1. Acting Unit 4

2. Acting Categories Extras- –Used to provide a sense of a crowd Nonprofessionals –Chosen because they “look the part” Trained professionals –Have trained acting ability –Can play a variety of roles Stars –Famous performers recognized by the public

3. Charlie Chaplin “Film acting is unquestionably a director’s medium.” All actors’/actresses’ work is shaped by the director.

4. Film Actor vs. Stage Actor Natural Interesting Must look appealing Influenced by director’s choices Can dub voice Can change physical appearance Expressive Must be loud Must have strong features Must be clear Believable Sustained energy Precise movements

5. Realistic vs. Formalistic Director Realistic –More dependent on acting ability Formalistic –Less dependant on the acting ability

6. History of Stardom Before 1910 –Actors names not included in credits –Stars might demand higher salaries Late 1940s- Ingrid Bergman –Private and public life collided –She was quite modest on screen –Her affair with Rossellini shocked audiences

7. History Cont… 1920s Silent Era –Stars grew in wealth and power –Fan magazines sprang up After Talkie Revolution –Majors turned to live theater for new stars

8. History Cont… 1930s-1940s Golden Age –Supremacy of Hollywood Studio system –Stars signed with the Majors –MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros., 20 th Century Fox, RKO 1962 Marilyn Monroe dies –Troublesome childhood –Sex symbol in public eye –Died of drug overdose

9. How Majors Affected Stardom Gave stars new names Taught stars how to walk/talk/look Made social schedules for their clients Concocted romances to increase name

10. Hardships of Acting Tabloids Being in the public eye Criticism Treated like commodities Stereotyped

11. Typecasting (+ and -) Transmits values Set up public image Acting more natural on screen Not great acting Less range of roles Less variety of roles

12. Questions to Consider What types of actors are featured and why? Are they amateurs, professionals or pop stars? How are the actors treated by the director? Does the star change radically from film to film? If the actor is iconographic, what values does he or she embody? What style of acting predominates? How realistic or stylized is the acting style?