Action!: Acting for Film and Television Book

By the late eighties, the retrenchment of the American repertory theatre movement had greatly reduced the opportunities for stage actors in America. At the same time, the expansion of television and film production drew more and more actors away from the stage. One by one, most of the wonderful repertory theatre actors came to Los Angeles to try their luck. Most of them, being seasoned and versatile after years in repertory, managed to muddle through the adjustment from stage to camera on their own, and are having successful careers. Our schools cannot go on pretending that film and television are not the major employers of actors in this country; a glance at the union membership numbers proves it. There is a real need for systematic, no-nonsense training for the camera wherever actors are trained in this country. This book was written to help address that need. It uses the same approach the author has employed over the eight editions of The Actor at Work: to define underlying principles, present them in a logically sequential program of development, and provide experiential exercises that help the student to discover and internalize them for herself or himself. This book will help any actor tailor their skills for film and television.Read More