You grew up in Madrid, loving American as well as Spanish films.
That’s true: I don’t believe in God, but I believe in Al Pacino. The other day I was watching ‘‘Dog Day Afternoon’’ again, and I see a man who is so true, so interesting and I understand more about the world from his performance. And you go, ‘‘C’mon, it’s only acting.’’ Well, wouldn’t you say that a good book or a good painting allows you to see the world in a different way? When I see a great performance, I feel more alive.

Portrait of a Lady Killer: Javier Bardem – New York Times

Quick, fascinating interview with Javier Bardem on acting and playing two very different roles in No Country and Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Full of good tid-bits like the one above, as well as:

With Chigurh, I saw him as a man with a mission that was beyond his control. Someone chose his fate for him. I thought of him as a man who never had sex. He doesn’t like human fluids, even his own. [Pauses] I don’t want to get into too many details, but I even imagined how Chigurh would masturbate.

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1. Acting for the Camera

For the past couple of week’s we’ve had to pick a scene from our F3, rehearse it with our ATL members, then act it out in front of the class for our directing and acting teachers to see how the scene plays. Then the following week we record the performance and play it back to analyze shot design and blocking.

Yesterday my ATL performed a scene from my F3, “How to Sell Your Soul for the Corner Office.” As is pretty evident by the title, it’s about a guy (Bernie) who sells his soul for the corner office.

I decided to do the last scene in the film where Bernie has his corner office but has an encounter with his new boss that hints there might be a price to what he has done.

While rehearsing with my Production Designer and First AD, I found the process to be really helpful. This is the first time I’ve heard the dialogue spoken, so I realized some parts are a bit word heavy. And even though we’re not actors, a lot of good questions were brought up about what characters know, what their motivation is, etc. It’s also less intimidating than working with actors you just met.

If I have the time, I’d like to do this process for all six pages. But for now it’s off to filming the scene.

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1. No More Changes [Editing]
2. Acting for the Camera
3. Pitching Story Ideas

“Acting is living truthfully in imaginary circumstances.”
-Stanislavski

In the spring semester we had a few acting workshops to prepare us for our F2s. Acting isn’t exactly my favorite thing in the world, and one of my directing weak points. I’d much rather be behind camera with brilliant actors.

So it wasn’t the best news when I heard we would be having some more acting workshops. We met Thursday morning and opened with the quote above. We then talked about a paper that was emailed to use a few days before.

Based on method acting, it said for each scene you should find an objective that is single, immediate, and personal (SIP).

The best objective is a change you want to bring out in the other character.

Then we did a few exercises. One involved taking some one’s keys and making them leave the room while we hid them. When they came back in to find them, we watched them to tell when they were pretending to look (the beginning) versus when they were really looking (towards the end when frustration set in).

Then our teacher told us there was $10 hidden under a chair or table. Whoever found it could keep it. Of course everyone quickly got on their hands and knees. Once it was found (it wasn’t a trick), we had to reset and go for take two. Of course the second time was a lackluster performance. Point made.

To end the class, we were all given a vague dialogue scene, with which we had to add context and objectives and act it out. My partner and I came up with an employee filling out an evaluation with the boss trying to be buddy-buddy for favorable marks (gotta stick with the office themes).

We acted it out, got a few laughs, and I survived. Overall the class was more helpful than I expected. In the coming weeks we’ll each be taking a scene from our F3 and filming it with our ATL to go through the acting and shot design, which I think is a pretty smart idea.

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1. Making a Scene
2. How to be a Second Assistant Camera
3. Portrait of a Lady Killer: Javier Bardem – New York Times

Each year The Film School holds two open auditions. It’s a really good idea. Anyone can come in. They fill out a form with their information and acting experience, get a head shot, and act out a scene that’s recorded. This is inputted into a database and compiled in a large binder, so when it comes time to cast our films, we just go to the database and enter some parameters (male 20-30), watch the potential candidates audition video and call back anyone we’re interested in.

We’re all assigned a different job. Yesterday I directed one of the auditions. The format we use is a pretty good format for any audition.

• Slate the beginning. Have the actor slate the beginning of the tape with their name and phone number.
• Have the actor go through the scene. We would have the actor perform the scene however they interpreted it. Since you would be auditioning your own script, you might offer a little about the character or what you want before they start. Keep the camera fairly wide.
• Re-direct the actor. Give them some new direction, even if the first reading was great. You want to make sure they can take direction. At the audition countless people would read exactly the same as before. Zoom in for a medium close-up.

That’s it. We would only do the scene twice for time reasons, but you might want to work with the actor a little more.

Some audition tales: One woman sang for her audition, but when I asked her if she wanted to do another song (since I don’t know how to re-direct singing) she would talk in the lowest whisper because the camera was still rolling. Another guy was making casual conversation with me before he just jumped into his monologue, throwing me off guard. A few guys did a scene from The Bourne Supremacy, but I wouldn’t trust them to take down a Macy’s security guard. The best audition was a little kid, who after reading his scene, performed a sword fighting ballet with a sword he brought.

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1. I Guess The Last Post Was Right
2. How To Get 50 Zombies
3. Pre-Production on The Great One [Producing]

This is what happens when you don’t get enough extras to show up.

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1. How to Turn 10 Extras into 100