Unit
Virtual Acting for the Camera
Created by Ruthie Tutterow
4 lessons
acting
The unit is adapted for a virtual environment.
The purpose of this unit is for students to know the differences and practice skills for film versus stage acting. They should also know the basic vocabulary of acting for the camera. It will also be helpful for them to get practice in editing. By seeing both sides of the camera, they will gain valuable experience in seeing what works from both the producing and acting side. Students will be able to see and reflect on their work.
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The overview lays out the objective, equipment requirements, lesson format and assessment plan for the unit.
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1Lesson 1Differences Between Stage Acting and Film Acting & VocabularyStudents will be able to identify some of the major differences between acting for the stage and the camera. They will also be able to understand and use vocabulary that is specific to working on film sets and acting for the camera.
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2Lesson 2Exercises in Acting for the CameraStudents will watch some of a workshop in acting for the camera and do some exercises that help them practice some of the differences between stage acting and film acting.
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3Lesson 3Finding Your QualityAfter discussing the essence and quality of their favorite actors, students will record themselves having a conversation. Then they will transcribe their conversation and perform it as a script. These “scenes” will be recorded. Students will then be assigned to describe the “quality” of a fellow student.
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4Lesson 4CommercialsStudents will act in and direct a commercial. They will break down a script into shots to “cover” the script. They will also format a script into video and audio. Actors will need to hit marks, make a point concisely, and hit the time format of the commercial. They should use the acting techniques for film as much as possible. Students will also need to think creatively to work in socially distant circumstances.
Standards Addressed
Perceive and analyze artistic work - Grade 6
Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation - Grade 7
Perceive and analyze artistic work - Grade 8
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work - Grade 6
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work - Grade 7
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work - Grade 8
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work - Grade HS Accomplished
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work - Grade HS Advanced
6.TH:Re7 Perceive and analyze artistic work.
7.TH:Pr4 Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
8.TH:Re7 Perceive and analyze artistic work.
6.TH:Cr2 Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
7.TH:Cr2 Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
8.TH:Cr2 Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Acc.TH:Cr2 Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Adv.TH:Cr2 Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Sixth Grade
Seventh Grade
Eighth Grade
High School - Advanced Pathway
High School - Professional Pathway
- DT.H3.1.2.b Students Can: Collaborate as a creative team to discover artistic solutions and make interpretive choices in a devised or scripted drama/theatre work.
- DT.H3.1.3.a Students Can: Collaborate on a drama/theatre work that examines a critical global issue using multiple personal, community, and cultural perspectives.
Speaking and Listening
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Language
Reading: Informational Text
Language
Critical Thinking & Reflection
- TH.68.C.2.1 Use group-generated criteria to critique others and help strengthen each other's performance.
- TH.68.C.2.3 Ask questions to understand a peer's artistic choices for a performance or design.
- TH.912.C.1.3 Justify a response to a theatrical experience through oral or written analysis, using correct theatre terminology.
- TH.912.C.2.2 Construct imaginative, complex scripts and revise them in collaboration with actors to convey story and meaning to an audience.
- TH.912.C.2.7 Accept feedback from others, analyze it for validity, and apply suggestions appropriately to future performances or designs.
- TH.912.C.3.1 Explore commonalities between works of theatre and other performance media.
Historical & Global Connections
Organizational Structure
- TH.68.O.1.3 Explain the impact of choices made by directors, designers, and actors on audience understanding.
- TH.68.O.3.3 Discuss the collaborative nature of theatre and work together to create a scene or play, respecting group members' ideas and differences.
- TH.912.O.3.1 Analyze the methods of communication among directors, designers, stage managers, technicians, and actors that establish the most effective support of the creative process.
Skills, Techniques & Processes
- TH.68.S.1.3 Describe criteria for the evaluation of dramatic texts, performances, direction, and production elements.
- TH.68.S.2.1 Discuss the value of collaboration in theatre and work together to create a theatrical production.
- TH.912.S.1.6 Respond appropriately to directorial choices for improvised and scripted scenes.
- TH.912.S.3.1 Articulate, based on research, the rationale for artistic choices in casting, staging, or technical design for a scene from original or scripted material.
Grade 7 - Creating
- TA7.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.<br/>a. Identify and rehearse effective communication skills.<br/>b. Compare and contrast character types and relationships by analyzing character motivations, objectives, and goals.<br/>c. Compare the physical, emotional, vocal, and social dimensions of a character.<br/>d. Investigate the role and responsibility of the cast and crew.<br/>e. Identify and model ensemble skills in the rehearsal process.<br/>f. Utilize staging and blocking choices to enhance the performance.<br/>g. Compare, contrast, and design elements of technical theatre.<br/>h. Utilize theatre vocabulary throughout the rehearsal process.
- TA7.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.<br/>a. Create ideas for stories.<br/>b. Analyze the theme and structure of a play.<br/>c. Use the dramatic writing process to generate a script.<br/>d. Utilize dramatic conventions in the scriptwriting process (e.g. stage directions, dialogue, scenes).
Grades 9-12 - ADVANCED DRAMA LEVELS I-IV -Performing
Seventh Grade Present
Beginning High School Present
Intermediate High School Present
- I.PR.1.2 Apply staging conventions to formal and informal theatrical productions by employing vocal and physical acting techniques.
- I.PR.2.1 Develop scenes for formal or informal presentations.
- I.PR.2.2 Exhibit audience etiquette appropriate for a variety of theatrical spaces, styles, and genres.
- I.PR.2.4 Compare the effect various theatrical venues have upon performance.
Accomplished High School Create
Beginning High School Standards - Culture
Intermediate High School Standards - Communication
Intermediate High School Standards - Culture
Proficient High School Standards - Communication
MS 117.211 LI - Critical evaluation and response
MS 117.212 LII - Critical evaluation and response
HS 117.316 LII - Foundations: Inquiry and Understanding
HS 117.316 LII - Creative Expression: performance
HS 117.316 LII - Creative Expression: production
- C.3.D perform a role such as actor, director, designer, technician, or editor in production decision making and collaborate with others to tell a story through live theatre or media performance.
- C.3.E develop responsibility, artistic discipline, and creative problem solving by concentrating in one or more areas of theatre production such as acting, technical theatre, or theatre management.
HS 117.317 LIII - Foundations: Inquiry and Understanding
HS 117.317 LIII - Creative Expression: production
- C.3.D perform a role such as actor, director, designer, technician, or editor in production decision making and collaborate with others to tell a story through live theatre or media performance.
- C.3.E perform the role of actor, director, or technician, demonstrating responsibility, artistic discipline, and creative problem solving.
HS 117.318 LIV - Foundations: Inquiry and Understanding
HS 117.318 LIV - Creative Expression: performance
Improvisation Drama 10
Acting Drama 20
- 10 critique the work of self and others through observation of specific details
- 2 create, select and sustain physical details of the character from scripted material
- 5 demonstrate a character’s main objective within a scene
- 8 demonstrate the ability to memorize required text
- 9 demonstrate the ability to pick up cues effectively
Playwriting - Drama 20
Directing - Drama 30
Improvisation/Acting Level III - Advanced
Junior Orientation
- focus concentration on one task at a time
- generate imaginative and creative solutions to problems
- listen effectively
- meet deadlines and follow through on individual and group commitments
- share ideas confidently with others
- support positivity the work of others
- work cooperatively and productively with all members of the class in pairs, small groups and large groups
Improvisation/Acting Level I - Beginning
Junior Goal I Objectives
Senior Goal I Objectives
Orientation Drama 10
- concentrate on the task at hand
- demonstrate effective use and management of time
- demonstrate self-discipline, self-direction and a sense of responsibility
- listen to self and others
- make effective decisions or choices
- offer and accept constructive criticism with a desire to progress
- positively support the work of others
- share ideas confidently
- solve problems imaginatively and creatively
- work cooperatively and productively
GRADE 6 - ARTS - Exploring and creating
GRADE 6 - ARTS - Reasoning and reflecting
GRADE 6 - ARTS - Communicating and documenting
GRADE 7 - ARTS - Exploring and creating
GRADE 8 - ARTS - Exploring and creating
GRADE 8 - ARTS - Reasoning and reflecting
GRADE 8 - ARTS - Communicating and documenting
GRADE 9 - DRAMA - Reasoning and reflecting
GRADE 10 - DRAMA - Connect and expand
GRADE 11 - DRAMA - Reason and reflect
GRADE 12 - DRAMA - Explore and Create
GRADE 12 - DRAMA - Reason and reflect
Grade 6 - Reflecting, Responding and Analyzing
- B2.1 express personal responses and preferences and make connections to themes and issues presented in their own and others’ drama works
- B2.2 identify a favourite scene and give reasons for their preference, using correct drama terminology to describe how the elements of drama contribute to its effectiveness
Grade 7 - Creating and Presenting
Grade 8 - Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts
Grade 8 - Reflecting, Responding and Analyzing
Grade 8 - Creating and Presenting
Grades 9 & 10 - Creating and Presenting - Presentation Techniques & Technologies
- A.3.1 identify and use a variety of techniques to influence the audience in specific ways (e.g., have actors enter the performance space from the audience to increase audience connection to the drama; use blocking to focus audience attention on key characters or relationships between characters)
- A.3.3 use a variety of technological tools (e.g., light, sound, set design, props, models) to enhance the impact of drama works
Grade 11 - Foundations - Context and Influences
Grade 11 - Foundations - Concepts and Terminology
Grade 11 - Reflecting, Responding and Analyzing - The Critical Analysis Process
Grade 12 - Foundations - Responsible Practices
Grade 12 - Foundations - Context and Influences
Grade 12 - Creating and Presenting - Presentation Techniques & Technologies
Grade Six
Grade Seven
Grade Seven
Grade Eight
Theatre Arts I: Introduction to Theatre
Theatre Arts II: Dramatic Literature And Theatre History
Theatre Arts III: Intermediate Acting & Playwriting
Theatre Arts III: Intermediate Acting & Playwriting
Theatre Arts III: Intermediate Acting & Playwriting
Theatre Arts IV: Advanced Acting And Directing
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