How would you describe "good" acting? What experience have you had as an actor? What skills would you like to work on this semester? What kind of feedback about your acting would you like from me as we move through the semester?
I would describe good acting as someone who can play a variety of roles that are completely different from one another. One example of someone who I think can be good at playing different roles is James Franco. I do not believe he is the greatest actor, but he does play humorous roles well such as Saul, the drug dealer from Pineapple Express (2008), or parodying himself in This Is The End (2013). However, James Franco is also able to pull off more serious roles such as Will Rodman, the scientist looking for a cure for Parkinson’s disease in Planet of the Apes (2011). Will Smith also applies to this, in my opinion. He started off being hilarious and incredibly animated in Fresh Prince of BeI-Air (1990-1996). He then went on to do more serious films like I, Robot (2004), I am Legend (2007), and Seven Pounds (2008), while reminding his fans that he can still be funny in Hancock (2008). I would also describe good acting as someone who can truly convince me that they’re actually going through whatever their character is going through. This is kind of related to action sequences such as the actor really just got shot, or is actually jumping out of a speeding car, etc. However, this is mostly related to psychological things, such as the character really is scared or in love. If an actor appears to be faking it, it’s not very good acting.
The only acting I have ever done has been in front of cameras, I have never acted on a stage before.
However, I did work on many theatrical productions in high school, so I definitely have been exposed
to acting that’s good, at least to a high school’s standards. Certain skills I would like to improve on is
knowing how to act in front of people, since it seems like it's harder than acting in front of a camera.
Helpful feedback would probably be to tell me what I'm doing wrong, and how to do it right. That
may sound a little basic, but I suppose I mean to tell me how to improve, rather than just telling me
what I am doing wrong or telling me that I was bad.
So, versatility and a sense of realness seems important to you.
ReplyDeleteVersatility comes from openness. So, think about that as we go through the semester.
Realness is grounded in specifics. So, when we think something seems real, it is because it is grounded in details and specifics.
I will definitely give you feedback that is what I like to call actionable. In other words, I will try to give specific steps to improve.