Any actor interested in studying the Meisner technique should explore what's known as the actors instrument. The instrument analogy can be helpful when breaking down all the various aspects that can determine how good an actor is. Audience members are quick to determine whether actors are portraying a new reality well enough to hold their attention. They don't need a great deal of theatre going experience to sense when the acting is fantastic. In fact, it is the actors instrument and how well rounded and how well developed it is.
The actors instrument is comprised of six different elements, all important. Those elements include emotional expression, sensory expression, physical expression, empathy and intelligence. In the Meisner technique, all aspects of the actors instrument need to be addressed and considered and are essential to mastering the craft. If you run down the categories mentioned, anyone even slightly interested in acting should be able to name successful actors who have mastered several of these aspects of expression. Legendary actors are those that have mastered all six.
Sylvester Stallone is a physical actor who commands attention simply because of his physical presence onscreen. Stallone is certainly able to express emotionally, but overall his most powerful tool onscreen is his physical expression. For Stallone, emotion is an internal process but it is reflected in a very physical way. Actors must focus and learn about all the aspects of the acting instrument, which will help them be diverse and capable of many types of roles.
Emotional expression is the most common aspect of the instrument that actors are focused on. How a character feels about something and delivering lines powered by that feeling is a very common practice for newer actors. One of the most important, but certainly not the only tool to master is the emotional expression aspect of the actors instrument. All six of the aspects of the instrument should be studied diligently until they are mastered.
Emotional expression gives meaning to the story. It clues the audience in to what the character is about, the conflicts they face, what their deepest needs are. Meisner acting in nyc is very popular, and these actors work hard to develop an emotional composite of a character, which they in turn, figure out how to express using the other aspects of the instrument. Meisner acting students are masters of human emotion, the full range and complexity of the human experience. They in fact, build a library of emotions and reactions and methods for communicating them. Specific characters can be created by delving very deep into the imagination and using the "library" of human behavior they have created. Having created a full emotional life and a foundation of behaviors, thoughts and ways of reacting, the actor can then bring the character to life, in the moment, in a spontaneous way.
Just as an example, vulnerability can express many characteristics, from innocence to deep insecurity. It's one thing for an actor to understand that and work with it. If the actor has also worked hard to develop other aspects of the instrument, such as imagination, sensory expression and intelligence, the complexity of emotions will be there. After all, vulnerability can be expressed through tears, or smashing something to pieces or just walking through a park. These are very nuanced yet, essential things to study.
The myth is that acting is simply pretending to have an emotion. However, acting is not simply reciting words using certain inflections and gestures to communicate emotions. As Sanford Meisner always said, Acting is DOING. Being in the moment, and opening up completely to whatever emotions the character might present to you is the secret of great acting. This may feel risky at first. Legendary actors do not force themselves to show emotion. There are genuine emotions in their performances, often unpredictable ones that appear as they work as character. Developing a deep capacity to understand and feel the full range of human emotions and experiences is a great way to become an open, flexible acting student, the best kind of student. Give yourself permission to feel fully and strongly, and express it in ways that are physical, intelligent empathetic and real.
The actors instrument is comprised of six different elements, all important. Those elements include emotional expression, sensory expression, physical expression, empathy and intelligence. In the Meisner technique, all aspects of the actors instrument need to be addressed and considered and are essential to mastering the craft. If you run down the categories mentioned, anyone even slightly interested in acting should be able to name successful actors who have mastered several of these aspects of expression. Legendary actors are those that have mastered all six.
Sylvester Stallone is a physical actor who commands attention simply because of his physical presence onscreen. Stallone is certainly able to express emotionally, but overall his most powerful tool onscreen is his physical expression. For Stallone, emotion is an internal process but it is reflected in a very physical way. Actors must focus and learn about all the aspects of the acting instrument, which will help them be diverse and capable of many types of roles.
Emotional expression is the most common aspect of the instrument that actors are focused on. How a character feels about something and delivering lines powered by that feeling is a very common practice for newer actors. One of the most important, but certainly not the only tool to master is the emotional expression aspect of the actors instrument. All six of the aspects of the instrument should be studied diligently until they are mastered.
Emotional expression gives meaning to the story. It clues the audience in to what the character is about, the conflicts they face, what their deepest needs are. Meisner acting in nyc is very popular, and these actors work hard to develop an emotional composite of a character, which they in turn, figure out how to express using the other aspects of the instrument. Meisner acting students are masters of human emotion, the full range and complexity of the human experience. They in fact, build a library of emotions and reactions and methods for communicating them. Specific characters can be created by delving very deep into the imagination and using the "library" of human behavior they have created. Having created a full emotional life and a foundation of behaviors, thoughts and ways of reacting, the actor can then bring the character to life, in the moment, in a spontaneous way.
Just as an example, vulnerability can express many characteristics, from innocence to deep insecurity. It's one thing for an actor to understand that and work with it. If the actor has also worked hard to develop other aspects of the instrument, such as imagination, sensory expression and intelligence, the complexity of emotions will be there. After all, vulnerability can be expressed through tears, or smashing something to pieces or just walking through a park. These are very nuanced yet, essential things to study.
The myth is that acting is simply pretending to have an emotion. However, acting is not simply reciting words using certain inflections and gestures to communicate emotions. As Sanford Meisner always said, Acting is DOING. Being in the moment, and opening up completely to whatever emotions the character might present to you is the secret of great acting. This may feel risky at first. Legendary actors do not force themselves to show emotion. There are genuine emotions in their performances, often unpredictable ones that appear as they work as character. Developing a deep capacity to understand and feel the full range of human emotions and experiences is a great way to become an open, flexible acting student, the best kind of student. Give yourself permission to feel fully and strongly, and express it in ways that are physical, intelligent empathetic and real.
About the Author:
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides training for serious actors committed to improving their craft. Find out more about meisner by reading this article about acting classes by visiting the studio website.
No comments:
Post a Comment