Acting in Film

stupid.

    BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN
    Directed by Ken Russell. United Artists, 1967.

    A tree is a tree in the movies. It's not that painted bit of canvas that says, "We're in the theatre. We've agreed to suspend disbelief and pretend it's not all cardboard. We're going to see wonderful stage actors acting." On stage, you have to project your voice or the words will sink without a trace into the third row of seats. On stage, the basic premise is action; you have to sell your attitudes to the audience. In movies, the microphone can always hear you, no matter how softly you speak, no matter where the scene is taking place. In movies, it is reaction that gives every moment its potency. That's why listening in films is so important, as well as the use of the eyes in the close-up. You don't have to shout and scream. You don't ever have to do it big.

SCREEN POTENTIAL
    It is impossible to tell someone's screen potential by just looking at him. Nobody knows what the secret ingredient is, and until you see an actor on the screen doing his work, you can't tell what's going to happen. There are just some fortunate people out there whom you, I and millions of other people want to look at. Look at the old screen tests of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean-those tests reveal a lot of fear; but they also reveal that magical stuff that dream movie careers are made of.
    The screen test is the basic initial assessment of your screen potential and it can be rough. Most screen tests are done with another actor-not one of the stars (who hasn't time to try out novices) but someone specially hired for the event. They put the camera on you and do a close-up. They turn you sideways to get a look at your profile. Then they pick out one of the more difficult dialogue scenes from the picture for which you're auditioning and tell you to do that scene with the back-of-the-head actor. Your screen potential is judged by what you look like, how relaxed you are, the sound of your voice, and by that rare hard-to-define commodity that radiates from some movie actors like gold and diamonds.
GET YOUR OWN ACT TOGETHER
    Film acting makes other demands, mental and physical, that never show up in the final results and are hard to imagine unless you've at least played a small part for a day or two. These demands start at home, before you even get in front of the camera. Much of the preparation sounds like getting ready for school rather than entering the glamorous world of film, but then you don't actually find glamor on the film set, just lots of hard work.

    First, you have to psych yourself into a good night's sleep, after having arranged a fool proof wake-up call. Second, you have to be sure of your transportation arrangements when you do get up in the morning because your time is their money, and if you don't know how you are getting to the studio or the location on time, you won't have the job when you do get there, late. Establish where to go (the venue of your shoot might always be changing) and then mentally rehearse your journey there as if it were the first scene in the film. You've got to get your own act together before the camera's act can begin. Being prepared isn't just for the demands of your part; it's also for the demands of the studio or location. You must get your bearings and establish where to go and what to do when you get there.
    Once you're on location, any neurotic fussing distracts attention from the main event, which is the making of a movie. You have to be ready-that is, in your makeup and in costume-at dawn. Now you're all dressed up with nowhere to go. Careful. Don't dribble butter down your chin or trail your trouser bottoms in the mud. Don't waste energy with a lot of frenzied socializing, either, even though you may find yourself waiting all day before you are called to do anything. And don't expect regular meal breaks; you may have to keep shooting so that the camera people can catch the light they want. No one will be deliberately trying to starve you; you may even be able to smell the canteen around the corner, but as with everyone else, that film is your first and only priority. Even your stomach only grumbles on cue.

PLAYS ARE PERFORMED; MOVIES ARE MADE
    Shooting a movie is a long, relentless grind. If you're not physically strong, if you don't have the stamina to go the distance, don't bother starting the race. There may be night shooting and you may have to be back on location at dawn the next morning to start all over again.