Getting to the Work

Instinct. October 28, 2010.

Ok. Where do we begin with last nights class. There was so much going on! As an overall note, I would ask everyone to really pay attention to how they are reading a moment. When you watch your dvd's ask yourself "Am I processing what is happening in the moment". If we run through the text without giving our talent the opportunity to hear, process and receive what we are getting from our partner we can miss out on the very things we need as the people we are playing and that leads to us doing it alone. You have to trust you will get what you need from your partner and/or the moment and be willing to receive that ball. If the text is the main thing we listen for i.e where is my cue, the read takes on an artificial tempo and we tend to look more like actors doing a scene than people engaged and living in the moment.

There are many technical things that need to be in play as well.

#1. Your energy must be really high. Acting is not a casual experience. We can appear relaxed and laid back as the characters we play, but the actor must always be prepared to go anywhere the moments take them. Besides, we want to train at a high level of commitment so we can relax into serious loss, hot rage, pulsating sexuality or the like. You have to get use to physically running that amount of energy through the body and being relaxed with it. For example, In the Trumpeter...when Elizabeth and Will were taking all of those huge risks, they needed to also listen for the change in momentum. In terms of process it was great for them to go there because then we can discover, "Hey, I need to listen and receive when I have all of that going on."

Crystal and Todd your moments together were so intimate and real. I think you can think about energy in terms of discovering the buoyancy in a scene. Jtodd when you lifted the energy in the exercise the resonance of your comments could really be experienced. I love when acting is hitting the current events of the day. You two trust one another when you work. I think a little more determination to get through to one another would have carried the momentum throughout the entire scene.

#2. Your attention needs to be off of yourself and onto the other person. I think we could see that in action with Fitz and Anna in Living Out Loud. Anna was really great at sending her energy out towards Fitz. She gave herself permission to take her anger and frustration out on him. There were some wonderful surprises like when she began to laugh at her husband towards the end of the scene. In that moment it was as if the possibility for the affair not to be real came to life. Both husband and wife relaxed momentarily and it made the realization a few moments later really heart breaking because she had let down her guard. Conversely, Fitz was very moved and emotional as well, but rather than using all that to deal with the barbs being thrown by his wife, his inner turmoil allowed him to disconnect from what was actually happening. We have to keep in mind that although we are using ourselves to bring emotions to life it isn't about us at the end of the day. Having our energy where it needs to be will assist us with moving beyond the weight of our own emotions and move us into the creative.

I asked them both to pay attention to when they were pulling out of the work and commenting on either themselves, the scene or one another. It was full of potential and I look forward to continuing with it next week.

#3. You Don't want to come into the scene and play an "idea". Truth is our best friend on film. We can't try to show, we can't act because the camera sees everything. Every thought! Why was it so amazing to watch Alex and Julie on camera? Julie had so many things going on. Shadows would pass through her openness and vulnerability. There was a mixture of innocence and power. Film loves these kinds of complexities and we cannot act them! It is comforting to know however, that we all possess these types of layers. When we "act" they are white washed. Discovery ends and the audience is not on the ride with the actors in the same intimate way. Alex, I will just say what worked before may not be the best avenue for today. Let that knowledge support exploration and curiosity rather than it being the answer to "what is it I want to do now?". We want to forever be finding that out.

Robert!!!! You took such a huge step last night! You made such a vital distinction between the two agents you played over the last 2 weeks. The "idea" of being the removed detective gave way to finding your own needs and contributions to the scene and it looked amazing on screen.

For both you and Jason, the exercise was full of really wonderful shared experiences. Jason find a way to carry that kind of availability into the scene. We can be much crueler to people we let in and know well. That can assist us in reading malicious and dangerous rather than playing the stereo type. The fact that this man followed in his father's footsteps speaks to something larger than a cop and robbers conversation and I think you instincts were on to that in the exercise.

Ok, so in keeping with the idea of telling the truth I would like to talk about Jefferson and Giles here. Acting is a lot like jazz it terms of really feeling out a moment. When to talk. When to stay silent. Jefferson the economy with which you spoke about your loss of your father was a study in reality. Truth says enough. Period. No need for anything more or less. The truth is complete. Real. I felt for Giles because where do we need to go after that type of exercise. I knew you were effected by where Jefferson was and what he was discussing. When I cut back to you I could see your own experiences with your brother running through your mind. It is important to note when the moment is enough. I realize we didn't give you both tons of time...but quality is what we are after. The first time through the scene we left that level of believability, but a couple of very simple notes and the performance was there. Especially for you Giles. It was full fleshed out and everything we needed. I know you don't watch your dvds, but you need to watch that.

Caitlin and Ryan, you both had such chemistry in the exercise and then comes the scene with the idea of a fight/let down and we leapt into the netherlands of not owning where we were and not being where we assumed we should be. It is in these moments that our technique is required. Caitlin it may not have been you most flamboyant read, but I say you really stay connected. Go to your partner and follow direction and when you are shooting for a couple of months some days will resemble that experience more than anything else you do in class and it is important to trust you can get it down. Ryan kudos to you for leaping over and over again last night. I love that you are game.

#4 You have to LISTEN! TO EACH OTHER!!! I posed the question last night but why is it easier at times for us to live out non traditional casting than it is to do something that is right for us. Katie and David. You finished up a full and intense class. It was late and you really delivered. Katie, believe it or not you were fully owning you sexuality and it looked playful, fun and self assured!!!!! You Katie Grantness was in full bloom. You were real and authentic with all of it and it just worked. David, you have been really breaking into some great material for yourself the past month or so. The follow through with the listening is flawless. I was thinking how the hell are we going to get through another scene and you guys took the ball and ran with it. THANK YOU. Loose. Confident. Lived out.

Sean and Kristin, you had such a mountain of a scene to climb. It is sometimes in the moments when we least expect it that we go over hurdles in our work. Sean Toohey!!! You were fabulous last night. I think you needed to not know what to wish for. I think you needed to play it safe for a while by hanging on to the simple phrase of I wish. I know you were searching throughout the exercise, but keep in mind the class knew exactly what the scene was about although you may have been unclear how to play it and instead went on the ride. When we brought back the text it dropped into a whole other level for you and you were both drawn in and repelled by your sister. I loved how you kissed her rib. It was so right and smart as an actor. Your voice was your own. So many of the things you and I have discussed over and over again in the past few months were on display: honestly hurt, angry and in love. Kristin, you are a trooper. I can't wait to bring this back again. Your energy really drove the scene. Since we are talking about listening at this point I will leave you with one thought. The one note I wanted to give you over and over again is just this. "Take a deep breathe and listen to your heart." Everything else was on the table.

Good work session everyone. Process!

x

Jen Krater

Krater Studios