Class was intense last night. Good work everyone. In terms of a work out it was a great class.
Food for thought. What does it take to truly live something out?
One thing I can say is without energy cold reading these characters is impossible.
It requires all you can muster to get every ball in the air and emotionally go on the ride. It requires a great deal of energy and focus to work through our deepest emotions and really reach another person. And it requires every ounce of our focus to pull the text up to where the moment is taking us. You must put you attention outward, towards the moment and your partner, because although it may feel (and in some cases is) personal, it really isn't about you.
I would like to discuss J Todd, Jefferson, Sean and Natalie. Everyone did wonderful things last night, but I believe there is so much to learn from these two scenes.
First of All, I applaud all of you for really going out on a limb. That is more than half the battle. It is part of the process for not every take to be completely put together. So if in the aftermath of taking a risk you feel revealed, don't pull back. Don't doubt yourselves. Stay out there. Feel.
So, Jtodd and Jefferson played father and son. Perhaps at first glance, there was a sense of "really?", this is what Jen wants me to play. However, when you both sat down in the chairs I was really moved by how deeply you both went. Jefferson, I want you to watch how beautiful your close ups where when you allowed yourself to really be moved by where J Todd was going, what he was saying and how it made him feel. Technically we can work on letting the moments find their fluidity. We need to let them come alive in us. We need to hear the tenor voice of the darker emotions at times, but it was a great journey for you none the less.
What I think we can all learn from here is how we must be intimate even when the emotions are that complicated and full. We weren't fully brought into the scene until J Todd attempted to address/relieve the pain of his son. From that moment forward, the whole story really came to life and any questions of can I play this was replaced with the certainty that this family needed one another. Moment earned!
Secondly, we can all identify with where Sean and Natalie were during and after their scene. Don't look outward for validation of what needs to be going on. I think the biggest lesson for you both is asking of your talent "what does this life require of me" and then do what must be done. Some roles you can not ease your way into. You have to own the fear of "how am I going to play this". It is the I, however that we tend to leave out of the equation when we feel we may not have the capacity to go there. So there you see the risk, laid out in front of the actor/actress. He must jump but there is no guarantee he will make it to the other side. I will just remind you all that sometimes the characters we play don't make it either.
That said, it isn't the casual I we are talking about. Playing the violent tendencies humans are capable of is different energetically from who we are in an acting class, driving around town or having dinner with friends. So again, I recommend you check in with your talent and ask "What does this take?". And you must learn to listen to how your instincts reply. That is where process comes in.
I know I was hard on Sean and Natalie. I also know I am not as hard on any of you as you are on yourselves. I look forward to having you bring this back. Please make sure you watch your dvd's.
To the class in general, I will say let this remind you that as professionals we can take nothing for granted.
Onward!
Jen
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