Class Acting in context

Interpretation, the actor's representation, depends on an 'interpretation' (by the actor or director) and is indelibly linked to the context of expression. This is particularly evident in the differences in the 'medium' in which it is performed. This course aims to address the ontological and phenomenological differences between art forms that call for representation — i.e. the 'actor's performance' — which are simultaneously related yet cannot be reduced to one another. Examples include theatre, dance and cinema... We will address the specificities of audiovisual contexts (cinema, television, etc.) in relation to the original context of interpretation — the stage or theatre scene. We will examine basic, transversal forms of film and theatre, as well as their formal territories and genres. We will also explore their distinct technical and socio-technical characteristics in terms of filming, composition and viewing (i.e. the relationship with the spectator).

Not applicable

1. Introduction: from the contexts of interpretation to interpretation in context 1.1 “Theatre, an invention of Europe” (Georges Banu) 1.2 The importance of space: the stage, the theatrical space 1.3 Phenomenology of the performer 2. Ontological questions of interpretation and theatre 2.1 Between dance and cinema 2.2 The text, the theatrical event, the audience 2.3 Theatre and politics, theatre and thought 3. Media contexts 3.1 Cinema, television and other changing formats  3.2 The recording, the composition, the viewer 3.3 Major forms: from fiction to documentary, from drama to comedy 3.4 Minor forms: genre 4. Figurative invention 4.1 Relationship between body and image 4.2 Figures of the actor 4.3 Actor-director/producer interaction 5. Interpretation as pragmatic hermeneutics 5.1 Text, body, voice, objects, drama: excerpts 5.2 Subject and dramatic mechanics: case studies 5.3 Play and film: case studies Addendum: Modern and contemporary directors (selection)

The lessons will consist of: a) the first half of the sessions: expository methodology combined with active methodologies through the presentation of the contents, readings and discussion; b) the second half of the sessions: 1. the viewing of short film extracts, with discussion related to the contents; 2. the analysis of relevant cases, highlighted in the bibliography presented - and also through research, constantly renewed. This is a theoretical-practical curricular unit: the raising of problems, their delimitation and explanation are correlated with the viewing and processing of detailed analyses, which the students will also be asked to carry out.

AUMONT, Jacques (2006). Le Cinéma Et La Mise En Scène. Paris: Armand Colin AUMONT, Jacques (dir.) (1995). L’Invention De La Figure Humaine. Paris: Cinémathèque Française BORDWELL, David (2005). Figures Traced In Light. On Cinematic Staging. U.S.A.: University of California Press BRENEZ, Nicole (1998). De La Figure En Général Et Du Corps En Particulier. L’Invention Figurative Au Cinéma. Bruxelas: De Boeck Supérieur BRESSON, Robert (1975). Notas Sobre O Cinematógrafo.  Porto: Porto Editora, 2003