📘 Part 3: Acting and performers

This episode's vocabulary

Recognition (noun) - an agreement that something is true or legal.

Perfectionist (noun) - a person who wants everything to be perfect and demands the highest standards possible.

To get a kick out of something (phrase) - to enjoy something.

To make a/your mark (on something) (idiom) - to have an important effect on something.

Subculture (noun) - the way of life, customs, and ideas of a particular group of people within a society that are different from the rest of that society.

To simulate (verb) - to create conditions or processes similar to something that exists.

Lines (plural noun) - the words that an actor speaks when performing in a film, play, etc.

Make-believe (noun) - believing or imagining things that appear to be attractive or exciting, but are not real.

To enhance (verb) - to improve the quality, amount, or strength of something.

Simultaneously (adverb) - in a way that is simultaneous (= happening or being done at exactly the same time).

Craft (noun) - skill and experience, especially in relation to making objects; a job or activity that needs skill and experience, or something produced using skill and experience.

Subtle (adj.) - not loud, bright, noticeable, or obvious in any way.

Subtlety (noun) - the quality of being subtle.

Fragmented (adj.) - consisting of several separate parts.

Questions and Answers

M: Why might actors or actresses be very interested in their work?

R: Well, why is anyone interested in the work, frankly? They could have some personal connection to it, or they might like the recognition they get from it, which is especially true if you're a famous person or a famous actor. Alternatively, they may be perfectionists and get a kick out of a job well done, or a kick out of doing a job well done.

M: Why could being a professional actor or actress be a good career?

R: Other than the reasons I mentioned? Well, I imagine it's reasonably well paid, especially if you get to the top, then we're talking about work that makes literally millions of dollars. And they also get the chance to make their mark on the world, especially in the culture or even various subcultures, if they're in certain kinds of media.

M: What can children learn from acting?

R: Well, drama plays a powerful role in our lives even if we aren't professional actors. We can develop our creativity and imagination in addition to simulating what certain real-life situations might be like, and what we might do in them as well. And that's assuming, well, this is, of course, assuming the drama is well structured and prepared, so the kids aren't literally running a script in their heads, even though that can also be a useful outcome for learning your lines.

M: Why do children like special costumes?

R: Well, dressing up is part of make-believe, or it's part of make-believe activities, and it enhances play in general. And kids seem to be all about that, really, especially when they're younger. It allows them to more effectively take on the role they imagine themselves in, and it makes it simultaneously more believable and more magical, like physical evidence, they really are the character they're playing.

M: What are the differences between actors who earn much and those who earn little?

R: I imagine, like all things, it's a balance of hard work and luck, really. They have to be in the right places at the right time, but also show they've put in the work to develop their craft and how well they can perform in various roles, and then the money starts rolling in. I'm not sure that's unique to acting, though. That could be with any job, really.

M: What are the differences between acting in a theatre and acting in a film?

R: I was reading a book recently by Mary Margulies. She's a famous actress in, well, in the UK. So part of the book she was...Well, in part of the book, she was going on about theatre acting requiring people to project energy outwards, to engage the audience in real-time. And film acting needs more subtlety, since cameras capture even tiny things about people. I imagine film acting is also more fragmented too, because scenes are often filmed or shot out of sequence for budget reasons.

Discussion

M: Yay! Thank you, Rory, for your answers! Actors or actresses. So if we talk about a man, he's an actor. If it's a woman, she's an actress, right? But can I use actors for everybody, men, women?

R: Well, I do, but if you wanted to talk about an actress, then I don't see the problem.

M: Actors might like the recognition they get from their career. So they get recognized by many people, and that's why they enjoy this recognition. So fame, dear listener, being famous.

R: Although, recognition could be about any kind of public acknowledgement of your work, to be honest with you. So people in their workplaces are recognized with bonuses and even just praise, like public praise. So even if you're not talking about actors, you could also talk about other kinds of jobs and the importance of recognition here. Everybody likes to be recognized.

M: Actors could get a kick out of a job. So to get a kick out of something is a very nice phrase.

R: Ah, yeah. But that just means you enjoy it.

M: Yeah, you kind of enjoy it, you take pleasure in something. And people get a kick out of cooking, get a kick out of their job, get a kick out of what...

R: Get a kick out of helping other people.

M: Yep. It could be a good career because it's reasonably paid, or it's well paid. Like famous actors, they usually get a lot of money, right? But they usually work quite a lot. So it's well paid, or it's reasonably paid, especially if you get to the top. So when people get to the top, they become famous. So it's very well paid. And the person could make millions of dollars. They could get the chance to make their mark on the world. So if I make my mark on the world, what do I do?

R: Well, people remember you. You've done something that's worth remembering or recording in history.

M: Yeah. Children and acting. So sometimes children have acting classes, or they have some extracurricular activities, right? So, like not school activities, acting, and they can learn different skills from acting. Children can develop their creativity, boost their creativity or imagination, how they imagine things.

R: But drama is not all just fun and games. You can simulate serious or certain real-life situations. This is quite common if you're training to become a lawyer. Usually, there are things like mock courts, and I'm pretty sure that doctors also have simulated experiences of surgeries as well.

M: Yeah, sometimes they're called drama classes. So acting classes, drama classes. And kids are usually asked to learn the lines, so learn their texts, so this could develop their memory, and they are taught how to remember different texts, how to remember their lines.

R: And learning your lines is just, well, remembering what's on the script.

M: Special costumes. So when we do some acting, we are wearing a costume, right? And children like dressing up. So to dress up? To put on something beautiful. Could be like a bit for dress or a costume. Or if you go out and you put some formal clothes for some special occasions, you also dress up. Ooh, I dressed up to go to this theatre. What are make-believe activities?

R: Just activities involving imagination, to be honest. I was trying to think of a different way to say that. But no. Make-believe is about imagining what things might be like and acting them out.

M: Costumes allow children to take on their role more effectively. So they put on a costume, and then they kind of feel that, yeah, this is my role. This is the character I'm playing. So they take on the role more effectively. They imagine themselves in this role, and a costume could make it more believable. So people believe it. People believe the acting for the costume more than without it, and costumes add this magical atmosphere so they make all the acting more magical, like physical evidence of something real. Yeah? If a child plays a role of a king, they need a crown like as physical evidence. Yes, this child is a king, we believe it. And also we play different characters, right? So in drama classes, we learn our lines,we learn the script and play different characters wearing costumes.

R: Or you perform different roles.

M: Rory, have you ever been to any drama class? Like...

R: Kind of. When I was younger, I had speech therapy to help me learn how to talk a little bit better. And a lot of that involved drama and remembering lines and projecting the voice. Have you ever done anything like that?

M: Oh, actually, I'm doing acting now. I've been going to this acting group, and our final performance... Cause kind of like you do things, and then there's this performance that you perform on stage for 80 people, and you learn your lines, you're wearing a costume, like all this jazz. Yeah, so we're gonna do it very soon. So... Like a real actress, dear listener.

R: That seems to be quite a common thing. I've got a couple of students who are, who also do this kind of thing as well.

M: Yeah, very popular, very trendy. Like, people are tired of, you know, psychologists, of, you know, retreats. And also they're doing like acting, like learning to sing is very popular, acting. Like some, like, body, I don't know, classes, movement therapy. Yeah, dear listener? What about you? No, not yet? Think about it.

R: Good for remembering your lines for your IELTS test.

M: Yeah, learning the text, learning the answers by heart for your speaking. No, no, no, don't do it, dear listener, don't do it. We have actors who earn a lot and who don't earn much. So some actors or actresses earn very little money, little money. Okay? And according to Rory, it's a balance of hard work and luck.

R: I think that's true for everything, though.

M: They have to be in the right places at the right time to get the role, to earn money, right? So to be in the right place at the right time. And also they have to put in the work. So put in the work. So like to develop their skills, to develop their craft. And we can say that being an actor is a craft. So it's like a career, it's a job, and when they know what they're doing, when they have developed their skills, when they have put in the work, the money starts rolling in. So if money rolls in, what happens?

R: Then we get lots of it.

M: And this could be for any job, yeah? So this is true for like anything.

R: Well, we get lots of it on a regular basis. I should say.

M: There is acting in the theatre, and also in a film. Right? And they are like two different things. And here, if you've read a book or an article on the topic, so the examiner asks you about something, and then like, oh, actually, I've read a book on that, and I remember that... So it's absolutely okay to say that. Or I've watched a documentary, I've read an article, I've read a book, or I've listened to a podcast with Rory and Maria. By the way, do you know it? And then, like you educate the examiner about our podcast. And the writer in the book that Rory read was going on about theatre acting and acting in a film. So theater acting. And theatre acting requires people to project energy outward, so like to people who are watching. And this is actually true. I was also told about it when in one of my acting classes. So people look at you and they have to feel your energy. So you have to kind of project the energy out there, you know, like, so everybody's like, whoa, like this. So to engage the audience in real time. Film acting needs more subtlety. What's subtlety?

R: It seems like that. Subtlety is just less energy, not so loud, but quieter, more gentle.

M: Yeah, subtlety, the quality of being subtle. Subtle. C2, dear listener, band nine. Subtle, not loud, bright, not bright, not noticeable, not obvious in any way. You know, like subtle, you know, like quiet, not attracting attention, you know, but theatre should be like... Like that.

R: Very overblown and dramatic.

M: Yeah, but you know, these days, this new school of acting, they say that you should be very natural, like in real life, and old school is like, it's over the top, yeah, like Shakespeare. But like modern theatres, they prefer being authentic natural, so they don't overdo things. They teach you how to behave normally, how to act like as if it's real life.

R: In front of the camera?

M: Well, in front of people at a theaterWhy might actors or actresses be very interested in their work?.

R: Or the audience, I should say.

M: The audience. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Film acting is more fragmented. What did you mean?

R: So for example, sometimes they have to shoot them, or that they have to film the middle of the movie before they film the beginning, for example. Maybe because some actor is not available for the role at the beginning, so maybe they're not present in the script later on, so they can afford to do it then, and that fragments the recording.

M: And we shoot scenes. So in the film, there are different scenes, a scene with a conversation, a scene with, I don't know, presence. So, and films are, like make scenes or shoot, film. Film different scenes. So dear listener, thank you very much for listening! And we'll get back to you in our next episode! Okay? Bye!

R: Bye!

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