Thursday, February 14, 2013
POST #1: Reflection on Week 1
David K. Reynolds, philosopher, said: "Behavior is what counts, not emotion, not even the results of behavior. Doing is what's important, not the result." How can this be applied to acting? What should actors aim for in performing a scene? (Discuss some of the excercises and activities from this week. What were we aiming for?) In directing actors, what should you be looking for and talking about with them?
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In the first week we had worked on outside awareness and goals for actors. And in a directors point of view how to help an actor become more believable, for example give them a clear goal for the scene and also trying to get the actor to actually do the set task not to pretend he is doing, for an obvious example an actor could be asked to read a news paper, its then better to actually read the news paper than pretend to read it, by doing this it makes the actor seem more believable. And the quote said by David k. Reynolds forces the idea of doing the action is better than pretending to do the action. Actors should aim for realism and try to be that actual character, not just pretending to be someone he/she is not. however as an actor the responsibility is not all on you to feel the emotion and be believable, it is also on the director to tell the actor how he should act by giving him objectives and goals throughout the scene, but also looking at the actors and how they behave and if they are believable, and if the actor is not as believable as you need them to be you should talk to them and check on there goals, and make sure that their goals and objectives are clear and understandable enough to create a real believable character.
ReplyDeleteYou have it right, Aidan. Directors should make sure actors have clear objectives and that they're engaged in doing them. The other key piece is making sure the actor is living in the moment. In other words, it would be easier to balance a pencil on a finger if we didn't have to pay attention to the other person in the room as well. But that other person has needs or his or her own, often in conflict with our own, so we need to pay attention to them, too. It tend to have a lot to do with whether the actor ends up getting what he/she wants.
DeleteThe quote by David K. Reynolds holds true because it is very important for an actor on screen or on stage to look convincing and really do the action not just pretend because pretending to do something doesn't look as convincing or feel at all like you are playing the role. For example, the actor in their scene has to sit down with a cup of tea and read a book. The actor should not pretend to read a book or pretend to drink tea, they should really read the book and really drink the tea because to the audience it looks much more convincing than just pretending to do an action. Realism is much better than trying to fake an action. If the actor is not putting enough realism then maybe you should tell them something they can have in their heads while acting out the scene. For example ask them what goals they have for themselves for the scene, also tell them that they have to be a convincing character and they can do it any way they want to. Tell them to think of a scenario in their head as they are acting out the scene which might make them look more convincing and the scene better it self.
ReplyDeleteGood points, Jack. But remember, sometimes actors can pretend to so something quite convincingly. You may not be able to tell that I'm not reading the paper. But, the point is, if my character is trying to finish reading the paper while being harassed by a bum for money, the frustration of the character is going to be more genuine if he truly is trying to finish reading the article while at the same time dealing the bum who keeps trying to talk to him and asking for money. Your reward for "really doing," is the natural emotions that bubble up from it.
DeleteIf you could care less about balancing the pencil, then there isn't likely to be any frustration as a result of failing to do it and you end up having to pretend to be frustrated.
When performing a scene the actors should be more focused on presenting a believable delivery rather than the result. The result of acting is watching someone act out a character but when that person is acting it is most important that they don't act the character but rather become the character. A great example of this is Daniel Day Lewis remaining in character for the entire shoot of Lincoln. By becoming Lincoln, Day Lewis gave a much more resounding performance and earned an Oscar. When working with actors it is most important that you work to create the most believable work of art as possible. An example of this was the creation of need in the alligator pit activity. By giving us a tangible incentive we were much more determined to play the part. Similar to the deal about counting all the lights.
ReplyDeleteInteresting profile picture there, Ryan.
DeleteWhat do you mean when you say actors should be focused on "presenting a believable delivery"? If an actor is worried about being believable, then the actor will fail to deliver. What the actor needs to do is DO. If the script says the character wants more than anything to balance a pencil on the tip of his finger, then the actor must invest all he can to get that pencil to balance there. Of course, the actor also has to pay attention to the person in the room with them, who might want something else. Failure to do this could mean failure to achieve the goal as well.
You point about Lewis is interesting. He certainly worked hard to sound like Lincoln and the makeup artist did a great job making him look like Lincoln. But, obviously, there was more to his performance than that. When we was arguing with his wife about whether to let there son join the military, he was "in the moment," caught between his son's wishes and his wife's. The stakes were very high, and the actor found a way to relate with Lincoln's dilemma, maybe in thinking about his own family and what it would be like to lose one of them.
Reynold's quote applies to acting because acting is it's best when it is not actually acting but doing. A believable performance is a performance that is not actually a performance, but the actor actually trying to reach a goal. All the activities we did this week were designed to make us forget that we were in a fabricated situation and make us want to achieve a goal. If an actor legitimately has the same goal as their character the believability will come naturally. Many actors strive in roles that they can relate to, so an important thing to do while directing is make sure actors actually have a personal connection to their character's wants and needs. If their their goal aligns with the character's goal then they will not be acting to achieve that goal, but doing, and that is the important part.
ReplyDeleteWell put, John. Goal isn't really the best word, since sometimes a character is just trying to fulfill a need or want, which is why we say "objective" or "need."
DeleteThat personal connection you speak of is vital, and we'll spend some time on how that is achieved in the next few weeks. After all, how does a high school student connect with a character that wants to murder his wife because she's betrayed him?
David K. Reynolds says that doing is what's important when acting, not just the result of the performance. When performing, actors should strive to actually do the task when possible, instead of just pretending to do it or pretending to feel a certain way. By actually doing the task that's called for in the script, their performance seems more believable. Also, actually performing the task helps the actor to understand the situation, causing them to display appropriate emotions. As a director, an important thing to do is to make sure the actors understand their goal, their incentive, and why it's so important for them to achieve it (the stakes). By fully understanding the situation, it's easier for the actors to envision themselves in it, especially if the stakes/risks are high. If an actor isn't delivering well, the director can describe a similar situation that the actor is able to connect with in order for them to take a different approach.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, Reynolds isn't talking about acting. He's actually talking about how to live your life. It's interesting to think that he believes that what we do is more important than how we feel. Not sure I agree, but it's interesting to think about.
DeleteIt does apply nicely to acting, as you point out however. I would be careful with the idea of "appropriate emotions." There's no room for "appropriate" in acting since that implies there's a right way to feel in a particular scene. Not true. Being in the moment means you feel what you feel in that moment, whatever that turns out to be. Actors who do broadway plays night after night will tell you that every night is different because of the changes in interactions that take place on stage on any given night.
First of all I would like to complain about this font. it looks like a barcode and its hard to read, anyone with me on this?
ReplyDeleteOk back to topic - Acting is one of the most important parts of a film. There can be fantastic production quality and awesome editing,but if the acting is lacking the whole film suffers. There are a few things we learned this week that show us directors exactly how to handle actors. (and make them do their best) One of the activities involved replacing words with numbers, this stressed the tone in the voice. We learned a few games we can play with our actors to loosen them up and make them comfortable. Lastly, and most importantly, the best acting is when the actors themselves are not acting As odd as that seems, let me explain: if an actor is in the moment and actually feels involved in the scene they stop acting and start doing what they would actually do.
Take away your complaint, and this post is a tad on the short side, Matt. Say more about being in the moment. It's not a matter of "feeling involved" but doing, participating. Can you see the difference? Feeling is a RESULT of doing. You can't force emotion, but you can certainly try to balance a pencil on the tip of your finger and start to get aggrivated as a result of failure (and the fact that someone else is watching you fail.)
DeleteDavid K. Reynold's quote about behavior and doing can be applied to acting because one of the key factors that determine whether a film is successful is whether or not the acting is believable. Over the past few weeks, we've learned different methods that can help bring out this realism in our actors. For example, one of the first activities we did was count the number of lights in the auditorium. Even doing something as simple as that on camera is comes off as more realistic than when we pretend to count. Another thing that we focused on was making our actors aware of what is at stake, which came from the activity where one person tries to convince the other to either let them go or want to stay. When we learned the other was delusional or was poisoned, it increased our motivation to convince the other. When the time comes when we make our movies, we should be looking for not only make the actors aware of the stakes, but we should also want them to be aware of their surroundings in order to achieve a natural reaction. In the end, these factors see to it that actors are not so much "acting", but instead "doing". Ultimately, the realism that comes out of it is what helps make a good film.
ReplyDeleteA well put response, Patrick. What's interesting to think about is knowing the "stakes" that I shared with you about the antidote for the poison increased your desire to get your partner to "let you go." The challenge then is how do you get the actor to BELIEVE the imaginary circumstances of the script? I suspect while it helped motivate the students in the exercise, I don't know that they believed with every fibre of their being that the person across from them was going to die if they couldn't get out of the room. If they truly believed that, don't you think the scene would have been even more extraordinary? How do you think you get an actor to such a place? More on this to come.
DeleteDavid K. Reynold's says that the action not the result is important in acting. Throughout the week we focused on reacting to each other in different situations. The audience can tell when an actor is completely invested in their scene, especially if they are faking emotions or reactions. In class, we played games that made us rely on complete reaction rather than meditated reaction. We got into partners, then one of us turned away from the other, when you turn around you say the first thing that comes to mind when you see your partner. In this activity it really displayed how different the result was when the emotion and reaction were spontaneous or premeditated. When directing it is very important to enforce to your actors to feel the scene and react as if they would react in real life, rather than artificially coming up with a reaction that they feel fits the character. If my actor were having trouble with this I would talk to them and even change the situation to make it easier to believe and therefore easier to have a realistic reaction.
ReplyDeleteSome good thoughts on the quote, Alexis. So, what if you had an actor who just couldn't relate to the situation he was asked to be in? Daniel Day Lewis managed to embody a dead US president and he's not even an American. Nevermind he didn't live 160 years ago and isn't married to a wife like Mary Todd. What do you think his secret is, beyond "doing"? How did he bring so much gravitas to his performance?
DeleteThis quote is important because whether on screen or on stage, the audience does not know what the actors are thinking. the only clues they have towards how the actors fell are how the actors look. acting is a physical illusion. the actors have to make the audience believe that their character feels a way that the actor most likely does not really feel. in the part of the quote that says "Doing is what's important, not the result," this is extremely significant because whether the actor feels sad or not is not important, just that they are able to convince the audience or the viewers that they are. they do this by "doing." the activity where we were supposed to think of an activity that is specially hard for us to do and we have to put stakes on it. we are supposed to make up stakes. this applies to acting because when acting, you have to make yourself and the audience believe you are sad. you do this by imagining yourself being sad. this is hard to do but the way you achieve it is by thinking of stakes that would be directly related to your life and something that you would actually care about. when directing actors, the most important thing to do to get your actors to give the desired performance is by making them apply their own stakes. the actor has to be in their place physically and emotionally and they have to fully believe that the stakes they have created are true. it doesn't matter that they aren't true because as long as they can make themselves believe they are true, the audience/viewers will be convinced that they are true. if you have an actor who can get to that place physically or emotionally, it could be a real problem and if they absolutely can't, then you might have to think about finding someone else that can 100 percent convince themselves that they are in the situation both physically and mentally.
ReplyDeleteThe quote by David K Reynolds makes sense because an emotion cannot be perceived as true unless the actors behaviors reflect the same goal. One cannot exist without the other. When we were told convince our partners to let us go to a specific location, we just had to try to get them to, but we had nothing driving us to get there. As soon as we were given a reason, life or death, we wanted to get there much more. Even if we knew that they wouldn't really die, we convinced ourselves they would in order to need to get there. When you told us to "want to go there" all we could do was pretend to, but when given a specific reason, we really want to and don't need someone to tell us to want to. As a director, I am going to need to make my actor's goal very concrete. They need to have a reason for doing everything and even if it is not the literal reason in the screenplay they need to have a reason they can relate to in real life which will make them feel, emotionally, like the character in the screenplay does.
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