Media Acting: An Affordable Reality with Portable Equipment

John Rustan

Media acting--acting for camera, voice-over, and other electronic media--has become a frequent topic of discussion in actor training circles. Two recent articles by John Istel in American Theatre attempt to clarify the new challenges facing acting teachers in the electronic age. Agreeing with Istel about the need for new approaches to actor training, Michael Shurtleff responds: "My teaching now emphasizes acting for the screen and television and the specifics needed to do well in the medium of the camera" (4). Robert Cohen, in Acting Professionally: Raw Facts About Careers in Acting, urges prospective acting students to find schools that offer camera acting: "You can learn this later," he notes, "but a school that provides such opportunities gives you a chance to get a jump on the competition" (32). In her book, Acting in Commercials: A Guide to Auditioning and Performing on Camera, Joan See recognizes that success for actors may depend on broader training.

[Actors] must abandon any notion of specializing in only one field. . . . Although an overwhelming number of actor training institutions continue to educate their students specifically for acting on a stage, the reality is that the actor who can't take that training and use it in front of a camera may not survive in the business. (15)

While many writers have supported the need for media acting, the question of how affordably to incorporate media acting into an acting program has received little, if any, attention. In The Training of Stage Actors in Film/Video Acting Techniques (1993), Jerry Ivins suggests that resistance to offering film acting courses is partly due to the perceived lack of resources (21). Ivins's definition of "resources" includes funding to hire new faculty and purchase equipment, space availability, and time within the curriculum schedule (26). Although one might reasonably conclude that a television studio or recording booth provides the optimum environment for teaching media skills, in my own more recent study, most educators conceded that the basic skills of camera acting, voice-over, and auditioning for commercials could be accomplished in a conventional classroom (Rustan 109). Indeed, a course in media acting need not be as elusive or expensive as it may initially appear. What follows is an account of the media acting course we developed at Gonzaga, including [End Page 205] descriptions of equipment purchased, class structure and content, materials used, and some of the lessons learned.

Media Acting Setup

Rapidly changing technology renders any discussion of equipment almost immediately obsolete. New equipment enters the market constantly, changing standards along with prices. At present, however, the equipment necessary for conducting a media acting class are as follows: a video camera, tripod, microphone and stand, videocassette recorder, monitor, and a tape recorder with speakers for playback. A camera that accommodates VHS tapes allows for the recording of exercises on the student's own personal tape for a record of their work to keep and review at home. An informal survey made in 1995 revealed that most colleges and universities already own such equipment (Rustan 109). At Gonzaga University, we understood that the equipment necessary for the media acting class would also have other departmental uses. Our goal, then, was to supplement the already owned TV and VCR with a budget of around $1,000. After consulting with the school's Broadcasting Division and library media center, we managed to purchase a suitable VHS camera, a heavy-duty tripod, a directional microphone, a microphone stand, extra-long extension cords, and a portable stereo tape/CD player (with dual cassette drive) for a total of $1092. (See Appendix B for a complete listing of equipment purchased and notes on technical setup.) All of the equipment was easily portable to the conventional acting classroom used for our course.

Even with minimal setup, some instructors fear that teaching a media acting class can become a technical nightmare. To alleviate the potential anxiety of both students and instructors in this regard, I recommend devoting one full class to familiarizing students with the necessary equipment. At Gonzaga, we spend a portion of the first day of class on this task, setting up and breaking down the technical components. In our course, everyone takes turns handling the equipment, but a media acting teacher may wish to make specific students (or teaching assistants) responsible for equipment setup and take down for the entire semester.

The question of class length may prove more problematic than the handling of equipment. Although acting classes at Gonzaga normally meet three times a week for fifty minutes, a double class period of three two-hour segments per week was allotted for the media acting course. This decision to lengthen the class time worked well: fifty-minute sessions could simply not accommodate setup and break down in addition to exercises and critiques. Despite the longer class meeting time, the course retained a three-hour unit credit, a discrepancy made up for by occasionally canceling the Friday class. Other options might be to offer media acting as a weekly three-hour seminar, or twice weekly for two hours, adjusting the course content as needed. ¹ [End Page 206]

Course Objectives and Resources

With administrative details handled and equipment in place, the question of course content and structure emerged. Our goals included introducing the undergraduate student to acting in front of a camera; providing the basics of media acting technique; and fostering an understanding of why self-presentation via electronic media is important to the aspiring actor. The most significant lessons addressed how to present a filmed image in various formats and frame sizes, and how to control vocal performance for camera and voice-over work. Although media acting has obvious benefits to those pursuing acting careers, the benefits of the course extend to students whose interests lie outside of professional acting. For example, voice-over skills and on-camera work take on wider implications once students understand that potential employers often request a videotaped presentation, conduct interviews by telephone, or use video connections over computers.

Our final class design contained three major units: camera acting, commercials and auditions, and voice-over. We chose to make Beginning and Intermediate Acting prerequisite to the Media Acting course at Gonzaga. Our lower division courses break down student inhibitions and teach basic character analysis and stage techniques using Stanislavskian principles. The Media Acting course, then, assumes that students know how to analyze a character and score a role, and concentrates instead on how to apply that knowledge to the requirements and technique of the camera and other media.

For the course reading material, we sought clearly written, accessible texts that contained instructive classroom exercises and were affordable to students. After extensive research on available media acting texts (see Appendix A), we selected three paperback books that proved effective and cost no more than a moderately-priced textbook. For the camera acting unit, students read Patrick Tucker's The Secrets of Screen Acting. Acknowledged for his work on both stage and screen, Tucker's book provides teachers with a structured approach to screen acting. Tucker's primary concern is with technique; he clearly explains the aesthetics of screen acting, includes helpful illustrations, and offers many useful exercises for the classroom. In addition to Tucker, the class viewed and discussed Michael Caine's video Acting in Film. For the commercials and auditions section, students read Squire Fridell's Acting in Commercials for Fun and Profit, with supplemental lecture and discussion material generated from Joan See's Acting in Commercials: A Guide to Auditioning and Performing on Camera. Both books provide information on types and structures of commercials, and helpful tips for auditioning and performing; either could be used as a primary text. For the voice-over unit, students read Word of Mouth: A Guide to Voice-Over Excellence by Susan Blu and Molly Ann Mullin, which provides information on all aspects of the voice-over business, a definite method for approaching voice-over copy, and many useful exercises for generating characters. The following discussion elaborates upon the three main units of the Media Acting class at Gonzaga and describes the major in-class exercises used in each section. [End Page 207]

Camera Acting

In the camera acting unit, students were expected to learn the following: 1) the aesthetics of the camera, the frame, and filmic narrative; 2) the roles and functions of those most directly involved in creating a camera shot; 3) the basic techniques for adjusting physical and vocal performance to frame size; 4) the special requirements of the camera environment, such as how lighting may constrain movement; and 5) how to keep a performance fresh and maintain continuity during repeated takes.

The first week of class students were introduced to equipment and taught who does what on a camera shot with an exercise called "Rotate and Slate." Adapted from Tucker, this exercise puts each actor on camera for the first time (stating his or her name and delivering a sentence or two) while other members of the class assume the roles of camera operator, floor manager, director, boom operator, and actor. Rotating into the various positions to perform all the functions of the crew, students learn the basic language of calling a camera shot (such as, "roll camera," "camera rolling," etc.) and lay the foundation for further production work in class. After the rotation, students view and discuss the tape, asking who looked nervous, who seemed comfortable, who moved out of the frame, and whether the camera "loved" anyone in particular. Students immediately begin to pick up subtle differences in camera presence and make discoveries about what causes them. For instance, Student A might appear nervous because she is fidgeting and blinking while Student B might grab our attention because he has large, unblinking eyes. "Rotate and Slate" teaches a great deal quickly, and students gain confidence and momentum for lessons and exercises to come.

In addition to camera orientation and familiarization, students in the first week are assigned a short monologue for later taping and introduced to the aesthetics of camera pictures. It is important for students to understand how camera aesthetics--frame size, angles, discontinuity, and montage--can change the way an actor's performance is perceived. Sight, Sound, Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics by Herbert Zettl and Tucker's Secrets of Screen Acting provide solid background reading on camera aesthetics. Over the next two weeks, students encounter the difference between blocking for the camera and blocking for the stage. Because blocking for camera often concerns the depth axis, actors often find themselves positioned in ways not usually encountered on the stage. Students also learn special movements required by the camera. Since camera actors must sometimes move slower than seems natural while speaking at a quicker tempo, one exercise involves students delivering two or three lines of dialogue at a fast pace while slowing down their rate of movement (Tucker 46-47).

Another challenge for camera actors involves adjusting their performance to varying frame sizes. For a wide shot, an actor may gesture more freely and [End Page 208] use the entire body. As the frame tightens, the actor must do less. Gestures and expressions used for a wide shot would appear grossly exaggerated for a medium (chest-up) or close-up shot. Similar adaptations must be made for the actor's vocal performance: adjusting down in volume (but not in energy) for a close-up, and so on. In an exercise used to prepare students for the different framing shots of the camera work ahead, class members pair off, taking with them a cardboard transparency frame. While one student holds the "frame," the other performs a set piece of dialogue and stage business at various distances. The partners reverse the procedure, then give each other feedback on how well each adapted the performance for the frame size. Supplementing exercises with the showing of film clips provides an additional means to reinforce the aesthetic concepts that affect the actors' work. ²

By the third week of class, students are ready to perform monologues for the camera in various frame sizes. The class members first perform their monologues for a wide shot, which are all recorded on a single videotape. The procedure is then repeated using medium shots, with students performing their monologues in the same order for a second class tape. Creating two tapes for playback provides the opportunity to compare the two shots and minimizes the time necessary for adjusting the frame size of the camera. Using both the camera and the VCR as playback devices, the class can easily alternate between medium and wide shot performances and discuss how well the actor made vocal and physical adjustments. Was the energy level right for the wide shot? Did the actor use his or her body effectively? Did the actor adjust physically for the medium shot, or did hands suddenly disappear out of frame? Was the vocal projection too strong or was it adjusted down for the closer microphone?

After viewing the on-camera demonstrations and explanations offered in Michael Caine's video Acting in Film, the class later performs the same one-minute monologues for extreme (face only) close-ups. This time, the monologues are rehearsed and recorded on students' personal tapes, which they keep. During playback of these takes, the class again discusses whether the actor appropriately adapted the performance to the shot: Were there too many head movements? Was the performance successfully contained within the frame without becoming stiff or uninteresting? Were the eye movements and expressions sufficiently motivated? Were distracting habits, such as over blinking, exhibited? Was the vocal performance adapted for the closeness of the microphone? Working in close-up, actors begin to understand how accurately the camera displays the most subtle nuances of a performance.

The rehearsal and taping of a short, two-person scene provides the second major assignment of the camera unit and gives students an opportunity to work with a partner on camera. Shooting the entire scene as a master and then reshooting a portion to provide over-the-shoulder close-up coverage of each actor provides lessons on continuity, on keeping a performance fresh through multiple takes, and on adjusting the performance from wide master shot to [End Page 209] medium close-up coverage. Students are instructed to block their scenes with simple movements easily followed by the camera, choosing an arrangement that allows for over-the-shoulder close-ups. After a brief rehearsal, the masters are recorded on a single "class" tape, and the close-ups are recorded on each actor's personal tape. The taping of these scenes is time-consuming and may take up to two class periods. When taping is complete, the class views the masters and close-ups (using the camera and VCR) to evaluate each student's camera acting: Was the performance appropriate for the framing? Was there sufficient movement and gesture in the master shot? Were they sufficiently contained for the new frame size? Did the actors repeat business exactly, maintaining the continuity? Students find the latter a particularly challenging aspect of film work, for rehearsal must involve, in addition to lines, every aspect of physical business that must be repeated from take to take.

Further concepts are addressed through specific exercises as the camera acting unit proceeds. For example, to fully appreciate the workings of the microphone in relation to the camera shot, students pair off and stand face-to-face, six inches apart, and speak a few lines of dialogue. They then step apart, first two, then three, then six feet and further, repeating their lines with each separation and attempting to maintain the same volume and intimacy they used in their initial six-inch exchange. This exercise demonstrates that an actor's distance to the microphone may not necessarily match the distance between actors in a scene: in a close-up shot for a scene with partners ten feet apart, the microphone may be only six inches away (Tucker 192-93). Another difference between stage and media acting involves the camera actor's ability to move into, and come to rest in, an exact blocking position. The actor must hit marks exactly in order to remain in appropriate focus and light. To learn how to hit a mark without looking down, the class practices techniques such as pacing backwards from a taped mark on the floor while silently counting steps, or standing on the mark and visually lining up two other objects in the room. Students practice these methods for brief in-class exercises in which they must move and hit a mark exactly while delivering a short piece of dialogue, developing a precision that is rarely required in stage acting. Such attention to the technical adjustments required for camera work continues as the class proceeds to commercials and auditions.

Commercials and Auditions

The goals of the second major unit include recognizing and appreciating one's own role type, understanding the content and structure of an effective video demo tape, analyzing how different types of commercial copy affect the actor's work, and practicing for on-camera interviews, commercials, and auditions. The unit opens with a discussion of type. Despite legitimate objections to "typing" actors for stage work, there are sound reasons for recognizing one's type in the world of on-camera acting. Because the extremely [End Page 210] compressed duration of commercials invites audiences to recognize and instantly identify with a specific type of character, understanding one's own "type" may save actors from needless rejection and frustration in the commercial world. Students learn to identify their own and each other's "type" during a short in-class exercise in which each takes a turn responding to an ad-libbed question in front of the camera for thirty seconds. In the discussion following review of the tape, students are invited to comment on the characteristics projected by each student and to imagine the roles for which each student might easily be cast.

On-camera interviews are next. ³ An exercise is conducted giving each student practice in interviewing on-camera. The objective of this activity is for students to become comfortable answering both routine and challenging questions with ease and poise. Following a brief introduction to what auditors look for during an interview, the instructor, working from a prepared list of questions, interviews each student for two minutes in medium close-up while the other students watch. The questions include typical interview queries, i.e., What can you offer us? Why should we use you? Where do you see yourself in five years from now? Other questions test the poise and willingness of the actor: Can you be funny? Do you know a joke? Can you be goofy? The instructor mixes up the questions so that students observing cannot prepare their answers in advance. During replay and critique, the students discuss each interviewee's personality, naturalness, warmth, confidence, sense of humor, manner of dress, and other pertinent concerns. Not only does this exercise help students reflect upon and consider answers to various interview questions, but it also allows them to evaluate how well their personalities come across on the screen and whether they have developed any distracting physical habits. Becoming adept at interviewing will benefit students in many future "auditions" in life.

After learning about cold-reading techniques, using exercises based on selected portions of Noelle C. Nelson's video series Cold Readings Made Easy, and reading appropriate sections of Squire Fridell's Acting in Television Commercials for Fun and Profit, the class moves to the mock on-camera auditions. The first audition gets everyone involved quickly and introduces actors to the concept of the one-line vignette commercial in an entertaining way. Like most commercials, a one-line vignette introduces a problem or situation for which the product provides the answer. The camera cuts from one person to another, each of whom delivers one brief line endorsing the product. For this exercise the instructor brings a twelve-pack of soft drinks to class. The one and only line the students speak is the brand name of the soft drink. The object is for each actor to walk into the frame, hit the mark, reach for the soft drink from an off-camera assistant, take a drink, and say the line. This exercise graphically demonstrates that in most commercials, it isn't so much what you say as how you say it, as well as what you do before, during, and after the line (Fridell 136-42). [End Page 211]

Another auditioning exercise that proved particularly effective at Gonzaga was modeled after auditions actually held by a local media company in Spokane. In this audition, students are each given the same four or five lines of copy and six different attitudes or emotions (angry, timid, normal, happy, romantic, and excited), three of which they may choose to perform (using the same copy) in the on-camera audition. The students are taken to a holding area and called in one by one. The instructor role-plays the media company interviewer, meeting each student as if for the first time. To vary the experience, some students are briefly interviewed before they read and others are asked to read without any preamble. Some students are allowed to read without interruption, while others are interrupted between readings and given direction. During playback of the auditions, students are able to see who engaged the camera while being questioned, who took risks, and who took direction well.

While time constraints do not allow students to get on-camera experience in every type of commercial, spokesperson spots-a type of commercial often used by local advertisers in small markets-are easily managed in class. The students at Gonzaga practice both "character spokesperson" and "straight spokesperson" spots as they are differentiated in Joan See's Acting in Commercials (89-127). The format for taping is simple: on the assigned day, the actor is given a rehearsal run-through, receives direction from the class (who, by this point in the semester, can offer valuable insights), and is then taped doing the spot. Taping usually takes up the entire period, with playback and critique the following class period. One question addressed is how well the students control the timing of their deliveries. Commercial tempo is determined by how much needs to be said in the given time (usually thirty seconds). During rehearsal and performance, the actors are timed and asked, if necessary, to adjust their tempo. During evaluation, other concerns are addressed. Did the actor find and make all the transitions in the copy? Did the straight spokesperson appear knowledgeable and deliver the facts in a conversational way? Did the character spokesperson seem to fit with the product or company's image? Did the actor employ the camera-acting techniques learned thus far? Students may opt to record these commercials on their personal tapes as samples of their media acting.

Voice-Over

The ideal setup for the final unit on voice-over would be a soundproof voice-over booth with a separate room to record and monitor the sound. To teach voice-over in an acting classroom requires some adjustments to approximate the environment of a sound studio. With an extra long microphone extension cord, the microphone, and a copy stand (a common black metal music stand) can be placed at a distance from both the recording equipment and the other class members. Dimming the overhead lights and using a copy stand light also helps deliver a sense of what it is like to be isolated in a darkened voice-over [End Page 212] booth. The separation of the microphone and stereo also cuts down on any electronic feedback and allows the class to monitor the voice-over through the speakers of the stereo. Although a voice-over unit may require more initial planning and effort than other units, it can also be rewarding: voice-over can introduce actors to the limitless casting possibilities available to them without having to conform to a physical look or type. ⁴

In our class, voice-over exercises included work on various pieces of single (one-actor) and double (two-actor) copy, as well as exercises to develop and expand students' repertoire of character voices. One of the most valuable and enjoyable exercises came from Patrick Fraley's audiotape Creating Character Voices for Fun and Profit. In "TV-logue," students turn on a television set and, recording both the television sound and their own voices, imitate every sound and voice they hear, switching the channel every ten seconds. Given the pace of thisactivity, students gain valuable practice without worrying about whether or not they are doing the voices well. My students so enjoyed the exercise that they had trouble limiting themselves to the three-minute requirement. In other exercises suggested by Fraley, actors assume the physical lives and voices of a variety of animals, while the instructor circulates with a microphone and interviews the menagerie. This exercise can be extended to inanimate objects as well, with students "becoming" an easy chair, light bulb, or other common household item, giving it a voice to describe its daily life and routines. In his "Bad Imitations" exercise, Fraley encourages actors to turn their worst imitations into something useful. For instance, a horrible imitation of Humphrey Bogart might be the beginning of a very good character voice if the actor gives up calling it Humphrey Bogart and finds a new character for the voice.

An ongoing homework assignment for the voice-over unit includes weekly taping of a single brief piece of copy, or tag line, in five or six different attitudes, such as "warm and friendly," "blue-collar spokesperson," or "confiding," among others. Students use a standard portable tape recorder to complete homework assignments and submit taped material for evaluation. The final assignment involves completion of a rough demo tape as suggested by Robert Barton and Rocco Dal Vera in Voice: Onstage and Off (270). Students are required to select (or write) copy, order it to best present their range of vocal talents, and roughly edit together a two-to-three-minute demo tape using music or sound effects for background. The creativity that results is both remarkable and satisfying; and for students serious about voice-over, such an assignment is a step toward making a professional voice audition tape.

In the final two days of our voice-over section, we record and discuss a mock animation session. Acting as director and engineer, the instructor calls out directions in a start-and-stop recording session of a half-hour cartoon script, which is broken down into numbered lines. (A voice-over agent may be of assistance in procuring a sample script for practice in the classroom.) At Gonzaga, the cartoon is cast in advance, as evenly as possible, switching more [End Page 213] than one student into the larger roles. Chairs are arranged in a large semicircle around the microphone; those with assigned lines stand and share the mike, while those not involved sit until needed. Thus, most students have a chance to do more than one voice and to test their character voice development. Following the recording session, students discuss and evaluate the results, asking whether or not the actors created vivid characters, whose voices seemed best to fit the characters, who took direction most precisely, and so on.

Teaching the media acting class at Gonzaga involved many adjustments. I learned, for example, to keep monologues and scene work short (one and two minutes respectively), to establish a time limit for homework assignments to keep my own time reviewing it reasonable, and to balance potentially isolating individual assignments with healthy doses of group work. I also found that students who have grown up watching film and television with video equipment at home needed less time than I had imagined to grasp the aesthetic concepts involved in camera work. Finally, keeping students engaged as critical observers when not scheduled to act or work on crew during class was a constant challenge. I learned that assigning specific tasks (such as watching for continuity) helped to keep them interested and focused.

Given my experience, I have no doubt that the basics of media acting can be taught, and taught effectively, in a regular acting classroom with portable equipment. According to course evaluations, students at Gonzaga found the class fresh, exciting, relevant, and enjoyable. Some students declared that it altered the way they view films and television. Several commented that the class helped prepare them for media auditions and interviews, and some have already managed to get on-camera experience in local media work. Because of increasing media production in the electronic age, students who go on to pursue careers in acting may find themselves engaged in media work as much, if not more, than stage acting. On the other hand, in an age of telephone job interviews and video teleconferencing, the ability to effectively present visual and audio images electronically can be an asset whether or not a student pursues acting as a profession. Indeed, media presentation has become a valuable and necessary skill, one that students have a strong interest in learning. With high-quality equipment now available at relatively low prices, media acting is a possibility for any theatre program.

John Rustan is Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at Gonzaga University.

Notes

1. One way to pare down the course material might be to cut either the commercial or the voice-over section altogether. Some instructors may be uncomfortable with voice-over, and some programs may already cover media auditions as part of an auditions course.

2. The accessibility of videotapes puts a host of useful examples at the disposal of the media acting teacher. Both Patrick Tucker and Ian Bernard cite video examples of various techniques and concepts (Appendix A).

3. This exercise evolved from an interview activity developed by Robert Barton, with whom I co-taught at the University of Oregon.

4. For educators wishing to learn more about voice-over, a number of workshops, tapes, and books are available. Many classes and workshops use the same resource materials mentioned here. Sutton, Barth, and Venari, a voice-over agency in Hollywood, kindly provided the in-house demo tape used in the Gonzaga class to demonstrate professional voice-over work. In my experience, voice-over professionals are generous about sharing both knowledge of their craft and materials.

Works Cited

Acting in Film with Michael Caine. Dir. David G. Croft. Videocassette. BBC with Dramatis Personae, 1987.

Blu, Susan and Molly Ann Mullin. Word of Mouth: A Guide to Commercial Voice-Over Excellence. Rev. ed. Los Angeles: Pomegranate, 1992.

Barton, Robert and Rocco Dal Vera. Voice: Onstage and Off. Fort Worth: Harcourt, 1995.

Cohen, Robert. Acting Professionally: Raw Facts About Careers in Acting. 5th ed. Mountain View: Mayfield, 1998.

Cold Readings Made Easy. With Noelle C. Nelson, Ph.D. Dir. Bert Autore. 3 vols. Videocassette. Landshark, 1991.

Fraley, Patrick. Creating Character Voices for Fun and Profit: A Professional Guide. Perf. Patrick Fraley. Audiotape. Audio Partners, 1993.

Fridell, Squire. Acting in Television Commercials for Fun and Profit. New York: Harmony, 1980.

Istel, John. "Training for What? 17 Views." American Theatre. Jan. 1995: 20+.

----. "Under the Influence: A Survey." American Theatre Jan. 1996: 38+.

Ivins, Jerry. The Training of Stage Actors in Film/Video Acting Techniques: An Interdisciplinary Approach (Acting). Diss. Texas Tech U, 1993.

Rustan, John M. Acting for the Electronic Age: The Implementation of Media into College Theatre Programs. Diss. U of Oregon, 1996.

See, Joan. Acting in Commercials: A Guide to Auditioning and Performing on Camera. New York: Back Stage, 1993.

Shurtleff, Michael. Letter. American Theatre Mar. 1995: 4.

Tucker, Patrick. The Secrets of Screen Acting. New York: Routledge, 1994.

Zettl, Herbert. Sight, Sound, Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics. 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1990.

Appendix A -- Media Acting Resources