About the Book:

Secrets of Screen Acting is a magician's box of acting tricks for today's performer and makes the distinction between acting for the stage and for the screen. Patrick Tucker explains that the actor, instead of starting with what is real and trying to portray that on screen, should work with the realities of the shoot itself, and then work out how to make it all appear realistic. He teaches aspiring on-camera actors to approach a film shoot from a (mostly) technical standpoint. From working with frame to mastering vocal levels to understanding the editing process, this is a must-read for all actors – particularly those moving from stage to screen.

When it was first published in 1993, Secrets of Screen Acting broke new ground in explaining how acting for the camera is different from acting on stage. Reaction time is altered, physical timing and placement are re-conceived, and the proportions of the film frame itself become the measure of all things. In this updated edition, Patrick Tucker explains how digital video introduces yet another secret (and solution): the proportions of the digital frame are different from that of traditional film stock, so that the director must conceptualize each image in terms of this new rectangle. Actors now fit into the frame in a slightly different way.

Based on a revolutionary non-Method approach to acting, Secrets of Screen Acting shows what actually works: how an actor, an announcer – anyone working in front of the cameras – gives excellent performances on screen. Containing over fifty acting exercises and the tried-and-tested Screen Acting Checklist, this book leads the reader step-by-step through the elements of effective screen acting. As well as being completely updated to cover new techniques, film references and insights, this third edition now includes a set of Film Clip Time Codes for each film. These not only itemize the films discussed in each chapter, but also pinpoint the precise moments where each example can be found so that students, teachers, and professional actors can refer to them quickly and easily.

Refreshing in its informal approach and full of instructive anecdotes, Secrets of Screen Acting is an invaluable guide for those who wish to master the art of acting on-screen.

What people say:

"This is my personal favorite of the 'acting for camera' books and is one I routinely recommend to my students. It is written with humor and perception by a British director/teacher. His basic perspective is that you must make your performance the right size for the frame of the shot. In other words, your technique is different in a long shot than in a close-up. He's correct about that. Lots of drawings in the book, too." — Ed Hooks, Author and Acting Teacher

About the Author:

Patrick Tucker is an accomplished director of the screen and stage. Since his first professional production in 1968, he has directed more than 200 plays in all forms of theater, from weekly repertory to the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was accepted by the BBC Television Directing program in 1976 and has subsequently directed more than 150 television dramas. He has developed his unique approach to television and film acting as a separate discipline, and he has lectured and taught all over the world.