The Actor in You: Sixteen Simple Steps to Understanding the Art of Acting

by Benedetti, Robert L.

• ISBN13: 9780205269990
• ISBN10: 0205269990
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-08-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

An introduction to the fundamentals of beginning acting, The Actor in You enhances students' appreciation of the art of acting by helping them realize that they already possess, in principle, the basic skills of the actor: the ability to play a role, the ability to fulfill the sense of drama and to structure dramatic scenes, and the capacity to express emotion. Drawing exercises and examples from students' everyday lives and from well-known films and television programs, Robert Benedetti succeeds in deducing dramatic principles from those experiences and then applying them to everyday life for artistic purpose. Written in a personal and direct style, Benedetti presents a balance of theory and practical application in a clear and accessible format. Through a sixteen step organization, The Actor in You provides a direct, concise presentation and explanation of fundamentals for beginning students.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
PART I Understanding Acting	1	(30)
Why Study Acting?	1	(2)
1 What Does an Actor Do?	3	(4)
Acting in Everyday Life	4	(3)
2 Action in Life and in Performance	7	(6)
Action in Everyday Life	8	(2)
Believability in Life and in Performance	10	(3)
3 Internal and External Action	13	(6)
Transactions	17	(2)
4 Understanding Emotion and Character	19	(6)
Emotion	19	(1)
Character and the Magic If	20	(2)
The Actor in You	22	(3)
5 The Actor's State of Mind	25	(6)
Dual Consciousness	26	(1)
Indicating	27	(2)
Summary to Part I	29	(2)
PART II Preparing Yourself to Act	31	(16)
The Creative State	31	(2)
6 Tension, Effort, and Relaxation	33	(8)
Being Whole	34	(2)
Relaxation	36	(5)
7 Creating Together	41	(6)
PART III Creating a Role	47	(62)
The Acting Process	47	(1)
A Scene of Your Own	48	(1)
Sample Scenes	48	(3)
8 Dramatic Function	51	(4)
Functional and Likeness Traits	53	(2)
9 The Character's World	55	(8)
Who	55	(2)
Where	57	(1)
When	58	(1)
What	59	(1)
Summary of the Givens	60	(3)
10 The Character's Needs	63	(6)
Personalizing and the Magic If	64	(1)
Emotional Recall and Substitution	65	(4)
11 The Character's Mind	69	(8)
The Stimulus	72	(1)
Automatic Actions	72	(1)
Choice	73	(2)
Working with Inner Action	75	(2)
12 Objectives and Actions	77	(6)
Defining Useful Objectives	77	(1)
Playable Actions	78	(1)
Direct and Indirect Action: Subtext	79	(1)
Not Doing	80	(1)
Connecting Action with Others	81	(2)
13 Beats and Scene Structure	83	(10)
Levels of Action	85	(2)
Scene Structure	87	(1)
Scene Breakdown	88	(5)
14 Through-Line and Superobjective	93	(4)
Personalizing the Superobjective	94	(3)
15 The Elements of Characterization	97	(6)
Physical Traits	98	(1)
Social Traits	98	(1)
Psychological Traits	99	(1)
Moral Traits	100	(1)
Economy of Characterization	101	(2)
16 Final Rehearsals	103	(6)
Blocking	104	(1)
Shaping and Pacing	105	(1)
Spontaneity	106	(1)
Emotion in Performance	107	(1)
Afterword The Power of Transformation	109	(2)
Appendix A Sample Scenes	111	(16)
Appendix B Useful Plays	127	(4)
Glossary	131	(16)
Index	147