To Be, That Is The Trick

School for Film and Television Tip: The secret of coming across realistically and naturally in front of a camera is to be rather than to act. Sound easy? Well it's not. It may seem like a paradox, but it takes a tremendous amount of acting training to look like you're not acting at all.

When we see a believable character, we get caught up in that character's trials and tribulations, that character's world. We forget about the actor. That's great acting. On the other hand, if we catch the actor "performing," we lose the character and become aware of the actor. That's not so great acting.

On film, unlike in the theater, small reactions, gestures, and facial expressions go a long way. The camera is very sensitive. It picks up even the tiniest details. It's enough to change the thought in your mind to change the expression in your eyes. After all, that's how it works in real life. We don't deliberately change our eyes according to our emotions—they change automatically. Remember, be the character, don't act the character, and you'll go a long way to improving your chances of success.