One remarkable ability of the human brain is to process large amounts of information about our surroundings to allow us to interact effectively with them. In everyday life, the most common way to interact with objects is by reaching, grasping, lifting and manipulating them. Although these may sound like simple tasks, the perceptual properties of the target object, such as its location, size, shape, and orientation all need to be processed in order to set the movement parameters that allow an accurate reach-to-grasp-to lift movement. Several brain areas work in concert to process this outstanding amount of visual information and drive the execution of a motor plan in just a few hundred milliseconds. How are these processes orchestrated? In developing this type of comprehensive knowledge about the interactions between objects perception and goal-directed actions, we have a window into the mechanisms underlying the functioning of the visuo-motor system. With this research topic we aim to further understand the neural mechanisms that mediate our interactions with the world. Therefore, we particularly encourage submission of papers that attempt to relate such findings to real-world situations by investigating behavioural and neural correlates of information processing related to eye-hand coordination and visually-guided actions, including reaching, grasping, and lifting movements. This topic welcomes submissions of original research using any relevant techniques and methods, from behavioural kinematics/kinetics, to neuroimaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), as well as neuropsychological studies.

A new theory of acting that tears down the theatrical "Fourth Wall"

Acting (Re)Considered is an exceptionally wide-ranging collection of theories on acting, ideas about body and training, and statements about the actor in performance. This second edition includes five new essays and has been fully revised and updated, with discussions by or about major figures who have shaped theories and practices of acting and performance from the late nineteenth century to the present. The essays - by directors, historians, actor trainers and actors - bridge the gap between theories and practices of acting, and between East and West. No other book provides such a wealth of primary and secondary sources, bibliographic material, and diversity of approaches. It includes discussions of such key topics as: * how we think and talk about acting * acting and emotion * the actor's psychophysical process * the body and training * the actor in performance * non-Western and cross-cultural paradigms of the body, training and acting. Acting (Re)Considered is vital reading for all those interested in performance.

Acting: The Basics 3rd Edition is a dynamic response to recent societal and entertainment industry changes, focusing on inclusion, diversity and equity, and the actor's trajectory from training to rehearsal to performance on stage and screen, with hands-on tools and global perspectives. The book offers vital ways of building a practical acting toolkit, through breath, body, voice, emotions, imagination and spirit. We begin with a socio-cultural look at actor as magician, storyteller, healer and social changer. Throughout, there are insights from Black, Indigenous, First Nations, South/East Asian, intercultural and feminist practitioners, together with methods focusing on disability and accessibility, intimacy directives, mindfulness and intersectionality. Key 'canonical' figures still feature (e.g., Stanislavsky, Meisner, Brecht and Suzuki) with re-visioned perspective. Scattered throughout are post-COVID insights, plus expanded sections on screen acting (including self-tapes) and Shakespeare. This book is useful for beginner or expert, as it's always helpful getting back to basics. Because the author is both an actor and an actor trainer, the tools are steeped in user-friendly application. At the same time, transferable skills (e.g., dynamic listening and empathy) are shown as relevant to everyone. With a glossary of terms and useful online suggestions (including blogs, videos and podcasts), this is ideal for anyone learn anew about the practice and history of acting, or to take their acting and teaching into new terrain.

This comprehensive collection provides theoretical accounts of the grounds and phenomenon of film acting. The volume features entries by some of the most prominent scholars on film acting who collectively represent the various theoretical traditions that constitute the discipline of film studies. Each section proposes novel ways of considering the recurring motifs in academic enquiries into film acting, including: (1) the mutually contingent problematic of description and interpretation, (2) the intricacies of bodily dynamics and their reception by audiences, (3) the significance of star performance, and (4) the impact of evolving technologies and film styles on acting traditions.

Previously only available to Katselas’ students at the prestigious Beverly Hills Playhouse, Acting Class presents the concepts and methods that have helped lead a generation of actors to success on stage, in cinema, and on television. Now for the first time, this all-encompassing book is available to the general public, taking readers and sitting them in the legendary acting class of Milton Katselas, where he not only covers techniques and methods, but also includes valuable discussions on the attitude any artist needs to fulfill his or her dream.

The first collection of its kind to bring together scholarly and practitioner perspectives, this book analyses the experiences, skills and techniques of actors when working on television. Featuring eleven chapters by internationally distinguished researchers and actor trainers, this collection examines the acting processes and resulting performances of some of the most acclaimed television actors. Topics include: studio and location realism; actor training for television; actor well-being in the television industry; performance in reality television and British and Irish actors in contemporary US television and film. The book also contains case studies examining the work of Emmy-award-winning actor Viola Davis and the iconic character of Gene Hunt in Life on Mars (BBC, 2006-2007).

I Don't Need an Acting Class explores critical aspects of the technique of acting, utilizing conversations via email with countless actors. Some are aspiring students, others are seasoned professionals. The conversations document the challenges these diverse actors face as they digest what they have learned in a class or rehearsal while exploring in practical terms how to use their growing technique. Milton Justice first began receiving emails from actors in 2008. In this book, Justice brings together email conversations between teacher and student, along with observations and commentary about acting technique and craft. Not all of the emails in the book are overly thought-out or complete. Quite the contrary, they are meant to capture the feeling of a living, breathing process as it happens. When an actor sends a teacher or director an email with a problem, be it a simple comment or confusion, it is evidence of a creative artist exploring new ground. Many years ago, Stella Adler sent Justice a letter in response to a panicked note he had written to her while lost in the weeds during rehearsals for a new play. She set a tone for him as she succinctly defined the problem and reminded him of its elegant solution. He was overwhelmed by the care she had given him. That letter still hangs over his desk, perfectly demonstrating the power of a written exchange between a teacher and a student.

Discover how to create dynamic, dramatic performances and believable character interactions with this invaluable resource.

Every actor knows that working in commercials is lucrative. But many actors, trained primarily for working on the stage, have mistaken ideas about this field and lack essential on-camera experience. Now in an updated and expanded edition, Acting in Commercials is the only resource that fills all the gaps in the performer’s knowledge of this demanding medium. Invaluable for its insight into the craft as well as the business of acting, it tells you how to prepare for commercial auditions and, once you’ve landed a job, how to deliver the most expressive on-camera performance—leading to more work and success in a competitive field. Author Joan See illuminates all the secrets she has learned while appearing in hundreds of commercials over the past thirty years. She shows you how to approach five distinctly different commercial forms and explains the specific acting techniques to employ in each. In fact, Acting in Commercials will take you beyond commercial work, sharpening all your acting skills for a broader film and television career.