J. Patrick McNamara – The Craft of Film Acting

The Craft of Film Acting. color. 109 min. Public performance rights included. Library Journal August 20, 2010 You don’t know how they do it, but you know it when you see it. Great film acting takes talent, but it also needs practical skills. Professional actor McNamara walks us through 13 “scenes” in lecture format, covering everything from the audition and the callback to matching shots, finding your mark, shooting the master and coverage, recording sound, and translating director-speak. His emphasis is on the craft, not on the art, and he uses entertaining anecdotes and examples (some of them clips from his movies) to make his points. Students will be armed with the real-life, useful knowledge needed to handle the demanding days and last-minute calls in this competitive field. You’ll never watch movies the same way again.—Ellen Druda, Half Hollow Hills Community Lib., Dix Hills, NY