About the Book:

Secrets of Screen Acting is a magician's box of acting tricks for today's performer and explains what the camera wants from you and why.

Most acting techniques teach 'truth', but nothing in movies is real. Patrick Tucker teaches you the skills and techniques needed to successfully work as a screen actor. He explains that the actor, instead of starting with what is real and trying to portray that in front of the cameras, should adapt the action to the realities of the shoot itself, and then work out how to make it all appear realistic. You will also be given dozens of insider tips only the professionals know: from working with frame to mastering vocal levels to understanding the editing process. Secrets of Screen Acting is a must-read for all actors – particularly a stage actor crossing over to working on camera.

When it was first published in 1993, Secrets of Screen Acting broke new ground in explaining how screen acting is very different from stage acting. Reaction time is altered, physical timing, blocking and placement are re-conceived, and the proportions of the film frame itself become the measure of all things. In this updated fourth 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. On-camera actors must now 'fit' into the frame in a slightly different way.

Based on a revolutionary non-Method approach to acting, Secrets of Screen Acting shows you what actually works: how an actor, an announcer, or anyone working in front of the cameras can maximize the effectiveness of their performances on screen. Containing over 50 acting exercises designed to hone your on-camera skills and the tried-and-tested Screen Acting Checklist, this fourth edition is completely updated to cover new techniques, film references, and insights, including:

Refreshing in its informal approach and full of instructive anecdotes, this book is perfectly suited for Acting for the Screen university courses. Secrets of Screen Acting is also a step-by-step guide for actors and non-actors training on their own.

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

"I can't speak to every actor, but the one book I would recommend that any actor focusing on film and television should read, would be Patrick Tucker's Secrets of Screen Acting. Acting on camera is such a unique and technical skill, and in my experience as an on-camera instructor, most actors entering the field simply aren't trained in the medium. Anyone who wants to make a career in film and TV needs to read this book." — Jamison Haase, founder of L.A. On-Camera Training Center

"Secrets of Screen Acting by Patrick Tucker is possibly my favorite book of all time, and for any actor. The book offers a number of techniques you can apply to offer your most effective performance." — Kate McClanaghan, L.A.-based casting director

About the Author:

Patrick Tucker is an accomplished director of the screen and stage. Since his first professional production in 1968, he has directed over 250 plays in all forms of theatre, from weekly repertory to the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was accepted by the BBC Television Directing program in 1976 and has subsequently directed over 200 dramas for the screen. 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.