For my wonderful students in Hong Kong: Yes Yes I am returning to Hong Kong to teach. Jason and I are working on a schedule and working out the details. Until that is announced I understand you would love some reminders of what to do to create believable exciting characters. So here is a reminder of what is important when making your role exciting and believable.
It’s All About Relationship.
Today I want you to look at
the relationship between your character and the other person in the scene.Have you taken the time to determine
who is the other person to your character?I am sure you are going to tell me that you did that
already.But did you go far
enough?
You say to me, “She is my
wife.”That is just the place you
should start not stop.You
need more details, than just she is my wife. Is she your wife who has just done
something you hate?Is she your
wife who is hurt or injured?Is
she your wife who you trusted yesterday but now in this moment you don’t
trust?You must add details.Exactly how are you feeling about her
at this moment?
Take some time, grab a
notebook and write down how you are feeling about her before the scene
begins.Pretend you are talking to
your closest friend and confide in him about her.Tell him everything you are thinking and feeling at this
very moment.Tell him about her as
if he has never met her, describe her and your relationship to her.Yes, your feelings and opinions
may change but fill yourself up with how you feel about her at the beginning of
the scene.Once you have actually
done the work, it is there in the back of your mind, so when you see that
person you will see her through this filter.If you do, the scene will start in a very believable
moment.
Why is this so
important?I cannot tell you how
many times I have seen an actor start a scene without knowing this
information.It is as if he is
starting in “neutral”.Well that
is not believable because real people, believable people, always have
opinions about the other person even a stranger.That is your goal, to be believable, so believable
that your listener, the audience, is driven to watch you.Can’t take their eyes off you!
In real life we have all this
information in our mind and memory.We are not aware of it but as an actor you need to make sure you have
filled up the “memory disc” of your character with everything you need to make
me believe you are this character and a very important part of this information
is therelationship you have with
the other person.
Don’t forget this.Until the next blog, remember your
bottom line is believability.
Jeanne Hartman has been a professional acting coach in Hollywood for
over 20 years.She also teaches in
Hong Kong and has a new book called “The Right Questions for Actors”.
Great to hear you are returning to Hong Kong. I actually find these tips very helpful from a writing point of view too, they help me envision the scene to produce a more effective script.
Ah ha, the reverse process of what the rest of us go through. To grow and become more self-aware, we try and identify those unspoken, unconscious ideas we hold about others that create our "filter", so we can strip them away and come from a more authentic place in our dealings with other people. Actors, it seems, do this in reverse, creating the mindsets and prejudices that get us into the pickles we find ourselves in in real life.
Although I have been coaching and teaching for many years, my background includes professional work both in musical and acting performances on stage, on screen and in voice over work as well...
Although I have been coaching and teaching for many years, my background includes professional work both in musical and acting performances on stage, on screen and in voice over work as well. If you want to learn more about my coaching, teaching and professional actor/singer background take a look at my website
www. JeanneHartmanActorsDetective.com
I love what I do and I love helping actors and performers reach their highest potential. The "Ah Hah" moments for my clients are some of my greatest joy.
I'm the Actor's Detective so send me your mysteries. Let's solve them together.
BLOG評論 (4)