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The Drama of the Gifted Child

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I first learned about this book when I read Truth by Susan Batson.  She makes studying this slim little journey in auto-psychoanalysis a pre-requisite to her working with any actor.  It was brought up again as a valuable tool for actors by Giles Foreman in his Instinct & Intimacy Masterclass.  The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self by Alice Miller is only 136 pages long but its truly profound in its revelations about what drives us as individuals.  Since we as actors have to first imagine how we would feel as another human being, we have to begin with an understanding of what our own motivations are and that’s what this book gives you.  It is invaluable when it comes to understanding  yourself and the person you are trying to create.  It also helps with creating a backstory, understanding objectives and super objectives and even shadow movements, those little ticks and gestures we all make that reveal our inner life.  Its a very readable little book that I highly recommend available in English or German.

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Episodic Film via iPhone – Brilliant

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A short interview with Neal Edelstein, the man behind “Haunting Melissa,” a horror film available exclusively via an iPhone app that creates an individual screening schedule courtesy of push notifications.  This is so brilliant I can’t believe nobody thought of it before – I think we’re heading towards a revolution, and that’s a good thing.

Were you surprised people haven’t done this before?
It’s always hard to find a great story. It’s even harder to get financing. And then it’s really hard to marry the technology and the story. You have to get it there [yourself] in many ways. In Hollywood a lot of people are really successful and doing really well—why waste your time trying to innovate when you get XYZ script made and collect a massive paycheck? I’m not motivated by money; I’m motivated by innovating.

How else is “Haunting Melissa” innovative?
If you go back and watch something, it changes because I went back and shot things. The app gives you the ability to edit in real time. I’m able to create these other layers that change how the story is told. It’s basically a living, breathing object. It just gives you an unbelievable malleability that no storytelling device has ever.

What was the casting process like?
I was really wanting to shoot in this specific area in Alberta, Canada, and I wanted to hire local people. I wanted to create that kind of hermetically sealed film experience. There’s a pocket of people who are super gifted, and I was fortunate to tap into that. I ended up working exactly where I wanted to be.

Thanks to Backstage.com

Judith Weston Advises Directors & Actors

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Judith Weston

Judith Weston, veteren acting coach of actors and directors has some sage advice.  Her first rule is one I try and live by:  “Acting is not pretending. To be in the moment, actors – and directors – must liberate themselves from doing it right.”  But how do you do that?  Unlike many others, Judith offers concrete tools to try and unearth the most interesting and truthful response.  “One of my favorite problem solving techniques is this.  When you can’t think of the right answer, think of three wrong answers.  I promise it will “unstick” you whenever you are stuck.”

If you like what you Judith has to say, you should read her two books, Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film  and Television and Film Director’s Intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques. They’re both filled with more advice that you can absorb in one reading.  But watch this short interview with the woman herself and you’ll see what I mean.  In less than 5 minutes she unveils some real gold nuggets of wisdom geared to make you a better actor and or director.

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Esther Williams RIP

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Esther Williams, athlete and film star, died yesterday.  She was an amazing woman, who was first and foremost a swimmer.  She was all set to compete in the Olympics when WWII broke out but instead of letting it get her down she took her talents to the silver screen and made a big splash.  Her two biggest hits were Dangerous When Wet and Easy to Wed.  She was 91 years old.

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Streitfeldstrasse 33

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The Acting Atelier has a new home at Streitfeldstrasse 33 in Berg am Laim.  The building was once a clothing factory but now is home to a host of talented creatives of which we can now count ourselves.  Streitfeldstrasse 33 often hosts open houses where you can listen to music, view films and check out all the different artworks.  The next open house runs from 28.6 – 30 June, starting at 18:00.  Check out the full program here.

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Streitfeldstraße 33, Berg am Laim, 81673 München

mit der Tram 19 | Richtung St.-Veit-Straße,
Haltestelle Schlüsselbergstraße, 3 Gehminuten

mit der S-Bahn | S2 S4 S6 S8, Haltestelle Leuchtenbergring,
Ausgang Neumarkter Straße, 9 Gehminuten

mit dem Auto | Mittlerer Ring Ost, Ausfahrt Leuchtenbergring, Haidhausen/Berg-am-Laim, über Berg-am-Laim-Straße und Weihenstephanerstraße in die Streitfeldstraße 33

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I’m so excited about this place! The building is completely renovated and really beautiful.  I’m sure all of that creative energy can only be good.  It also has a Projekt Raum that we might be able to use for showcases.  They’ve invited us to perform at their open house for those of you who think you’re scene might be ready for that… If so, let me know.  Maybe we can put something together.

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A Quote from Jack Nicholson

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[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?

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POLL: What Would You Most Like to Study Next?

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I’m already planning the next workshop and as I mentioned in my (rather long) newsletter, one of the reasons that I created the Atelier was to form an acting community here in Munich.  One of the hallmarks of community is to create an environment where all members’ opinions are valued.  With that in mind, I’ve created a poll asking you what you would most like to work on as an actor.  Take a minute to fill it out and see what everyone else is interested in as well.

 

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Animal Work in Method Acting

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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.

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The Intent to Live

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I’m not sure when I first heard the name Larry Moss but, in what ever context I first learned about him, it must have been intriguing enough for me to slip over to Kindle and download his book.  Ah, I love instant gratification.  Course it has its trade-offs with having an actual spine to crack and pages to flip, dog ear and wear thin, but I digress.  It wasn’t far into the first chapter when I realized I had stumbled on a little pot of gold, so I immediately had to google him to find out more.  Suffice to say that this man is a genius and has made a major impact on Hollywood films in the last decade.  While googling him I ran across this fantastic video.  Its an hour long but you won’t notice.

 

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He makes a couple of references to “must see” films – all classics and some are really hard to track down.  I was able to watch The Goddess (in pieces on youtube) and in spite of the mini screen, and the constant interruptions of having to find and play the next video, I was blown away by  Kim Stanely’s performance.  I’m kind of ashamed to admit, I’d never even heard of her until I read Larry’s book.  I’d love to know what you think about this video and if it inspires anyone to buy his book.