COOK, SEAN
(2020)
Stage to Screen: Pivoting from Traditional Theatrical Education Using Selected Techniques of Michael Chekhov.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
This thesis is motivated by a pedagogical need that I identified while engaging with actors who graduated from undergraduate theatre programs. Many were unprepared to navigate the technical demands of camera work, and had difficulty transitioning to meet the different emotional needs of each scene. I explored the disparity between stage and screen acting and submit that effective transition to film requires an education in techniques enabling combination of the body, mind, and spirit of the actor. A seminal training experience led to my consideration of Michael Chekhov’s techniques towards acting for camera, as Chekhov provides a method grounded in the notion of integration to engender a “feeling of the whole”.
I have theoretically and empirically investigated the outcome of introducing, synthesizing, and applying selected techniques of Michael Chekhov. I proposed a new acting for camera one-semester B.A. undergraduate course at the University of Pittsburgh, Acting on Camera with Ease: Camera Acting Utilizing Selected Techniques of Michael Chekhov. I explored course topics I believed would maximally benefit the undergraduate actors. I paired these explorations with scripted scene work from current film, television, and commercials, audition techniques, and peer audits to demonstrate what serves the performer in real time. A course of this type may indeed be an essential part of the undergraduate actor’s formation, readying students for a variety of performance contexts. Course outcomes showed that the Chekhov technique enhances the actor’s ability to remain both emotionally and physically engaged and honest during camera performance.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
8 June 2020 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
2 April 2020 |
| Approval Date: |
8 June 2020 |
| Submission Date: |
21 May 2020 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
162 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Theater Arts |
| Degree: |
MFA - Master of Fine Arts |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
MICHAEL CHEKHOV, ACTING FOR CAMERA |
| Date Deposited: |
08 Jun 2020 14:27 |
| Last Modified: |
08 Jun 2020 14:27 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/39079 |
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