Strong Choices, Making the Scene

The choices we make to bring depth to the roles we take on can never be arbitrary. Everything begins with the script and the given circumstances of the scene. Facts are a great place to start. i.e. Who am I? What do I do for a living? What is my relationship to the other people in the scene? This is just the beginning. It is not enough to say: I am a smart person; I am a lawyer: He is my brother.

What makes me a smart person? Why have I chosen the law as my profession? How do I feel about my brother? What does he think of me? How does this define our relationship?

Specificity will open us to the inherent logic of the scene and why it is necessary and what our purpose in it is.

"All these questions just put me in my head and get in the way of what wants to happen organically!"

All these question are part of your preparation to get you out of your head, so that you are grounded and open to the moment to moment interactions and dynamic of the scene!

An actor's preparation is the springboard into the life of the scene.

The stronger the choices you make the more you will have invested in the character, in the circumstances, in outcome of the scene.

The stronger the choices you make the more personal the work becomes. The more alive the emotional life of the character becomes. The more rewarding the journey.

What is your connection to all this once we go under the surface? What makes you tick? Are you leading an arbitrary existence? I think not.

You matter.

See you next week,

Paolo