Ed Hooks' indispensable acting guidebook for animators has been fully updated and improved! Hooks uses basic acting theory to explain everything... from character movement and facial expressions to interaction and scene construction. Just as acting on film and on stage are very different disciplines, so is the use of acting theory in creating an animated character, scene or story. Acting for Animators is full of essential craft tips from an acting master. New to this Routledge edition: - scene-by-scene analyses of six films, including Up, Coraline and Kung Fu Panda - an expanded chapter on video game animation - all-new illustrations - a 500 word history of acting

Written to meet the needs of thousands of students and pre-professional singers participating in production workshops and classes in opera and musical... theater, Acting for Singers leads singing performers step by step from the studio or classroom through audition and rehearsals to a successful performance. Using a clear, systematic, positive approach, this practical guide explains how to analyze a script or libretto, shows how to develop a character building on material in the score, and gives the singing performer the tools to act believably. More than just a "how-to" acting book, however, Acting for Singers also addresses the problems of concentration, trust, projection, communication, and the self-doubt that often afflicts singers pursuing the goal of believable performance. Part I establishes the basic principles of acting and singing together, and teaches the reader how to improvise as a key tool to explore and develop characters. Part II teaches the singer how to analyze theatrical work for rehearsing and performing. Using concrete examples from Carmen and West Side Story, and imaginative exercises following each chapter, this text teaches all singers how to be effective singing actors.

Culled from Tony Barr's 40 years' experience as a performer, director and acting teacher in Hollywood, this highly praised handbook provides readers... with the practical knowledge they need when performing in front of the camera. This updated edition includes plenty of new exercises for honing on-camera skills; additional chapters on imagination and movement; and fresh material on character development, monologues, visual focus, playing comedy and working with directors. Inside tips on the studio system and acting guilds make it particularly helpful for people new to the business, and numerous anecdotes from actors such as Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins and examples from current movies illustrate its many lessons. It is perfect for acting classes, workshops, all actors who work in front of the camera -- and all those who want to.

Do you know a teen that's been bitten by the acting bug? Here's just the book they need! Acting for Young Actors, aimed at teens and tweens, lets kids... hone their skills and develop their craft. It begins with the five W's: WHO am I? WHAT do I want? WHY do I want it? WHERE am I? WHEN does this event take place? Sounds basic - but many young child actors are told simply to "get up there and act." This book explores each of these questions, using helpful exercises to allow young actors to work through problems of character identity and motivation. With comprehensive chapters on auditioning, rehearsal, and improvisation, plus a primer on how young actors can break into film, theater, and television, Acting for Young Actors is every kid's ticket to the big time.

Acting in Musical Theatre is the only complete course in approaching a role in a musical. It is the first to combine acting, singing and dancing into a... comprehensive guide, combining what have previously been treated as three separate disciplines. This book contains fundamental skills for novice actors, practical insights for professionals, and even tips to help veteran musical performers refine their craft. Drawing on decades of experience in both acting and teaching, the authors provide crucial advice on all elements of the profession, including: fundamentals of acting applied to musical theatre script, score and character analysis personalizing your performance turning rehearsal into performance acting styles in the musical theatre practical steps to a career. Acting in Musical Theatre’s chapters divide into easy-to-reference units, each containing related group and solo exercises, making it the definitive textbook for students and practitioners alike.  

Appropriate for both fundamental and advanced levels, the authors ground their commentary on actor training on the process of personalization and the... innovative approaches to voice and movement training. They define the personalization process as one in which the actor discovers and explores in the self, characteristics, qualities, attitudes, and experiences that are legitimate dimensions of the role being created. Part I transitions from essential ingredients used in creating a role, such as focusing and speaking, to guidelines for auditioning and rehearsing, including role analysis. The discussions of basic acting principles are supported by skills-building exercises. Part II explores historical performance styles and shows how basic stylistic elements can be freshly adapted for modern audiences. Thus, in Part II, the authors center their discussions of voice, movement, character, and emotion around theatrical styles prevalent during certain historical periods and around sound acting theories gleaned from a wide range of acting traditions. Each chapter in this part ends with a helpful checklist that summarizes voice, movement, gesture, and other elements common to the era discussed. TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Acting: In Person and In Style, fifth edition is designed to serve the beginning, intermediate, and advanced acting student. Part I focuses on acting... techniques. Part II follows with discussions of theories and history related to acting techniques.

Psychodrama can be one of the most powerful tools used in psychotherapy. Charmingly illustrated with a wealth of case examples, this volume presents... current training techniques and shows how to use them, whether as a complement to traditional verbal approaches, in individual or group therapy, in educational or community settings, or in many other contexts. Thoroughly updated and expanded, this third edition reviews the most recent developments in psychodrama theory, clarifies various new psychodramatic processes, and features extensive new references and an updated bibliography. In this volume, Dr. Blatner continues to provide the best practical primer of basic psychodramatic techniques.

(Applause Acting Series). The art of acting in restoration comedy, the buoyant, often bowdy romps which celebrated the reopening of the English theatres... after Cromwell's dour reign, is the subject of Simon Callow's bold investigation. There is cause again to celebrate as Callow, one of Britain's foremost actors, aims to restore the form to all its original voluptuous vigor. Callow shows the way to attain clarity and hilarity in some of the most delightful roles ever conceived for the theatre.

Acting in Shakespeare helps actors at all levels develop the skills they need to perform in Shakespearean plays. Lessons proceed in carefully graduated... steps from simple, single lines to short speeches to more difficult, sophisticated scenes. A wealth of historical information and insightful descriptions of Shakespearean times and players bring Shakespeare’s work within the actor’s reach. • Abundant exercises build gradually in difficulty, giving student actors confidence that they can act in Shakespeare. Exercises are appropriate not only for use in the classroom but also for independent study. • Actors often find Shakespearean language and customs unusual and intimidating. Acting in Shakespeare relates Shakespearean acting to real-life, contemporary situations and common acting theory, helping actors realize that performing Shakespeare is well within their grasp. "Acting in Shakespeare is difficult. . . . His verse is not the language of our everyday American speech; the costumes in which he visualized his characters are not the clothing of everyday American life. Playing Shakespeare may mean living in a very different world from the one we normally inhabit." Robert Cohen, from the Preface " By book’s end, students can reasonably be expected to be comfortable and confident with Shakespeare’s demands. . . . [His] chapter on physicalizing Shakespeare contains a number of stimulating exercises (Cohen’s strength as an acting teacher). . . . Cohen helps students apply his lessons: I can’t imagine a group of students not being enthralled by Cohen’s ingenious concept. . . . Acting in Shakespeare is so readily accessible and full of such "do-able" exercises that it should be a staple of period style classes for years to come." theatre journal

The Ultimate Guide to Commercial SuccessActing in television commercials is a highly competitive business, but it can also be very lucrative. Whether... you’re looking for your first break or want to take your acting career to the next level, Squire Fridell will give you the insider’s edge. Arguably the king of TV commercials, Fridell distills four decades of experience in this comprehensive, humorously written guide that has been indispensable to aspiring TV commercial actors since the first edition hit the shelves in 1980. This fully updated fourth edition gives the lowdown on how online and digital technologies have changed the industry and tells you everything you need to know about:• Getting a terrific headshot• Writing a winning résumé• Finding (and keeping) the perfect agent• Honing the skills that every serious commercial actor should have• Auditioning well and getting the job• Using the best online services for posting your headshot, résumé, and reel You’ll learn how to launch your commercial acting career and–more important–how to sustain it and be successful.

In this richly detailed study, James Naremore focuses on the work of film acting, showing what players contribute to movies. Ranging from the earliest... short subjects of Charles Chaplin to the contemporary features of Robert DeNiro, he develops a useful means of analyzing performance in the age of mechanical reproduction; at the same time, he reveals the ideological implications behind various approaches to acting, and suggests ways that behavior on the screen can be linked to the presentation of self in society.Naremore's discussion of such figures as Lillian Gish, Marlene Dietrich, James Cagney, and Cary Grant will interest the specialist and the general reader alike, helping to establish standards and methods for future writing about performers and their craft.

(Limelight). While television commercials often elicit groans from the viewer, they mean work for actors and can be the bread-and-butter backbone of an... actor's career, providing a safety net of income while he or she climbs the ladder to greater success. And for those actors who achieve face-to-product recognition, commercial work can provide handsome residuals for years to come. While many books on the market include some information on commercial work, Acting in the Million Dollar Minute deals exclusively with the art and business of acting in commercials. Here the "art" is narrow: script terminology and procedure, commercial dialogue, camera staging, working the product, sample commercial scripts, and detailed analysis of how a commercial is actually shot; while the "business" side, reflecting the general industry, broadens to include training, photos, the resume, unions, actor-agency contracts, the interview, the screen test, callbacks, pay and working conditions, and a complete list of SAG and AFTRA offices. In this revised and updated edition, this book provides direction on how to: Decipher the meaning behind the commercial script; Begin and end every commercial performance; Get the auditioners' attention immediately when the camera begins rolling; Compel the auditioners, with the sheer force of your performance, to actually watch your playback tape; Take the camera from another actor (i.e. upstaging); Give the director a performance that makes his or her job easier in the editing room.

Emphasizing that "an actor must believe to make his audience believe," ACTING IS BELIEVING remains one of the classic texts in the field of acting.... Charles McGaw's and Larry D. Clark's earlier editions influenced generations of actors, and the book has been completely updated by Kenneth Stilson with the hope of inspiring today's future professionals. The Ninth Edition has an expanded theoretical grounding, while providing numerous new and revised exercises to help today's acting student apply the key concepts of a Stanislavski-based training program as interpreted through the eyes of twenty-first century artists.

Did you know that "an actor must believe to make his audience believe?" This is the key concept behind ACTING IS BELIEVING. Authors Charles McGaw and... Larry D. Clark have influenced thousands of actors, and Kenneth Stilson's update which includes new exercises and updated scripts bring modern relevance to the text. Inside, you'll learn the Stanislavski method and how to perfect using it, along with hundreds of other tips to help you be the flawless actor you are meant to be.