Synopses & Reviews
Howard Schatz, author of last year¹s critically acclaimed book Athlete, is among the most in-demand photographers working today, and his distinctive style has been widely imitated in art and advertising. Schatz¹s latest project, IN CHARACTER: ACTORS ACTING, is a book of photographic portraits of working actors‹many of them recognized stars‹playing one or more roles directed by the photographer. The images are composed of one, two, three or more characters performed by each actor. Characters might include an evil crime boss, an eight-year-old girl triumphing at a spelling bee, a gambler at the track, a businessman on the prowl, a teenage girl flirting, or a coach imploring his players to play harder.
Insightful comments accompanying the images reveal the actors¹ personal experiences, as well as their views on the creative process of acting and developing a character. Included are Jason Alexander, Richard Dreyfuss, Chevy Chase, Ellen Burstyn, Kelsey Grammer, Danny Glover, Peter Falk, Rosie Perez, Joe Mantegna, James Earl Jones, Natasha Richardson, George Segal, Hal Holbrook, Judd Hirsch, and Edie Falco.
IN CHARACTER: ACTORS ACTING is a landmark project for Schatz. It provides a fascinating new vision of actors acting and the power of the creative imagination, breaking new ground with its innovative form of photographic portraiture. The Introduction by Roger Ebert is an insightful appreciation of Schatz¹s work and the ongoing dialogue between actors and their audience.
Synopsis
IN CHARACTER is a book of photographic portraits of working actors--many of them recognized stars--playing one or more roles, directed by photographer Howard Schatz. The images are composed of one, two, three, or four characters performed by each actor at the direction of the photographer. Characters might include an evil crime boss, an eight-year-old girl triumphing at a spelling bee, a gambler at the track, a businessman on the prowl, a teenage girl flirting, or a coach imploring his players to play harder to win.
Insightful comments accompanying the images reveal the actors views on the creative process of acting, developing a character, and their personal experiences. Among the well-known actors included are Jason Alexander, Hume Cronyn, Peter Falk, Rosie Perez, Joe Mantegna, James Earl Jones, Natasha Richardson, George Segal, Hal Holbrook, Judd Hirsch, and Edie Falco.
IN CHARACTER is a landmark project for Schatz. It provides a fascinating new vision of actors acting and the power of the creative imagination.
About the Author
Howard Schatz lives and works in New York with his wife and business partner, Beverly Ornstein. His fine art work has been exhibited in museums and photography galleries internationally and has been published in numerous magazines as well as in fourteen books of photography, the latest of which was the critically acclaimed Athlete.
Roger Ebert has been the film critic of the Chicago Sun Times since 1967 and is the only motion picture critic to have won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism (1975). He co-hosts the top-ranking television show "Ebert and Roeper and the Movies." He is also the author of 15 movie books. He lives in Chicago.