Actor’s Performance

  You will be required to type this response in a 3-4 page essay. The topic is to examine the acting methodology of ONE actor or actresses from the film(s) of your choosing. explaining the following questions:

1)    What aspect of their background or upbringing relates to their approach in acting? Were they self-taught or classically trained? Aside from movies, have they done other types of acting?

2)    How has this actor or actress grown in the previous years of their work? Provide evidence to explain this range of growth.

3)    What are your expectations of the actor? How are these expectations met or how do they exceed certain expectations? Explain, with evidence, what made you come to this conclusion.

4)    What “type” of actor are they? (personality actor, actors who deliberately play against our expectations of personae, chameleon/method actor, or an actor who did not receive formal training and has had success in another field). Give evidence to your answer.

5)    How does the director’s mise-en-scene enhance the acting? Does this actor or actress commonly work with particular directors frequently? If yes, explain why.

6)    How does the cinematography enhance their acting?

7)    What aspects of the film – whether film stock, color palettes, sound, or lighting to name a few – have been manipulated to alter our perception of this actor?

8)    If your actor or actress is not deceased, what types of roles or director’s do you hope this actor will work with in the future? If your actor or actress is deceased, what types of film roles had you hoped to see them in today?

•   You should be prepared to show (very brief) clips of the acting in the movies you will be addressing, (please give direct links) Limit your clips to 30 seconds to a minute in length. They are meant to enhance and give evidence to your analysis.
• Please give all needed info like film name, year, and a direct link to it. Remeber it should be about one actor/actress.
•   When writing this paper, you must have a clear thesis statement, or purpose to your essay. The body paragraphs should be well thought out and provide evidence to support your thesis.  You must have both an introduction and a conclusion. (MLA format).
• Please make sure you remain focused and above all – do not provide plot summaries! I will have more than likely seen the film, and writing a summary is NOT the purpose of this assignment. It is your responsibility to describe scenes in detail to SHOW the actor’s technique and expertise.
•  The book we are using in this class is : Looking at movies 4th ed. by Barsam, Richard.