Pedagogical Experiment with Portrait Lighting in Combination with different Actor’s intent in the case of novice Actors

Abstract

Portrait lighting and acting both carry substantial weight in creating character engagement by the viewer, but are rarely researched in conjunction.  At the same time both acting and portrait lighting have considerable canons that have developed within the craft system and realized through tacit knowledge. Thus, as both are fields with considerable amount of knowledge and skills, but not enough scientific research conducted yet, it makes sense that the first expansion of knowledge should be conducted through artistic research. In line with Root-Bernstein's ArtScience approach that calls for processes of invention and exploration (Root-Bernstein, 2011), the current study tested out a possible model for researching the interaction between portrait lighting and acting. The current article should be considered as an analytic report on the first interdisciplinary experiment that melded together cinematography, acting, portrait lighting and pedagogy.