criteria 2.2 - rehearsal skills,, technical skills of a screen actor

physical and vocal skills 

vocal skills:

- vocal skills is when you use your voice to create the character and embody their personality in an auditory way. this can be using different pitches to express the emotions of your characters, using different accents - either different from your own or with range across multiple characters, using tone to create meaning whether explicitly or implicitly in what you're saying, etc. 

vocal skills in film are different to those of in theatre. on stage, you need to project your voice quite a lot so that the audience can all hear you whereas in film, the microphone picks up the speech so you don't need to be as loud and can focus on the delivery more. actors on stage also need to know their lines wholly, word-for-word. this is so the performance is smooth and other actors don't miss out on certain cue lines, which disrupts the performance. film actors are expected to have a pretty good grip of their lines, but don't have to know them completely as there will be someone on set to prompt them if necessary, as well as them being able to have multiple takes -  if the director should decide. moreover, some improvised lines on set often end up staying in the final cut and can be more memorable than the original script would've been anyways. 

physical skills:

- physical skills are how an actor physically embodies their character. this can be taking on a  specific way of walking which matches the characters personality or backstory, for example if they have previously sustained a leg injury they might walk with a limp. physical skills would also be how they move or have their hands - if the character is quite a nervous person then they may play or fiddle with their hands repetitively. these skills can also be the movement and mannerisms in the face. if someone is crying, tears would be expectantly present as well as a screwed up face showing their misery in a clear, recognisable way. moreover, it could simply be the way one actor looks at another. if their character dislikes another character, that content can be shown in the eyes just as a sly look could indicate mischief or the ill intent of a character as well. 

physical skills in theatre are somewhat different to those in film acting. in theatre, the way you move and hold yourself in place of the character are very key at distinguishing between the characters and their personalities on stage. moreover, it needs to be very bold and noticeable so that the audience is actually able to see the movement. whereas on film the camera is responsible for picking up movement, especially small changes such as a tear forming in the eye on a closeup. 

shot types

shot types are different size frames and angles created by the camera to create the scene being shown on film. shot types are defined by how close the camera is to the subject on screen. a few examples are:

• wide shot - wide shots can be used to establish the scene or show the character(s) and their environment. they can also be used to set the mood of the scene.
• mid/medium shot - mid shots are used to show a characters facial expressions or body language. they work well for scenes with a lot of dialogue between characters. 
• closeup - focuses on a specific object to show its importance/relevance in the scene or overall film/show. closeups can also be used to foreshadow the importance of said object.
• over the shoulder/medium closeup - over the shoulder shots can be used to connect two characters in a scene as well as helping the viewer situate themselves in the scene. 
• extreme longshot - extreme longshots can be used to establish a character, convey the mood of the scene, highlight a character's action or to open/close a movie. 
• long shot - longshots give the audience context and show them clues from the scene so they know where they are and what is happening. 
• extreme closeup - used for highest moment(s) of tension. 
• establishing shot - establishing shots are used to show the audience the location and time of the action. 
• two person midshot - two person midshots can be used to show a relationship between two characters, whether familial, platonic, romantic, sexual, etc. they are also used to clearly show a character's emotional state. 

in the lesson we studied some videos about shot types, making notes to refer to later. we then went over the scripts we had been given, focusing on the stage directions as well as the text to ensure the camera work was correct and accurate to the script. then it was just an matter of rehearsing in pairs so we could have a second person to read out the lines of mrs schnitman along with us as alfie. rehearsal meant learning the lines and making sure to have them down as well as practicing movement for the camera. then we were all called one pair/trio at a time to act for the camera, taking it in turn to be alfie or mrs schnitman.

link to footage - alfie scene (shot types) 

alfie script:

meeting the mark

meeting the mark in film and tv means finding your position in a scene. normally, there'll be pieces of tape on the floor in different colours for different actors to follow, but the goal is to reach it peripherally - which means not looking directly at the marking on the floor but looking for it out of the corner of your eye(s). the point of the mark is to ensure the actor is in the right position for the camera, to be in frame and in focus when rolling. 

in the lesson we mostly rehearsed our monologues and then once the marks were set on the floor, we were able to rehearse and figure out movement to reach each of the spaces. practising the movement alongside the words helped in terms of working on the cue lines and that being the motivation to move.

the normal heart script:

meeting the mark footage

continuity

continuity is when the flow of events is uninterrupted. continuity in film and tv is when the scene doesn't have any errors between takes, so it looks completely seamless. mistakes are called continuity errors. for example, in the first shot an actor could be standing and then go to sit down, whereas in the next shot they are back to standing despite the rest of the scene continuing as normal. continuity is important as it makes it easier for the viewer to become embedded in what they're watching - if something has obvious mistakes it can be jarring and doesn't allow for the viewer to cross the line between knowing you're watching something to feeling like you're part of that thing. it helps maintain the illusion the director is selling and allows the audience to believe and follow the story better instead of focusing on errors between takes.

when looking at continuity in class we studied the script from a scene in stranger things. in the scene we meet four teenage boys playing a game of dungeons and dragons (d&d/dnd). in groups of four, we rehearsed the scene. to incorporate the focus on being able to repeat the scene the same way, we all peer viewed eachother's performances, running through the scene per group, focusing on certain people each time. the goal here was to examine the ways the actor changed how they did the scene and how much they were able to keep consistent each time. 

in my performance, i know i had continuity errors. for example, when placing props down on the table, i wasn't able to hold all of them and therefore couldn't place them all - the continuity error being that i initially had six highlighters set down but only had five in the 'second take'. another mistake was in my lines - i accidentally said my own character's name instead of morgan's, which i had gotten right in the first run-through. things like lines are something that can easily be fixed whereas physical things are harder to maintain for continuity. however, i managed to complete both scenes quite similarly/exact, in terms of my vocal and physical skills, overall acheiving the same outcome and effect. 

stranger things script: