This term we have begun our Film and TV unit studying camera technique and how being on stage and screen can be so different not just in technique but also in the acting itself. We began with talking about which films showed our favourite actors and what we liked especially about each of their performances, this then gave us an idea as to how things would work in the situations shown.
The first week (I really was there as I had been at a drama school audition) we looked at filming short scenes that we ourselves had chosen. The brief was to choose a dramatic scene from a film or TV show of our choice with our partner, so naturally Zach and I chose to do a Phoebe and Joey scene from FRIENDS. This did not go particularly well. We had chosen a scene that was comedic although sort of dramatic at the same time, in our minds, and it turned out that the weirdness of being on camera got to us and we didn't try to make it our own or try something a bit more normal, we tried to imitate Phoebe and Joey which did not turn out very well. When we watched the other groups who had chosen some much better scenes we also got to see some better ways that you can act on the screen. I learnt a lot more about camera angles as well and how you have to stay so still when the camera is behind you filming the person in front of you and that every shot is precisely lined up to your head and the other actor in the shot. Learning how the camera works is also in a way learning how you work because you need to act as though you are the same person because the camera needs to be your friend even though you can seriously fight!
So it's been quite interesting so far and we've really just been learning the basics to do with filming, it's a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. The technicalities are much more complex that I originally thought, so although it's a learning curve and there's still much more to go I am enjoying learning about how things work and finding a different side to my acting and how to morph yourself to act on the camera.
