Making Believe

LISA BODE is a lecturer in film and television studies at the University of Queensland.

• Introduction  1 Acting Through Machines: Fidelity and Expression from Cameras to Mo-Cap2 Behind Rubber and Pixels: Mimesis, Seamlessness, and Acting Achievement3 In Another’s Skin: Typecasting, Identity, and the Limits of Proteanism4 Double Trouble: Authenticity, Fakery, and Concealed Performance Labor5 Performing with Themselves: Versatility, Timing, and Nuance in Multiple Roles6 There Is No There There: Making Believe in Composite Screen Space  ConclusionAcknowledgmentsNotesIndex

"This is one of the best and most nuanced discussions of performance and acting in the digital era that I have read or will ever hope to read." - Adrienne L. McLean (author of Dying Swans and Madmen: Ballet, the Body, and Narrative Cinema) "In this expansive and historically-informed study, Lisa Bode provides a wise and illuminating account of the intersection of actors with cinema technology in all its myriad forms." - Stephen Prince (author of Digital Visual Effects in Cinema: The Seduction of Reality) "It isn’t just the makeup that Bode wipes off the face of Hollywood. It’s the secrets behind choosing the perfect stunt double, the reality of using a green screen, and the authenticity of portraying another culture. Making Believe is just that. A book on the reality of all of Hollywood’s most famous illusions, and it’s not all smoke mirrors. This book takes readers through the history of the film and media to prove just how far the entertainment industry has evolved. Lisa Bode definitely let the cat out of the bag, and I don’t believe it’s going back in." (Communication Booknotes Quarterly) "Making Believe expands our understanding of the developmental history of screen acting practice by analyzing the intricate interplay between human performer and digital/non-digital production techniques in various time periods." (Film Critcism) "This will be an excellent volume for those interested in film and media studies. Recommended."  (Choice)