The Science and Art of Acting for the Camera

The Science and Art of Acting for the Camera provides a precise yet practical approach to help unlock the mysteries of acting for film and television. Written by veteran actor, producer, and director John Howard Swain, the book offers a clear-cut, no-nonsense technique that equips aspiring or working actors with the necessary skills to succeed on camera. The technique teaches you how to build multi-dimensional characters; construct truthful and exciting relationships; ignite stimulating emotions; craft a series of discoveries guaranteed to energize your work; and much, much more. The book also provides instruction for actors working in commercials-from slating, to the dreaded "tell us about yourself" interview, to nailing "the tag" and embracing the cliché-and supplies sample commercial copy for students to practice.

John Howard Swain has coached a myriad of clients ranging from first-time performers to Emmy Award-winning actors, Supreme Court Justices, and Fortune 500 executives. In addition to his New York stage credits he has also guest-starred in dozens of television's most iconic shows, including such classics as Hill Street Blues to Law & Order: SVU. As a director he has staged over twenty plays, including such hits as That Championship Season, Veronica's Room, and The Owl and the Pussycat. He has also directed four films: Whose Life, Uncommon, Stand-by, and the multi-award winning short, A Younger Man. Students from his program continue to work across the globe, and can be seen starring on Broadway, in television, and on film.

Shout Outs Introduction Chapter One: Things Every Actor Should Know Chapter Two: The Basics Chapter Three: The Bones Chapter Four: Ten Positive Attributes Chapter Five: Relationships Chapter Six: Main Objective Chapter Seven: Opposites Chapter Eight: Moment Before Chapter Nine: Discoveries/Emotions Chapter Ten: Beats, Tactics and Actions Chapter Eleven: Humor Chapter Twelve: Place, Transitions and Sense Memory Chapter Thirteen: Status, Power and Secrets Chapter Fourteen: Summary Chapter Fifteen: The Technique-Condensed Chapter Sixteen: Self-Taping And A Few Words About Commercials Introduction to Commercial Acting Chapter Seventeen: The Slate Chapter Eighteen: From Slate to Copy Chapter Nineteen: Relationships Chapter Twenty: Line-to-Line Objectives Chapter Twenty-One: Moment Before and The Tag Chapter Twenty-Two: Banter Chapter Twenty-Three: Environment Chapter Twenty-Four: Embracing the Cliché Chapter Twenty-Five: Double Copy Chapter Twenty-Six: The Dreaded Interview Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Few Last Things Chapter Twenty-Eight: Your Greatest Asset-You Chapter Twenty-Nine: Commercial Practice Copy Appendix Index