Blog from Wednesday’s class

Despite not being in class last Friday I learnt a substantial amount from just watching the student edits in class this Wednesday. Last week the focus was entirely on performance however, from watching the films and speaking to Robin I recognize that performance does not exist independently from the camera, the crew and all other production processes. An actor must be totally aware of their relation to the camera, how they are framed etc. An actor must also be aware of the lighting and that certain physical positions will have completely alternative results because of elements such as shadows. Synonymously, the actor should be able to fluidly move around the space despite the props, the camera, the crew, cords, etc. that may be slightly intrusive. One piece of work that I loved was in fact a long take. Robin identified a feature that I really admire, which is that once you remove the montage, the power of the pacing is left with the actors and that is an extraordinary thing. In fact, it is a thing I see so rarely these days whereby the narrative drives the cuts and pacing of a film as though it were separate from the characters that exist within it. There’s a beautiful-perhaps slightly untapped- synthesis between the actor and the camera, whereby they engage in what I would describe as a choreographed dance.

Epiphany of the week: THE ACTOR CANNOT EXIST IN ISOLATION FROM THE CAMERA, WHICH FRAMES THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN. In a theatrical production, the actor must be aware of the space on stage as well as direction their movement out towards the audience. On screen, the actors need to place themselves in the world of the frame, and all movements must be made with the knowledge of that Frame.