Wiley Action!: Acting Lessons for CG Animators
Contents
1. Unlike actors in ancient Greece who were revered it is believed the actors in ancient Rome were slaves owned by company managers The performances were still outdoors and masks were still used so much of the work of actors remained focused on the voice and gesture There was no restriction on the numbers of actors in Roman theatre but they still were all men The dramatic material also went through a great transformation in Rome The stories of the Greeks were of their heroes and gods The stories of ancient Rome were often of everyday life and could be quite licentious The late Roman empire was the first period where Christianity began to target theater and actors in particular Theater was associated with pagan festivals and could often be vulgar Mimes of the time even went so far as ridiculing Christian practices such as bap tism and communion By AD 300 Christians were told not to attend the theater and any Christian who went to the theater instead of the church on a holy day was excommuni cated Actors were not allowed to partake of the sacraments or be buried in church cem eteries During the rise of the Christian period theaters declined and almost completely disappeared Traveling jugglers mimes storytellers and acrobats who could be seen at fairs carried on the performance traditions A BRIEF HISTORY oF ACTING The Middle Ages It is ironic that after all the opposition by the church to theater the church is the very plac2. A s upper right arm on the floor and work on the elbow joint Partner B should hold Partner A s upper right arm in place on the floor with one hand and then gently pull and rotate the elbow as Figure 1 11 shows Do this for about a minute RotatingE bow mov Figure 1 11 5 An actor stretching the elbow 22 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING 4 Partner B will then place Partner A s lower right arm on the ground and work on the right wrist Partner B should hold Partner A s lower right arm in place with one hand and gently pull on and rotate the wrist as shown in Figure 1 12 Do this for about a minute RotatingWristandFingers mov 5 Partner B will then work on all the fingers on the right hand of Partner A Partner B will hold Partner A s wrist on the ground with one hand and with the other gen tly stretch and twist every joint on every finger on the right hand as shown in Fig ure 1 13 Take several minutes to do this Figure 1 12 An actor rotating the wrist Figure 1 13 An actor stretching the fingers BEGINNING ACTING EXERCISES 23 6 Now move on to the right leg Partner B will need to stand up and take Partner A s right leg in her hands Partner B will gently pull twist and stretch the leg from the hip joint as shown in Figure 1 14 Be careful not to twist the knee Do this for about a minute and then gently place the leg back on the ground RotatingHip mov Figure 1 14 An actor rotating
3. Greece you would see a group of 50 performers sing ing or chanting in unison the tales of Greek gods or heroes When Thespis first spoke he assumed a character and told the story from the character s point of view not from a third person as was done by the chorus Although this is only a legend Thespis has been granted a special place in the history of acting and to this day actors are called thespians Jon Lovitz brought the word thespian to the forefront of popular culture with his character Master Thespian on Saturday Night Live Eventually in ancient Greece the number of actors grew to three and were accompa nied by a chorus Although often more than three characters took part in a play only three of the characters could appear on the stage at any one time as there were only three actors Thus one actor would often play more than one role in any given production They would change characters with a change of costume and mask Given the nature of the large outdoor amphitheatres that the Greeks performed in and the emphasis placed on the ritual of theatre the work of the first actors was predomi nately voice and gesture work see Figure 1 1 The actors all men were dressed in large robes that covered their bodies and oversized masks that hid their faces so that the actor character could be seen at a great distance They communicated character and emotion through changes in the voice and in the physical stature of their bodies
4. and unique characters Her voice also must be free from tension and able to carry the nuances of emotion in pitch rhythm and tempo You may have heard the phrase that an actor s instrument is her body so she must be relaxed strong and flexible to play her instrument with the virtuosity of a maestro Determination and self motivation Acting is perhaps the most difficult business in the world to enter At any given point in time the majority of professional actors are unem ployed To survive as an actor one must be incredibly self motivated An actor is a sales person selling herself No one else can do this for her Even an agent can t get an actor the job He can help the actor get the interview but ultimately it is up to the actor through strength of determination to persevere in the field I have often advised aspiring actors Tf there is any other profession or job that you can do you should These are some of the many qualities that have been ascribed to talent within the act ing profession There are arguably others but these six cover most of the bases Many talented actors possess several of these qualities and a few great actors are lucky enough to be endowed with them all If you study this list you might come to the realization that most of these characteris tics can be developed Yes acting can be taught And it is Universities across the country offer training programs designed to help aspiring actors learn
5. can be used by itself when you are pressed for time but if you have ample time try it with one of the following exercises Mandala Progress around the outside of your body using your mind to tell each area to relax If you don t have a partner to talk you through this record the directions and play them back to yourself 1 Starting with the right side a Relax your right thumb b Relax your right index finger c Relax your right middle finger d Relax your right ring finger e Relax your right pinky finger f Relax the palm of your hand g Relax the back of your hand h Relax your right wrist i Relax your right forearm j Relax your right elbow k Relax your right upper arm l Relax your right shoulder m Relax your right armpit n Relax your right side from your armpit to your hip socket Relax your right hip Relax your right upper leg ao o Relax your right knee Relax your right lower leg s Relax your right ankle t Relax the top of your right foot u Relax your right big toe BEGINNING ACTING EXERCISES v Relax your right second toe w Relax your right third toe x Relax your right fourth toe y Relax your right fifth toe z Relax the bottom of your right foot aa Relax your whole right side from the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes Repeat all of these steps for your left side Relax your belly Relax your chest Relax your throat and n
6. dance gymnastics and the mar tial arts Additionally most actors have some sort of personal physical regimen that they participate in to keep their bodies strong fit and responsive Actors also train their voices in specially designed classes for stage voice Many actors study singing voice and voiceover techniques The outer external to inner techniques comprise the majority of the content of this book These techniques are acting theories which are designed to externally create a character They deal with molding morphing or changing the body physically Ideally How ACTING RELATES TO THE ANIMATOR 15 the external presentation of character awakens the inner life desires and emotions of the character Change the body and you change the way thought and emotions are expressed Generally these types of techniques are learned in more advanced acting classes Business Skills Any successful actor became that way by developing sound business skills Since actors are salespeople selling themselves they need to train in marketing and networking They should develop sound interview and audition techniques to continue to land jobs Actors can study these techniques through classes but often these skills are learned on the job through trial and error How Acting Relates to the Animator As an animator you are basically doing the job of an actor You are creating a living breathing character that tells a story shares an experience and mov
7. have a hard floor you might want to lie on a blanket or a towel Stretch out very long and yawn relaxing back into the floor as you exhale You should end lying with your arms about 45 degrees from your sides and your palms facing the ceiling Your legs should be extended and should not be crossed If you have a troublesome lower back you might want to bend your knees and place your feet on the floor BEGINNING ACTING EXERCISES 17 Think about letting your back lengthen out long from the tip of your tailbone to the top of your head Don t try to flatten the curve in your lower back or in your neck they belong there Just let the spine lengthen out Then try to let your back spread out wide letting the shoulder blades slip apart It sometimes helps to give yourself a bear hug to get your shoulder blades to spread Relax your lower abdomen and let your breath drop deep into your belly Inhale through your nose then relax your jaw and let the breath fall out of the small opening in your mouth Send your attention to your breath Let it be relaxed and deep in your body Allow the inhalation and the exhalation to become equal Count the length of time it takes to inhale and the length of time it takes to exhale An example would be to inhale for six counts and then exhale for six counts Don t try to lengthen or change your breath just yet Simply count the most natural pattern Count your breath for sev eral minutes Then send your at
8. instrument they need to relax stretch and start moving slowly to avoid injury The warm up also allows the actor to center herself and switch her focus to the work at hand and free and limber her body to express character and emotion Many actors study Eastern movement pedagogies such as yoga tai chi and qigong All of these serve the purposes of warming up and centering very well Although we will not discuss these top ics in this text feel free to use them as part of your warm up if you have already studied the techniques It is helpful to start actor training with a childlike hunger of the imagination and freedom of inhibitions We need to knock the editor that sits on our shoulder and screens and controls everything that we do into oblivion This editor has grown from years of our parents and society telling us what is appropriate behavior and what we can and can not do While it may be useful to have an editor on your shoulder for polite society it is detrimental for an artist to have anyone screen his impulses So let s warm up and have some fun Solo Exercises for Relaxation This is the preparation for the relaxation exercises Read through all of the instructions first so that you can stay relaxed and do not need to refer back to the book during the course of the exercise You may want to record yourself reading the instructions so you can listen and respond Start by lying on your back on the floor as shown in Figure 1 8 If you
9. pick a spot on the floor far in front of you or on the wall in front of you to focus on Then shake out the whole leg Repeat on the other leg Rotate your wrists around in both directions Then rotate your elbows in both direc tions Then make great big arm circles in both directions Shake your arms out Go back to the rag doll image and spring and bounce and flop all over the room once more Shake Out This exercise has many purposes It helps to relax and release tension while it builds energy in the body and focus for the mind It also aids in a vocal warm up mn A N Shake your right hand for eight beats counting out loud one two three four five six seven eight Shake your left hand for eight beats counting out loud Shake your right foot for eight beats counting out loud Shake your left foot for eight beats counting out loud Repeat with your right hand left hand right foot and left foot counting out loud for seven beats Repeat with your right hand left hand right foot and left foot counting out loud for six beats BEGINNING ACTING EXERCISES 29 7 Repeat with your right hand left hand right foot and left foot counting out loud for five beats 8 Repeat with your right hand left hand right foot and left foot counting out loud for four beats 9 Repeat with your right hand left hand right foot and left foot counting out loud for three beats 10 Repeat with your rig
10. put your body on the moon Try to move and explore the space as if you were completely free from gravity 7 What if the room became the North Pole You are freezing cold The wind is whip ping against your skin You need to get to shelter but your feet are sinking in the snow and the wind is pressing against your body Continue to move exploring these conditions 8 Finally place yourself on Jupiter Here gravity is extreme because of the size of the planet Don t get bogged down in the fact that there would be no oxygen just try to move with the immense force of gravity pulling down on you Every single move ment will take great energy to pull you up from the ground CENTERS For an actor a center is the place in the body where energy comes from It is usually found in the torso hence the word center This center leads or initiates movement It is easy to see in some people where their center lies A woman who is extremely pregnant often has her center in her pelvis and actually walks with pelvis thrust forward and lead ing the way On the other extreme a ballet dancer will often have a high center residing in her upper chest or even clavicle She seems to lift and float as her movement is led from this place 32 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Training can affect the center Athletes who train in wrestling football or the martial arts often have low centers as they are taught to drop their energy down to anchor them selves Dan
11. students Although these are ideal numbers you can do these exercises with as few as four people Working with others will help you listen and respond Plus it is just plain fun Sound and Movement There are many reasons for doing sound and movement exercises First they help to free the body and voice by forcing a response quickly and without thought Second they force you to let go of your inhibitions because you are going to look silly Everyone will look equally silly In fact if you don t look silly you aren t doing the exercise correctly Third and most importantly it forces you to stop thinking and screening your impulses You have to kick your editor off your shoulder and do something in the moment without thought So let go with these exercises and just have fun BEGINNING ACTING EXERCISES PASS IT AROUND This is a good sound and movement exercise to begin with for your group exercises You will need to let go of your inhibitions and respond to your group 1 Start by forming a circle One member of the circle will then do a sound and move ment They should move their whole body into some position at the same time that they are making a vocal sound The sound and movement should not be human Don t try to assume a character or tell a story Just throw your body and voice The bigger and wilder the better Do not say words just sounds This is supposed to be preverbal primal sound and movement Try to move your spine as
12. their art In any major city in the world there are conservatories schools and private acting coaches that will instruct and develop the craft of the actor The quality of training and instructors vary greatly from location to location and the exact techniques and styles that are espoused are wildly different but the core of acting training is essentially the same anywhere you go Actors train their inner resources their outer techniques and their business skills Inner Resources The inner resources of the actor include sensitivity vulnerability and imagination Additionally and very importantly an actor trains to analyze and dissect a script He learns how to use this knowledge to develop the psychology of a character see Figure 1 7 There are many different means of developing your inner resources and most modern acting teachers have focused on developing these inner resources As mentioned earlier Constantin Stanislavski focused on developing the inner life of a character through physical action Through studying the script an actor learns what the character is doing and what the character wants to achieve Many famous acting teach ers have based their inner life training on the work of Stanislavski including Stella Adler Sonya Moore and the famous Lee Strasberg of the Actor s Studio How AN Actor Works 13 Figure 1 7 George Contini in Put It in the Scrap book develops inner resources COSTUMES BY JENNIE ALVE
13. well as your limbs 2 After the first member of the circle does his sound and movement each successive member of the circle will repeat it as exactly as they can one at a time all around the circle ending with the person who created the sound and movement repeating it one more time This should move very quickly from one person to the next just like the wave at a basketball game 3 Immediately after the sound and movement has completed the circle the next per son in line will do a new sound and movement and then it should whip around the circle like the wave When it gets all the way around the next person in the circle will start a new sound and movement and so forth Keep in mind that speed is essential You must go fast Do not allow time to think Just do it Sheer speed can help to short circuit your editor or screener that screams You are looking silly Also try to receive the sound and movement from the person ahead of you and try to pass it on to the next person in the circle In this way you are communicating the sound and movement from one person to the next Finally even though you are going quickly do not anticipate the sound and movement Allow it to be passed to you before you receive it and pass it along to the next person SOUND AND MOVEMENT REPEAT This exercise is essentially the same as the previous one with a slight variation Instead of passing the sound around the circle everyone in the circle will repeat
14. young lover and the licentious servant are all character types that we recognize in our comedies These and almost all stock types can be traced back to Commedia For more on Commedia see Chapter 4 Commedia dell Arte Acting in Shakespeare s Day In 1570 the Queen of England sanctioned daily theatrical performances and conse quently many acting troupes were formed in England Actors were shareholders in their companies and were paid by a member of the royal family who served as their patron A shareholding actor had to invest a sum of money in the company and then shared in any profits that were made from the performances One of the most famous troupes was The King s Men William Shakespeare himself was a member of this company See Figure 1 3 Figure 1 3 Drawing of the stage of Shakespeare s Globe Theatre BY JASON ALLEN 5 6 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING There are many different opinions concerning the acting style of the Elizabethan per former Some descriptions of performances have called them realistic Hamlet s advice to the players would suggest that the Elizabethan actors understood the ground rules for producing a psychologically realistic character on the stage On the other hand men playing women stylized stage backgrounds and the unrealistic nature of many of the scripts suggest that the actor was still focused on the external voice and gesture of the character In either case aud
15. CHAPTER 1 What Is Acting Acting is defined as the art or practice of representing a character on a stage or before cameras and derives from the Latin word agere meaning to do When someone is acting they are performing an action thus something is being done as a character Generally an actor is someone who takes on another character by altering parts of their body voice or personality in order to share a story with an audience Ironically or per haps appropriately for this book an obsolete meaning for the word acting is to animate In regard to CG animation and your work in this book the definition seems perfect If actors are animating a character then CG animators are acting as they create What exactly actors do and how they do it has changed over time What was acceptable and what was preferred has varied radically throughout history This chapter discusses A brief history of acting How acting has changed over time The work of an actor How an actor trains How acting relates to the animator Exercises to begin your journey of exploring the training of an actor 2 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING A Brief History of Acting Similar to many noted animated tales the history of acting begins with a legend During the sixth century in ancient Greece a man named Thespis stepped out of a chorus of performers to utter several solo lines and thus acting was born Prior to this time if you went to a dramatic festival in
16. OODSON DIRECTION BY KRISTIN KUNDERT GIBBS Most actors develop their own method of acting Many of them especially stage actors have gone through formal training and take bits and pieces from different teach ers and different techniques that they have studied Film and television actors who aren t as likely to have formally studied the art often learn by trial and error as well as by watch ing other actors work Ultimately every actor is an individual and will discover his or her own process for creating his or her art How an Actor Works It is an actor s job to create a real living breathing character which is usually human but sometimes not She does this by using her entire being her breath body voice mind heart and soul When creating a character the actor always starts with the script She devours the script looking for clues to who her character is She looks for what is said about her what is said to her and what she says She attends rehearsals analyzes the How AN ACTOR Works 11 script learns her lines does research memorizes her blocking all while working to cre ate this new life Ultimately every actor comes to her own process for doing this Some of these processes are instinctual some come from training and some come from experi ence with the craft You may have heard that a great actor never needs to train or study acting because real talent is something that cannot be taught This couldn t be further fr
17. RNAZ LIGHTS BY RICH DUNHAM DIRECTION BY KRISTIN KUNDERT GIBBS For more reading on Constantin Stanislavski look to three books written by him An Actor Prepares Building a Character and Creating a Role all from Theatre Arts Books 1989 Childlike games and play are wonderful ways of developing or reawakening the imagi nation the leading proponent of this technique is Viola Spolin who has a whole series of books on games for the theater Additionally improvisation is used to develop the imagi nation and sensitivity to others and the environment There are entire programs across the country devoted to improvisational training including the famous Second City in Chicago 14 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Check out Viola Spolin s Theater Game File for handy index cards of theater games for the actor Northwestern University Press 1989 Two of the greatest acting teachers of the 20th century Uta Hagen and Sanford Meisner focused their techniques on the training of these inner resources Hagan emphasized training the imagination and sensitivity while Meisner focused on develop ing impulse and vulnerability All of their work was highly personal and intimate You can learn more about Uta Hagen and her work in her two books Respect for Acting Wiley 1973 and A Challenge for the Actor Charles Scribner s Sons 1991 Sanford Meisner s book Sanford Meisner on Acting Vintage 1987 will teach you his techniques for creating t
18. cers on the other hand often have higher centers so they can jump lift and float with ease For most people the center is somewhere between several inches below the belly button and the upper chest Every once in a while you will find someone with their center in their forehead It is usually someone with a very high intellect You can actually see them pull their body through space by their brow Different centers suggest various types of characters and personalities so trying out different centers in your walk can help you see and feel the differences With all of the steps that follow begin at an extreme and unrealistic exploration of the center For example with the pelvis center really push your pelvis forward in an inhuman sort of way Then slowly as you move around the space allow the center to become subtler and more naturalistic Notice the difference between the extreme and the subtle If you are working with a group at this point you can begin to interact with other members of the group Different centers suggest different characters and might draw you toward or away from other people At the end of each different center exploration feel free to allow your energy and movement to be drawn toward another person Some of you may have difficulty exploring a certain center If your own personal cen ter is either very low or very high you may not be able to change your center to the oppo site extreme Those of you whose center is
19. e performed by courtiers This theater was more for showing off than any real act ing The development of a professional public theater happened in Italy with the rise of Commedia dell Arte an improvised form of theater based on stock characters and scenarios Each member of an acting troupe had a specific character they performed The scripts were completely improvised from plot synopses developed by the troupe in rehearsal Commedia was at its height between 1570 and 1650 A Commedia actor would take on a character and perform this character for her or his entire life All of the stock characters had masks that were specifically designed to show the qualities of the character and the performers had certain physical gestures or comic bits called lazzi that were associated with the mask and character see Figure 1 2 The work was highly physical and demanded a great deal of vocal and physical control power and stamina Commedia also introduced women to the stage However the characters were stock types and the situations were stereotypical so there still was no need for subtly of acting Instead the emphasis was placed on the physical and vocal work as well as a quick wit to be able to improvise the scenarios E A BRIEF History OF ACTING Commedia laid the groundwork for characters that we still use today in theater film and animation The dirty old man the braggart solider the sneaky servant the empty headed
20. e what this human body can do Remember that you have never experienced gravity You don t know how muscles work You don t know how joints bend flex or rotate You don t know how to stand sit crawl or even lift a finger You don t know how you hear or see Slowly start to figure it out Don t take anything for granted Don t be afraid to make sound if something occurs that inspires sound Give yourself 20 to 30 minutes for this exploration Then if you have a class discuss what you discovered noticed or learned from this experience If you don t have a class journaling helps you process your experience This exercise can be emotional for some people so don t be surprised if you experience some frustration fear anger or joy On the flip side don t worry about it if no feelings come up for you If however in the future you find that you never feel anything for any exercise that you participate in you may not be fully committing to and giving yourself up to the exercises The intricacies of the movement of the human body are quite extraordinary and we often take our body for granted This exercise can help you get back in touch with just how miraculous you are Exercises for Freeing the Body and Voice While Releasing Inhibitions Learning to act is easier when done with a group than solo Since acting involves com munication it makes sense that working with other people aids the process Most acting classes have 10 20
21. e where theater was revived during the Middle Ages During an Easter service in AD 925 a performance that was probably sung depicted the three Marys looking for Jesus at his tomb and encountering angels that proclaim him to be risen from the dead This was the beginning of liturgical drama where clergy and choirboys performed bibli cal stories and moral lessons as part of the church services There was no real emphasis on acting here the importance of the event was the didactic lessons that were learned not artistic merit Eventually the popularity of these performances led to the development of theater out side the church Although the scripts were still approved by the church trade and craft guilds took over the production of plays Actors for these productions were local towns people Sometimes they received their roles by auditioning and sometimes they merely volunteered The scripts were stereotypical with one dimensional characters and thus did not require any subtlety of acting Once again the most important aspect of the perfor mance was the voice and stylized gesture Figure 1 1 3 Amy Roeder plays Hecuba ina scene from Trojan Women at the University of Georgia Depart ment of Theatre and Film Studies directed by George Contini 4 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Figure 1 2 The University of Georgia Commedia troupe Commedia dell Arte During the Renaissance most theatrical productions moved to the court and wer
22. eck Relax your scalp and skull Relax your forehead Relax the space between your eyebrows WO aa E a a ua Sd Relax your right eye H 2 Relax your left eye pa e Relax your right cheek ja N Relax your left cheek Qo Relax your upper lip A Relax your lower lip Sz Relax your jaw a Send your attention back to your breath Relax Rest Breathe Tense and Release This is an alternative relaxation exercise to the mandala Instead of using your imagina tion to relax the muscles you will tense a muscle or muscle group and then relax the tension as you exhale Some people find this method easier to find relaxation than a mere command from the mind 1 Squeeze your feet into a ball tensing all of the muscles in your feet Hold for a beat Release on an exhale Isolate and tense only the muscles in your lower legs Hold Release Isolate and tense only the muscles in your upper legs Hold Release Isolate and tense only the muscles in pelvis and bottom Hold Release Isolate and tense only the muscles in your abdomen Hold Release ON IOs ae ee te Isolate and tense only the muscles in your chest and shoulders Hold Release 19 20 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Figure 1 9 An actor rotating the head Isolate and tense only the muscles in your neck face and scalp Hold Release Tense all of the muscles in your entire body allowing yourself to curl i
23. es an audience Your character becomes animated with the body voice and emotions that you breathe into it So you need to understand the process of creating a real living breathing character on the screen from the actor s perspective as well as from the perspective of the CG artist In some ways the animator s process is actually twofold First you must create the character and then you must transfer it to the computer Perhaps you could argue that you are actually creating the character directly on the screen But in either case your instrument is not the same as an actor who uses his own body voice and emotions to create the character Your instrument is the hardware and software available to you Nevertheless your character still has a body voice and emotions as with the actor s char acter so understanding and employing the techniques of an actor can only aid in your artistry We contend that it is virtually impossible to understand and internalize the work and process of an actor without participating in it Reading about it will only increase your intellectual understanding Doing it will allow you to viscerally experience the creation of a new life In most theater programs across the United States acting is a required ele ment of a degree in theater Even if an individual never intends to set foot on the stage but wants to design write or direct he must fully participate in an acting class to understand the art of actin
24. ets Lee Strasberg Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner arguably the three most influ ential acting teachers in the history of America were founding members of the Group Theatre For an inspirational look at the Group Theatre read The Fervent Years by founding member Harold Clurman Da Capo Press 1983 Acting in America Today Acting in America today is based on the realistic mode established by Stanislavski and introduced to America by the Group Theatre Actors attempt to uncover the inner psychological workings of a human being and present a truthful character to an audi ence see Figure 1 6 All acting training today uses Stanislavski as a touchstone A few 9 10 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Figure 1 6 Psychological real ism in a scene from Balm in Gilead at the University of Geor gia Department of Theatre and Film Studies theorists have rebelled against his work but without Stanislavski there would be nothing to rebel against Modern audiences have come to expect the truthful depictions of life on the stage that Stanislavski established as the height of the art Film and television have furthered the need for subtle psychological honesty With a camera only inches from an actor s face there is no room for broad playing An actor needs only to think the thoughts of the character for the camera to identify what she or he is feeling and thinking SET BY JASON ALLEN LIGHTS BY MICHAEL O CONNELL COSTUMES BY LINDSEY G
25. evolutionized by the Group Theatre in the 1930s Founded in New York by Harold Clurman Lee Strasberg and Cheryl Crawford the Group Theatre sought to emulate the methods and ensemble approach of the Moscow Art Theatre The group would cloister themselves away in upstate New York to train and rehearse a script for months before presenting their ensemble work in the city Their productions were known for their theatrical realism which moved audiences to their feet and set a new standard for truth in performance The acting was based in a psychological truth that was rooted in the inner motivations of the character In the course of rehearsing a script Strasberg led the actors through exercises that emphasized emotional memory as the key to truth in acting Strasberg believed that this was the heart of Stanislavski s work in Russia but unfortunately Strasberg s knowledge and understanding of Stanislavski was incomplete Strasberg s bastardization of Stanislavski s work became known as the Method Countless famous actors have trained in the Method One of the most famous performances attributed to method training is that of Marlon Brando playing Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire Many founding members of the Group Theatre went on to establish themselves as major theatrical artists The director Elia Kazan started with the Group Theatre as did playwrights Paul Green Maxwell Anderson Sidney Kingsley and most notably Clifford Od
26. g that is central to the creation of character As you the animator are also creating characters you too must participate in training as an actor Just as you began your work as an animator with elementary exercises to understand the hardware software and language of the discipline actors begin their training and work with exercises designed to help them understand their instrument The actors exercises help them connect with their body voice and imagination We will begin your exploration of the art of acting with basic exercises used by beginning actors 16 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Beginning Acting Exercises As an animator hoping to grow in your ability to understand and communicate charac ter you will gain invaluable information and experience from training as an actor does Although you are not attempting to become an actor you will be best served by follow ing the same training routine as the actor The beginning exercises will help you develop a language and prepare you for the advanced work of character creation The following exercises are often done in beginning acting classes They might remind you of your games from childhood or even gym class and that analysis would be correct For the purposes of this book the focus is on the physical self The first exercises are designed to help you relax warm up and center yourself Actors are similar to musicians and athletes in their need to warm up Since their body is their
27. head Allow the energy of the forehead to lead your move ment through space This could change the tempo or pace at which you move as well as the quality of your movement Does it suggest a character If so go for it and explore within this character Figure 1 26 shows an actor with her center in her fore head ForeheadCenter mov Figure 1 26 Forehead center BEGINNING ACTING EXERCISES 35 Try moving your center to a place that could be interesting for an animated charac ter Try leading with a knee a toe your right side your rear end or your left shoul der While you wouldn t usually find these centers in daily human life they have been seen in animated figures Explore what it feels like to move within one or all of these centers Observe what happens to the rest of your body when you change your center Notice what type of character this might suggest Figure 1 27 shows actors leading from many different centers Figure 1 27 Actors leading from many different centers 36 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Alien Spirit Assume a relaxed position on the floor as described in the first exercise Now imagine that you are an alien being that has never had a physical body You have only existed in spirit form But now due to some strange space phenomenon your spirit form has sud denly been placed in a human body Of course it must be yours As this alien spirit and from a place of total innocence begin to explor
28. ht hand left hand right foot and left foot counting out loud for two beats 11 Repeat with your right hand left hand right foot and left foot counting out loud for one beat Exercises for the Imagination and Play These exercises can be done solo or with a group Walks If you are working with a group you need to expand your awareness so that you don t run into other people If you do happen to run into someone just make contact and move on Don t make a big deal out of it As you explore these different types of walks see if any interesting patterns come to you that could be used in the development of a CG character EXPLORE SPACE WITH TEMPO DIRECTIONS AND LEVELS Begin by walking around the room Walk randomly Don t fall into patterns or circles Look to the horizon Don t look to the ceiling or floor Let your arms swing freely at your sides Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth 1 Continue walking around the room randomly but now start to explore tempos and rhythms See how slow and then how fast you can go What happens when you vary slow and fast Do any of these changes in tempo and rhythm suggest a type of person to you Do any of these changes suggest a certain mood or emotion If so try to become that person or indulge in that feeling and continue to walk randomly around the room 2 Go back to walking around the room randomly in a moderate tempo and start to explore your walking in
29. ience members have written accounts of the actors moving audiences emotionally by the power of their performances Hamlet Speak the speech I pray you as I pronounc d it to you trippingly on the tongue But if you mouth it as many of our players do I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand thus but use all gently for in the very torrent tempest and as I may say whirlwind of your passion you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness O it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig pated fellow tear a passion to tatters to very rags to split the ears of the groundlings Suit the action to the word the word to the action with this special observance that you o erstep not the modesty of nature for anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing whose end both at the first and now was and is to hold as t were the mirror up to nature to show Virtue her own feature scorn her own image and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure Hamtst Act III SCENE 11 During the 1640s England was embroiled in a civil war between the Royalists and the Puritans The Puritans attempted to end all theatrical activity because they had returned to the early Christians beliefs concerning the theater and actors In 1642 a law was passed suspending all performances and five years later another law was passed that ordered all actors t
30. ived by audiences Figure 1 4 Norman Ferguson and Jacqueline Carey as Oberon and Puck in a pre sentation model production of A Midsummer Night s Dream at the Uni versity of Georgia s Department of Theatre and Film Studies COSTUMES BY IVAN INGERMANN LIGHTS BY RACHEL KONIECZNY SET BY BEN PHILIPPS DIRECTED BY KRISTIN KUNDERT GIBBS A good example of the presentational ideology is the work of Francois Delsarte 1811 1871 Delsarte developed a system by which every part of the body could be used to communicate emotions attitudes characters and ideas Thus all characterization was based on a precise formula of stances postures and gestures Although the formal style of oration was the dominant mode of performance certain actors began to change or adapt their personal acting styles for a more realistic approach As early as 1750 actor David Garrick urged that characterizations should be based on direct observations of life and not a distanced formalistic approach These ideas concern ing realistic acting continued to grow and gain acceptance throughout the next two hun dred years 8 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Figure 1 5 Stanislavski and the Moscow Art Theatre The major turning point from presentational to representational or realistic acting came with the founding of the Moscow Art Theatre in 1897 The theater under the direction of Constantin Stanislavski shown in Figure 1 5 revolutionized acting It threw ou
31. ke your sound Dance and move around different people so you can hear different sounds next to each other Eventually reform the circle See if as a group you can pick up the tempo of your rhythm jam and let it go faster Then see if you can all slow down the rhythm jam See if as a group you can slowly let it fade out and disappear
32. leading from the pelvis PelvisCenter mov BEGINNING ACTING EXERCISES 33 4 Shift your center up very high in your body to your clavicle If this is your natural center skip to the next step You will feel light and lifted perhaps as if your feet are barely touching the floor Explore your space with this high center of energy leading the movement Notice whether this movement brings up certain feelings or suggests a certain character If so explore the space within these emotions or character Fig ure 1 25 shows an actor leading from the clavicle ClavicleCenter mov 5 Drop your center down a bit toward your sternum and explore your space with the energy in this area leading the movement If this is your natural center skip to the next step How does this movement make you feel If it suggests any character or feelings explore within these emotions or character Figure 1 24 Figure 1 25 Pelvis center Clavicle center 34 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING 6 Drop your center down one more time to around your belly button If this is your natural center skip to the next step Explore the space allowing the energy of this center to lead your movement Does it suggest a certain character to you Does this center bring up any feelings or sensations If so continue to explore within these emotions or character 7 Finally try exploring with some unique and rarely seen centers First allow your cen ter to reside in your fore
33. more central will probably have an easier time switching your center around Don t worry about it Just do the best you can 1 Once again start by walking around the space with your arms dropped and swinging naturally at your sides Look to the horizon Let your jaw relax so that it is dropped slightly and inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth Let your belly relax and allow the breath to drop deep inside Now start to pay attention to where you believe your center lies What part of your body is leading your move ment Where is your energy coming from Does this suggest anything about you 2 Shift your center down to several inches below your belly button If this is your nat ural center skip to the next step You can do this by thinking about dropping your weight down into your body Explore your space moving from this center How does this change in center affect your movement Does it make you feel different Does it suggest a certain type of character If so continue to explore the space within this character or feeling 3 Shift your center even lower to your pelvis If this is your natural center skip to the next step Allow energy to come from your pelvis and allow the pelvis to lead your movement This usually suggests certain character traits Explore the space with the pelvis leading If a character or feeling emerges from this exploration continue moving within the character Figure 1 24 shows an actor
34. nto a ball Hold Release uncurling Relax Rest Breathe Group Exercise for Relaxation Start by pairing up Allow one partner let s call this person A to lie on the floor and go through the first general relaxation process After A has started to relax and find his natural breathing rhythm Partner B will gently work around his body stretching out all of his limbs These exercises are demonstrated in movie files available on the book s accompanying DVD 1 2 Start with the head Partner B will gently take Partner A s head in her hands and lift it about an inch off the floor Partner B will then start to gently turn the head left to right while gently pulling or extending the head from the neck as shown in Fig ure 1 9 The neck is gently being lengthened here It is important that the rock and pull of the head is gentle and slight Partner A must relax his head and allow it to drop fully into Partner B s hands Do this for about a minute and then gently place the head back on the floor See RotatingHead mov on the DVD Move to the right arm Partner B will gently take Partner A s right arm and pull it from the shoulder while gently twisting or rotating it side to side as shown in Figure 1 10 Again this is a slight pull and twist Do this for about a minute RotatingShoulder mov BEGINNING ACTING EXERCISES 21 Figure 1 10 An actor stretching the shoulder Partner B will then place Partner
35. o be apprehended as rogues Theater did carry on but it went underground and there are few records concerning the work of the time Presentational Acting In 1660 Charles II was restored to the throne in England ending the reign of the Puritans Theater once again began to grow and flourish and some respect for the actor returned Women were introduced to the English stage and companies were set up Many com panies had training or apprentice programs that took on young actors and taught them singing and dancing but most actors learned from trial and error Company apprentices would spend their first few years playing small roles From this they would discover just what characters and types they were best suited for and would spend the rest of their careers playing those types A BRIEF HISTORY oF ACTING 7 The majority of acting for the next two hundred years was what is called presenta tional acting see Figure 1 4 which is the mere presenting of the character from an external perspective The goal for the actor is to look or appear as if the character is genuinely feeling or experiencing emotions by the proper adaptations of the body and voice The actor would never experience any emotions or connect psychologically with the character The work was purely external and the style was oratorical Actors always played the front of the stage and never turned their backs to the audience This formal style persisted for years and was well rece
36. om the truth Esoteric directors who have no understanding of the acting process lazy actors who don t want to do their homework or pretender movie stars who just got lucky by relying on their looks usually utter the comment What is talent anyway This debate has raged since the time Thespis stepped from the chorus and uttered his first lines Talent in regard to the actor has been said to include many things Sensitivity A great actor needs an enormous amount of sensitivity to just about every thing She needs to be sensitive to her environment to her thoughts to her feelings and to those around her She must allow herself to see hear touch taste and feel everything in her surroundings and more importantly she needs to allow these sensations to affect her Her sensory skills should be heightened and finely tuned Vulnerability It does an actor not one ounce of good to have heightened sensitivity if she doesn t allow all of the stimuli just mentioned to affect her She needs to have an open heart and mind so that the sights sounds smells tastes and touches of the world move her She must freely weep rage scream howl laugh and love She must be fearless in her willingness to make herself open to others and to her own emotions It is often said that actors are bleeding hearts and jump to the aid of every cause from saving the environment to stopping the death penalty Well of course they are and cer tainly they do If the
37. our wrists float your arms as high up as they can go allow your fingers to start to float up to the ceiling as you can see in Figure 1 18 Imagine there are strings on the ends of all of your fingers that are pulling your arms up to the ceiling Stretch through your sides Gently raise your right hand higher stretching your right side and then raise your left hand higher stretching your left side as shown in Fig ure 1 19 Come back to center so that both sides are stretched Figure 1 18 Fingers stretched to the ceiling 26 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Figure 1 19 Stretching the sides 5 Let your wrists collapse so that your hands are hanging from the wrists free from tension Then let your elbows collapse so that your lower arms and hands are hang ing free from tension Then let your shoulders collapse so that your arms are hanging heavy and relaxed from your shoulder girdle Then let your head and neck collapse forward so that your head is hanging heavy and relaxed from the top thoracic verte bra Look at Figure 1 20 for examples Figure 1 20 Dropping down the spine BEGINNING ACTING EXERCISES 27 6 Let the weight of your head gently start to pull your spine forward so that you are releasing one vertebra at a time down the front of your body At some point as you drop down your spine to the front of your body the weight of your head will become so heavy that you collapse all the way down You will now be dropped o
38. ows actors exploring levels BEGINNING ACTING EXERCISES 31 MEDIUMS AND ATMOSPHERES After you have begun to explore your space and your body in space with the previous exercise work on your imagination for this exercise 1 Go back to randomly walking through the room Now imagine that the floor of the room is coated with thick tar Try to walk across the room while your feet are stick ing to the floor You must work to pull your feet free from the tar with each step 2 Allow that tar to evaporate and imagine you are walking across a trampoline or one or those children s jumpers from a fair Allow your weight to shift and throw you off balance with each step Try to stay upright 3 Let the trampoline become hot sand Try to walk across the sand without burning your feet Imagine that you are in the desert and the temperature is 110 degrees Allow the heat under your feet and around your body to affect your movement 4 Imagine that you are moving through a vat of Jell O It is surrounding you all the way up to your waist Push and jiggle your way through the cool gelatin 5 Imagine that you are underwater breathing with the aid of a SCUBA apparatus You have been weighted so that you are walking across the bottom of the ocean Feel the water surrounding you You have weights around your waist but your arms and legs move freely and float in the water Work your way around a sunken ship to view the fish 6 Use your imagination to
39. ruth in the moment The training of the inner resources is twofold affecting the head and the heart It encompasses an intellectual understanding and analysis of character as well as the devel opment and expansion of the imagination and senses Outer Techniques There are two types of outer techniques completely external techniques and external techniques that move to internal techniques Completely external techniques are ones that focus on the external training and development of the actor s instrument her body and voice while external techniques that move to internal techniques are acting meth odologies that focus on the external creation of character in order to awaken the inner life of the character Actors must train their body and voice They need to have the flexibility strength and stamina of an athlete in order to physically create characters and sustain their energy during a performance Their voices need to be free from tension to express the intricacies of emotion They need to be able to run through a range of pitches and of course must learn the skills of vocal power and articulation in order to be heard and understood Actors train their bodies in many ways Classes are designed especially for stage movement They cover finding alignment ridding oneself from tension finding a neu tral body mask of character expression of character and even specialty components of period dance and combat Actors also train by studying
40. t the old star system and opted for an ensemble style of acting Stanislavski an actor himself set out to perfect an approach to acting The results of his work led to the first fully realistic productions His company was world renowned and their work was studied by theater artists across the globe The heart of Stanislavski s work is based on the method of physical actions The actor must determine the objective or primary desire of the character which leads to a through line of physical actions for the role The actor then performs a series of actions to help him or her achieve this objective Stanislavski discovered that acting becomes truthful by truly doing something to achieve an objective The work of the actors in the Moscow Art Theatre was simple honest and emotionally realistic Constantin Stanislavski DRAWING BY JASON ALLEN A BRIEF HISTORY oF ACTING Stanislavski established a training program for young actors He stressed that actors needed to start by training their bodies and voices but then needed to focus their atten tions to learning to analyze and study a text in order to determine the through line of actions for the character He also urged actors to observe themselves and others to learn what truthful behavior was He wrote about his techniques and ideas in three books about the work of an actor and one autobiography of his life in art The Group Theatre Acting in America was r
41. tention away from your breath and the center of your body to the outside of your body by focusing on your sense of touch While lying on the floor with your stomach and jaw relaxed send your attention to everything that is touching you In your mind s eye identify all of the things that you feel touching the outside of your body It could be a ring a watch the hair on your forehead or the back of your neck the waist band of your paints the cuff of a sleeve your socks the floor under your body or the air on your skin Take about a minute to do this Then send your attention even farther away from your breathing center by focusing on what you hear Listen for all of the sounds around you In your mind s eye identify what you are hearing Listen for sounds within sounds or layers of sounds Do this for about a minute Figure 1 8 Proper position for lying on the floor 18 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Then send your attention back to your breathing center Make sure that your lower belly rises and lowers as the breath drops in and out of you It might help to flop a relaxed hand onto your lower belly below the belly button to feel it rise and fall Make sure that your jaw is relaxed so that there is a small opening between your lips for the breath to fall out Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth Go back to counting your breath Do this for several more minutes This exercise is a start to deeper relaxation It
42. terms of direction Intentionally move from an imaginary point A to a point B Explore direction to move between the two points Try straight lines curves circles zigzags serpentine and backward Do any of these directionali ties suggest a certain type of person or character to you or a particular mood or feel ing If so continue to explore within the character or emotion 3 Once again go back to moving randomly around the room but this time explore levels How many different levels can you find within your space Are there steps or 30 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Figure 1 23 Exploring levels furniture How many different levels can you create with your body How close can you get to the ground How high in the air What about moving in every plane in between How quickly can you change levels Does moving at any certain level sug gest a certain type of person or mood or feeling If so continue to move and explore within this type of person or emotion Put on some music and explore the space tempo directions and levels as influenced by the music Does the music lend itself to a certain direction or level Is it possible to choose a different tempo or rhythm than what the music provides for you Does the music suggest any mood or emotion If so continue to explore your space within that mood or emotion Do this with many different types and styles of music and see how it affects your movement body and feelings Figure 1 23 sh
43. the hip 7 Partner B will now hold the stretched out leg of Partner A in place with one hand and with the other gently rotate and stretch the ankle as shown in Figure 1 15 Do this for about a minute RotatingAnkle mov Figure 1 15 An actor rotating the ankle 24 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING 8 Partner B will then work through rotating and stretching all of the joints on all of the toes of Partner A s right foot as Figure 1 16 shows Take several minutes to do this If Partner A is extremely ticklish you might need to skip this step RotatingToes mov Figure 1 16 An actor stretching the toes 9 Repeat for the left side of the body 10 End by returning to the head and gently rocking and stretching it one last time Allow the fully stretched out and relaxed partner to rest for several minutes and then switch Exercises for Warming Up These exercises can be done solo or with a group Stretch Rotate and Bounce 1 Start by standing with feet hip width apart feet parallel to each other and knees soft Let your spine lengthen from the tip of your tailbone which is pointing between your heels to the top of your head Imagine that your head is floating on top of your spine 2 Allow your wrists to float toward the ceiling taking your whole arm with them Keep your hands relaxed as your wrists float up as shown in Figure 1 17 BEGINNING ACTING EXERCISES 25 Figure 1 17 Floating to the ceiling When y
44. the sound and movement in unison 1 Start by forming a circle One member of the circle will then perform a sound and movement as described earlier 2 Immediately after this the entire circle repeats that sound and movement in unison 3 Very quickly without leaving even one second for thinking the next member of the circle will perform a new sound and movement and then the whole circle will repeat it in unison 4 Do this all the way around the circle Go fast You should be out of breath 37 38 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Rhythm Jam This exercise requires you to listen to other members of your group while you explore your own body and voice It helps to grow an ensemble spirit within your group of actors 1 2 Start by forming a circle Pick one member of the circle to lay down a beat They should vocally establish a rhythm It could be a sound like a beat box or a drum line Go around the circle and each member will add a vocal sound to this rhythm Add only one sound at a time until each member of the circle is vocalizing Just like the sound and movement there should not be words only sounds The sound could be anything from animals to man made sounds to more rhythms to things that are more musical The only thing that is important is that all of the sounds keep within the rhythm established at the beginning When every member of the circle has added their sound dance around the room continuing to ma
45. ver hang ing upside down as shown in Figure 1 21 You should release all the way from your tailbone Make sure that your knees are not locked and are soft Your head and arms should be heavy and dangling Your hands might even be brushing the floor Hang there for about 20 seconds sort of bobbing up and down Think about floating like a jellyfish Figure 1 21 Floating like a jellyfish 7 Slowly start to move to an upright position stacking one vertebra on top of another Go slowly trying to imagine each vertebra stacking on the next Your shoulders arms neck and head should be loose and hanging until they take their place on the spine Your head will be the last thing to come into place Imagine it floating on top of your spine Look to Figure 1 22 for guidance Spinework mov 28 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING Figure 1 22 Stacking the vertebrae 10 ll Imagine that you are a rag doll and everything in your body is loose and floppy Then imagine that you have springs under your feet Allow yourself to start to spring around the room with your loose rag doll body flopping all over the place Stop and shake all over like a dog shaking off water Stand on one foot and rotate the ankle of the other foot around in a circle Change the direction of the rotation Now rotate the knee around in both directions Then rotate the hip around in both directions This requires good balance and focus It often helps to
46. y have talent they will not only sympathize and empathize with every living and imagined creature they will also eagerly walk in their shoes This vul nerability to others is a necessary aspect of talent Imagination and willingness to suspend disbelief Perhaps your parents once told you not to let your imagination run away with you Well a talented actor will freely skip the coun try with her imagination Actors believe Anything Their imaginations are vivid and all consuming They approach every moment with childlike innocence as if experiencing life for the first time Actors live in their imaginations far more than in the real world They willingly freely and with abandon will embrace a whole imaginary set of circumstances and accept them as reality The need to share and exhibitionism Another aspect of talent revolves around the need to share One can be sensitive and vulnerable but unless she possesses an undying need to share her discoveries about humankind she will never be an actor a writer or painter 12 CHAPTER 1 WHAT Is ACTING possibly but never an actor Additionally talent takes a certain amount of exhibitionism An actor must be free and fearless in sharing in front of a group of total strangers A responsive body and voice To share all of the sensations to which an actor has made herself vulnerable her body and voice must respond freely Her body must be free from tension and be able to mold and morph into new
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search