Thursday, September 09, 2010.
What brings a scene to life?
The willingness to take risks in our work. To tap into the emotional life of the character and fully express what he/she is feeling within the given circumstances. Good scripts provide us with gems aplenty: "...don't lie to me, I'd rather have you beat me so that I can at least defend myself, but don't lie to me...". This is an example of a line in one of the scenes that was worked on in class today. At first glance it seems like a clear request not to be lied to. But on closer inspection the choice of words being used by the character can open us up to a whole world of possibilities wherein our imagination can come alive and take risks by making strong choices that bring the scene to life. That line not only informs us of where the character is coming from, of her past but also of where she is going and what she longs for. Words alone carry no inherent meaning if they are not invested with the convictions of the person speaking them. What brings the words/scene to life are our convictions, our personalizations through our experiences and creative process. This is risky work because it requires that we trust our instincts and have the courage to put our emotions on the line. Today everyone did just that. Once we laid the foundation of the scene in the first take we all took a closer look at what our circumstances were and what was at stake for us. Everyone hit it out of the ballpark. What makes a scene powerful and special is what you bring to it. You. That's what brings a scene to life.
Paolo
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