A noticeable part of what every human being experiences on a
moment-to-moment basis is cerebral activity and it is impossible to do a good
take on camera without it.
Cerebral activity is more than what is often referred to as
“thinking”. Thinking is “logic based” cerebral activity. The entirety of
cerebral activity includes images, sound, unspoken language and god knows what
else. Cerebral activity is the flow of consciousness. Whether you’re doing a
monologue on stage or on camera, cerebral activity needs to be a part of the
mix. If cerebral activity is not in evidence in an on camera situation, it will
definitely limit the impact of your performance.
What usually goes wrong is that actors limit their cerebral
activity to the context of the words of their monologue. They squelch all of
the random, abstract, unexplainable occurrences that are native to human
cerebral activity. When this happens, they look less than human.
The camera is just a machine but the images it captures
allow the viewer to get very close (as in a close-up) to the actor. If the
viewer does not sense cerebral activity, they will not be engaged by the
performance. They will feel something is missing and it will call the
believability of what the actor is saying into question.
Cerebral activity operates many times the speed of the
spoken word. Let it be a part of your performance even though much of it may
not seem to relate to what you are saying. Your viewer will be able to sense
this activity and this will engage them.
There’s an old saying that the camera loves certain actors
more than others. Robert Duvall is a good example of an actor that the camera
loves. No matter what the role, you can sense his cerebral activity. Even
though you don’t know exactly what he’s thinking the fact that you can sense what
he’s thinking draws you into his consciousness and that evokes a believable
reality.
Next… Vocality and volume on camera