Throw Caution to the Wind!

Making the Scene

Thursday, January 27, 2011.

"There are so many balls that as an actor I am trying to juggle" was an observation that Alex made in class today after working a close-up and an extreme close-up shot. And he is right. There so many things going on in a single moment, so many different feelings and emotions coursing through our bodies that it is easy to feel overwhelmed and at times disoriented.

If you are open to the circumstances you find yourself in and truthful to what you are feeling and honest in expressing that then, what I will say to you is just trust that what is going on with you is what should be going on. Trust that what you are feeling and expressing is exactly what you need to be feeling and expressing. Live fully in the moment. Moment to moment. And as much as I am an advocate of preparation there is nothing more unsatisfying than watching an actor act their preparation. Preparation is our spring-board into the scene and should open us up to what wants to happen not shut us down. And with all this going on one thing we are all required to do is take risks! Risk! Risk! Risk! Take a chance. Fall on your face. Deal with the consequences of your actions. Throw caution to the wind. Make a fool of yourself.

There was a world of difference in the level of intimacy between Deb and Jason today from the first few times they did their scene to how it ended when I made some suggestions to Jason as to how he might approach seducing Deb. The risk of being intimate doesn't require us to be obscene or graphic but to involve ourselves in a way that expresses our desires with simple and clear intentions. By simple allowing himself to move behind her, Jason began rubbing her shoulders and caressing her skin that allowed the two of them to open up to the desire and danger of their actions that had us all enthralled and anxious to see what would happen next. What that simple line of action did for Deb was lovely and amazing. Nothing was forced, nothing was taken for granted. After the scene was over I asked Jason how he felt and he replied: nervous, excited, alive and unconcerned about what his lines were which for him (and most of us perfectionist) was huge step in the right direction.

The exact same thing happened with Scott who brings so much to his work and at the same time hides behind some of that which he brings. But by allowing himself to take a chance with being intimate he changed the whole dynamic of the scene and himself in the process. All the layers fell off and before us a man in need of affirmation and deep affection stood.

I must commend Jennifer today. I feel that we had a breakthrough in working through the anger and expressing it and understanding that it isn't anger for anger sake that we are unleashing but to get to what lies behind it. And the pain is the pay off if it is earned. There just comes a time when we can no longer afford to shy away from confrontation regardless of what's in our best interest. Rational thinking has no place here and doesn't serve our creativity. Anger is seldom rational though it almost always is justified in these circumstances. And for Jennifer who has such a wonderful instrument tapping into the pain and expressing it is something she does beautifully but we can't just get to this place forgoing the journey that leads us here. This is a beginning and I am excited to see where it takes us.

Everyone's work in class today was exceptional. The way Alex allowed himself to free-up and open up especially within the restrictive parameters of a close-up and extreme close-up and take us on a journey that had so many colors and expressed so many feelings was a joy to experience. Finding that level of trust in your work is really serving you!

Jerry's performance in both take one and especially in take two where he took more risks left us mesmerized and afraid. The level of commitment and focus of intent coupled with the moment to moment interaction and how that modified his behavior just blew me away. By far some of the best work I have seen. Sometimes the shortest path is the best path. Simple personalizations that resonate with us can be so effective in expressing what we are feeling. The kiss off and flipping us the bird was beautiful and disturbing at once.

Catie and Anne were hilarious in their frenetic frenzy to win the other over to their side of reasoning. What is especially served the scene was the level of energy it requires and raising the stakes to meet the circumstances of the scene. Once we are flying at that altitude we must sustain our energy throughout. The stakes could be raised even higher by make bolder and riskier choices.

See you next week.

Paolo.