Working with Actors 1

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Subject guarantor

Mary Carmel ANGIOLILLO

Name of lecturer(s)

Mary Carmel ANGIOLILLO, Mariana ČÍŽKOVÁ

Department

The subject provides FAMU International

Contents

Working with Actors aims to give the students an awareness of the principles underlying the art of acting and practice using them. The students will learn these basic principles through exercises practicing certain principles in isolation and in scene work which combines the principles of acting into the creation of a character in a dramatic situation. The first semester involves the students in the class as primarily actors, engaging fully in exercises for narrative acting, such as the pursuit of a goal, contact of another, employment of a variety of tactics toward achieving a dramatic objective through another. When possible, the directing students are paired with actors (either professional actors or acting students) in exercises and scene work. The work in class is done with a view toward Working with Actors 2, the second semester course which is designed to give the students practice directing actors or acting students in exercises and scenes, similar to the way scenes were worked in the first semester.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will:

• become aware of the principles underlying the art of acting
• use acting principles in scene analysis and portrayal of character in a situation
• understand various tools for working with actors
• become aware of actors' resourses and various training techniques
• gain confidence working with actors using effective tools

Prerequisites and other requirements

Course is designed for CDM1 directing students, but includes acting students from DAMU who study acting and rehearsal techniques along with the directing students.

Literature

A course reader is available, compiled from these sources:

COHEN, Robert. Acting one. Fifth edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, [2008]

WESTON, Judith. Directing actors : creating memorable performances for film and tv. Hollywood: Michael Wiese Production, [1996].

DEKOVEN, Lenore.Changing direction : a practical approach to directing actors in film and theatre. Amsterdam; Boston: Focal Press, [2006].

BRUDER, Melissa. A practical handbook for the actor. NY: Vintage Books, [1986].

TRAVIS, Mark W. Directing feature films : the creative collaboration between directors, writers, and actors. 2. ed. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Production, [2002].

Evaluation methods and criteria

The minimum attendance for passing the class is 70%. Students will be evaluated on their activity and in-class colloquial exam on acting principles, scene breakdown and rehearsal techniques.

The grade will be calculated as follows:

Attendance - 30%

Activity and participation - 30%

Comprehensive exam (has practical component) - 40%

Note

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Schedule for winter semester 2024/2025:

• Week view
• List

Schedule for summer semester 2024/2025:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

The subject is a part of the following study plans

• Cinema and Digital Media - Directing (Required subjects with the possibility of repeat registration)