Actor Types

“Personality actors are, at some level, playing themselves (or at least that is the perception)” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). A personality actor also is able to play similar characters in multiple films due to the distinct personality traits. Michael Caine is an example of a personality actor who is able to act as a character who is difficult to distinguish between his real life persona and the character in the film. In the first scene below Michael Caine plays Cutter in The Prestige, who is a loyal friend to Robert played by Hugh Jackman. In the film the audience gets the impression that Michael Caine is a caring friend who is trying to look out for Robert and teach Robert what is best for him. This style of acting is Michael Caine’s signature style, as it can be seen in the second scene in which he plays Alfred in The Dark Knight. In this scene Alfred is doing what is best for Bruce Wayne by explaining to Bruce what his done to his life and how much time he has wasted waiting and hoping for things to get better. Alfred also explains to Bruce how much he missed him while he was gone and didn’t want Bruce to go again. Michael Caine as a personality actor makes the audience believe he is like a grandfather who has advice and knows what is best for the other characters using a method style of acting which is based off of real life experiences.

Christian Bale is an interpreter actor, which “typically refers to actors who take material and put their own stamp on it. Often this involves actors interpreting well-known roles” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). In The Dark Knight, Christian Bale plays Bruce Wayne or “Batman” his is able to bring his own take on the character which is the struggles such as overcoming his fear as child up to overcoming the climbing out of the prison pit shown in the scene below. With the numerous actors that have portrayed Bruce Wayne, including Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney, Christian Bale is the only actor who was able to bring out the darkness of Bruce ridding Gotham from the corruption. Bale has now set the bar for the portrayal of Bruce Wayne and to see another actor as Bruce will not be the same especially Ben Affleck.

The late Heath Ledger is another actor which I would categorize as an interpreter in The Dark Knight. In the film as The Joker, Ledger put his own twisted spin on the character which really brought out the mental issues with The Joker. His acting ability in The Dark Knight led to two People Choice Awards nominations, Golden Globes, and an Academy Award win. Like Bale, he has had to follow other actors which have portrayed The Joker. Ledger’s acting in the film has by far been the best as shown in the scene below. In this scene The Joker is being interrogated at the police station but his twisted mind leads to Batman entering and finishing the interview but The Joker continues his puzzling riddles. Also, his twisted laughing as he is getting hit by Batman shows his mental state, this performance brought out all the aspects of The Joker. Ledger’s ability as an actor to put his own spin on the character is clear in The Dark Knight, this is his best performance in his entire acting career.

References:

Dark Knight Rises – Prison Escape – Complete. [Video file]. (2012, Nov 20). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZmvQ5Qc9Rs

Fav Movie Scenes – Joker’s interrogation (The Dark Knight). [Video file]. (2011, Dec 7). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnOLhXmhkyA

Goodykoontz, Bill, & Jacobs, Christopher P. (2014).  Film: From Watching to Seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA. Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Michael Caine The Prestige. [Video file]. (2011, Jul 14). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eok69u_wB-0

The Dark Knight Rises – Alfred’s Fantasy (HD). [Video file]. (2012, Nov 17). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJPCUvaGnj0

Invincible – Sounds

In the Invincible scene Vince Papali is in training in order to try to make the Eagles team. One of the coaches is having dialogue between other actors in the scene, he is telling the group about the training they are about to have. This dialogue allows the audience to understand how important the training is as the coach mentions that this is the only way they will make the roster. “Effective movie dialogue expands or elaborates upon what is visible on the screen and does not simply repeat in words what is already obvious in the action” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). The sounds of other players and coaches in the background can also be heard as the assistant coach is giving his speech. The sounds of other people plays an important role as it serves as a reminder to the audience that the scene is set on a football practice field. This also sets the mood for the audience as it gives the impression of football practice is difficult and coaches are going to be yelling at players when mistakes are made.

“Every film uses sound in some way to draw the audience into the movie and keep it there” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). Once Vince begins to practice the exaggerated sounds of footsteps running are heard clearly as this plays an important role. This allow the audience to confirm the running of the players, it also adds a clearer sound which makes the audience think the actors are running faster then what they actually are. The sound their hands hitting the bag once they reach it is heard clearly. The sound effect is heard after their hands hit the bag, this effect is added to make the impression the runners were running faster then what they were. It makes the audience think the force that was greater due to the speed of the players. The sound effect of the Vince and the other player colliding once he catches the ball adds to the scene. This sound effect makes the audience almost feel the impact of the two as the sound of their pads can be heard along with the grunting of the two players.

Music in the scene begins to start playing once Vince returns from changing his pads. This music was chosen as it adds to scene; it is up beat music getting the scene ready for something exciting and fast acting. The music chosen is Bachman-Turner Overdrive “Let It Ride” this sound track I believe is the perfect fit to the scene. It is upbeat and the song fits the time period which the film is supposed to be taken place. I believe this is important as the film is meant to be a part documentary style film so having music from the same time period adds to the film which makes the film more believable. “Music can create a convincing atmosphere for your setting, help tell your story and strike an emotional cord, all of which are elements that will have your audience wanting more.” (Bell, 2010).

Bell, J., (2010, January 25) Music Makes Movies Center for Digital Education. Retrieved from                             http://www.centerdigitaled.com/artsandhumanities/Music-Makes-Movies.html

Goodykoontz, Bill, & Jacobs, Christopher P. (2014).  Film: From Watching to Seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA. Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Invincible [2006movie] Eagles speed & agility training [HQ]. [Video file]. (2014, Aug 1). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XagRqlOsfm4

Invincible – Lighting

(Invincible Movie Poster, 2010)

• Title: Invincible
• Year: 2006
• Director: Ericson Core
• Writer: Brad Gann
• Actors: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Conway, Michael Rispoli, and Kirk Acevedo

Lighting: In the Invincible main movie poster the use of three-point lighting is able to be seen clearly as the main back-light is to his back right being shown by his shadow on the ground. A fill light to his left is used in order to reduce the deep shadows which would be caused by the use of the bright back-light and a key light in front of him to remove the remaining shadows from his face without removing the shadow on the ground.

In the scene below the lighting used is low lighting. The actor’s faces appear to have one source of light on their faces even though the car headlights in the scene appear to be giving off more light. This lighting technique is used to give a dramatic feel to the scene as it marks the importance of Vince Papali (Mark Wahlberg) returning the neighborhood to reunite with the local guys from the bar. The use of low lighting in this scene also adds to the effect of a night time scene and the rain shower during the football game. “It is marked by extreme use of deep shadows, with very high contrast between the brightest parts of the scene and the darkest parts, which are obscured in shadows” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014).

Invincible uses the natural lighting in outside scenes to give the film a documentary and natural feel. The lighting used in the clip below uses a lower light setting to give a low lighted, deep in the city bar feel. Having the lighting low in the bar scene gives almost a dark tavern feel. The use of low lighting emits deeper shadows on the actors inside the bar and other objects which also added age to scene, making the scene in the bar feel as though it was filmed in 1976 when the true story occurred. Also, in the clip when Vince is running down the field in slow motion the use of three-point lighting is used as the main source of lighting is coming from his back using a back-light. The front of Vince’s face is lighted so the audience is able to see the actor’s face inside his helmet clearly. The uses of these lighting techniques not only adds to the effect of the scenes but also for the audience to be able to see the actors more clearly and find the main actor easier with the large crowds in the stands and other players on the field.

References:

Dennis”Denny”Franks clip from the movie “Invincible”. [Video file]. (2012, Feb 26). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3psYajGSaM

Goodykoontz, Bill, & Jacobs, Christopher P. (2014).  Film: From Watching to Seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA. Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Invincible [2006movie] Football under the rain [HQ] – “the guys in the neighborhood”. [Video file]. (2014, Aug 5). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUSsG40KbhM

Invincible Movie Poster [Image]. (2010). Retrieved from:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3116143104/tt0445990?ref_=tt_ov_i

Invincible

(Invincible Movie Poster, 2006)

• Title: Invincible
• Year: 2006
• Director: Ericson Core
• Writer: Brad Gann
• Actors: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Conway, Michael Rispoli, and Kirk Acevedo

Story: Based on the true story of Vince Papale, a local Philadelphia bartender and lifelong Eagles fan gets the opportunity to try out for the NFL to pursue his dream as a NFL player. In order to pursue his dream he must overcome all the distractions and hurdles that he becomes faced with. As the movie begins the city of Philadelphia is shown with kids playing football in the streets and “I got a name” by Jim Croce playing in the background. It also shows the struggles of the city and the people affected by the strikes against employers. Vince Papali and local friends are then shown at an Eagles game where the fans are booing the team as they are struggling and the loyalty Vince is shown as he stays until the end of the game.  The head coach of the Eagles is fired and the new coach Dick Vermeil decides to hold open tryouts in order to find better talent within the city. A reluctant Vince Papali decides to tryout after getting pressured by his friends and in order to prove his wife wrong as she doubted him.

Vince is successful at making the team which brings the city closer knowing they have a local which is now on the team. The struggles of gaining support of other teammates places physical strains on Vince as he has to take punishing practices against others in order to prove he is tough enough. Vince’s wife leaves him as she thinks he is wasting his time and he will never amount to anything. Once Vince makes the final day of cuts his roommate teaches him a trick to watch for in order to have an advantage on the field. During a game in which Vince noticed the tip his roommate provided he changes the play and successfully blocks the punt and picks the football up for the winning touchdown then points to the stands where his friends are sitting.

The film Invincible is filmed chronologically as we see Vince Papali going from an Eagles fan, to having the opportunity to tryout, and later being able to make team and later scoring the game winning touchdown. This is important as we have the opportunity to see the struggles which led up to the opportunity and what he had to overcome to make the team. This affect also showed the audience that even a average person has the opportunity to achieve their goals with the right mindset and practice. Had the film been in a different order it would have not made sense and would have been boring. Being filmed as non-linearly it would have felt as though the film was all over the place with the story instead of telling the story of Vince it would have been reflecting on the experiences.

References:

Invincible [2006movie] – Vince Papale Sprint [open tryout scene] HQ. [Video file]. (2014, Jul 31). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMQuQ7ZPyb0

Invincible Movie Poster [Image]. (2010). Retrieved from:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3116143104/tt0445990?ref_=tt_ov_i

“Invincible” – Vince Papale, final scenes. [Video file]. (2008, Jan 28). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1hSXTDtNw8

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