Occasionally, sit-coms will have a character getting selected for a commercial, or such. You’ll hear it said “make love to the camera”. Is this real advice? I thought the actors/actresses were not supposed to acknowledge the camera, with rare exception. What’s the real story on this?
There are plenty of commercials where the actor addresses the camera/viewer directly–especially in a seductive or alluring way.
As MovieMogul pointed out, many times you do have to look directly into the camera.
But even if you don’t…have you ever noticed you were being watched by someone and perhaps you wanted to impress that person without letting them know you were aware they were watching you? Maybe you were being cruised in a bar, or noticed your boss watching you at a party or meeting or something?
If you know you are being watched, you act differently. Not only the obvious (don’t pick your nose or teeth, don’t scratch your crotch) but you will also smile a bit more, look more interested in the conversation, perhaps move your head so you get your best side. Rumor has it Princess Diana always kept her head down as she felt she looked better when she was photographed looking upwards at someone or something.
So while “making love” might be somewhat of an over statement, the concept is to be aware you are being watched (on camera) but pretending you don’t notice you are being watched. When this works, you become more “real” - whether the scene calls for seduction or comedy - and all of those minor body movements come together. BTW, it is a lot easier said than done…trying to act naturally without making stilted movements and fidgeting takes a bit of training and experience.
One last thing - for new actors, they can learn the lines quite well. The problem comes when they are supposed to walk from point A to point B, moving that chair, picking up the glass, taking a drink, setting the glass on the next table, turning around on a specific line, and ending at exactly the right spot at the exact right second…this is blocking and it can drive actors crazy to do all of that while speaking their lines and not missing a single movement or line - oh, and do this so it looks “natural”. And do it over and over again, exactly the same way.
Never really heard the phrase in terms of acting (both stage and on camera), but often hear it used in regards to modeling. Makes more sense in that context.
Yeah, it’s sound more like something for modeling than for acting.
It tends to get splooge all over the lens.
[taking notes]
… don’t… scratch… crotch…
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…I’m a photographer: and I have nearly every model I’ve worked with say that on occasion they’s shot with photographers who have used that line. Their usual response is a real life :rolleyes: . 
They just hate it when photographers say “make love to the camera”, it happens so often that it is now cliche.
So its a commonly said thing in the modelling industry, but it isn’t a very helpful instruction. I do this thing with the models where I give them the camera and they get a chance to direct me: can you guess what the first thing they normally ask me to do is?