LEARNING TOGETHER Wednesday, December 9, 2020 ⋅ 2:00pm – 3:00pm INTRO TO ACTING WELCOME Presenter: Cam Coulter Training Specialist I ● Learning Services & Products SIGN IN Please sign-in using the given form. You can use the link in the chat or scan the QR code for the link. To complete the form, you will need to be signed in to Microsoft Office 365. Please give a thumbs-up after you're signed-in. LEARNING GOAL Be aware of the basics and fundamentals that every actor should know. LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Identify objectives, obstacles, and actions. 2. Be aware of different schools of acting, and use that knowledge to coach actors. 3. Differentiate between acting for the camera and theatrical acting styles. 4. Identify how genre affects performance. 5. Be familiar with the production process and associated terminology. OBJECTIVES, OBSTACLES, & ACTIONS 1. Objective: What the character wants. 2. Obstacle: Why they can't have what they want. 3. Action: What they do to overcome their obstacle and attain their objective. – If you're coaching an actor, ask them to identify a specific verb. OBJECTIVES, OBSTACLES, & ACTIONS 1. Objective: The kid wants a cookie. 2. Obstacle: They can't reach the cookie jar. 3. Action: – Stretch, jump – Invent: Stand on a chair – Plead: Nicely ask mom for a cookie. – Demand: Shout and demand mom give you a cookie. OBJECTIVES, OBSTACLES, & ACTIONS • Objective: What the character wants. • Obstacle: Why they can't have what they want. • Action: What they do to overcome their obstacle and attain their objective. • Beat Change: A change in a character's objective, obstacle, and/or action. OBJECTIVES, OBSTACLES, & ACTIONS • Super-Objective: The character's main, overarching goal. • Objective: The character's goal in any given scene/moment. STRANGER THAN FICTION PRACTICE & APPLY In the beginning of the After the beat change: scene: 1. What's Harold's 1. What's Harold's objective? objective? 2. What's his obstacle? 2. What's his obstacle? 3. What's his action? 3. What's his action? How does this apply to What's the beat change? coaching actors? SCHOOLS OF ACTING • There are many different schools of acting, each with their own approaches, practitioners, and insights. • Each school offers tons of different strategies and exercising. • If clients are seriously interested in acting, we should introduce them to these different schools. KONSTANTIN STANISLAVSKI’S SYSTEM • Russian theatre practitioner (1863-1938) • Focuses on emotional memory and connecting to your own emotions • Example: If you're playing a character who is in legal jeopardy, think of how you felt when you got in trouble at school (or with the cops). • (Think: sympathy) KONSTANTIN STANISLAVSKI’S SYSTEM LEE STRASBERG & METHOD ACTING • Polish-born American (1901-1982) • Stanislavski’s system turned to the max: become the character and feel what they would feel. • (Think: empathy) LEE STRASBERG & METHOD ACTING MICHAEL CHEKHOV’S TECHNIQUE • Russian-American (1891-1955) • An “outside to inside” technique • Focuses on physical movements and allowing those to affect your emotional presence • Example: If your character is stressed, focus on how someone who is stressed who move. MICHAEL CHEKHOV’S TECHNIQUE SANFORD MEISNER’S TECHNIQUE • American (1905-1997) • Centrally concerned with authentically reacting to your fellow actors • Famous repetition exercise SANFORD MEISNER’S TECHNIQUE VIOLA SPOLIN, THEATRE GAMES, & IMPROVISATION (IMPROV) • American (1906-1994) • Spolin is well-known for using tons of improvisational theatre games to help actors live in the moment. • Focus on being open and honest, on reacting, and on really being in the moment VIOLA SPOLIN, THEATRE GAMES, & IMPROVISATION (IMPROV) PRACTICE & APPLY: SCHOOLS OF ACTING Think back to the kid who 1. Konstantin can't reach the cookie jar. Stanislavski’s System 2. Lee Strasberg & How might you use these Method Acting schools of acting to coach 3. Michael Chekhov’s an actor? Technique 4. Sanford Meisner’s Technique 5. Viola Spolin, Theatre Games, & Improv LIVE OR RECORDED? Theatrical Acting Acting for the Camera • Louder • It's okay (and in fact • More physical desired) to be quieter and • More exaggerated more subdued. VOICE SKILLS • Three important terms: – Tone – Project/projection – Enunciate/enunciation GENRE: THE AXIS OF REALISM • Different genres have different expectations and acting styles. Theatre of the Absurd & Realism & Brechtian/Epic Theatre Naturalism • Actors should realize where on the axis of realism their show is, so that they can adjust their performance accordingly. "MOVIE" GENRES • Comedy • Each of these has its • Romance own expectations for • Drama the actor as well. • Action • A break-up scene in a • Science Fiction drama can be acted • Fantasy very differently than a • Historical break-up scene in a • Musical comedy. PRACTICE & APPLY • How much a family • Comedy? holiday meal be • Drama? different in the genre • Naturalism? of … • Absurdism? • Action? • Historical? • Musical? • Children's? LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Identify objectives, obstacles, and actions. 2. Be aware of different schools of acting, and use that knowledge to coach actors. 3. Differentiate between acting for the camera and theatrical acting styles. 4. Identify how genre affects performance. REFERENCES & RESOURCES • YouTube Video: Objectives, Tactics, & Obstacles • Backstage: Objectives, Actions, & Intentions • Backstage: Important Acting Techniques • Open City Acting Studio: Acting Techniques • Wikipedia: Theatrical Genres • Backstage: How to Become an Actor Q&A & FEEDBACK • What questions or concerns do you have? • Please complete the feedback form – Link provided in the chat and via QR code SIGN IN Please sign-in using the given form. You can use the link in the chat or scan the QR code for the link. To complete the form, you will need to be signed in to Microsoft Office 365. Please give a thumbs-up after you're signed-in..