Comments on: Acting for directors

By: lose your inhibitions - Dogpile Web Search

lose your inhibitions - Dogpile Web Search — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:15:39 +0000

[...] … http://www.springwise.com/food_beverage/functional_beer_f... • Found on Google Acting for directors at Tatvam Productions To help lose the inhibitions, Kathryn gave me a little exercise to do – as I … and your [...]

By: Acting for directors : PassionForCinema

Acting for directors : PassionForCinema — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 18:15:45 +0000

[...] Originally posted on Tatvam [...]

By: Shripriya

Shripriya — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 18:09:26 +0000

Striker – great to hear your thoughts as an actor and very heartening to know that you do see a difference in directors who can empathize with what an actor is going through.

Have to learn the jig when you are in NYC. Now, I sometimes do the relaxation exercises I learned in acting class before I go to sleep – especially the facial relaxation stuff (and the jaw) – amazing stress relief!

By: striker

striker — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:26:32 +0000

shripriya, it’s refreshing to see a filmmaker putting themselves in the actor’s shoes a lot does go into preparation and emoting, and there are way too many directors out there that just don’t understand an actor’s psyche, and think that actors are overrated. i’ve worked with directors who can actually visualize the performance, and their method of explaining to the actors what they want in a particular scene makes a lot more sense when they are able to put themselves in our shoes. unlike others that would otherwise say “be angry. a little angrier.”

the improv game where you walk into a classroom and have to adapt to the situation was made into an improv game show along the lines of “whose line…” (another amazing show) and is called “thank god you’re here!” you should be able to find a few episodes on youtube.

obviously some performances come more naturally than others and require less “preparation” in terms of getting yourself in the mood or situation.. but it usually helps me when i think back to the basics of what i learnt. starting with the body and mind. physical stretches (and voice exercises, when possible) REALLY, and i can’t emphasize this enough… REALLY help me before performing in a scene. especially in theater, since there’s no such thing as a second take. usually i do a jig, which consists of shaking your right hand 10 times, your left hand ten times, then your right foot, then your left foot, and a “twist” (the dance kind), all while counting to ten. then you repeat the same, starting with your right hand to the twist, but this time counting to 9. then repeat, while counting to 8, and so on.. until your final jig has you counting to 1. it’s a pretty fun exercise, loosens you up, and gets your blood flowing. and your inhibitions disappear, because you look utterly ridiculous to any outsider, but you don’t seem to care! i’ll show you this jig when i come to NY

By: Shripriya

Shripriya — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 03:12:07 +0000

@ Prithvi – The real positives of this will come if I can get better performances from my actors and that, for now, is still an open question. In UNTITLED (which I shot before taking this class), I did somethings well and could have done others a lot better. But I did learn from taking this class — If I had to do UNTITLED over again, I would have had a lot more rehearsals and I would have sat and had detailed conversations with each actor about the character. That’s just on the acting side – there are other things I would fix in other parts of the process!

It is all about learning – so much fun!

By: DesiPundit » Archives » Acting For Directors

DesiPundit » Archives » Acting For Directors — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:34:37 +0000

[...] how to lose your inhibitions. We are all conditioned in our lives to pretend, to not show our emotions. But acting is just the [...]

By: Prithvi

Prithvi — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 03:31:37 +0000

Proof is one of my favourite plays ever – I watched it with Mary Louise Parker sitting in the front row smelling every drop of frustration and exhilaration! I have considered your question and I think great actors posess a combination of extreme empathy and motivation to express that empathy. I feel it really doesn’t matter how it is liberated – by accident, adversity or education.
It’s wonderful that you are developing empathy for your actors! Playwrights like Bernard Shaw who viewed actors as mere mouthpieces could never achieve magical performances especially with the long monologues … Oscar Wilde was vastly more sensitive to actors’ needs and his aphorisms are so light and lovely – I watched Al Pacino and Marisa Tomei in Salome and was moved to tears as I was by a funky British version of The Importance of Being Earnest and even a school play…

By: Recently on Tatvam at Almost As Good As Chocolate

Recently on Tatvam at Almost As Good As Chocolate — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:12:07 +0000

[...] Acting for directors: my first, formal, acting class – what I learned and the crazy things I did [...]