The Great Acting Blog: "The Creative Process by Alfie Black"

Noirish Project was always going to be a different experience for me. This is my third film Collaboration with writer/director James Devereaux. For me, having the back story prepared for my role is always a necessity. It is this part of the creative process I enjoy the most, thinking like my character and working out his personality, right down to what he would wear. It may sound strange but I have always given less thought to the actual script. Obviously I would read and memorise the dialogue, but I would approach it with less energy. So when James told me our first rehearsal would consist of a script analysis, I was eager to become the student. Breaking down the scenes gave me a different understanding of what was happening to both the character and the story. We began with the obligatory first few rusty line readings. It always takes a few times to adapt to another actor saying the dialogue that you have only been hearing in your head. Once we were comfortable with the words, we filmed the scenes and watched them back. This was something I’d never really done before, working mainly in theatre I do not get to see my performance at any stage, so I was intrigued to see how this would influence my execution. Watching the playback it became evident I had given my safe, maybe lazy soap opera style acting. It was still honest and had some nice moments and maybe any other Director would have been satisfied with it, but Devereaux wanted to take me out of my comfort zone and delve deeper. To help me realise an action choice for the scene we used improvisations from my own past experiences to create a truth I could mirror within the character. I was confused by this new method at first and tried to fight it going in and out of my safety net, but once I relaxed and didn’t over think, Devereaux’s wax on wax off style training proved to deliver the goods. When we recommenced with the scenes I had a new confidence and began to enjoy saying the dialogue which also enhanced my performance. Why had I not been taught this way before? The difference on screen was incredible, I was already so proud of the film and this was only the rehearsals we were filming, roll on the shoot. Unfortunately due to severe weather conditions the filming had to be postponed. I was so disappointed, never before had I ever felt this ready and prepared for a role. As we were not filming James asked me if I would still like to shoot some footage and make use of our hard work. My first instinct was to play it safe and go back to bed, it was cold outside and I was feeling let down. This moment passed and I began to like the idea, I wanted to learn more about these characters. The first scene was an interior and it involved Billy arranging to meet Jimmy on the phone. The improvisation was a success, we shot it in one take. I was very comfortable with the character of Billy, the words oozed out with ease. I felt I knew everything about him and this was of course due to the intense rehearsal period. We continued to film throughout the day and I enjoyed every minute of it, sometimes with the pressures in the acting world you forget it can be fun. I was glad it snowed that weekend because we would have never created Prelude To Noirish Project. I am so pleased with the result and proud of what we have accomplished so far. I’m looking forward to filming Noirish Project, learning more and developing my craft even further.

The Great Acting Blog: "The Short Film Before The Feature Film"

 

 

Prelude is now complete, and I am delighted to be sharing the film with you here. Some of you will already know that this is the short film we made when work on our feature film,Noirish Project, was snowed off. Noirish Project is a noir about Billy, who steals the family jewels and gives them to low-life Jimmy to sell to a Fence. But their problems begin when the jewels turn out to be fake. Prelude, takes place before the robbery, and Billy is trying to convince Jimmy to help him out. I do hope you enjoy the film, and please feel free to leave any feedback in the comments section below.

As of last week, there has been no change in the situation for the feature film shoot: we are awaiting confirmation (or not) of more snowfall. Either way, we will get the production up and running over the next month or so. I have posted all of the blog-posts we have so far, which relate to the film.

 

Improvising

Prelude To Noirish Project [Stills]

Noirish Project Rehearsals

 

Poetic Acting

 

Noirish Project Swings Into Motion

 

Noirish Project - Feature Film Announcement

 

 

Prelude To Noirish Project Is Now Complete. Delighted to share the film with you here...

 

 

We made this short film when the shoot for our feature film, Noirish Project, was snowed off. Noirish Project is a noir about Billy, who steals the family jewels and gives them to low-life Jimmy to sell to a Fence. But their problems begin when the jewels turn out to be fake. Prelude, takes place before the robbery, and Billy is trying to convince Jimmy to help him out.

 

Check-out notes about the film...here 

 

The Great Acting Blog: "Improvising"

Check out this quick teaser I put together. We've still some work to do on the sound, but the film will be completed in the next week or so.

I had planned to shoot Noirish Project in two chunks: the first last week, and the second later in the year.  Unfortunately, I had to postpone shooting the first chunk last week because of the snow, obviously this wouldn't have matched with anything we would have shot in the second chunk when in all likelihood there wouldn't have been snow. However, seeing as everything was set up anyway, I thought it would be a waste to not do anything, and so decided to go out and make a short, using the landscape as a snowy backdrop. I wanted the short to still be connected to Noirish Project in some way, and hit upon the idea of the short film being a sort of "backstory" for the feature, where we would learn a little bit more about the characters and how the events in the feature came about, calling the short; Prelude To Noirish Project. 

In the feature film, Billy has stolen his families' heirloom, some pearls, which they have owned "since before the War", and he gives the pearls to the only person he knows who has even a vague connection with the world of crime, Jimmy, to sell to a fence. Prelude takes place before Billy has stolen the pearls, and is structured around a telephone call, i.e. - Billy ringing-up Jimmy to see if he'd be interested in the pearls. The telephone call is then intercut with imagery of Jimmy on his way to meet Billy in the park. This structure lends the film a sort of fantasy quality, where we are not sure whether Billy is imagining the events we are seeing or not. I'm starting to think that the telephone is perhaps my favourite dramatic device of all - it's just so economical, and it creates plenty of scope for the acting, it's always fun to watch actors trying to express themselves through a phone. Also, I think telephones are very strange indeed (far stranger than email or text message, which seem far more natural), and therefore they possess a mystery which is intrinsically dramatic. It also opens up structural possibilities, and in Prelude, often I use the telephone conversation as a voice-over: we hear the characters talking, but we see imagery from another time and place.

There wasn't time to write a script, so I just decided on subject matter and the overall structure of the film, and we improvised the specific dialogue. We had, however, during the preceding weeks, been rehearsing the scripted scenes  we had already scheduled to shoot, and had arrived at performance level. This work had a strong impact on the improvisation, especially in terms of style and rhythm of dialogue. The actual script has repetitive, punchy dialogue, and we found that to be true of the improvisation aswell, as if the rhythms of the script had lodged themselves in our minds. I also found it easy to access my character's (Jimmy) sardonic intent toward the other character (Billy). The net result is that Prelude feels very much a part of the full Noirish Project feature film, it seems part of the universe of the full film, which is a very pleasant result.

I am currently in the process of re-scheduling the scenes we were unable to do, probably for mid- February. Snowfall has been rumoured, but we'll have to wait and see. 

The Great Acting Blog: "Improvising"

Check out this quick teaser I put together. We've still some work to do on the sound, but the film will be completed in the next week or so.

I had planned to shoot Noirish Project in two chunks: the first last week, and the second later in the year.  Unfortunately, I had to postpone shooting the first chunk last week because of the snow, obviously this wouldn't have matched with anything we would have shot in the second chunk when in all likelihood there wouldn't have been snow. However, seeing as everything was set up anyway, I thought it would be a waste to not do anything, and so decided to go out and make a short, using the landscape as a snowy backdrop. I wanted the short to still be connected to Noirish Project in some way, and hit upon the idea of the short film being a sort of "backstory" for the feature, where we would learn a little bit more about the characters and how the events in the feature came about, calling the short; Prelude To Noirish Project. 

In the feature film, Billy has stolen his families' heirloom, some pearls, which they have owned "since before the War", and he gives the pearls to the only person he knows who has even a vague connection with the world of crime, Jimmy, to sell to a fence. Prelude takes place before Billy has stolen the pearls, and is structured around a telephone call, i.e. - Billy ringing-up Jimmy to see if he'd be interested in the pearls. The telephone call is then intercut with imagery of Jimmy on his way to meet Billy in the park. This structure lends the film a sort of fantasy quality, where we are not sure whether Billy is imagining the events we are seeing or not. I'm starting to think that the telephone is perhaps my favourite dramatic device of all - it's just so economical, and it creates plenty of scope for the acting, it's always fun to watch actors trying to express themselves through a phone. Also, I think telephones are very strange indeed (far stranger than email or text message, which seem far more natural), and therefore they possess a mystery which is intrinsically dramatic. It also opens up structural possibilities, and in Prelude, often I use the telephone conversation as a voice-over: we hear the characters talking, but we see imagery from another time and place.

There wasn't time to write a script, so I just decided on subject matter and the overall structure of the film, and we improvised the specific dialogue. We had, however, during the preceding weeks, been rehearsing the scripted scenes  we had already scheduled to shoot, and had arrived at performance level. This work had a strong impact on the improvisation, especially in terms of style and rhythm of dialogue. The actual script has repetitive, punchy dialogue, and we found that to be true of the improvisation aswell, as if the rhythms of the script had lodged themselves in our minds. I also found it easy to access my character's (Jimmy) sardonic intent toward the other character (Billy). The net result is that Prelude feels very much a part of the full Noirish Project feature film, it seems part of the universe of the full film, which is a very pleasant result.

I am currently in the process of re-scheduling the scenes we were unable to do, probably for mid- February. Snowfall has been rumoured, but we'll have to wait and see. 

Prelude To Noirish Project [Stills]

We had to postpone some of the filming for Noirish Project proper, due to the snow. So, we went out and made "Prelude To Noirish Project", using the snowy landscape as a backdrop. We created scenes around the original script, scenes which take place before the original script starts, but which are still very much related to the main action. I hope to re-schedule the Noirish Project shoot over the next week or so, and complete post-production for Prelude.

Prelude To Noirish Project [Stills]

We had to postpone some of the filming for Noirish Project proper, due to the snow. So, we went out and made "Prelude To Noirish Project", using the snowy landscape as a backdrop. We created scenes around the original script, scenes which take place before the original script starts, but which are still very much related to the main action. I hope to re-schedule the Noirish Project shoot over the next week or so, and complete post-production for Prelude.

New Short Film Up: "Cinematic Neurosis"

New short film: The Lillies Are Just Around The Corner [video]

 

A strange hitman picture.

Drifting Clouds Cinema Blog: "Strange Man At Cork Airport" [short film]

The Great Acting Blog: "The Performance In Your Head Doesn't Count"

 

It's always a surprise when I first see my own performance on screen, because I had the image in my mind of what I thought it was, and then, upon seeing the film, I see what the performance actually is. That is not to say that the actual performance is any better or worse than my imagined performance, it's just that it's different. When I first work on the script, of course I am trying to work-out what is happening in the scene and therefore how I might play it, certainly I will give myself some creative choices, raw materials, something to aim at. So, I have this sense in my mind of what the performance might be, and this sense is hard to shake off. When first seeing the actual performance on the screen then, there is a feeling of shock, because it does not conform to this imaginary performance. Of course, the imaginary performance is bunkum, the only performance that actually exists, is the one on the screen. 

Anyway, the film is now complete and I am delighted to be sharing it with you here. It's a strange, ironic thriller, about Roger and Beryl, whose illicit love affair is ruined by Beryl's amiable husband, Maurice, who, oblivious to his wife's affair, co-incidentally turns up whenever the lovers meet. 

Our next film is shaping up to be a mysterious, film-noir-thriller, about a writer who receives an unusual proposition from somebody who claims to have been his school friend, but of whom the writer has no recollection. I will be posting updates on that here.

I hope you enjoy the film. James.

 

BLOGPOSTS ABOUT WILL IT STOP RAINING IN SUMMER:

Stills Gallery for Will It Stop Raining In Summer

The Joy Of Acting

22 Principles For Better Acting

Acting Weird

The Great Acting Blog: "The Performance In Your Head Doesn't Count"

Will It Stop Raining In Summer is now complete

 

 

It's always a surprise when I first see my own performance on screen, because I had the image in my mind of what I thought it was, and then, upon seeing the film, I see what the performance actually is. That is not to say that the actual performance is any better or worse than my imagined performance, it's just that it's different. When I first work on the script, of course I am trying to work-out what is happening in the scene and therefore how I might play it, certainly I will give myself some creative choices, raw materials, something to aim at. So, I have this sense in my mind of what the performance might be, and this sense is hard to shake off. When first seeing the actual performance on the screen then, there is a feeling of shock, because it does not conform to this imaginary performance. Of course, the imaginary performance is bunkum, the only performance that actually exists, is the one on the screen. 

Anyway, the film is now complete and I am delighted to be sharing it with you here. It's a strange, ironic thriller, about Roger and Beryl, whose illicit love affair is ruined by Beryl's amiable husband, Maurice, who, oblivious to his wife's affair, co-incidentally turns up whenever the lovers meet. 

Our next film is shaping up to be a mysterious, film-noir-thriller, about a writer who receives an unusual proposition from somebody who claims to have been his school friend, but of whom the writer has no recollection. I will be posting updates on that here.

I hope you enjoy the film. James.

 

BLOGPOSTS ABOUT WILL IT STOP RAINING IN SUMMER:

Stills Gallery for Will It Stop Raining In Summer

The Joy Of Acting

22 Principles For Better Acting

Acting Weird

"Roger" In "Will It Stop Raining In Summer"

We've finished editing the film, and hopefully the sound will be finished over the next few weeks, and then .... voila!

The Great Acting Blog: "Will It Stop Raining In Summer"

Possile location for Will It Stop Raining In Summer

 

 

Will It Stop Raining In Summer will be our next short film. It's a love triangle thriller, about Roger, who is having an affair with Beryl, but every-time they meet-up, Beryl's husband, Maurice, shows up co-incidentally, apparently oblivious to his wife's illicit trysts. The film came about when a jumble of images popped into my mind and I tried to make sense of them. The film owes something to those suburban British films from the '50s and '60s which would be on telly on those days when you were home sick from school. This is not an homage or even a reference however, I couldn't tell you the names of these films, I can't remember their plots or who was in them, it's more a feeling that the images of these films absorbed themselves into my sub-conscious and now they have filtered back through my imagination to create something new. I could also hear the feint sound of another echo in Will It Stop Raining In Summer, and that is of benign middle class sitcoms, which were prevalent in the 1980s (I unknowingly lifted the name of Beryl from No Place Like Home, a sitcom which starred William Gaunt). I have no specific affection for such sitcoms or any real interest in the sitcom as a form, but again, they created images which have been locked in my sub-conscious for years, but which are now rattling their chains. So, Will It Stop Raining In Summer is my imagination's regurgitation of these films and shows, giving them a new darkly ironic form.

 

And what of the acting then? Again, I will play opposite John Giles, and we are currently working on finding an actress to play Beryl. The script is full of characterization (ie - how the character does something, rather than what he does), for example; the character of Maurice, is a cuckold written in the style of a cuckold, bluff and amiable, and this, coupled with the context of the scenes, means that the actor never needs to show us that his character is a cuckold (which is how most modern acting is done: “hi, I'm a serial killer”), the script has already done that work, so the actor need only concentrate on doing the actions called forth in the scene. We will again be aiming for performances which are direct, simple, forceful, and truthful. Filming will begin over the next month, and I will post regularly about the film on here and on the Drifting Clouds Cinema blog. Finally, for me, I will once again be directing and acting in the film, and I will strive once again to perfect the process of switching between those two roles – I'm still too reliant on will power, but want to get it down to a science, and I will of course share my findings on this blog, in the form of a repeatable and transferable technique.