What do you think about over-acting?
Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 11:30 am
Some time ago I visited a forum on a different website. They asked the readers to find acting scènes in which famous actors did some over-acting. Rod Steiger, Al Pacino, Laurence Olivier ... are some of them.
I always enjoy "Mr Bean". He has a funny face and he does over-acting all the time. I also enjoyed "On the Buses", "Coronation Street", "Mrs Bouquet". Good examples of over-acting and British humour. Some roles require over-exaggerated character acting, particularly in comedy films.
It's a pity that on the Continent people don't laugh anymore. I can't give you the title of one pleasant continental film or soap that was made in the last decade. Where are the days of Bourvil, Fernandel, Louis de Funès. I agree ... Their films are old-fashioned now, but humour in films has completely disappeared. Immorality/Sex is the fashion now. That's sad, isn't it?
Last year I made a film starring two English actors. In my opinion they were brilliant. From the beginning onwards I could feel they are used to act in theatres. That's why they tend to over-act for my film. On a stage an actor gets an immediate response. She or she says something funny and the audience laughs. That gives a fantastic feeling. Acting for a film is different. Ken Wilson has written an interesting article about it in one of our previous issues of Film and Video Magazine. When directing I had to make a choice : Over-acting from the beginning till the end or refraining the actors from time to time. I took the first option and I am very happy with it. The actors felt relaxed.
Some weeks ago I asked a Belgian lady what whe thought about my English film. "I didn't like the over-acting and humour in it", she said. "That's why I would give it a low score." I was not shocked. Everybody has his own character, his own temperament, his own vision and feelings.
I always enjoy "Mr Bean". He has a funny face and he does over-acting all the time. I also enjoyed "On the Buses", "Coronation Street", "Mrs Bouquet". Good examples of over-acting and British humour. Some roles require over-exaggerated character acting, particularly in comedy films.
It's a pity that on the Continent people don't laugh anymore. I can't give you the title of one pleasant continental film or soap that was made in the last decade. Where are the days of Bourvil, Fernandel, Louis de Funès. I agree ... Their films are old-fashioned now, but humour in films has completely disappeared. Immorality/Sex is the fashion now. That's sad, isn't it?
Last year I made a film starring two English actors. In my opinion they were brilliant. From the beginning onwards I could feel they are used to act in theatres. That's why they tend to over-act for my film. On a stage an actor gets an immediate response. She or she says something funny and the audience laughs. That gives a fantastic feeling. Acting for a film is different. Ken Wilson has written an interesting article about it in one of our previous issues of Film and Video Magazine. When directing I had to make a choice : Over-acting from the beginning till the end or refraining the actors from time to time. I took the first option and I am very happy with it. The actors felt relaxed.
Some weeks ago I asked a Belgian lady what whe thought about my English film. "I didn't like the over-acting and humour in it", she said. "That's why I would give it a low score." I was not shocked. Everybody has his own character, his own temperament, his own vision and feelings.