Film Acting

To the wider world, Al Pacino exploded onto the scene like a supernova. He landed his first leading role, in The Panic in Needle Park, in 1971, and by 1975, he had starred in four movies—The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon—that were not just successes but landmarks in the history of film. Those performances became legendary and changed his life forever. Not since Marlon Brando and James Dean in the late 1950s had an actor landed in the culture with such force.

Mr. Caine gives you a once-in-a-lifetime chance to rob him blind! The man who's hypnotized the camera lenses for a quarter of a century reveals the most closely guarded secrets on script preparation, working with the director, forming a character, voice, sound, and movement.

Esper worked closely with Meisner for 17 years and has spent decades developing his famous program for actor's training. The result is a rigorous system of exercises that builds a solid foundation of acting skills from the ground up, and that is flexible enough to be applied to any challenge an actor faces, from soap operas to Shakespeare.

In studying the acting process, what I have found is that acting styles change, just like cinema. What were considered compelling, powerful acting choices in the 1950s and 60s, might be considered “over the top” film acting today. Since the art of film is connected to culture, it shifts and changes with societal tastes. Now, let’s focus on your desire to be an actor in an industry that’s always changing. So, you want to be an actor. That’s great! You want to be on television or in film – awesome!

Hollywood was built on beautiful and complicated matinee idols: James Dean and Marlon Brando are classic examples, but in the 1990s, the actor who embodied that archetype was River Phoenix. As the brightly colored 1980s wound down, a new crew of leading men began to appear on movie screens. Hailed for their acting prowess and admired for choosing meaty roles, actors such as Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Keanu Reeves, and Brad Pitt were soon rocketing toward stardom while an unknown Leonardo DiCaprio prepared to make his acting debut. River Phoenix, however, stood in front of the pack.

In this book, Richard Ayoade - actor, writer, director, and amateur dentist - reflects on his cinematic legacy as only he can: in conversation with himself. Over 10 brilliantly insightful and often erotic interviews, Ayoade examines Ayoade fully and without mercy, leading a breathless investigation into this once-in-a-generation visionary. They have called their book Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey. Take the journey, and your life will never be the same again.

Act: The Modern Actor’s Handbook is the result of 30 years of one of North America’s most renowned acting teachers teaching some of the world's most talented screen actors. This is a full tour through the concepts at the heart of Rotenberg’s techniques: states of being, primaries and secondaries, images that you elaborate up or distill down, modifiers, actions and beats, and more. Although his methods loosely draw on the great acting teachers like Hagen and Meisner back to Stanislavski, he teaches new techniques suited to the best of today’s screen actors.

As a casting director for 23 years, Holly Powell witnessed the casting world from three different points of view: as an independent casting director, as head of casting for a studio, and as a network casting executive. From this unique perspective she formed Holly Powell Studios, with her mission being to demystify the audition process for actors.

Few actors have had a career as dynamic as that Kathleen Turner's; success has followed her from the television screen to major blockbusters, from indie films to the theater stage. Over her 40-year career, Turner has developed an instinctual knowledge of what it takes to be a successful actor, and, in her conversations with esteemed film professor Dustin Morrow, she shares these lessons with the world.

Master your facial expressions. Complete your on-camera training. Change your life. Contrary to popular belief, the camera doesn’t magically place emotion or thought on your face - you do. Here’s the thing about facial communication...your face speaks an emotional, cognitive, and emblematic language. Knowing how to speak this language fluently and authentically is a skill and often the difference between booking the on-camera job or not. Mastering how your face speaks to the camera starts here.

Screen Acting Trade Secrets is the definitive guide for the screen actor in the 21st century. From your first awakening as an actor to the end of your first day on a movie set, Screen Acting Trade Secrets walks you through it all with humor, priceless information, eye-opening revelations, helpful exercises, real-world examples, tales from the trenches, insider secrets, and a boat load of genuine inspiration. You won’t be able to put it down. Then, you’ll start again with a highlighter.

Meryl Streep, Marlon Brando, Anthony Hopkins, Carey Mulligan. When we watch these remarkable actors in a performance, we see only Sophie, Stanley Kowalski, Hannibal Lecter, or Cassie from Promising Young Woman. How are they able to transform our world in this way? How and why do they do what they do? In Acting Naturally, David Thomson sheds light on the actors who have shaped the film industry. He shrewdly analyzes these stars, revealing how a sly smile, an extra-long pause, even a small gesture of the hand can draw in an audience.

Her name is synonymous with elegance, style, and grace. Over the course of her extraordinary life and career, Audrey Hepburn captured hearts around the world and created a public image that stands as one of the most recognizable and beloved in recent memory. But despite her international fame and her tireless efforts on behalf of UNICEF, Audrey was also known for her intense privacy.

Quick Start to Acting in Hollywood: Your Intro to TV & Film by Gina Nemo, published by Audiobook Publishing Services, is your essential guide to breaking into the entertainment industry. Whether you're dreaming of seeing your name in lights or stepping onto your first set, this audiobook offers practical, no-nonsense advice to help you get started in TV and film. Gina Nemo, an award-winning actress known for her breakout role in 21 Jump Street, shares invaluable tips and personal insights in this concise and motivational guide.

Recommended by agents and acting coaches, Acting in Chicago, 4th Edition demystifies the question of how to build a rewarding, sustainable, and profitable acting career. Everything you need to make a full-time living as a Midwest-based actor is at your fingertips in this updated edition.

Created by established Chicago actor and teacher Chris Agos, Acting in Chicago demystifies the question of how to earn a full-time living as an actor. Learn about the seven ways Chicago actors make money actually acting, how much career actors can earn, agents, casting directors, essential investments to make (and which to skip), the actors' union, and much, much more. This edition adds new information on self-taped auditions, how Chicago actors can prepare for a move to Los Angeles, and how to get a child actor into the business.

The Camera Lies unpacks Hitchcock's legacy both as a director who continuously taught audiences to distrust appearance and as a man with an uncanny insight into the human capacity for deceit and misinterpretation.

Jesse Vint is a veteran of over 100 films and television shows. He has also produced, directed, and written full-length feature films that have played throughout the world. Jesse shows actors how to internalize. Once they listen to this audiobook, they will have a clarity about acting and what it is that they have never had before, regardless of how long they've studied.

The Organic Actor is a unique book, combining the technical with the psychological aspects of auditioning for film and television. This book deals with concerns that affect every actor who auditions. It is a must listen if you intend to pursue acting as your career or even if you'd just like to dabble in it.

A New Slant on Acting offers a clear, detailed description of how films get made, how to work on a set, and what filmmakers need from actors. Once you know what everyone on the set is doing, you’ll know what you can do to help films and their crew members be successful. As a valuable team player, you’ll gain a definite edge over your competition and build a life for yourself in the midst of the wonderful magic of moviemaking.