chpt 6 film test 1

1930s-1940s

The "Golden Age" of the star system and the Majors (MGM, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, RKO)

Stage actors

must project their voices to be heard in the back row, while conveying characterization through body language that would likely seem overly dramatic on screen.

Extras

provide a sense of crowd; often function more as "landscape or set" than characters

Lee Strasberg

taught method acting at The Actor's Studio in New York City, where many famous actors learned or refined their craft

In the fifties

the Method became the dominant style of acting in American cinema and live theater and is still a widely used technique

Elia Kazan

the most famous method director

Hollywood and the Stars

• 1920s—Charles Chaplin and Mary Pickford were the best loved (and highest paid) stars in the world. • 1930s-1940s—The "Golden Age" of the star system and the Majors (MGM, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, RKO). • 1930s—Clark Gable was the top leading man of the decade.

In Live Theater

• Actors can portray characters much younger than themselves as long as they stay physically fit and convey the correct body language and voice. • There are no onstage close-ups.

Movie Actors

• Are less restricted by vocal requirements due to electronic sound equipment, do not need to be especially tall as low angles or even boxes can be used to make them appear taller. • Have the opportunity for retakes of action and re-recording of dialogue, which can be mixed, dubbed, and finally edited for the "perfect" final cut. • Must act scenes out of story sequence and often play solely to the camera.

Personality Stars

• Are valued for their box office draw, charisma, and personality type. • Rarely, if ever, play against type. • Have a definable and immediately recognizable persona. What distinguishes an actor star from a personality star is mass popularity

The Method

• Based on Konstantin Stanislavski's (co-founder and director of the legendary Moscow Art Theater) teachings. • Focuses on an interior style of acting. • In the fifties, the Method became the dominant style of acting in American cinema and live theater and is still a widely used technique. • Lee Strasberg taught method acting at The Actor's Studio in New York City, where many famous actors learned or refined their craft. • Elia Kazan was the most famous method director.

Key Concepts of The Method

• Live the part. • Use of emotional recall. • Emphasis on the subconscious, the psychology of the character. • Never take the script at face value—think subtext. • Research background, locale, and history of the character. • Emphasis on accurate re-creation of externals (costume, set, etc.).

Stage Actors

• Need to be seen and clearly heard, physical height and volume are both assets. • Need flexible, trained voices, capable of a variety of expression. • Must communicate emotion through physical pantomime or gestures, have precise physical control of their bodies. • Perform in real time and must build energy of performance along with the structure of the play.

Realist: The French New Wave

• The 1960s brought realist thought to the technique of acting. • Improvisation was used in silent cinema, but is primarily considered a convention of cinema verité. • Godard and Truffaut, French New Wave directors, showed a particular affinity for improvisation. • While improvisation is not new, nor solely used by realist directors, it has probably been favored and used to its fullest by them.

Hollywood and the Stars (Types)

• The anti-establishment star: Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, James Dean • The vamp or femme fatale: Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Theda Bara • The "cheap" blonde: Mae West, Jean Harlow, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield • John Wayne is considered to be the most popular star in film history

The British Tradition

British film actors are generally classically trained in repertory theatre and are highly versatile

Non-Professional performers

Amateur players chosen not necessarily because of their acting ability, but because of their authentic appearance—they have the right look. Often used in documentary films or docudramas. Frequently, independent films, mostly due to small budgets, use non-professional performers.

1920s

Charles Chaplin and Mary Pickford were the best loved (and highest paid) stars in the world.

1930s

Clark Gable was the top leading man of the decade

Realism

In general, the more realistic the director's techniques, the more necessary it is to rely on the abilities of the players

Expressionism

Is another way of saying formalism. "Formalists are often referred to as expressionists because they are concerned with expressing their subjective experience of reality

the Major Studios

MGM, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, RKO

Silent Film Pantomime

Must communicate emotion through physical pantomime or gestures, have precise physical control of their bodies

Trained Professionals

Screen and stage performers capable of playing a wide variety of roles and styles convincingly.

star types

The anti-establishment star; The vamp or femme fatale; The "cheap" blonde

Contemporary film stars

can be short, unattractive and even clumsy

John Wayne

considered to be the most popular star in film history

mass popularity

distinguishes an actor star from a personality star