Acting for the Camera: Revised Edition [Paperback]

Tony Barr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 1997

Culled from Tony Barr's 40 years' experience as a performer, director and acting teacher in Hollywood, this highly praised handbook provides readers with the practical knowledge they need when performing in front of the camera. This updated edition includes plenty of new exercises for honing on-camera skills; additional chapters on imagination and movement; and fresh material on character development, monologues, visual focus, playing comedy and working with directors. Inside tips on the studio system and acting guilds make it particularly helpful for people new to the business, and numerous anecdotes from actors such as Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins and examples from current movies illustrate its many lessons. It is perfect for acting classes, workshops, all actors who work in front of the camera -- and all those who want to.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A first-class book for the beginner and refreshing review for any pro." -- --Los Angeles Times

"One of the most helpful, most outstanding books for actors." -- --Eva Marie SaintA

From the Publisher

A must-have book for all actors on the technique of acting for film and television. "A first-class book for the beginner and refreshing review for any pro."--Los Angeles Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Rev Sub edition (May 9, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060928190
• ISBN-13: 978-0060928193
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book has become my "Acting" bible., January 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Acting for the Camera: Revised Edition (Paperback)

The first two sections of the book alone increased my abilities in front of the camera 100%. It became that I would read it over each week on my way to acting class. Tony Barr examines all areas of acting, tools, preparation, working on set and putting what you have learned into practice. It is to the point, intelligent and easy to read. It is a book to be studied, underlined and reread. I really feel it is a must for anyone wanting to act in front of a camera, regardless of your talent level.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want To Be in Pictures?, December 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Acting for the Camera: Revised Edition (Paperback)

Well, got a camcorder? I'm not being funny. The Eric Kline exercises at the end of the book will teach you things, with the aid of a camcorder that no amount of talking or reading can. But first, read the book.

Economy is its keyword. Tony Barr gleans, from years of teaching since he founded The Film Actors Workshop in 1960, the most effective and easiest techniques for both the novice and the pro to truthfully "communicate ideas and emotions" through the camera.

Correctly relegating exercises to exercises rather than as a response to the director's shout for "action," Barr recounts the need for listening, sensing and learning to respond to stimuli moment to moment. He divides the book into sections. The first two, "Acting" and "Working on the Role", he tells us are enough for anyone to create a strong performance. The next, "Tools," he warns are extras, only to be approached after you have mastered the first. The last part of the book gives the never-been-on-a-set-before actor everything he/she needs for that first role, the understanding of the mechanics of movie making that directors expect from actors.

Want to be in pictures? This is a must-read for you.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great general book on acting, with emphasis on TV/Film, July 12, 2006

By 

Jason Brent (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Acting for the Camera: Revised Edition (Paperback)

I obtained this book to read while taking an "Audition For Camera" class at my acting school. I'm a relative novice, but had read some books on general acting before, such as Uta Hagen's "A Challenge For The Actor," and really wanted a book that talked about specific aspects of acting in front of a camera.

This book, Tony Barr's "Acting For The Camera," is a little different from what I was initially hoping it would be, in that it basically is a book about general acting, with more than the entire first half of the book devoted to that. I remember often thinking "when are we going to get to the part about camera work?"

Mr. Barr's general thoughts on acting are actually quite good, though, which encouraged me to read through the whole of the first section, and I would say that there are many excellent insights there. It's also a relatively quick read, as opposed to Uta Hagen's book, for example, and many things are presented in ways I hadn't read in other books before.

When I finally got to the "camera" section of the book, I sort of realized that the reason he probably spent so much time with the "general acting" stuff is because ... well, the most important part of "acting for the camera" is the ACTING, not the CAMERA! Of course there are many specifics that he addresses, but all the specifics and terminology etc. aren't going to help you if you can't act.

Plus, the section on "exercises" at the end of the book was helpful to read, even though I haven't tried any of them myself yet ... they seem like well-thought out exercises to improve ones' camera work.

The groundwork and advice on acting that he gives, though, is excellent all-around and seems appropriate to apply to ANY type of acting, not just camera acting.

So, all in all, I'd say that the book would more accurately be titled "ACTING, with a special section on Acting For The Camera!" That isn't quite as marketable though, I suppose!!