what kind of options will be available for placing lights and camera positions. Will you be able to
move far back enough to get wide shots if needed? 
e. Make sure to ask a lot of questions – you should find out about
availability, any limitations or scheduling issues, circuits and outlets. 
f. Try to get a sense of any noises or hums in the space that may cause
sound issues (fridges should be turned off – always make sure to turn them back on before you leave! -- vents and fluorescent lights can make noise, etc.).
g. If possible, you might want to move furniture away from walls to avoid casting harsh back shadows. Make sure you will be able to make the changes you need to the location, both in terms of set dressing / props and in terms of logistics (eliminating noise, moving furniture and lights, etc).
h. Post location photos to the class blog.

5. Casting: a. Bad actors and age-inappropriate casting are often the downfall of
student films. It will really pay off to spend time and be creative about casting – Unless they are truly perfect for the part, don’t just cast your friends!
b. Be creative about how you go about looking for actors – try craigslist, local casting resources, calling local theater programs, community / adult ed acting classes, putting up flyers, just asking non-professional regular people in the community who might happen to be the right physical type for the role.
c. Consider teaming up with other class members to hold a common casting type of open audition.
d. Make sure your posting / flyer contains relevant info about the roles you are casting (include age, physical characteristics, short blurb describing character, date /time / length of audition, materials that need to be prepared (such as monologue), your contact info, shoot timeframe, remuneration – you’re not paying them, but you should always offer a DVD of the finished film for their reel)
e. Hold open auditions in a space where you can separate the person auditioning from the people who are waiting.
f. Make a form for people to fill out (including contact info, experience, scheduling constraints, etc)
g. Consider whether you want to ask for a monologue, a cold reading of a scene (good to test chemistry between two people), or reading from your script.
h. Always give some directions / suggestions after the first reading. You want to see if your actor is able to change aspects of their performance / responds well to direction.
i. Videotape auditions if possible – include CU to see facial expression and MS to see gesture / body language.
j. Let actors know when they can expect to hear from you k. Consider holding callbacks if you need to see more.
Production Design (questions to ask yourself): a. What is the Film’s theme? b. What are its mood progressions? c. What kind of location should each sequence have? d. What statement should each location make towards the film’s premise? e. How should each set be lit?
f. What kind of props go with the set? g. What kind of belongings do the characters keep around them? 
h. What kind of clothes does each character wear and what do the clothes
tell us? i. How does their wardrobe vary from scene to scene? 
j. What color palette and progression would promote the film’s thematic
development? Prepare costumes, props, set dressing

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN DEVELOPING A SHOOTING SCRIPT 
a. What do you need to show to establish environment? 
b. When do you show establishing info? 
c. When do characters move and how to show movement (follow
character / make shot wider / let character leave frame / show
another character’s eyeline change) 
d. At each significant moment, whose POV are we sharing -- does POV
shift? When / how? 
e. What are significant eyelines and when do they change? 
f. When / why does the camera move? 
g. How can you use composition to show relationships (framing, focal
length, arrangement of characters, etc)? 
h. What kind of coverage do you need (critical moments should have
more coverage / more editing options)?

Make a Floorplan / lighting plot for each Location 
a. Sketch a simple floorplan 
b. Mark Camera positions (designate A, B, C etc) 
c. A should be the widest shot, since it uses the most lighting and
determines how subsequent shots look 
d. Figure out placement of lights in the scene

A. FLOORPLAN DIAGRAM

B. LIGHTING PLOT

Break down your shooting script: 
e. Number each scene in your script
f. Bracket off each intended shot 
g. Designate each shot as CAM A / B/ C 
h. Give each bracket a shot description 
i. Make sure to leave lots of generous action overlap so you have editing
options 
j. A great exercise is to analyze a dialogue scene in a feature film –
watch the scene, make a floor plan, and try to figure out how to draw all the camera positions into the floor plan.

10.Make a Storyboard

11.Make a Shooting Schedule a. See sample schedules on course website / downloads

The Los Angeles 48 Hour Film Project

Los Angeles Filmmakers Take to the Streets
This weekend 1600 filmmakers from Los Angeles are making films in the 48 Hour Film Project! All of completed films will screen on the dates below.


Here are some important notes for 48HFP filmmakers:
  • Elements: The required elements for Los Angeles will be listed to the right.
  • Media: You must submit your film on one of the media listed to the right.
  • Documents: You must submit releases for all team members, all music, all locations, and any other copyrighted material, as well as a team leader's agreement, a roster, and a certification statement. These forms can be downloaded from on our production documents page.
  • Rules/FAQ: You should make sure that your film complies with our rules. If you have questions about the rules, the best place to go is our faq.
  • 48HFP Hotline: If you have a question during the filmmaking weekend, call the 48HFP Hotline. The number is on the Kickoff Info Sheet that your team representative was given at the kickoff. If you email us, you will probably not receive an answer in time, so please call.
  • Dropoff: The location to drop off your film is listed below.
  • Coda: Be safe! Make great films! Good luck!
There are still a few slots available in the Los Angeles 48HFP.

Register for Los Angeles now!



Los Angeles 48HFP Events

Kickoff

Date  August 3, 2012
Time  6:00pm
Place  Dim Mak Studios (Cinespace)6356 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028

Dropoff

Date  August 5, 2012
Time  6:00-9:00pm (by 7:30pm to be on time!)
Place  Dim Mak Studios (Cinespace)6356 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028

Premiere Screenings

Date  August 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th
Time  7:00pm and 9:30pm
Place  Laemmle Noho 75240 Lankershim Boulevard North Hollywood
Tickets  $11.00 (purchase them here)