The Science of On-Camera Acting: with Commentary by Dr. Paul Ekman

Book excerpt: The Science of On-Camera Acting documents a skill-set for screen actors unlike any other in print or taught in a classroom. Tailored to the camera's unique perspective, this streamlined approach offers a complete foundation for mastering comedy and drama, transformative character work, naturalism, and confidence on-set and in auditions.In an unprecedented convergence of art and science, The Science of On-Camera Acting combines decades of experience in front of and behind the camera with exclusive insights from one of the most influential psychologists of the past century, pioneer of the science of emotional expression, Dr. Paul Ekman.Actress, filmmaker, columnist, behavioral science researcher, and Certified Advanced Expert in FACE Micro Expression Training Program, for over 20 years Andréa Morris has worked in film and television while studying the camera's sublime perception of the human face. By experimenting with how the camera perceives and translates the slightest nuance of muscle movement, Morris discovered that the scientific model applied to screen acting allows minimal time spent in your head, and maximum ability to unleash creative impulse-the fuel for strong performance.The blending of the physiological sciences, the technology of a rapidly changing digital medium, and the art of acting, makes this book the underpinnings of an entirely new standard of working with the camera.