Forget Predictable

by Acting Techniques

*Don’t watch the clip until you’ve read the below side.*  There are a couple of techniques you can use so that you end up with interesting, as opposed to predictable choices when working on a script.  The first method is to go through your script line and line and  think of 5 different ways you can say each line (meaning 5 different subtexts and or motivations).  Its a challenge but I bet you’ll be surprised with what you can come up with.  If you find yourself totally stuck and unable to come up with anything innovative, then think of three ways that are “wrong” and work on those.  Even if you end up throwing them out, they will spark your imagination.

If any of you have ever seen David Lynch’s Mullholland Drive, the character of Betty, played by Naomi Watts, is absolutely spellbinding in her audition scene.  If you haven’t seen the movie, I highly recommend it.  Betty makes a very, very unusual choice that ends up being absolutely unforgettable.  If you know the scene that I’m referring to then you know what I mean, but if you don’t, read through these lines once or twice and see what you come up with, then watch the below scene.

Betty
		You're still here?

				JIMMY
		I came back. I thought that's what you
		wanted.

				BETTY
		Nobody wants you here.

				JIMMY
		Really?

				BETTY
		My parents are right upstairs! They
		think you've left.

				JIMMY
		So ... surprise!

				BETTY
		I can call them... I can call my dad.

				JIMMY
		But you won't.

				BETTY
		You're playing a dangerous game here. if
		you're trying to blackmail me... it's not
		going to work.

				JIMMY
		You know what I want...it's not that
		difficult.

				BETTY
		Get out... Get out before I call my dad.
		He trusts you... you're his best friend.
		This will be the end of everything.

				JIMMY
		What about you? What will your dad think
		about you?

				BETTY
		Stop... just stop! That's what you said
		from the beginning. If I tell what
		happened... they'll arrest you and put
		you in jail, so get out of here before...

				JIMMY
		Before what?

				BETTY
		Before I kill you.

				JIMMY
		Then they'd put you in jail.

    				BETTY
		I hate you... I hate us both!

The scene ends.

In the above scene, aspiring movie actress Betty Elms goes to her first audition. And nails it beyond all belief. Up to this point, Naomi Watts has been playing Betty a little overeagerly, a little overcheerfully, and a little, well, badly. In addition, we’ve seen Betty practice the audition script with her friend Rita and perform it like a particularly bad telenovela. This audition has every potential of being disastrous, if we take the character of Betty and the so-far-exhibited acting ability of Watts at face value.

But when she steps into the audition room and begins the scene, something happens. She takes the scene, as melodramatic and soap opera-ish as it is, and goes somewhere with it that the lines themselves don’t even seem to suggest. She adds layers of complexity to her character and subtext to her brief set of lines. – Jandy Hardesty

 

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A Quote from Jack Nicholson

by Acting QuotesActing TechniquesUncategorized
[blockquote indent=”yes” ]You have to be very honest with yourself to do my job well.  And you’re not going to like everything about yourself.  if you start hiding what you don’t like, you’re not going to be in the best position to do your job.  – Jack Nicholson [/blockquote]

Why did I choose this quote?  Well, besides the fact that I think its really good advice its also something that I personally struggle with… letting the ugly out.  Wait.  No, let me re-phrase that.  First, admitting its even inside me, THEN letting it out.   The Japanese think that our flaws make us more beautiful.  They believe that when something has suffered damage, it has a history and its even more lovely not in spite of, but because of it’s flaws.  That’s why they fill the cracks of their artifices with gold.

Beautiful Flaws

 

As actors, I think we need to do that same – metaphorically speaking, of course.  Find the cracks in your facade and bring them out into the light.  Fill them with gold, so they stand out and shine.  They are your battle wounds and they make you unique and compelling and infinitely watchable.  Ultimately, we all have flaws and when we can identify them in another human being it makes them accessible and real.  And isn’t that what we strive for?  What do you think?

Voice for Actors

by Acting Techniques

As actors there are two ways we can form a character.  The first is with your voice and the second is with your body.  Your own voice and vocal patterns are as distinct as a fingerprint.  The pitch, intonation, accent, cadence, resonance and inflections are all products of you.  They come from your self image, your upbringing, the length of your vocal chords (though of course, they can be trained), how you shape your breath and  how you project your voice.  Its part of your instrument and you can “tune” it according to how you’d like to be perceived both for yourself and for the characters that you create.   Try using a tape recorder when you practice a monologue so you can hear how you sound.  Only when you are aware of yourself can you begin to change it.

Here is the first is wonderful series of 12 videos by the National Theatre in London for breath, vocal warm ups and vocal techniques for actors.  Enjoy!

Sarah Perry

Movement Coach Sarah Perry

by Acting Techniques

Sarah Perry is going to be joining the roster of acclaimed coaches at The Atelier and I couldn’t be more thrilled.  Sarah Perry is an actor and movement specialist from the U.K.  who helps actors explore the creative potential that the body has to offer through practice and observation.  Studying how the body moves under different circumstances helps to raise the awareness of the body which can then can be applied to character development, voice and finally, text.  Sarah’s methods are inspired by leading acting and movement practitioners including Stanislavski, Laban, Bartenieff and many others.

I’m very excited to be able to bring Sarah to Munich.  Right now, we’re looking at the fall.  I’ll keep you posted.

 

 

Animal Work in Method Acting

by Acting TechniquesmovieUncategorized

Animal work belongs to the school of Method acting but think of it like this… You won’t learn about it until  you’re well into getting your “Master’s” of Method.  Some of the greatest actors of our times  have incorporated animal work into their characters.  Anthony Hopkins based his character of Hannibal Lector on both a tarantula and a crocodile.  Can’t you just see that?!?  Dustin Hoffmann based his character in Midnight Cowboy on a rat and Marlon Brando played an ape in a Streetcar Named Desire and a Bulldog in The God Father.  Why bother?  Well, to add another dimension; something unexpected and animalistic. It can make the character seem dangerous, playful, heavy – the options are as varied as the animal kingdom itself.  What’s more, it actually give you a skeleton on which to build the body of your character.

The best acting is always very, very specific.   In fact, the conundrum is that the more specific you can be, the more universal your character becomes. So when you’re basing your character on an animal – say an ocelot, how would that affect your movement, your voice, your stance.   What would you look like?  Once you know that Jim Carrey based his character in Ace Ventura Pet Detective on a tropical bird you can “see” it immediately.   How about a tiger?  Or an elephant the like great actor Lee J. Cobbs used as his inspiration when he was playing Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman.

If you’re interested in seeing how this works in a workshop environment, check out this video.