Summary: A set in a theatre generally has three walls and just offstage you can see actors and crew people. In a film shot in a studio, rooms are constructed with only two or three walls and those can be removed so the cameras can shoot from multiple angles. When you’re shooting on location, you are generally confined to a restricted acting space and right beyond the edge there are people and equipment. Despite the lack of reality, it is your job to make a set, which is really just a small area defined by walls and set pieces, into a real place that has meaning to your character. It is your job to personalize the room, furniture and props, so that when an audience watches you, they understand where you are and what your relationship to the space is. Personalizing a set is about engaging your imagination. You make the unreal real by using your imagination and your senses to fill in the details. Think about the smells and the temperature. Consider what you might hear or see. Fill in as many details as possible to make the set as textured and alive as a real room. Your goal as an actor is to live honestly in imaginary circumstances and to do that you must personalize the set and make it real for your character. For more on this topic, listen to the full podcast. For podcasts and more please follow me on Twitter @NotesOnActing. You can also hear the Notes On Acting podcasts on Stitcher On Demand Radio. © Eric Barr. All rights reserved. 2013.
