5. Theatre, film industry

5. Theatre and film industry

ACTING TERMS

ARTICULATION: The clarity with which you speak. To speak with proper articulation is to speak clearly, pronouncing letters and words properly so the audience can understand you.

BLOCKING: An actor's movement and stage positions during a performance.

CHARACTER: A person, creature, or entity in a story or play with specific and distinguishing attributes.

CHARACTERIZATION: The process of creating a believable character by exploring the character's physical, social, and psychological aspects of the role.

CHEAT OUT: When an actor turns his body to face downstage in order to be more open to the audience, even if it wouldn't be natural for him to do so in another context.

CROSS: An actor's movement from one part of the stage to another.

CUE: For actors, the part of a script or show immediately before an actor's line or action that signals the actor to proceed (i.e. entering, saying a line, answering a phone, etc.)

CURTAIN CALL: The cast bow at the end of a show.

DICTION: The quality or style of speaking an actor uses to demonstrate his character. It includes elements such as accent, enunciation, and inflection.

EMOTIONAL MEMORY/RECALL: An acting technique in which the actor calls upon his own past experiences to use the emotion felt in those times and transfer them to his character.

IMPROVISATION: Acting done spontaneously and without a script; everything is made up on the spot. Often used in rehearsals to strengthen understanding of character.

MOTIVATION: What drives a character (and the actor portraying him) to act. One stereotype of actors has them asking "But what's my motivation?"

OBJECTIVE: A character's goal. The reason a character does and says what he does and says.

PACING: The rate at which a scene is played.

PANTOMIME: Telling a story or creating a character using movement, gestures, and facial expressions without talking.

POSTURE: The way an actor stands, sits, and generally holds himself. Posture can do a lot to physically create a character.

PROJECTION: The volume at which you speak. If a director tells an actor to project, that actor is not being loud enough vocally to fill the space.

AUDITION AND REHEARSAL TERMS

AUDITION: A competitive try-out for a role in a play. A chance for actors to show directors their capabilities in hope of being cast.

CALL: The time one is expected to be present and ready for a rehearsal or performance.

CALLBACK: A second audition; directors will bring back certain individuals from a first audition to consider them further.

COLD READING: A reading of the script done without looking at or studying that script in advance. Sometimes used at auditions.

CRITIQUE: Feedback given over what was done well and and what was done wrong in a performance or rehearsal.

DRESS REHEARSALS: The final rehearsals done for a show; these rehearsals are done in full costume and make-up.

OFF BOOK: Another word for memorized. A rehearsal off book will be one in which the actors do not use scripts.