- Title
- Challenges for the actor in close-up
- Creator
- Delury, Kim
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2023
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- This project’s aim is to uncover the challenges of acting in close-up and how these challenges can be mitigated. The research commences with an investigation into the history of acting in close-up, and how intrusions into an actor’s intimate and psychological space can affect their efficacy in close-up. Acting in close-up is then examined within specific contexts of the Australian entertainment industry, including self-test auditions, live theatre performance, and Australian actor training institutions. The thesis culminates in an investigation into potential strategies to effectively alleviate the challenges presented by the close-up. The justification for this research includes the need to understand what causes the profound anxiety commonly experienced by actors in close-up, and the various psychological and physiological responses that negatively affect their acting efficacy and wellness. This research is new because it focuses specifically on acting in close-up, across a range of unique performance contexts within the Australian entertainment industry. An analysis of existing literature is combined with in-depth interviews with experienced Australian entertainment industry professionals involved in screen acting, casting, directing and actor training and supported by the author’s professional acting experiences. The study uncovers significant challenges for the actor in close-up which are classified into four categories: ability to manage technical challenges; ability to moderate performance signs; relationship with oneself and one’s environment; and imaginative emotional potential. Technical challenges relate to the actor’s awareness and ability to observe appropriate technical requirements in close-up. Moderating performance signs pertains to the actor’s awareness and ability to adjust aspects of vocal and physical performance for the close-up. Relationship with self and others relates to the actor’s level of: self-confidence, self-worth, self-trust, and their ability to trust and interact freely with others. Imaginative emotional potential is associated with the actor’s ability to access and express appropriate emotional responses under the scrutiny of the close-up. The project identifies an extensive range of strategies that can improve the actor’s efficacy and wellness when working in close-up. The findings highlight the need for specific screen training for close-up acting, including experiences with self-test auditioning, showreels, as well as simultaneous live and mediated screen performance.
- Subject
- acting in close-up; acting for camera; intimate space; mediated live performance; performance capture; proxemics; psychological space; screen acting; self-test auditions; stage acting; acting auditions; actor training; Australian actor training; Australian drama school; Australian film industry; Australian television industry; fight-flight-freeze response; history of the close-up
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1467840
- Identifier
- uon:47918
- Rights
- Copyright 2023 Kim Delury
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 4 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 770 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |