Athletes review game tapes and executives employ training videos, so why shouldn't actors and other performers use the same strategy to help them improve their "game" and get ahead in the "business"?
In this technological age, aspiring Hugh Jackmans and Ashley Judds don't have to wait to be cast in a play, musical, or film to see themselves in action. Instead of sitting idly by, imagining what they would look like on a medical drama or suspense thriller, they can immediately evaluate their screen potential by taking matters into their own hands.
All you have to do is grab the camcorder, set up the tripod, and press "record."
Of course, the idea of using video equipment to capture and gauge performers' progress is not a new one. Many actors attend on-camera classes to get professional feedback on how they appear and adapt in front of the lens. Stage performances are filmed for posterity, although they never seem to compare to the live experience. And once actors and actresses get actual tape on themselves by booking television or movie jobs, they can sit in front of the VCR or TiVo and play it back over and over again.
But not enough thespians take the initiative and use the do-it-yourself approach while waiting for that big break. By recording scenes and monologues, songs and dances, rehearsals and improvisations, performers can hone their craft as often as they like. It certainly makes it easier for them to play up their strengths, pinpoint areas that need improvement, and, most importantly, boost their confidence levels before that next audition, run-through, or opening night.
Video and digital camcorders can help actors study their own performances and, hopefully, escalate their progress. There are so many applications for this method of instant appraisal that it isn't just limited to acting pursuits. Dancers, comedians, performance artists, magicians, acrobats, even directors and choreographers can benefit from scanning and scrutinizing their theatrical efforts via the magic of video. One thing is clear—all performers can gain valuable insights by rewinding and fast-forwarding through their recorded paces.
So if you can buy, rent, or borrow a camcorder, you may discover a new perspective on where you're at and where you need to get to in both your performance level and your career. Simply aim the lens (or enlist the services of a videographer), act your heart out, and then watch and learn.
Wide-Angle View
The first time you see yourself performing on tape, it's bound to happen—a sudden shock at the sight of how different you think you look and how exaggerated you may appear. This is especially true of theatre actors, who often need to make adjustments to their vocal intensity, projection levels, and physical energy when playing to the camera. You just have to learn to modulate your voice, delivery, energy, and mannerisms to fit whichever medium you are working in.
When it comes to performing for film, video, and digital media, some actors have a tendency to just plain overact. Identifying this actor trap is the first step to getting an accurate view of your performance levels. If you haven't had much camera time, try this easy exercise: Tape yourself reciting a monologue as over-the-top as you can possibly be, tape yourself doing the same material without any expression or energy at all, and then tape yourself having a normal phone conversation. By comparing these three styles of communication, you'll get a clearer sense about how big or small you need to be to be effective and believable on screen. Then you simply have to figure out how to modify your level of performance depending on the venue, show, and situation.
Zooming In
All of the evaluation methods explored in this article are merely guidelines for helping you get the most out of the video evaluation experience. With that in mind, here is a list of things to watch out for when watching yourself on tape.
1.) Know Thyself: Many people's initial instinct when seeing themselves on camera is to cringe and become defensive about their looks, hair, nose, chin, height, and weight. Just relax. You look fine; you're probably just not used to seeing yourself. Also, don't be hypercritical—what you may consider your "flaws" are actually what make you unique (and marketable). Then again, if you think you look perfect, you get extra points for confidence, but may need to do a reality check to assess not-so-obvious areas of improvement. Either way, you'll have a better idea of how the industry perceives you, and how you can take advantage of that perception. So take the time to really look at yourself. Your facial expressions, the way you hold your head, your posture and physicality, the attitude you project—all these are important factors that can be adjusted before going out for that next big audition.
2.) Side Step: The old joke used to be "make sure you get my best side" when someone was being filmed or photographed. Well, there is some truth to that logic. Faces aren't necessarily symmetrical—a nose might be angled, an eyebrow may arch, or one ear might be lower than the other. A few simple turns in front of the camcorder may result in some eye-opening revelations and lead to facing the truth about your good and bad sides.
3.) Auto Focus: One of the main aspects of a calm and confident performer is a steady gaze. Make sure your eyes aren't darting around, looking down, or staring blankly. Pick a point of concentration the next time you tape yourself and notice the difference in directing your focus and your energy in one place.
4.) Blink Tank: Another habit that may be hard to break is excessive blinking. Batting one's eyes may work for a flirtatious female character, but at other times it can convey dishonesty or distraction. Especially for film and television projects, an actor can strengthen his or her character's status and resolve by cutting down on the number of times he or she blinks in a given scene. It's a small adjustment, but one with many benefits.
5.) Steady Cam: Everyone gets nervous every now and then; it's only natural. But if it develops into a physical condition while you are in the rehearsal hall or on set, it has to be stopped. You have to be able to harness that nervous energy and turn it into quiet intensity. If your shaky feelings translate into shifting, stammering, coughing, kicking, swaying, or other tics, take control and eliminate those telltale signs of anxiety. Using a camera will show you what you are doing wrong and what you need to do to stop doing it.
Camera Man
Before you power up the camcorder, pause and consider some sage advice from a professional cameraman. Bradshaw Smith has garnered 18 years of experience videotaping cabaret, Off-Broadway, and Broadway productions. He also produces a weekly TV show called "Broadway Beat" for cable access and the Internet (details available at ).
Smith offers a range of services to performers and production companies, from shooting, editing, and duplication on digital cameras to creating DVD and web files for streaming video. He also produces promotional footage for Broadway and Off-Broadway (clips that air on TV reviews and talk shows). His credits include recent Main Stem hits "Nine," "Thoroughly Modern Millie," and "The Producers," along with covering theatrical events for Roundabout Theatre Company, the Public Theater, and BC/EFA. In addition, he has taped over a thousand cabaret acts in clubs throughout New York City.
The videographer shares his views on using today's technology to give performers an edge over the competition. "The best thing about videotaping rehearsals and performances is it can help you work at correcting the problems you see in your performance. People can tell you what you're doing wrong, but until you see it yourself, it's difficult to change it. Many performers are afraid to watch themselves because all they do is notice the bad things. So I tell performers to make two columns on a piece of paper. Mark one heading 'good' and the other one 'bad' and keep a running list of both while watching the playback. You'll be surprised to see how much good there is!"
Everyone can learn from watching themselves in action, according to Smith, even seasoned stage pros. "I think it would be great for Broadway and Off-Broadway to tape their shows and then have the cast sit and watch it together. Unless you are able to see the lighting cues or the sets change behind you, you never get the whole picture. That perspective would help you figure out how you fit into the grand scheme of things."
Getting your act down on film or tape is more than just a self-awareness drill or vanity venture. Smith stresses that it's also a smart way to promote yourself. "The most important thing about videotaping is that you have material to edit for promotion. Many agents don't go to shows anymore, especially cabaret acts. They often want you to send them a tape. So your promotional video should be the best quality you can achieve. It's a performer's business card, and your professionalism reflects on what you send out."
Smith also points out that getting impressive footage on yourself is becoming more practical and affordable all the time. "When I started in this business, VHS cameras were just coming on the market. Since then, we've gone from VHS to S-VHS to Hi8mm to digital DV in 18 years. Now people are producing television-quality videos and DVDs at a reasonable cost due to all the recent technological advances."
Direct Response
Chris McGinn is resident director of the New York-based theatre group Yankee Rep, having served in that position for over three years. For the company, she recently directed "Quitters" and acted in "The Doomsday Club," while co-executive producing both shows. She has also spent time on screen, appearing in a wide range of vehicles, including "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Law & Order."
She agrees that training with recording devices can be invaluable. "If you want to make a living on camera, you need to know how you come across on it. Actors have to get used to looking at themselves objectively on film—as the product that someone wants to hire to help them tell their story. And through the use of video, I think actors can get a clearer sense about framing, energy, and connecting with the viewer. As an actress, I would watch myself on 'All My Children,' on which I had a recurring role, and I learned about line delivery, camera angles, and a multitude of other things."
Video feedback has also influenced McGinn's directorial advice to other performers. "By watching videotape of rehearsals, you can learn to adjust what you're doing to create a better visual. You can see if you are consistent on camera regarding your energy, your character, and also in your angles. The character you're playing should blend in and help advance the story being told, without always making it your moment."
The director feels that screen actors can learn about "clean and simple" acting because the camera picks up everything. "You must learn to create the character's subtext so that you don't have to try to act on camera, but just 'be.' Subtlety is important because your microphone is on you or above you, so you don't need to project like in a theatre. Even your breathing reads in your shots. Film is definitely different than stage, so don't play the room, play the camera."
Conversely, she advises stage actors to avoid recreating the exact same moments after watching themselves on video. "In film, you usually have to repeat the moment the same way by marking it and doing it again for all the different camera angles. Theatre allows for a more spontaneous response as an actor."
McGinn also stresses the importance of sticking to a script—any script. "If you're coaching yourself on camera, try to practice your skills with actual scripts so you get used to the cadence that scripts are written in. Just talking or improvising is good to loosen up, but you need real material so you learn how to really get a job by following the actual process of the audition from step one."
Dramatic Reflections
Most performers develop their own distinct method and personal approach to their craft. The following advice is offered by working actors who have made strides toward success by using video self-evaluation.
Stage and screen actress Melody Bates is currently preparing a workshop production of Euripides' "Hecuba," and has appeared in Andrei Serban's "Caucasian Chalk Circle" at La MaMa ETC, Robert Woodruff's "Godard (distant and right)" at the Ohio Theatre and Théâtre des Amandiers in Paris, and the Obie-winning "Jennie Richee" at St. Ann's Warehouse, The Kitchen, and Chicago MCA.
Bates has been doing film work off and on since she was in kindergarten, and admits she has achieved a sense of ease from watching herself through the camera's POV. "First of all, it's important to undertake the necessary act of getting over what you look like on film, much like you have to get over how different your recorded voice sounds to you. Once you get all that out of your system, you can begin to pay attention to how what you do on film affects a watcher—what you communicate by what you do in the medium."
The actress points out that camera acting is something you need to practice, especially when applying it to stage assignments. "On camera, in close-up, you can tell a huge story with five facial muscles. On stage, you can jump up and sit in a different chair if the spirit takes you—and you're not ruining any shot. There is freedom in both, and different kinds of discipline are required for each. The obvious drawback about watching videos of yourself is the tendency to not worry about the truth of your work, but only how you may look on stage. It is also tricky in that the camera dictates the point of view, and unless you look at video filmed from every seat in the house, you're getting a limited idea of what you're doing."
Video should empower actors to control the effects of their body language. "You may be thinking, 'Oh, that gesture will say this to an audience,' or, 'The shape I make with my body feels one way to me, but communicates something else to those who see it.' It helps you gauge how accurately the way you express what you feel is communicated through the eye of the camera. If what you do doesn't communicate what you feel, you need to find another way to express it. But the internal truth must always come first."
Another excellent suggestion from the actress is to picture in your mind what the camera is shooting to determine your projection levels. "Is it shooting a close-up of my face, a three-quarter shot, or all of me and half the wall? It's important to know the boundaries of the shot because it will affect your movement and the 'size' of your acting. If they're filming your face and you move a half step, you may take yourself out of view. And the tighter the shot, the less you need to do physically. That doesn't mean the intensity is less. I always want to be focused and energized and working at a high level. A camera shot just helps to define where the intensity emerges."
Bates concludes, "It's good to get an idea of how others see us when we perform, on stage or screen, since it's our job to be masters of our storytelling faculties, and to understand how what we do will 'read' for an audience. Overall, I think the idea that there are stage actors and screen actors, and they don't do the same thing, is a bit like saying there are acoustic guitarists and electric guitarists, and you have to be one or the other. To me, it's all the same thing. There are some different skill sets involved, but in my mind the task is the same. Tell the story. Be truthful. Hold the mirror up to life. Film acting is the most recent evolution of an ancient art. If watching yourself on video is a tool that helps you to be a better actor, use it."
David Runco trained in theatre in the Meisner technique and then proceeded to take various on-camera classes to make that "transition" for the camera. He's worked on TV in "One Life to Live," on feature film in "Machines of Love and Hate," and onstage in "The Uninvited Guest" at the Mint Theater.
Runco has gained plenty of self-awareness by working in front of the video camera. "I learned about relaxing, really focusing my performance, and how the camera never tells a lie. I learned to bring the intensity of a theatrical performance inward, focus all that good energy, and release it through the eyes and intimacy of the one-on-one with your acting partner. There is other subtle stuff you can learn through practice. Once I noticed some facial quirks that were happening when I was on camera, and that allowed me to make adjustments as I went forward in my film acting career."
Camera work for screen actors is invaluable, the actor says. "I feel it's invaluable to see your performance prior to getting out there. Yes, some people are born naturals, but for the rest of us, I feel it's beneficial to find someone who has some camera skills to film you in mini-scenes to help you take a better look at yourself on film. I used to be critical of my performances, so I've learned to go easy on myself. The camera never lies, so take a good look at where you are. Are you a beginner? Intermediate? If yes, then don't be too hard on yourself. Take a look at where you can improve and go from there."
Stage actors can also benefit from video feedback, but definitely need to make adjustments, reminds Runco. "It's just not necessary to be that big on camera. Actions can be a lot subtler. So, for a stage actor, I feel it would be imperative to take some on-camera classes before auditioning seriously. Also, I highly recommend the student film route. There are so many film schools in NYC that you could probably get yourself into as many student projects as you wanted."
He advises actors to use videotape to analyze their acting skills. "Do it as often as possible and learn by watching. But remember, just don't be too harsh on yourself."
Cameron Peterson recently portrayed the title role in "Lysistrata 100" at Brooklyn's UnderWater Theatre. She was awarded for her lead performance in "Tryin' t' Touch the Sun" for Spotlight On Productions and her portrayal of Helen Keller in Interborough Rep's "The World in My Hands." She also appeared in "Around the World in 80 Plays" at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
Peterson has noticed many differences between stage and screen acting. "I didn't have to worry about it when I was a child doing commercials, but the camera catches so much, and someone like myself, with a very responsive face, must be careful so that his or her reactions on camera are not overwhelming. Even in stage acting, unless you are playing broad comedy to a huge house, so much more can be said through the eyes and voice than the face. The face is too often used by actors to indicate their feelings rather than truthfully reflect the emotions and thoughts going on inside."
She asked for a camcorder for Christmas several years ago, to monitor her progress. "I use it primarily before film and TV auditions to gauge how the work I am doing is coming across. I am a little more cautious of using it with theatre monologues, etc., because I don't want to be thinking about how I look when performing them. But I can see the progress I need to make and how subtle good acting is. I also have tapes of several plays that I have been in, and though I am slightly wary of watching myself, it can help to make you aware of certain idiosyncrasies or artificialities in your acting."
On-camera work for screen actors is invaluable, in Peterson's opinion. "You should use it until you get to a point where everything you do on camera is natural and comfortable and comes across that way. At that point, you do not want to question or overevaluate. For stage actors, the drawbacks are most definitely that you might begin to question your performances on stage while they are happening—and this is death to an actor. On-camera work can help you to find truthfulness, but then the actor must let it go and just perform in the moment."
The actress offers one more angle on how performers can use videotaping to analyze their skills. "It is definitely a great device to get to see what it is like to be on the other side of the table at an audition. You get to see what the auditors are seeing. This can really open your eyes to the level of your audition—if you are able to view it objectively."
Digital Dancing
In the past few months, actress Melissa Gallo has won a key role in a Sondheim musical, booked two national commercials, and landed a multiyear contract on ABC's "One Life to Live." So she's been able to see quite a lot of herself on screen lately. In addition, she is an accomplished dancer, and has often incorporated video evaluation when working in that discipline as well. "You can learn a lot from watching videos of yourself dancing. It is especially helpful for me because, for example, I have hyperextended elbows, and sometimes I'll straighten my arm too much during a number. So I can check to make sure my arms and legs are at the right levels at all times."
Gallo relates that each dance assignment comes with its own set of rules. "There are some choreographers who really want you to do the moves exactly how they do it, and then there are some choreographers who'll say, 'Here's my choreography, this is what it needs to have, but you need to take it and make it your own.' I've never had an experience with a choreographer where they said, 'Here, mimic this,' but I definitely had experiences where they taped me so I could watch myself and make adjustments. You also don't want to be so absorbed in the mirror—a lot of times when I dance, I don't look straight ahead; I like to look all different places and have a story going on. So it helps to be able to view it later on a monitor, to check technical aspects of your performance."
Viewing taped dance combinations is also practical when the choreography calls for dancers to interact or move in unison. "I think it's really important, especially for group numbers, to tape and review them once you have the steps down. We were rehearsing the 'You Can Drive a Person Crazy' number from 'Company.' Our choreographer taped it for us at a rehearsal, and we watched it and understood what she had been telling us. Even though in your head you always remember the parts where you mess up, or can feel that you're not together, when you watch it on tape, it kind of reinforces those places for improvement. You're thinking, 'If I just did that a little faster, I'd be together with the others,' or, 'If I went a little lower, it would look like we're on the same level.' "
Visual cues can be crucial if a dancer is stepping into a show such as "42nd Street" on short notice and has to learn the moves quickly. "I know a lot of people who have to go in to replace someone in a show. In addition to rehearsing it, they take a video camera and tape everything, then watch it at home and teach it to themselves. I think if you have to replace somebody in a show, and you only have two weeks to do it, mimic it first, just impersonate everything you see, and then, once it's in you, make it your own."
Gallo concludes that isolation exercises taught in dance and other disciplines are key to any style of performance. "The good thing about my dance background is being able to be aware of the littlest things in my face and body, just by isolating one area—it's almost scary to be that still. You feel very vulnerable, but it's really powerful and useful in film and TV. If you want to pursue a career as a dancer or actor, it's one of the most important things you have to learn."
Topical Humor
Jim David has enjoyed 17 years as a comedy performer, most recently headlining at Carolines in New York City. His forays into the comedy circuit can be followed on his website, www.jimdavid.com. Other talents David lists include "can dress like a chicken and sing 'Happy Birthday!' "
Because of the constant need to promote oneself as a comic, services are usually available to comedy performers who want their acts or shows videotaped. David relates that certain clubs and other venues have the capability to tape rehearsals and performances. "The club can tape it through the in-house system, or there are several independent videographers you can hire for a more presentable, better-quality tape—although, like most performances, seeing comedy routines on tape just isn't the same as seeing them live. Regardless, for many comics, it is still one of the best methods to see 'what works and what doesn't' during their time in front of the mike."
David feels that rehearsing with a video camera is helpful, but usually more practical for actors than stand-ups. "Comedians need to see how they are with a live audience onstage. Unlike actors, comics can't rehearse without an audience."
Viewing themselves in performance does, however, offer comics a reality check. "You can test your timing, pace, presentation, dress, material—everything—by watching a performance on video." Other applications that camcorders can have in a comedian's preparation and education include "providing a close-up on all the stupid things he does, the way his face twitches, and how lousy his haircut looks."
David offers some final comments to anyone who is still wary about seeing themselves on tape. "Get over how you look on camera. That's the way you look, so deal with it. If you're that concerned, plastic surgeons are standing by!"