|

The Virtue Of Patience | The Great Acting Blog

20.12.2013 , The Great Acting Blog , 0 Comments

Often, when we first see our performance on screen, we may recoil in horror - that which is on the screen may not be that which was in our heads [or, not the performance we thought we were giving] - at this point, all we...

Drifting Clouds Cinema Blog: “12 Favourite Filmmakers”

19.12.2013 , Drifting Clouds Cinema Blog , 0 Comments

Founder of Experimental Film Society, Rouzbeh Rashidi, asked me to send him my list of 12 favourite filmmakers for publication on the EFS website. The criteria was simple: to list the filmmakers who had the most impact on your life and art. I gave my list...

The Great Acting Blog: “Bad Criticism Is Catastrophic”

19.12.2013 , The Great Acting Blog , 0 Comments

I read a piece on Peter O'Toole recently that was so feeble in it's explanation of the actor's talent, that I've decided to single it out as indicative of the lack of understanding and appreciation of acting in general, and a lack of critical tools...

The Great Acting Blog: “Allow Nothing To Sway You”

18.12.2013 , The Great Acting Blog , 0 Comments

The actor's job is to perform the actions of the character as they have been discerned in the script. That's all the actor needs to worry about. They don't need to worry about the other actor's performance, they don't need to worry about the costumes, or...

The Great Acting Blog: “The Rules Of Life Are The Same Off Stage As On It”

17.12.2013 , The Great Acting Blog , 0 Comments

When we play a scene it's crucial that we pick the right action for it. Not only does it need to be in line with the writer's intentions, but it also needs to be an action which we find compelling, which we are excited about...

The Great Acting Blog: “The Passing Of Peter O’Toole”

16.12.2013 , The Great Acting Blog , 0 Comments

Peter O'Toole is one of those truly great actors who made his name in a bygone era. First he conquered the theatre, then he fixed his nose and went to Hollywood. His performance in Becket, as Henry II, is my favourite of his, intense and...

The Great Acting Blog: “Great Performances Need Curation”

14.12.2013 , The Great Acting Blog , 0 Comments

The actor's contribution to a production appears to get less credit these days because the human being can seem so unimpressive when set against the melee of special effects and set design, certainly the nuance of performance can be lost. Yes, acting is a subtle...

The Great Acting Blog: “13 Acting Questions For The Coming Year”

14.12.2013 , The Great Acting Blog , 0 Comments

As the end of the year approaches, it's time to renew the objectives of The Great Acting Blog. I've formulated some questions below for the year ahead, many are a re-iteration of what's gone on before, others have been reformulated and there some new ones...

The Great Acting Blog: “5 Qualities Of Real Actors”

13.12.2013 , The Great Acting Blog , 0 Comments

There is such a difference between those who have developed skills which they own, skills which have held up under pressure, and those who fake it with hubris and pretence, who believe that acting is a fluke or a trick. People in the first group possess...

The Great Acting Blog: “Disciplined Playfulness – Michel Simon In Jean Renoir’s Boudu Saved From Drowning”

12.12.2013 , The Great Acting Blog, Uncategorized , 17 Comments

Michel Simon plays Boudu, a Parisian tramp who attempts suicide by jumping into the Seine, only for his effort to be thwarted when a local bookseller rescues him. The bookseller brings Boudu into his household, giving him a place to stay as well as a...