UK trailer Iron Lady
1.16.2012
The Iron Lady: UK vs USA
Look at the difference between these two trailers for Meryl Streeps new movie The Iron Lady. The first was released in the UK and the second was released here. They look as if they are almost two different films!
UK trailer Iron Lady
UK trailer Iron Lady
1.15.2012
My Opinion on the Acting in Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror
I feel as though it is nearly impossible to only be able to critique the acting in the film because all the other affects are needed to “help” the actors know exactly what kind of film they are in. For example, in this silent film, it was clever when we would hear a door slam and the actor could also hear it and react. Even though this is a “silent film,” I interpreted it to be loud in reference to its story and characters. The actors were bold with their movements and hilarious facial expressions. Comparing it to film today, I assume that the actors in Nosferatu only had one or two shots to do a particular scene, and now, 90 years later when filming, a scene could take up to 15 hours. This meant the actors had to be on their game when the director said go.
When looking at the actors’ performance in Nosferatu, I noticed they all had thoughts and lines but we couldn’t hear the lines which made it necessary for me to follow the actors’ thought process. For example, Knock had an intriguing shift of tactics and emotions when he went from sneaky to evil, which led me to believe that he was planning something for Hutter to act upon. Knock truly illustrated his character by being over the top and exaggerated with his face and movements, especially in the prison scenes. I thought he was successful when playing this role. Graf Orlok was pretty much the villain with an actual hilarious presence when trying to play “evil.” The other actors’ reactions to his name were essential because it’s important that the meaning of their relationships to Graf Orlok is clear. In order to get what Graf Orlok wanted, he uses multiple tactics like being overly friendly or down to earth. I really was unimpressed by Hutter. I thought the other characters were better because Hutter didn’t seem like he was on the same page with everyone else; Hutter looked like he thought that this “Symphony of Horror” is a silly piece. The other characters, like his wife, were invested in what was going on in the story. I think this a necessary movie in history to watch when beginning to study film.
Film Acting vs. Stage Acting
This link discusses some of what we spoke about in class, and also provides some useful tips. Among the most helpful are: try to act normally, don't "pull back," and maintaining stillness.
http://www.actingbiz.com/articles/film_stage_acting.php
http://www.actingbiz.com/articles/film_stage_acting.php
Nosferatu
Acting in silent films will obviously not be the same as acting for a film with sound. Emotions and actions must be made clearer, and intentions shown broadly. There must be, however, a balance between exaggeration and believability. There are examples of both types of acting in Nosferatu - overly exaggerated, and balanced.
Hutter, the main character, exaggerates to the point of comedy. His reactions, especially those that should be nuanced, are far too great to be taken seriously. Even a mundane act like waking up takes a theatrical turn when Hutter emotes. Nosferatu finds a decent balance between emoting and subtleness. The fact that he is not human allows the audience to take some of his more outlandish actions in stride. Hutter's wife shows the best acting in the film for any main character; her reactions are generally normal for people in real life, and she is the most believable character.
Hutter, the main character, exaggerates to the point of comedy. His reactions, especially those that should be nuanced, are far too great to be taken seriously. Even a mundane act like waking up takes a theatrical turn when Hutter emotes. Nosferatu finds a decent balance between emoting and subtleness. The fact that he is not human allows the audience to take some of his more outlandish actions in stride. Hutter's wife shows the best acting in the film for any main character; her reactions are generally normal for people in real life, and she is the most believable character.
Nosferatu response
I am always fascinated by silent movies, primarily because since they lack the component of speech the actors must work that much harder to convey their intentions, emotions, and thought processes. Being a film major, I have watched several silent movies and they never fail to amaze me. As in some other silent movies, I found Nosferatu to be a wonderfully crafted true horror piece. It is true that most silent movies use overacting to an extreme, however when we step back and remember that facial expressions and large physical gestures are the main tools the actors from the silent period had, we start to realize that they used those techniques to enhance their performances and the theatricality of the entire production.
In the beginning of the film we see Harker's smiling face as he greets his young wife, and as we proceed through the film we look back on that carefree face and remember how quickly lives can change. However, in that smile, as Harker looks at his wife, I also saw a graphic match to Renfield's evil smile as he sends Harker away to Count Dracula's castle. I found it interesting how a smile can be either happy and comforting or creepy and terrifying. Again, as Renfield tells Harker to go work for the Count he and Harker are smiling at each other and Renfield pats his hand. Or, at least, he would be patting his hand except for the fact that he is actually hitting his hand in a frighteningly aggressive way. After the first 10 minutes alone we get the feeling, through odd behaviors such as an entire tavern falling silent at Count Dracula's name, that in a seemingly ordinary and harmless world there is an evil that lingers in the dark and stays underground.
Count Dracula, appearing as a tall, thin, sickly-looking figure, is himself secretive and creepy. The thing that kept me on edge as I watched him was how he would do something abnormal and strange, like sucking on Harker's cut, and then seemingly friendly offer him a chair so they could talk for a while. In my mind Dracula resembled Shakespeare's Richard III; he acts normal and odd, but friendly, and then turns around and kills everyone. By the time people realize what is going on it's too late and he has accomplished his mission. I think that what scared me most about his character was how Max Schreck, who played the Count, walked deliberately, but slowly and with long strides. This gives me the impression that there is no use in running from him since he will always catch up to you and take you for his own. Certainly the make up, such as the dark circles around the eyes, the pointed ears, and the long, claw-like fingers added to his horrific monster appearance. However, Schreck's use of his eyes, big and bulbous to accentuate his nocturnal lifestyle, combined with his stalking pace, claw-like hands, and stiff-as-a-board posture brought the life-draining "disease" to life, making it feel like he would come out of the film and into the world we live in, waiting around every corner for his unsuspecting prey.
In the beginning of the film we see Harker's smiling face as he greets his young wife, and as we proceed through the film we look back on that carefree face and remember how quickly lives can change. However, in that smile, as Harker looks at his wife, I also saw a graphic match to Renfield's evil smile as he sends Harker away to Count Dracula's castle. I found it interesting how a smile can be either happy and comforting or creepy and terrifying. Again, as Renfield tells Harker to go work for the Count he and Harker are smiling at each other and Renfield pats his hand. Or, at least, he would be patting his hand except for the fact that he is actually hitting his hand in a frighteningly aggressive way. After the first 10 minutes alone we get the feeling, through odd behaviors such as an entire tavern falling silent at Count Dracula's name, that in a seemingly ordinary and harmless world there is an evil that lingers in the dark and stays underground.
Count Dracula, appearing as a tall, thin, sickly-looking figure, is himself secretive and creepy. The thing that kept me on edge as I watched him was how he would do something abnormal and strange, like sucking on Harker's cut, and then seemingly friendly offer him a chair so they could talk for a while. In my mind Dracula resembled Shakespeare's Richard III; he acts normal and odd, but friendly, and then turns around and kills everyone. By the time people realize what is going on it's too late and he has accomplished his mission. I think that what scared me most about his character was how Max Schreck, who played the Count, walked deliberately, but slowly and with long strides. This gives me the impression that there is no use in running from him since he will always catch up to you and take you for his own. Certainly the make up, such as the dark circles around the eyes, the pointed ears, and the long, claw-like fingers added to his horrific monster appearance. However, Schreck's use of his eyes, big and bulbous to accentuate his nocturnal lifestyle, combined with his stalking pace, claw-like hands, and stiff-as-a-board posture brought the life-draining "disease" to life, making it feel like he would come out of the film and into the world we live in, waiting around every corner for his unsuspecting prey.
Nosferatu
I wasn’t a huge fan of this film, although it was an experience watching it. I have seen other silent films before which I enjoyed, but those were all comedies, mostly with Buster Keaton. The acting in “Nosferatu” was extremely over exaggerated. Although this is typical with a lot of silent films, I thought it works much better in silent comedies than with horror. In comedy, the over exaggerations add to the humor whereas with this film I found it distracting. This type of film is so different from contemporary films today. I understand that since the actors aren’t speaking they have to convey and communicate everything through their face and gestures; however, it takes away from the story. I found myself more focused on the over acting, so it was difficult for me to follow the narrative.
Hutter was the most obvious and exaggerated actor with his emotions. When he cut himself at dinner and Nosferatu tasted his blood, his “scared” reaction was so over the top, it became almost a parody of itself. I couldn’t take it seriously and found it funny rather than scary. On the other hand, I thought that his wife was the subtlest actor. Although she did tend to overact at times, her facial expressions and gestures were never incredibly over the top. When Hutter told her that he was leaving in the beginning of the film, her face looked stunned and shocked. Her acting was the closest to a realistic reaction that someone could have in that situation. I could still tell what she was feeling or wanted to express, but it didn’t seem as fake or heightened as some of the other actors’ expressions.
3 Top Tips For Successful Acting for the Camera
I just thought it was interesting since we had been talking about people's common conceptions for what camera acting is:
3 Top Tips For Successful Acting For the Camera
By Jack Gipson
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You'll find that acting for the stage and acting for the camera are very different. Even if you've only ever acted on stage, you will find that it is definitely possible for you to act on film. However, it is different and you will need to follow some important advice and tips. You'll actually find that acting for the camera is quite normal, but it is very different from acting on stage. Here are some important things you'll need to remember if you are going to act on film instead of on stage. They'll help you become successful in this pursuit in acting.
Avoid Talking too Loud
One of the first things you need to remember when acting for the camera is to avoid talking too loud. Usually when acting for film, you have a microphone that is over your head or even clipped on. It's unlike theater acting when you need to throw your voice so everyone can hear you. So, keep a voice that is normal and avoid getting to loud. After all, you wouldn't yell to someone right next to you. Remember this important tip when auditioning or acting for film.
Don't Move too Much
It's also very important that you don't move around too much when you are acting for the camera. Move too much and you'll walk out of the view of the camera. You should stick to your sport unless you are supposed to move. Usually movements in stage acting are larger than life to convey movements to a large audience. You don't have to worry about this when it comes to acting on film. Movements are very normal and not over stated. Remember, film is supposed to look natural and normal.
Over Acting is Not an Option
Last of all, over acting is not an option when you are acting for the camera. Every single twitch of your face is going to be seen on film, especially on a bigger screen. There's no need to accentuate and exaggerate facial expressions for the camera. If you do, you'll end up looking silly. Your facial expressions should just be normal. So, make sure that you don't over act and end up looking silly on camera.
Wanna learn more about acting for the camera [http://www.acting-class-online.com]? Sign up for the free acting webzine [http://www.acting-class-online.com/acting-webzine.html] "The Acting Class Newsletter" and receive news and tips on the acting business.
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