Improvisation

Improvisation

A good tool for actors when trying to find the truth of a scene is improvisation. In rehearsal take the values of the scene and use your own words instead of the playwright's which would enable you to follow impulses without the restraints of the play. Of coarse you then would include the actual lines but now you can have insight in the possibilities that can be achieved in the scene. There are film directors that encourage actors to improvise a scene because the spontaneity can lead to magic moments that can be captured on film. A good sense of truth is a requirement for good improvisations as selfish actors that try to take over the improve defeat the purpose of finding the truth of a scene and instead bluster and overact trying to dominate the scene. Improvisation is a creative way to write a script. There was a time when the rights to a play that I was doing were pulled when we started rehearsal. Instead of looking for something else to do in 4 weeks, we decided to write and perform a new play in a month. We sat around and discussed the story for a couple of days then we improvised every scene with a tape recorder. We were able to get dynamic exchanges between the characters because of the conflict of different personalities. Only the most gifted of writers can create dialogue as rich as good actors improvising.

Sense Memory

Sense Memory

A great tool for actors to make their performance real is the use of sense memory. If you have a scene where you handle objects, drink booze or in pain, the use of sense memory is essential. What is sense memory? If you are in a scene where your character has to drink a straight shot of whisky, of coarse you don’t want to use real booze so what you must do is remember how booze tastes. In rehearsals and when you are working on the play by yourself, take a glass of water and sip it as if it was real liqueur. Take a sip, feel the sting on your tongue. When you swallow feel the liqueur going down your throat. Your sense will remember real booze and any reaction from it will be real without faking it. All you have to do is remember how it really feels and your reaction will be so real that the audience after the show will ask you if you drank real booze. The same with climate. If the scene calls for cold weather, where do you feel it? If you feel cold in your back first and shiver, remember that feeling and and the shiver will be spontaneous. You can fine tune your sense memory by practicing holding and sipping a hot cup of coffee with an empty hand. Remember the weight, feel the hot coffee on your tongue. This is extended to the use of objects. If your character is handling something of tremendous value than it must be handled that way. If you believe it is valuable you will not treat it like a prop. Working with objects during a scene can be tricky. A good exercise is to practice a monologue while you are doing dishes or some other physical activity. Doing a physical task during a scene takes you away from yourself and adds a reality and spontaneity to the scene.

Decline of Hollywood

Decline of Hollywood

I watched “The Sting” on cable the other night and what a intelligent and entertaining script with many twists and turns and excellent characters. Over the last couple of years there seems to be a lack of creativity in the Hollywood community.While the films look beautiful with excellent photography, the special effects or cgi, are overused to cover up that the story stinks. Why is this happening? I think it is because of the unapproachable and elitist attitude of the producers and studio chiefs. With the lack of creative and original stories for the movies you would think that the studios and producers would open their doors and seek out new writers and ideas.Maybe it is time to change the way business is done. It is time to take a look at the way sports teams find talent. Scouts from pro teams and colleges go anywhere and do anything to find good talent. It is necessary for them to do this as the public will reject inadequate players. The public is beginning to reject what Hollywood is putting out. If I was a studio head I would hire tons of readers and pay them a commission if they find something that can be developed into a film.Pay the writer something but if it is not a full script a buy out,I’m sure, would satisfy them. Have tryouts like in sports and ask the public to submit their experiences. You can always hire the hacks to polish the material but think of the stories you can get from prostitutes, drug dealers, preachers, teachers, gang bangers, military,homeless,gamblers,police, social workers and writers. While these subjects have been done before think of the richness of original material that is out there untapped,raw and vibrant. Of coarse, there must be no stealing of material as that would make people distrust the process and we would go back to where we are now.

Analysis of a Character

Analysis of a Character.

Maybe the most creative time for an actor is in rehearsal when the actor is analyzing his character for any hidden meanings in the play that applies to his role. These discoveries come in increments, an actor could be stuck on why his character reacts in a certain way that can apply some how to the actor’s life. This can come with a wave of inspiration as if a door opened in your mind as you get a deeper understanding of your character. Many times an actor has struggled thru a few rehearsals, goes home and reads the play again and suddenly, the door opens in his mind triggering creative impulses related to the character. The key here is to keep reading the play at least your part everyday during rehearsal even if you know the lines. Inspiration comes from preparation. Another thing , if you have the luxury of doing a play and have a few weeks to get the lines down, don’t hurry to memorize the material right away as this could lock in certain line readings and hinder further discovery. Of coarse if you are doing film and TV you don’t have this time and have to come to the set for the first time with your lines down cold. By the time an actor’s career gets to this point he has enough time on stage to compensate for this obstacle to fully flesh out his character. Of coarse, unless you are the star of the movie, the roles on film and TV are not as challenging as theater.

The first reading.

The First Reading

I touched on this subject before but it’s importence deserves another go around. When you first get material whether it is for an audition or you are cast in a play and are reading the script for the first time, it is important to put yourself in the proper mood to have the surprises in the material trigger your creative impulses. That means no distractions, you don’t read it for the first time while you are driving or doing something else that would take your attention away from the first reading. Don’t jip your self out of those first impulses. Many times while working on a character, actors have related that after working on the character and trying many choices they come back to their original impulse. Another thing, don’t say the lines out loud until you have a good understanding what is happening in the scene and what is your character’s intention for saying the lines. This will help preventing line readings especially for auditions.