- Marks: Remember those pieces of masking tape they put at your feet? Not decoration. When you move, the cameraman has to know in advance where you'll be stopping so hell stop with you. Those stopping/standing points are "marked," and it's your job to hit those marks - dead on. "Marks are of the essence," says director/ cinematographer Bruce Logan. "If you don't hit them, you won't be in the light; you won't be in focus; and you won't be in the shot."
"Marks are critical," says commercial producer Bob Wollin. "You're dealing with very sophisticated lenses." Miss a mark and the cameraman will have to stop the shoot - he's aiming for one spot and you're in another. Keep missing? 'Bye now.
Unfortunately, if you're inexperienced at hitting marks they'll really get in the way of your acting. If you can't afford a film technique class, practice with masking tape at home. Pros hit their marks, amateurs don't - and they're not paying you to be an amateur. From an article in PEOPLE Weekly:
"...Robert Conrad is taping a scene for his new CBS adventure series, High Mountain Rangers. The afternoon is cold and the crew is tired when, suddenly, a scream loud enough to roust a bear out of hibernation rings through the wintry air. It is Conrad, and he is enraged. 'We had a chopper in the scene, and there was a storm, but the skiers on the back side of the mountain could still hear him,' marvels Joan Conrad, the show's producer and the star's daughter. The reason for his fury? 'One of the actors,' says Joan, 'missed his mark."' [Italics ours.]
- Matching: Remember last night when you were watching Attack of the Slima Beans? An actor lit a cigarette. The camera cut away from him for a moment. When it returned, no cigarette. That's an extreme example of a bad match.
"Continuity mistakes from an actor are really unforgivable," says cinematographer Howard Wexler.
If you shout "Get out!", pointing on the word "out" in one shot, point on that same word every shot. Match all movement (when and how you rise, sit down, turn, gesture, pick something up, etc.), and also be certain to look the same (costume, hair, general makeup). You should also match the emotional intensity of the scene from one shot to the next. If you're furious in one shot, and merely angry in another, you're not matching.
Unless the mistake is blatant (like the cigarette mentioned above), it's possible no one will tell you you're not matching. But it will be spotted later. Where? You got it. "If it's not matched, it won't go together and it will wind up on the cutting-room floor," says director/ cinematographer Bruce Logan.
They'll use other shots of the scene and you'll lose screen time (most likely close-ups). Ouch.
- "Cheating towards the camera": Always be aware of where the camera is located, and position yourself accordingly; it's your audience. If the camera can't see it - face, prop or whatever - it doesn't exist. "Actors," says director/cinematographer Bruce Logan, "Make two mistakes: not being aware of the camera; and being overly aware of the camera."
- Overlap(ping): In theatre, cues need to be fast and stepping on another actor's line can often add excitement. But film actors shouldn't do this. It makes editing the scene difficult. Often, if you overlap, the take will have to be re-shot. Exceptions are allowed (a "violent" argument or Altmanesque film), but in general, let your fellow actor finish his line before you speak.
- Scaling down your acting: In a feature film, everything you do will be "blown up" about 35 times. The TV screen may be smaller, but it hates overacting. Be careful not to be too "big." "Step back" from the camera. Don't "show" the camera what you're thinking or doing; allow the camera to "discover" it.
- Stillness: That is, feeling comfortable moving less, and more economically. Director Leslie Martinson: "Actors will sometimes move for the sake of moving, which is deadly. If you have a head-to-head scene, play it. Many times the actor will say, Tm glued here,' and I say, 'Where would you like to move in the middle of a line like that?"'
- Staying in it: For as long as the camera is running. You can't break concentration for a second. As TV newsman Dan Rather phrased it in the title of his book: the camera never blinks.
- "Cut!": This is when you stop acting - not a moment before. There will be times you'll feel the camera has been on you forever, but never break character until the director says "Cut." He will need this extra footage later when editing.
If he liked (or because of time had to settle for) that take, hell say, "Print," or "Print that." Essentially, he's saying, "Okay. Good. Save that shot. That's one 111 (probably) use."
When you hear the director say "Print," that's the shot you'll need to match - all through the many and various kinds of additional shots of the scene that will be taken.
