How 2 Prevent overacting

lhmaloney

lhmaloney

Well-known member
I used to never understand how someone could over act when they do certain scenes like during arguments etc. That was until I watched some of my earlier footage. I notice that at times, I my facial gestures were overly expressive then on top of that, it just felt like I was delivering my lines to hard. It was like I was expressing my lines with the right emotions, but it sounded like I was reciting the the lines as opposed to just allowing them to flow naturally. The problem is with independent crew people and time constraints, people allow this to slide, and while the scene gets done, and the scene may be acceptable, its not done to the level it could have been had the director told the "over" actor (you like how I put that together, lol) 2 give him more. IDK, anyone got any suggestions, I got a film coming up and I really went the role down well
 
On the actor's side, it just a matter of experience. And talent. Some will never get it. Other's need to learn where the sweet spot is. As far as what ends up on film, that is all the director's responsibility. He is the eyes and ears to make sure what ends up on screen is "correct". He has to be able to watch and see what is working, what isnt, when to ask for more and when to ask for less.

I believe a good, talented, experienced actor will hit within 20% of the mark. It's up to the director to make sure it hits the mark.

(Standing in front of a camera and having no idea what is on screen, the actor has little reference for what is actually being seen and how the performance is reading on screen.)

That's my take.
 
There are 3 keys to good acting:

1) Relax - self explanatory... relax!

2) Relate - relate to your environment, to other actors, to the given circumstances of the story

3) Objectify - You have to have a specific reason for everything you do and it has to be something that's "playable."

I would recommend picking up a copy of Judith Weston's "Directing Actors". It should help you put things into perspective.
 
I've noticed a certain "over-acting sound" that actors get into, which clearly sounds unnatural.

When I studied shakespeare, to get out of the trap of saying the lines in that sing-song/melodramatic way, my instructor would tell us to start by "ordering eggs". Say a few lines about ordering food to get your voice in that natural place and then go into the lines.

"Yes, I think I'll have scrambled and eggs, and a side of---as from the body of contradiction plucks the very soul, and sweet religion makes a rhapsody of words..."

Always was hungry throughout that class. :)
 
I guess the way I do it is to put myself into the role. I don't think of it as acting, I think of it as turning into someone else. How would they say it? Etc...I know this is vague and what everyone should do anyway, but I wanted to say something so there it is. :)
 
AJ Brooks said:
I've noticed a certain "over-acting sound" that actors get into, which clearly sounds unnatural.

When I studied shakespeare, to get out of the trap of saying the lines in that sing-song/melodramatic way, my instructor would tell us to start by "ordering eggs". Say a few lines about ordering food to get your voice in that natural place and then go into the lines.

"Yes, I think I'll have scrambled and eggs, and a side of---as from the body of contradiction plucks the very soul, and sweet religion makes a rhapsody of words..."

Always was hungry throughout that class. :)
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This is hilarious, but understandable. All you guys made good suggestions. I think what resonates with me the most is relaxing and relatability. For example, I watched a good awful movie last night, where all the dialouge was improve (the movie was actually set up to where it turned out decent, but it went horribly wrong) However for an independent movies, the characters did a good job, because you could tell they were just being themselves (primarily because their characters we're flat) I think that with rehearsing and being familiar with other actors who you can feed off of also plays a factor, because if you have to argue with someone for example, its hard when that person is not getting angry
 
I often work hard to get my actors to behave in a scene as if no one is watching them.

Also, I often give them the direction to "just think the thoughts." meaning, they don't have to do anything in most cases, just think their intention, and it will read. This often helps avoid overacting.
 
lhmaloney said:
I anyone got any suggestions, I got a film coming up and I really went the role down well
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Yes, remember that a camera magnifies every little thing you do. What works on stage does not work on camera and vice versa.

You can whisper and sound will hear you on set but not on stage. You can barely squint your eyes on camera and look like you are getting angry. Remember the great Clint Eastwood squint? It was not big in person but looked great on film.

I watched Michael Lerner once doing a scene that he did different on close up than on the long shots. I asked him about it and he mentioned the camera would make the close up scenes seem bigger so he kept it low key and saved the bigger acting for the long shots, especially for comedy parts.

A simple eye brow raise will seem to jump several feet on a film screen. Think smaller in style. Think of the camera as being a person who is almost in your face and you don't need to 'play to the back of the house'.

Does that help or should I define it more?
 
I am very concerned about my actors taking offense if I say they are "overacting" in a scene. I simply ask them to give me a few different ways of playing it and the last one I just ask them to be "casual". That usually does the trick and has become a nice catch phrase on set.
Keeping in mind I gauge a lot from a one on one interaction before or after the audition and like to take some time to speak personally and see if their natural persona fits the character. If it's close then the acting shouldn't take that much and it will be much more believable on screen. If not, it won't do either of us any good to cast them in the role no matter how good an actor they are.
 
there's this well-known and highly recommended book about directing actors for the screen...

Directing Actors by Judith Weston.

over-acting is one common problem but it's only one!

As directors we have to develop certain skills for directing the actors from start (rehearshals) to finish (production).
 
In stage work I've encouraged actors to improvise and make the dialogue their own. I've always theorized that the largest block for an actor comes in defining actions and dialogue that they themselves did not choose. Owning those choices is extremely difficult and is what makes acting a great craft. Of course, in film we are limited by a different set of constraints because the camera is brutal to us. I recommend listening attentively to the other actors before response. I find that it prevents me from predetermining my choices rendering them unnatural. Stop thinking as the actor and think as the character. Esoteric, huh.
 
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