Secrets of Screen Acting (A Theatre Arts Book) - Hardcover

Secrets of Screen Acting, the first book of its kind, introduces both beginners and professionals alike to the art of on-screen acting.

When it was first published in 1993, Secrets of Screen Acting broke new ground in explaining how acting for the camera is different from acting on stage. Reaction time is altered, physical timing and placement are reconceived, and the proportions of the film frame itself become the measure of all things. In this updated edition, Patrick Tucker explains how digital video introduces yet another secret (and solution): the proportions of the digital frame are different from that of traditional film stock, so that the director must conceptualize each image in terms of this new rectangle. Actors now fit into the frame in a slightly different way. Based on a revolutionary non-Method approach to acting, Secrets of Screen Acting shows what actually works: how an actor, an announcer--anyone working in front of the cameras--gives excellent performances on screen.

In this new edition, Patrick Tucker retains the engaging style and useful structure of the first edition while addressing significant changes in current technology, ensuring that this volume will remain an indispensable resource for contemporary students of screen acting.
Updated for a new decade of screen performance possibilities, Secrets of Screen Acting is a magician's box of acting tricks for today's performer. thought, there still exists no single method for screen work. In this book, Patrick Tucker makes the distinction between acting for the stage and for the screen. He explains that the actor, instead of starting with what is real and trying to portray that on screen, should work with the realities of the shoot itself, and then work out how to make it all appear realistic.

Tucker has created and developed several screen acting of a courses, and this book is an extension and explanation of a lifetime of work in the field. Containing over 50 acting exercises, this book leads the reader step-by-step through the elements of effective screen acting.

Refreshing in its informal approach and full of instructive anecdotes, Secrets of Screen Acting will be an invaluable guide for those who wish to master the art of acting on-screen.