DVC20

Dick Mays · June 8th, 2011, 07:51 PM

May be away from computer most of tomorrow as I am shooting another little spot. Did a few videos for a friend who owns a garage door business, how to repair your broken torsion spring, and he got a great response on youtube. When DVC20 topic came along I first thought of killing two birds with one stone as Bill asked me to do another instructionL spot for his business. But the more I thought about it, why not help my own business? I teach an acting class and could use some more students.

So I asked two of the actors in class to do a promo spot for me. My voice makes a cameo appearance playing the role of an overly stressed D.P. Shot on a Canon 7D with a couple of F2.8 lenses. I really like F2.8 on the 7D, deep enough DOF to keep actors in focus without too much effort, but shallow enough to provide some focal separation from the background.

Feedback greatly appreciated!

Henry Williams · June 9th, 2011, 01:13 PM

Hi, Dick.

That was a really excellent piece. The visuals were well composed throughout, it was a nice edit and an informative explanation of the contrasting acting styles.

I also thought that the actors were very good indeed with one small exception. When they were demonstrating the method and classical acting styles the performances seemed just a touch overcooked, but I get the sense you may have been aiming for something slightly exaggerated at that moment to convey the contrast more effectively, in which case please disregard.

Overall though it was a very persuasive and professionally put together promo. I'm sure you'll have students flocking to the door to learn!

Henry

Jeremy Doyle · June 9th, 2011, 01:27 PM

Dang it Dick! Why couldn't you have done this piece before I had a chance to put mine together. This would have helped me enormously!

Nice work. The only suggestion I would have is to have a narrator reading your title cards. Vocal and visual reinforcement.

I really liked the little history lesson of the developments of the types of acting.

Lorinda Norton · June 9th, 2011, 06:06 PM

Way to go, Dick! I think it's great that you were able to use Dylan's theme for a nice video that will surely help people want to join your class. If someone like me, who has zero desire to act, found it interesting throughout, then potential actors should jump at it. I had never heard of conceptual acting before this.

Well done! :)

Lorinda Norton · June 9th, 2011, 06:17 PM

I almost forgot--you are one who desires critical info as well as the "feel good" stuff. One thing that distracted me just a bit was the audio in the bathroom scene. (Good grief--another bathroom scene!) ;) It sounded like you used a shotgun mic that echoed quite a bit. As much trouble as it is, two mics closer to the actors or having your impromptu boom operator switch between them might have helped eliminate that. Or maybe you were fine with it since bathrooms are notoriously reverberant anyway?

Dick Mays · June 9th, 2011, 06:38 PM

Lorinda,

Can't sneak anything past you! I got audio with a boom mic in the bathroom, but didn't have time to sync all the audio clips and just used the Canon 7D built in mic. The interview scene is a single take and I put the boom mic audio on that one. That's why I put the music in to hide the audio issue, dang nab it!

Jeremy, when I watched your crying performance I thought you might find some value in the lesson! LOL.
Try not to cry next time.

Henry, any acting technique, when practiced enough, can deliver a good performance. Think of Lawrence Oliver as a great Classical Actor. But most community theater people overact with dramatic gestures which I call "indicating" emotions, and it comes off as bad acting. I thought my actors did the bad acting well.

In method acting, honesty in the moment is encouraged. So I wanted good acting followed by a surprised look when the other actor unexpectedly hugged her. Holly delivered.

The reason Lorinda never heard of Conceptual Acting is because I just made up the term a few weeks ago.
Judson taught us to practice and use Concepts, but he never had a catchy name for it. Voila, Conceptual Acting!

Dick Mays · June 9th, 2011, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeremy Doyle

The only suggestion I would have is to have a narrator reading your title cards. Vocal and visual reinforcement.

I recorded a voice over narration, but at 1 am EST I decided that artistically it worked better without it.
Might have been the fatigue talking to me, but I really thought it seemed distracting with the audio. Like to hear if others felt the same way, if narration would help it.

Lorinda Norton · June 9th, 2011, 06:51 PM

Hmm...I think I like it better the way it is. There is so much dialog throughout the video I may have ended up feeling a little bombarded without the more subtle beginning.

Reading your reply about the audio makes me worry that I'm turning into my mom. There was a vague memory of us talking about your audio issues on the phone the other night, yet I had completely forgotten about it until you jogged it just now! Uh oh...time for more blueberries and other memory-enhancing stuff. :)

Dick Mays · June 9th, 2011, 07:29 PM

Did we talk on the phone?

Lorinda Norton · June 9th, 2011, 07:35 PM

LOL!!! Thanks...I needed that. :)

Chris Barcellos · June 10th, 2011, 12:30 AM

Dick:

I wasn't paying any attention to technical issues because this piece had a lot of meat about narrative film making in it for me. Although I have technical background in setting up shots, I don't know anything about acting concepts, and this piece provided some needed background. Thanks for doing this.

Andris Krastins · June 10th, 2011, 01:40 AM

This is probably the most informative and professionally useful of all videos.
I really liked the editing, but, as others, noticed the distorted sound in the bathroom.

Dick Mays · June 10th, 2011, 06:03 AM

Thanks Andris,

Now that Lorinda and you BOTH noticed, I have to go do more editing and add the boom audio to the mix. Don't like to admit it, but my hearing is not what it used to be and I probably need a younger ear for all my audio work.

Chris, glad you found it useful. Judson created around 140 concepts to describe EVERYTHING we see, but I cut the list down to about 50 of the most important ones to teach in an acting class. 50 is enough to keep a student occupied for a year. What you are looking for in a relationship, Attraction, Connection, or Repulsion, is the first thing we teach. Most scenes should have a SWITCH from one to the other, for the audience to perceive a change in the relationship.

George Williams · June 10th, 2011, 10:14 AM

Most informative! I am the world's worst actor, and have never really understood the process at all. This'll be dead helpful if I ever try and use actors - I might actually have some clue how to speak their language!

Dick Mays · June 10th, 2011, 10:27 AM

George, most actors have some method training but very few have heard of Concepts. If you tell them you want them to switch from attraction to repulsion on a line, few actors will be able to do that convincingly until they train themselves to deliver concepts on lines. That's why I am training my actors before my next project.

June 8th, 2011, 07:51 PM	#1
Dick Mays Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 690	DVC20 - Conceptual Acting May be away from computer most of tomorrow as I am shooting another little spot. Did a few videos for a friend who owns a garage door business, how to repair your broken torsion spring, and he got a great response on youtube. When DVC20 topic came along I first thought of killing two birds with one stone as Bill asked me to do another instructionL spot for his business. But the more I thought about it, why not help my own business? I teach an acting class and could use some more students. So I asked two of the actors in class to do a promo spot for me. My voice makes a cameo appearance playing the role of an overly stressed D.P. Shot on a Canon 7D with a couple of F2.8 lenses. I really like F2.8 on the 7D, deep enough DOF to keep actors in focus without too much effort, but shallow enough to provide some focal separation from the background. Feedback greatly appreciated!

June 9th, 2011, 01:13 PM	#2
Henry Williams Major Player Join Date: May 2010 Location: Lewisham, London, United Kingdom Posts: 408	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting Hi, Dick. That was a really excellent piece. The visuals were well composed throughout, it was a nice edit and an informative explanation of the contrasting acting styles. I also thought that the actors were very good indeed with one small exception. When they were demonstrating the method and classical acting styles the performances seemed just a touch overcooked, but I get the sense you may have been aiming for something slightly exaggerated at that moment to convey the contrast more effectively, in which case please disregard. Overall though it was a very persuasive and professionally put together promo. I'm sure you'll have students flocking to the door to learn! Henry

June 9th, 2011, 01:27 PM	#3
Jeremy Doyle Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Brainerd, MN Posts: 287	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting Dang it Dick! Why couldn't you have done this piece before I had a chance to put mine together. This would have helped me enormously! Nice work. The only suggestion I would have is to have a narrator reading your title cards. Vocal and visual reinforcement. I really liked the little history lesson of the developments of the types of acting.

June 9th, 2011, 06:06 PM	#4
Lorinda Norton Wrangler Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southwest Idaho, USA Posts: 3,066	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting Way to go, Dick! I think it's great that you were able to use Dylan's theme for a nice video that will surely help people want to join your class. If someone like me, who has zero desire to act, found it interesting throughout, then potential actors should jump at it. I had never heard of conceptual acting before this. Well done! :) __________________ Lorinda

June 9th, 2011, 06:17 PM	#5
Lorinda Norton Wrangler Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southwest Idaho, USA Posts: 3,066	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting I almost forgot--you are one who desires critical info as well as the "feel good" stuff. One thing that distracted me just a bit was the audio in the bathroom scene. (Good grief--another bathroom scene!) ;) It sounded like you used a shotgun mic that echoed quite a bit. As much trouble as it is, two mics closer to the actors or having your impromptu boom operator switch between them might have helped eliminate that. Or maybe you were fine with it since bathrooms are notoriously reverberant anyway? __________________ Lorinda

June 9th, 2011, 06:38 PM	#6
Dick Mays Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 690	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting Lorinda, Can't sneak anything past you! I got audio with a boom mic in the bathroom, but didn't have time to sync all the audio clips and just used the Canon 7D built in mic. The interview scene is a single take and I put the boom mic audio on that one. That's why I put the music in to hide the audio issue, dang nab it! Jeremy, when I watched your crying performance I thought you might find some value in the lesson! LOL. Try not to cry next time. Henry, any acting technique, when practiced enough, can deliver a good performance. Think of Lawrence Oliver as a great Classical Actor. But most community theater people overact with dramatic gestures which I call "indicating" emotions, and it comes off as bad acting. I thought my actors did the bad acting well. In method acting, honesty in the moment is encouraged. So I wanted good acting followed by a surprised look when the other actor unexpectedly hugged her. Holly delivered. The reason Lorinda never heard of Conceptual Acting is because I just made up the term a few weeks ago. Judson taught us to practice and use Concepts, but he never had a catchy name for it. Voila, Conceptual Acting!

June 9th, 2011, 06:51 PM	#8
Lorinda Norton Wrangler Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southwest Idaho, USA Posts: 3,066	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting Hmm...I think I like it better the way it is. There is so much dialog throughout the video I may have ended up feeling a little bombarded without the more subtle beginning. Reading your reply about the audio makes me worry that I'm turning into my mom. There was a vague memory of us talking about your audio issues on the phone the other night, yet I had completely forgotten about it until you jogged it just now! Uh oh...time for more blueberries and other memory-enhancing stuff. :) __________________ Lorinda

June 9th, 2011, 07:29 PM	#9
Dick Mays Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 690	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting Did we talk on the phone?

June 9th, 2011, 07:35 PM	#10
Lorinda Norton Wrangler Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southwest Idaho, USA Posts: 3,066	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting LOL!!! Thanks...I needed that. :) __________________ Lorinda

June 10th, 2011, 12:30 AM	#11
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting Dick: I wasn't paying any attention to technical issues because this piece had a lot of meat about narrative film making in it for me. Although I have technical background in setting up shots, I don't know anything about acting concepts, and this piece provided some needed background. Thanks for doing this. __________________ Chris J. Barcellos

June 10th, 2011, 01:40 AM	#12
Andris Krastins Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Lielvārde, Latvia Posts: 326	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting This is probably the most informative and professionally useful of all videos. I really liked the editing, but, as others, noticed the distorted sound in the bathroom. __________________ Our Fire Films - a free film project.

June 10th, 2011, 06:03 AM	#13
Dick Mays Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 690	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting Thanks Andris, Now that Lorinda and you BOTH noticed, I have to go do more editing and add the boom audio to the mix. Don't like to admit it, but my hearing is not what it used to be and I probably need a younger ear for all my audio work. Chris, glad you found it useful. Judson created around 140 concepts to describe EVERYTHING we see, but I cut the list down to about 50 of the most important ones to teach in an acting class. 50 is enough to keep a student occupied for a year. What you are looking for in a relationship, Attraction, Connection, or Repulsion, is the first thing we teach. Most scenes should have a SWITCH from one to the other, for the audience to perceive a change in the relationship.

June 10th, 2011, 10:14 AM	#14
George Williams Regular Crew Join Date: May 2011 Location: London, UK Posts: 26	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting Most informative! I am the world's worst actor, and have never really understood the process at all. This'll be dead helpful if I ever try and use actors - I might actually have some clue how to speak their language!

June 10th, 2011, 10:27 AM	#15
Dick Mays Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 690	Re: DVC20 - Conceptual Acting George, most actors have some method training but very few have heard of Concepts. If you tell them you want them to switch from attraction to repulsion on a line, few actors will be able to do that convincingly until they train themselves to deliver concepts on lines. That's why I am training my actors before my next project.