Performance Flashcards
What is direct bodily context?
Are the characters touching eachother? Of so, how? Combining this with how the characters are positioned, much can be revealed about characters relationships.
What are proximics?
Are the characters close togetehr or far apart? This reveals how intimate (or not) these characters are.
What does the orientation of characters to eachother tell us?
This reveals how characters feel about one another.
What should we consider when looking at a characters general appearance?
Are they fat, thin, tall or short? Are they well dressed? How does there appearance compare to those around them?
What should we consider when looking at a character’s head movements?
How is the actor using their head to express emotion or suggest meaning?
What do a character’s facial expressions tell us?
This tells us about how a character feels.
What should we consider when looking at the eye movement and eye contact of characters?
Does a character look directly into the eyes of another or do they look down or up? How long is the eye contact held? Does the actor blink frequently or not?
What is kinesics and what do we have to consider when looking at them?
This is the study of the movements and gentures of characters. It is their non-verbal communication. Does the character miove their hands? Are they restless?
What do we consider when looking at a characters body posture or body langauge?
Does the way a character walk or hold themself, suggest a particular emotion? Can you tell if a character is confident or timid? Is their posture open or closed?
What are paralingual codes?
An actor uses a range of techmiques (pitch, pace, stress, volume, pause and accents) to deliver lines of dialogue which will develop the charcter and generate responses.
What is realist performance?
This is a performance style that should feel authentic, the actors technique would be barely noticed as they are ‘being themselves.’ Filmmakers that strive for realism often use non-professional actors. This style is often used in social realsim and docu-drama films.
What is classical performance?
This is a a trdaitional Hollywood performance style which offers surface believability. Here, characters are played by well-known actors that bring a certain set of social or moral attitudes that audiences respond to.
What is formalist performance?
This is a performance style, where performances are ‘over the top,’ appearing highly stylized. This style is rare but it can be seen in art house or experimental films.
What is method acting?
This is a style of acting where the actor embodies the character in their everyday life. It is an emotionally-orientated acting technique that helps the actor get into the head of the character they are playing. It encourages the actor tp draw from real emotions and experiences to give a more convincing performance.
What is improvisatory style?
This is a style of acting that was popularized in the 1960s by French new wave directors. The actors would improvise during scenes and gtheir reasoning was they believed it captured a better sense of discovery and surprise.
