La transformacion

Who first: The chicken or the chicken

Last night I attended an actor friend birthday party.  Nothing like a little alcohol and a bunch of actors to turn on the "theory" conversations. Two very talented friends were having an interesting clash of views distilled into two camps: method and for lack of a better word, "non-method."  I left the party and had an opportunity to think as I was up all night. I went over the ideas that I had heard such as: the creation of new memories through exercises for future usage to what is the actor really thinking when the camera is on them for that 15 second close-up/fade out?   

I kept asking questions of myself: what is it that we do? Are we just story tellers? Yes.  Do we represent life? Yes. Do we create? Yeee......ss.  And here's where my brain starting firing.  I thought about the"humanity" of being human.  Is crying now over the loss of a loved one, any different than it was 2,000 years ago or 10,000 years ago? (or any number of conflicts or emotions.) I don't think so, but if you watch movies, starting with silent films all the way to the most progressive indie films being produced today, you will notice a MARKED difference in the way actors, directors and writers have shared their stories with their audiences since the beginning of the art (applies to theater as well), almost like we have made conscious decisions on which colors and sounds we are able to see, thus convey.  Aaahhhhh, said the  little voice inside my head. What we are able to see as people is what we are able to feel. What we are able to believe as artists is what we are able to convey. Think of breakthrough films which have changed genres, attitudes, even the art itself and it is more than simply pushing the envelope.  

The chicken, my friend came first - from another chicken.

Water

Think about this:


What is the secret of being centered? Taming the animal,or being the animal?


Practice having nothing,
left with nothing,
not even life.
How precious simple
becomes - 
hope anew
hope powerful

Believe like a child

Remember being a kid and how easy it was to believe? As we grow older we develop filters and "depth" to try and catch anything being thrown our way which is deceitful or not true. And isn't it funny that even as adults we are still prone to deceit and lies, no matter how smart we think we have become? We've learned very little other than destroy our child like creativity and intuition, replacing it with intellectual jargon which produces nothing original. 


Here's the exercise.  You are to behave like kids, (no kiddie mimics please),a group of actors will create a universe and play act a story and go with it....we are in mars, our spaceship broke down, my puppy is dying and we have to get back to earth to save him and we can't find the tool...the more outrageous, the better.  DO NOT STOP TO THINK - go with it.  If you have trouble, spend some time in a park where children play and watch how these games develop. Curious enough, even if not spoken, they determine rules of winning.

A championship game

I have always compared acting to sports, and on many levels. From a discipline which requires practice I believe you must work on your art on a DAILY basis.  Observe and journal, work on a monologue, take a class, WORK on plays or short films, write...EVERYDAY.  When your head finally rests on your pillow and you have enough energy left to think, remember for each day you leave your art, your art will leave you for three times the amount of time. Practice, work, practice, watch great films, listen to music which inspires you (that counts), just like a gymnast practices for the Olympics. Have you seen those documentaries when they show the kids waking up at 4AM for 4 years for a few minutes of greatness.  Believe me, becoming a great actor is no different. 


Now for the audience part, and only those who have watched and enjoyed any championship game of any sport will relate to this.  Your performance must have the audience rooting for you. You can be the villain and they are rooting for the hero, in essence rooting for you to fail.  It must have the energy of a three pointer at the buzzer or goal or touchdown with no time left on the clock, or in my case, a birdie needed to win the US Open.  You the actor, must be aware of this process and your character needs to fight for this objective.  This is not self serving or calling focus or upstaging, as that is the most deplorable style of actor, but of exposing your "self" to the fact that you want to win at all costs.  How many Monday morning conversations do we have, something like this,"ah, their heart wasn't in the game...", or "they didn't want it enough.." etc. The audience must see ALL OR NOTHING from your character, which is ultimately you.


I love to do an exercise where two actors try to outdo each other inventing a silly game (be a kid, remember how we were able to come up with games on the spot?) with clear rules on how to win.  Your fellow actors will be the spectators. Part of the purpose of the exercise is to create the game on the spot and then going for it until we have a clear winner.


Example:
The first to count from 0 to one million wins... Go...
The first to hypnotize the other wins...Go... 
The first to make the other laugh wins...Go (remember that in history class - this one is great to break thespian egos)...Go..