Acting for Film
by Cathy Haase
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Book Summary Information
Author: Cathy HaaseEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-01-01
ISBN: 1581152523
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Allworth Press
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9781581152524
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Acting for Film
Book Review: Hopelessly abstract
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm not an actor: I merely bought this 200-page book because I was quite curious about how this part of the movie-making industry works. Sixty pages in, I closed the book forever because I still had no idea. I honestly worry for aspiring actors who assume the author is a guru.
Cathy Haase seems to suffer from an inveterate inability to elaborate. Her manner of explaining the performance process consists of tossing out sweepingly abstract, largely un-implementable lumps of over-compressed advice. It's apparent that *she* knows what she means, but she doesn't seem to want *you* to know. Here are some examples:
"Observe the people around you, and write your observations in your journal" [p. 23]
But observe what? Gestures, mannerisms, demeanour, perceived emotional state? And what if the emotional state has been mis-perceived? As often happens, Ms. Haase offers no way of verifying whether or not you're doing it right, because she has not told you *what* to do.
A few sentences later, we are told to "try to see the genius in each person". [p. 23] Genius is something near-unique: it cannot exist in "each person", unless Ms. Haase is using the word in her own unique sense. If so, she never clarifies that sense.
What are we to make of such clangers as "breathe into the moment"? [p. 37] Or "Pick up your Journal [sic] and write. Write whatever you like"? [p. 39] Or "the breath must move through each moment to investigate it fully"? [p. 43] Or "Concentrate on the ears and the inner canal of the ear"? [p. 50] Ms. Haase cautions us against "getting stuck in your head" but never adequately explains the phenomenon. Later, when trying an exercise, we are meant to ask ourselves "Was I able to be aware of getting stuck in my head?" [p. 42] Leaving aside the clanking syntax of this question, wouldn't you have to "stuck in your head" in the first place to become "aware" of something?
Some passages are so silly they can be quoted without commentary. On the sense of taste:
"Ahhh! The mouth, tongue, and lips. What a trio! If you take some time out and consider all the functions of this triumvirate while moving your tongue over your lips and within the inside of your mouth, many interesting things may start to happen. Spend some time with this and explore."
[p. 27]
On the author's exploitation of her reaction to 9/11:
"I separated what had meaning from what was essentially meaningless; the world was filled with a sense of immediacy. Every moment became precious, and within the catastrophe around me, I realized how precious life is. Life is a series of moments, perceptions, and choices, but above all, it is painfully short. Life should be lived to the fullest. The present moment is everything."
[p. 47]
My favourite piece of advice in the book is the repeated injunction to "keep checking your breathing". For what? It's not as though it's going to stop, after all. (At least, not with this prose style.)
In fairness, there were warning signs. None of the three press quotes on the back of the book come from people in the acting profession. The quote from Norman Mailer has the air of called-in favour; the other two are from a screenwriting instructor and the Chair of a Film/Animation School. No performers or acting teachers. A bad omen.
Looking back, I also notice that in the empty spaces of this book I kept scribbling remarks like "What's the objective of this?" and "... To what end?" The slackness of clarity which permeates the book is epitomised by the moment when Ms. Haase confuses the name of the French national anthem with the name of a port in the south of France. [p. 56] It's a whole succession of little things like this that led to this unfinished book finding a new home in my local second-hand bookshop. (At least the next guy who flicks through it will be forewarned by the baffled comments in the margins.)
Summary of Acting for Film
In this must-have guide for aspiring performers, a veteran film actor shares her secrets for success when performing for film and television.
Aspiring film and television actors will discover exercises for relaxing the face to achieve maximum expressiveness; maintaining proper eye focus in front of the camera and conveying the "beats" of a scene, even in the shortest takes. They'll also learn tested techniques for adapting to the styles of different directors; modulating voice and breath for maximum effect; preparing for the first day on the set; enduring multiple takes and on-the-set waiting; and much, much more. For any performer who intends to make a living in front of the camera, Acting for Film is the most authoritative resource!Theater Books
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