Acting in Film

shot (which may be filmed several hours later), then when the editor comes to cut the film he won't be able to use that shot. It would look as if the golf club had jumped around of its own accord.

    You've learned your lines, now it's time to learn the layout of the set and begin to orient yourself to your surroundings. I go through each scene and do my actions the same way, over and over, exactly as I imagine I will have to do them on the set. Wherever I happen to be, whether at home or in a hotel room, I rearrange the furniture and try to put tables and chairs in places that create a logical mock-up of the scene. I put out cups and saucers or whatever I may need and I time the dialogue around my actions. Now obviously you may not know the exact layout of the set you will be working on or the exact nature of the props you will be given to use, but any clear decision you can make beforehand will provide you with a life raft. Somehow it's a lot easier to change one well-planned course of action for another precise course of action than to turn a vague idea about physical movement into a concrete one on the spur of the moment. And it's surprising how many of your assumptions about furniture and props will turn out to be right.
    Plan your mannerisms and actions precisely and keep them simple so that you can repeat them effortlessly and accurately. But don't overdo it. This is not the area for inspired improvisation. Keep it simple with those golf clubs. If you're going to initiate an action, PLAN IT. Organize your physical actions and tasks so that they are logical-that way you will remember to do them-and practice them so that they remain memorable. You have got to be able to do a physical task the same way over and over again absolutely perfectly. Otherwise, the master shot, the medium shot, and the close-up will not match, scenes will have to be shot again, and you will be costing the producers time and money, not the most endearing quality for producers to remember when they're casting their next film.

     

At the
Studio
or
On Location

    "It's vital that an actor never hold anything up for any reason he can avoid."

    Time is money and it's vital that an actor never hold anything up for any reason he can avoid. On arrival at the studio or location, it's up to you to get the hang of the geography as soon as possible. Find your dressing room, the makeup and hairdressing department, and the shooting stage or location. You probably spoke with an assistant director when you got your call to appear on the set; make sure you introduce yourself to him, if he hasn't already run you to earth, because it's his job to summon you to the set at the appropriate moment. Always wait to be summoned. Eager hanging-about before you are called is not recommended. Everybody on a film set has a function, and if you don't, you're probably in the way.
    The first port-of-call is makeup and hairdressing-a department where everyone is trained to make you as happy and relaxed as possible. Obviously you have already thought about the way your character should look. If your part is large enough, you will have had prior discussion with the director and with makeup and hair artists. If your part doesn't measure up to that kind of attention, the director will have already given that department some indication of what he wants. These guys are experts, so unless you're related to Max Factor it's best to let them get on with it. Besides, the makeup and hairdressing department is usually the hub of the universe, socially speaking, and word of your behavior there soon spreads.

    If you're feeling particularly sensitive about the bags under your eyes or the pimple on your chin, go on, point that out. If you're fair and have blond eyelashes, as I have, you ask for mascara (because if you're in a movie and you have blond eyelashes, you might as well be in a radio play). Eyes are what eventually sell you in a film. But makeup will most likely have spotted that problem anyway.
    Once the makeup and hairdressing artists are done with you, it's up to you to try to preserve the effect. No one wants this expensive handiwork ruined. Don't immediately eat a greasy hamburger or walk in the rain; someone will be there with an umbrella-wait for him! Also, begin to take careful note of variations that may inadvertently occur in your look or costume between scenes: a change of hairstyle, the addition of a coat of nail varnish, etc. Polaroids will be taken on the set