ABSTRACT

The Science and Art of Acting for the Camera provides a precise yet practical approach to help unlock the mysteries of acting for film and television. Written by veteran actor, producer, and director John Howard Swain, the book offers a clear-cut, no-nonsense technique that equips aspiring or working actors with the necessary skills to succeed on camera. The technique teaches you how to build multi-dimensional characters; construct truthful and exciting relationships; ignite stimulating emotions; craft a series of discoveries guaranteed to energize your work; and much, much more. The book also provides instruction for actors working in commercials—from slating, to the dreaded "tell us about yourself" interview, to nailing "the tag" and embracing the cliché—and supplies sample commercial copy for students to practice.

chapter |7 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|6 pages

Things Every Actor Should Know

chapter 2|5 pages

The Basics

chapter 3|22 pages

The Bones

chapter 4|8 pages

Ten Positive Attributes

chapter 5|9 pages

Relationships

chapter 6|4 pages

Main Objective

chapter 7|10 pages

Opposites

chapter 8|4 pages

Moment Before

chapter 9|11 pages

Discoveries/Emotions

chapter 10|12 pages

Beats, Tactics, and Actions

chapter 11|9 pages

Humor

chapter 12|13 pages

Place, Transitions, and Sense Memory

chapter 13|10 pages

Status, Power, and Secrets

chapter 14|9 pages

The Summary

chapter 15|5 pages

The Technique—Condensed

chapter 16|2 pages

Self-Taping

chapter 17|4 pages

The Slate

chapter 18|3 pages

From Slate to Copy

chapter 19|6 pages

Relationships

chapter 20|4 pages

Line-to-Line Objectives

chapter 21|3 pages

The Moment Before and the Tag

chapter 22|2 pages

Banter

chapter 23|5 pages

Environment

chapter 24|2 pages

Embracing the Cliché

chapter 25|9 pages

Double Copy

chapter 26|3 pages

The Dreaded Interview

chapter 27|7 pages

A Few Last Things

chapter 28|2 pages

Your Greatest Asset—You

Acknowledging Your Power

chapter 29|7 pages

Commercial Practice Copy