mylog123-blog

[mylog123-blog]

In class today, we had a long and DEEP discussion that mainly focused on important aspects of being a successful actor.

the yellow post sticks on the left have the answers to the questions we answered and just any relevant points that mattered in the discussion.

THE THREE QUESTIONS

Q1. How do you as an actor activate your imaginary circumstances?

for me? I usually relate these circumstance with my own life, so... depending on the given circumstances, I would think about how I could react in this/that situation. I'd think about the time I had experienced loss(the loss of a family member etc.) basically my own personal experience. EG.--The  Stanislavsky  technique--Emotional memory.

Lee Strasberg was also mentioned in the discussion.He was known as the method man--- Tim(tutor/teacher/director) mentioned that Lee Strasberg based his entire work on emotional memory which was very interesting but not controllable.(I will look into him)

To keep up with the question, its also important to research and learn about your character; so first, take as much information from the text as you can, because you cant start your own inputting of the character without having taken on board the play writes given to you.

LIVING RESEACRH

The era:

how did they live at that time? their mannerisms at that time? what did they eat? how did they dress? etc. These are important because when your on set as an actor and you know all these things about your character, it shows that you've spent enough time to be able to know what your character  should be doing whilst doing nothing. even focusing on just little gestures.if I remember correctly, Chi ( one of my peers)  during the disccusion,she quoted that, “you should also look into the little gestures that defer your character from others.” eg. does your character bite their nails? how is there posture?- sloppy or up right-and nutual ?etc.  

IN MY OPNION, I also think that in that way you will be able to sustain your character and maintain/remain within the bubble in which your imagination has sucked you in, almost like a sponge when it sucks in water then once squeezed, it has a lot to pore out. It’s essential to sustain your character, and you can only really do that if you know the character truthfully well. you can also look at who the character is based on so comparing them to historic figures , politicians etc.

whilst researching, make sure that you resist to watch any versions of the play that have already been done before on YouTube or any other websites , because then you find your yourself kind of copying. without knowing it, your killing and damaging your creativity in a sense where your now depending and imitating how other people are interpreting the character and not how you would. I'm guilty of this myself because its something that I use to think was very helpfull  but once Tim (tutor/teacher/director) had explained the disadvantages I then started seeing the fault  and I now think that its very-very-very essential to be more naturally creative, so...creating the character from the inside out.

most importantly you've got to be opened. Stella Adler quoted, “you can not just be opened to the beat of your generation”. you've got to be more of an observer whilst your watching a film a documentary or just life in general. you need to be able to watch things superficially, really tune in with what's happening around you.

KEYWORD: zeitgeist- it was used as a phrase, its to do with the spirit of the age , its to do with what's going on right now--

I research into Zeitgeist and I found out that it is a German word meaning time spirit--- so the ZEIT-means TIME and GEIST-means spirit.

Q2.

   the quote on the right says, “ acting is the ability to live truthfully under the given imaginary circumstances”--Sanford meisner

what this quote might imply:

it might imply to realism, creating a truthful behaviour on stage. Actors who are believable on stage or in front of the camera.

you could even approach this by asking questions, that curiosity of  finding Information  which are essential and very reflective to your character. for  an eg. some play writes give away information about circumstances through out the text  “oh! its a bright and sunny day on the beach, in autumn, on a Tuesday”. you will also have the stage directions-(Charlie closes his eyes as he crawls inside the empty dark cave).Tennessee Williams work is another great example he is a modernist writer( ‘Cat on hot Tin Roof’ and ‘Street Car Named Desire’). his pieces are usually very long and descriptive I am yet to look him up and see more of his work.