It's a small step, really. But first:
Our art combines pictures and sound. We are musicians and painters and poets. And yet, those respective art forms seem more unique than ours to make an individual statement to the world. Why is that? Answer that question to yourself before reading on.
How do we cultivate ourselves? What breaks your heart? What makes you angry? If you could really truly change that which makes you unhappy, whether it is child abuse, prejudice, or something simple and close to you, what would it be? As an artist, it isn't that we feel some things uniquely, it is perhaps that we feel them deeply or none at all. Am I able to see this humanity in your roles?
This is where all masters have agreed: you are a million times more interesting than any character you will ever play, but if there is no "you," your interpretations will lack the spark which propels you from great, to brilliant.
An artist's diary
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Try being someone else
Here is an exercise I love to do to let go of my fear of lack of truth in my characterizations.
Listen to talk radio and imitate the caller as soon as you hear them. I don't mean after the show is done, I mean live on the call. If the caller says, "I think so and so is an idiot", I want you to say it to yourself outloud as if you are the caller, and yes IMITATE the caller, (woe to all ye method actors....) Imitate the tone, attitude, everything and anything that sticks out to you. You see, that is a real person on that call. You can do the same on a newscast but that's more edited.
In class and with two other students, improvise the same exercise, one is the caller, the other the radio show host, the third the actor. Pick a subject and go! You can also have four or five students being callers, your job is to imitate them. I like doing the exercise with live radio to avoid actors, well being actors, but its a great stage warm-up or exercise nonetheless. It also works watching movies. I hate to tell you what you will discover, but here it is, you can never imitate no matter how hard you try, because it is always you. Roll that and smoke it.
Mind you, I am not speaking of becoming mime or impersonators.
Listen to talk radio and imitate the caller as soon as you hear them. I don't mean after the show is done, I mean live on the call. If the caller says, "I think so and so is an idiot", I want you to say it to yourself outloud as if you are the caller, and yes IMITATE the caller, (woe to all ye method actors....) Imitate the tone, attitude, everything and anything that sticks out to you. You see, that is a real person on that call. You can do the same on a newscast but that's more edited.
In class and with two other students, improvise the same exercise, one is the caller, the other the radio show host, the third the actor. Pick a subject and go! You can also have four or five students being callers, your job is to imitate them. I like doing the exercise with live radio to avoid actors, well being actors, but its a great stage warm-up or exercise nonetheless. It also works watching movies. I hate to tell you what you will discover, but here it is, you can never imitate no matter how hard you try, because it is always you. Roll that and smoke it.
Mind you, I am not speaking of becoming mime or impersonators.
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