Acting Workshops
Creative screen acting, has come a long way since the advent of the moving picture. In the early twentieth century films were produced using old antiquated theatre techniques. With grand jestures and grotesque facial exspressions. Lighting was poor, and there was no sound save the honky tonk piano playing in front of the screen. Then, with the development of sound and large amounts of money put into the fledgling but very popular form of entertainment, the quality of performance began to rise. American and European directors linked onto the realistic acting methods produced by Constantin Stanislavski. 
and many actors became adept at method acting via the studios of Lee Strassberg, Stella Adler, Bobby Lewis, Sanford Meisner, and Uta Hagen, All of these excellent tutors promoted the ideas of Stanislavski in varied and sometimes different applications. All were successful. Many great and stirring performances were created on screen using the naturalistic methods inspired by Stanislavski and his followers. The 20th century was a boom time for film, as TV at this stage only began mid century. During this time practically every living actor aspired to become what was known as a Method actor and acting schools and private tuition workshops abounded with method acting classes and tuition. Many of the teachings from these sources were so far from the writings and training methods put out by Stanislavski that the name ‘method actor’ became a joke. Tutors and instructors who misconstued the writings, and failed to understand what method acting entailed produced a completly bastardised version of Stanislavki’s work. Even so Hollywood was very successful in having the very best of actors to employ and got great results from the method actors of the day. Robert Duval, James Dean, Marilyn Munroe, Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, Al Pacino and so many more. For almost the whole of the twentieth century the method of training actors was in the mode of The Stanislavski followers. However television and digital special effects were becoming very popular. It wasn’t long before still photography became digitalised and 35ml Film was replaced by digital capture cards. Hollywood movies became a combination of 35ml film and digital special effects. Digital video advanced in the late twentieth century at an amazing rate. It was so much cheaper to produce movie footage than the old film methods, with the results that many of the smaller studios around the world began creating movies in digital format and at the same time found another market place in the uprising Television industry. Now, as we reach 2010 and find ourselves ten years into the 21st century Digital Film making has increased in quality and technical experience in leaps and bounds. Digital cameras are becoming so advanced that they are practically obsolete after a couple of years. Ultra High definition Cameras creating extremly clear and flawless images are changing the way films are made especially in the lighting area. Every hair and freckle can be seen in clear high definition. This has brought about a complete change around in the way actors work on camera. Because of high powered and sensitive microphones dialogue is practically whispered, and is diminished in most screenplays to the minimum. In close up scenes the facial expressions of the actor are practically still and the drama is shown through the actors eyes. This has brought about a pressing need and a complete shift in Actor training. While many of the basic fundementals of method acting are still required, due to the extreme close up scrutiny created by ultra high definition cameras the use of the actor’s imagination and mental concentration is now paramount. Stillness is required, and a more emotional and cencentrated application of the character is needed to tell the story. In my 21st Century Acting Workshop the criterea is to develop this awareness of the closer scrutiny. and the actors ability to relax in the knowledge that every facial and bodily nuance is captured in the take. Modules involve much close up work, while learning a practically new body language. Imaginary skills are honed and concentration developed to maximum capacity. learning to understand what is required in this new digital industry for the actor is a brand new approach to how an actor must train.
my 21st century Workshops with begin in mid 2010 for details of the dates and location contact me John E Regan at speakerstudio@gmail.com
