Don't Move, Don't Speak
A familiar and cynical actor/director dialogue goes something like this; Actor: “But what’s my motivation for crossing to the sofa (or “saying this line,” “picking up this book,” “breaking into song,” etc.)?
Director: “Your paycheck.”
Yes, this does happen. The problem with the director’s answer is that in performance, the motivation will actually LOOK like it’s the actor’s paycheck. The paycheck as motivation won’t make sense to an audience captivated by the world of the play or screenplay. Bottom line: any time you move, any time you speak, it must be motivated by need, circumstance, fear, the conscious or unconscious elements contained in the play or screenplay. Do your homework – move by move, line by line. Knowing Why (and making it real to yourself) is everything.
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Testimonials
"Most acting classes offer scene study and critique, but it is much more unusual to run into someone who is willing and able to guide the actor through several scenes from a feature-length script, with cameras, in order to create the experience of developing a character in a real film. This difference has clearly made a difference — at least if the performances I observed at Maravilla are any indications. The talent on display was noticeable, but even more impressive was the discipline, as well as the strong sense of an entire cast and crew working as a team. Come to think of it, the best analogy would be to an actual film set, which is, I suppose, the point."Donelan
The SB Independent