How To: React to a letter in silence

In our first filmed lesson for acting for screen, we learnt how to effectively react on film in silence. We had to bring in a letter we had written ourselves, however this letter had to be from someone we cared about and had to tell us good news at first, but bad news by the end. This would ensure that we could explore a range of emotions and learn how to portray them effectively on screen without over-reacting. One challenge I encountered during this exercise was ensuring I was delivering the reaction in a natural and realistic manner. To begin with, I was holding too much tension in my face, so the transition from good news to bad news was not very clear. In addition, I did tend to cast my gaze a little too close to the camera when attempting to look away from the letter, causing the fourth wall to break and the scene to not look so good. On my second attempt, however, I took this feedback into consideration and released the tension, especially around my eyes, and ensured I looked further off to the side if and when I decided to glance away from the letter. I feel that the final product effectively shows the transition between good news and bad news. Additionally, the reaction to the letter is believable and interesting to watch.

Watch it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmdyCx6ZHfI&t=