Archive for January, 2010
Lessons from Sandy…
I’m sure you know by now that we’re greatly influenced by many of Sanford Meisner’s ideas. I find myself inspired by his words more and more. I found a few new quotes that I thought I would like to share with you. I will use the quotes to explore some ideas on acting and hopefully pass some of the inspiration onwards!
“Less’s more!” Mies van der Rohe and the Bauhaus may have gotten there first (well, second I think actually), but when Sanford Meisner says ‘Less is More’, I wish more actors knew this from birth. The actor should always aim for less, often much less. I spend much of my time reigning actors in, helping them cut back on their over-done faked emotion and their desire to push so hard. Less, less, always less, because more is often sickening, like too much cake.
“The truth of ourselves is the root of our acting.” Stripping back to the truth, the simplest most basic truthful sense of ourselves is often the best way to bring truth to the role. You bring your truth to the role and rather than creating character, you reveal the truth of yourself and that truth sells the audience on our well-meaning trick, the creation of the illusion of character.
“Acting is not talking, it’s living off the other fellow!!!” Of course, the basis of acting for Meisner, taking your inspiration, your fuel for the scene from your scene partners. Acting has nothing to do with talking, little in fact to do with words. The bit of the ice berg that you CAN see is the words. The rest of your acting is why lies beneath.
“You can’t learn to act unless you’re criticized. If you tie that criticism to your childhood insecurities you’ll have a terrible time. Instead, you must take criticism objectively, pertaining it only to the work being done.” You do need someone to help you cut the shit, can the bull, stop letting yourself off the hook, and if its done with love and care, or the professionalism you deserve, then that object criticism will make you stronger, a better, truer performance, and perhaps a better person too.
“The only way to deal with yourself as an actor is to follow the emotional truth of what you have to do under the imaginary circumstances. And as you develop you become confident. You come to believe in what you’re doing and trust it because it’s out of you.” Trust yourself. End of.
“Transfer the point of concentration to some object outside of yourself – another person, a puzzle, a broken plate that you are gluing.” One of the first things that I learned as a director was that actors that had a focus on something other than themselves were completely different in their performance from those that were ’self’ conscious, in other words, inwardly focused. A puzzle may be fine, something that holds your attention is good, but you can’t always find a ’something to do’ in every scene, although I confess I like scenes where people do something other than just talk. However, for most scenes, you have the most interesting, attention-holding thing of all, a fascinating human being playing opposite you. Let them be your focus and you’ll fly.
“You can’t fake emotion.” I think my greatest dissatisfaction with acting in general is that I see faking that’s done as if it’s done well and audiences lapping up like it’s remarkable, when really it’s just a downright lie. Fake emotion isn’t interesting, it’s distracting to me as an audience member, it doesn’t add to the scene, it completely detracts from it. If the emotion doesn’t come to you, don’t even try to fake it, your bullshit standardised, generalised fake-ass emoting won’t fool anyone, and all you’ll get from your audience is indulgence, which is to say, a sort of pity, wrapped in applause.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Making Excuses
There is one quality that I see in my students that indicates that they don’t really have a future in acting. It’s making excuses. There’s a million reasons why you didn’t do something, but if you want to be a successful working actor, then you must cultivate the habit of presence.
Acting is learned in through the body and presence is required. That means mental and physical presence, being there and once there, switching on and tuning in.
The cold you have, the busy you were, the ‘a lot’ you’ve got on at the minute, the thing you couldn’t get out of, the visiting nephew, the tickets you’ve booked, they are all an index to one thing, the value you place on your acting career. All these reasons are excuses and they all ask one thing, like the child that was caught being naughty and wants to evade punishment —Indulge me, I am special, I have special extenuating circumstances that crave special treatment.
Mamet says ‘what you practice, you will perform’. It’s the same with your attitude. If you treat class, or auditions or rehearsals like they aren’t the real thing, if you ‘i’ll do it on the day though’ you are making excuses. If you really want to nail it on the day, then from Day 0, you’ve got to cut the shit, put away your excuses and engage. And if you can’t, then perhaps this business isn’t for you.
I don’t trust Acting Schools
For Joanne:
I don’t trust acting schools.
There, I said it. Now I’m going to get some abuse. I don’t trust Acting Schools. Not the real ones, not the accredited ones, not the universities pretending to be ones, not the colleges desperately trying to be ones, not the small independent studios, not the large commercial ‘theatre’ schools that warehouse kids and offer them singing, dancing and acting, I don’t trust them. I’m not saying they’re bad, well, perhaps I’m inferring something about that, but what I’m saying is that I don’t trust them.
I don’t trust their programmes, their curriculum, their staff. I don’t trust their games, their exercises, their techniques, approaches, methodologies, systems, ‘ways’, means and motivations. I don’t trust what they teach or what they say. I’m not saying it’s wrong, bad, evil, wicked or deceptive, I’m saying I don’t trust it. Have I been to these schools, conservatories and universities, these studios, workshops, seminars and lectures? Yes I have. I have heard academics spouting theory about practice they’ve never experienced, I’ve heard acting gurus being economical with the truth, I’ve heard acting teachers berating students that don’t get ‘it’, when there wasn’t really ‘anything’ to get. I don’t trust them. It’s too easy to make money off aspiring people. Drama courses are resource hungry, institutions dislike them for THAT very reason, but they also like the fact that they attract high fees and as many applicants as they can allow. Drama courses are even worse, if you think I don’t TRUST acting schools, I’m downright hostile about drama courses.
Now wait a minute Mark, you have an acting school. Are you saying we shouldn’t trust you either? As a matter fact, as a matter of principle, I say NO, don’t. Be skeptical. I believe that we teach at Acting Coach Scotland, is sound, practicable approaches to acting for the acting industry. But I’d say that even if I was a charlatan now wouldn’t I? I’d bamboozle you with fancy terms, I’d show you the fantastic facilities and make you feel that ONLY THE CHOSEN ONES can come in. That’ll make you feel special and you’ll feel indebted to them for giving you a place. Perhaps you don’t need them, did you ever think of that? Perhaps you can do it without them. Oh Mark, you’re so irresponsible, fancy suggesting such a thing.
The proof of the pudding’s in the eating and most schools leaving you feeling empty and then you feel bad for pigging out on junk. Don’t trust ANY acting school, don’t hand over large sums of money, don’t play the game. Hold back. You’re the customer. You’re the client. Wait. Look. Listen. Examine.
If Such and Such a famous actor went there, it MUST be a good school. Only if you believe that the famous actor had not gift for acting before they got into the school.
Who is that the Acting School lets in? Those they feel already possess those capabilities and abilities that three or four years slog won’t discourage or destroy.
The acting schools rarely teach anything that works. So don’t trust them. And when you find one that works, that REALLY works for you, not something you guiltily comply with. Then stick with it.
But don’t trust them and don’t give up your common sense. No one said being an actor meant being a schmuck.
I don’t trust them. You shouldn’t either.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
Advice to the Advancing Acting Student
At the end of the day, acting is doing. It’s doing, it’s not talking about doing (as the academics and some directors think) and it’s not pretending to do (as others have been known to posit). It’s real doing. Meisner said ‘the foundation of acting is the reality of doing’. Once you see an actor take that on board, there is a change in them which is often remarkable. They stop living in a semi-daylight state of pretend and they begin to commit to action, this is a transformation more captivating than any ‘character’ actor could perform. Looking at acting as doing is a healthy way to approach acting, psychologically it does not ask you to interfere with your emotions, it accepts them as part and parcel of you, and who you are, and what you bring with you. It does not ask you to stop being you in order to become someone else, it does not insist that you stop being yourself in order to pretend to be someone else, nor delude yourself into a state of otherness.
Acting that involves doing is highly watchable – how often do I see a show on television or stage where the actors really aren’t doing anything.
One of the keys to good acting is listening. Not pretending to listen – usually accompanied by an indicative little nod to prove/fake that you are listening, but REALLY listening. Once you engage in the task of really listening and watching your scene partners, you give up some of the control that you feel you must keep over yourself and the scene, and things start to happen by themselves. Your spontaneous humanity and your creativity come together and strive to help you – without even trying. Invent Nothing, Deny Nothing, Accept Everything – Mamet says.
Remember that which we do consistently (DO – consistently) becomes our technique. Whether this is good or bad, whether it works or not. So you must strive to listen all the time you are on stage, even when you have lines, or especially when you have lines. You must still be tuned in to your partner, even when you are busy DOING.
In repetition, you must remain relaxed and not strain yourself looking for something to say. You must learn to trust yourself that what happens, when it happens, will make itself apparent enough for you to see/hear it. And if something occurs, it is part of the game, everything that happens during the game IS THE GAME. Just like everything that happens on stage or on camera IS your performance, you can’t hide from it, and in those moments, those wee special moments, you will see the magic of the actor. Not where you seek for it, but when it finds you.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
New Glasgow Acting Classes Begin Tonight!
Well, tonight’s the night, the beginning of a new term of Glasgow acting classes at the Acting Coach Scotland studio in Queen St. What started off as just a few hours a week has turned into a full-time operation and we’re excited that another 16 students will come through the doors this evening to discover acting, some for the very first time.
But why do people want to act? What is it that compels them to become actors, or equally, directors, writers, composers etc…
I suppose there’s some obvious factors, if you are successful movie or television actor, you get good money and a quota of fame. This is all very nice but if it’s your only reason for getting into acting, most of you, and I say MOST, not ALL, will be disappointed because most actors earn a pitiful amount, scrape a living and go hungry between jobs and are only remembered for that funny commercial they did once.
That’s painting it rather black, I appreciate.
But why else then?
Well, I suppose I hear a lot of people saying they always wanted to try it, or they were good at it at school and they want to ‘get back into it’ – that amuses me because most were never actors professionally, but since they did it once in school, they are now ‘getting back into it’ – no one would dream of saying ‘I dissected a frog at school, I’d love to get back into surgery’, but that’s of course not the point.
They experienced something in school, something special, that made them feel special, something that gave them a buzz, a sense of joy, perhaps even elation. Now they want it back, or they want more of it. And let’s face it, it’s a lot better than being an accountant or working in Sainsbury’s/Walmart (for the most part) in terms of enjoyment.
Many of us are compelled. We try to ignore it, we try to make it go away, we try to hide it, we become good at other things and we do those things, although we keep our headshots up to date and still remember the excitement of live performance or being on camera.
Whatever your reason, it’s exciting that you want to experience acting, don’t forget to find a reputable acting teacher, preferably someone who doesn’t charge the earth…
Good Luck Tonight if you’re joining our acting classes in Glasgow, or if you’re out there anywhere in the world starting an acting class or going back to it 
)
Gatekeepers: A Secret about the Acting Industry
Anyone can act. I know it pisses actors off to hear that, because we all want to be special, but it is my sincerest belief that anyone can do it. Not everyone can do it as well as everyone else, and quite often some people are predisposed to excellence in a particular field due to ‘an accidental gathering together of molecules and atoms’ as Sean O’Casey has one of his characters say in Juno and the Paycock.
Now, I’m not suggesting that anyone, or everyone SHOULD act. But I am saying it’s possible for anyone to learn the basic skills and put them into action However, it is a unique set of characteristics and criteria that make that person able to become a professional actor.
It takes a lot more than the ability to kick a ball to become a professional soccer player. It is a particular combination of skills and personality (character) to produce someone that can play professionally. Some people just have it, some people do not. Most people that are excellent are obsessive, there’s little real ‘effortless’ success. Obsession means hours, weeks, months and years of practice. So even if you’re gifted, it takes obsession and character to take you to the position of being worthy, but then you have to be lucky too.
Likewise, the actor needs more than just the capacity to ‘play’ to be an actor. They need obsession, practice, luck and character, and most of all, will. The desire to succeed no matter what. Most of the actors that I know that didn’t give up after being rejected found success and those that were instantly successful probably gave up when they found the going went tough. It is the strugglers, or should I say – the grafters that make it.
In order to become a professional actor, you must combine ‘a talent to amuse’ along with certain aspects of character that will ensure success. These characteristics are personal, but all are learnable with time, effort, experience and the capacity to organise oneself sufficiently.
But here’s the secret, if anyone can act, and if the rest is learnable? Won’t everyone become actors in an already tiny marketplace. No, because the gatekeepers will keep you out.
The secret is that the industry has many gatekeepers meant to trip up those that aren’t going to make it. But I believe that it usually only favours the instantly fabulous and forgets the struggler, the grafter, the one that has the character to succeed. I remember a friend of mine Kirstin, who auditioned for an acting course and was knocked back by the gatekeepers, so she took a different route, and now is an award winning actress. Why? Because her will to succeed was stronger than any gatekeeper’s will to keep her out. Kick the doors in. As Hannibal (the one with the elephants, not George Peppard) said ‘We’ll find a way, or we’ll make one.’ If you want to succeed, this must become your new motto.
Gatekeepers include Drama Schools, Agents, Producers, Creative Programmers, Directors, Committees, Panels, Casting Directors, Actors and actors that didn’t make it, university lecturers (not to be confused with the former) and of course, acting teachers.
Now I don’t think that everyone should become an actor. Just like everyone could learn to fly a plane but not everyone will or should become a pilot. But it shouldn’t be the gatekeepers that decide our future for us.
The real secret is that the industry will always, at all times, try to protect itself from the hordes, the barbarians at the gates, the thousands of people that want to make it in the business.
My advice is: patience is a virtue, and time brings the gates tumbling down.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
The Skills of the Actor
I recently spent two full days working intensively with a client on the basics of acting. We broke the training down into the elements that I feel are necessary for an actor to excel in and habituate, it is the craft, it is our craft:
* Discerning from the script what is actable and what clues from the script should be acted upon.
* Harvesting from the script clues to the given imaginary circumstances.
* The capacity to work off your scene partner, to act and react, within the truth of the moment.
* Technical skils of voice, movement, an understanding of performing ’style’, and the professional skills necessary to act for stage, television, film and new media.
* Lastly the ability to connect to the script and the situation of the character.
Of course, I appreciate that traditional actor training has more components and if I taught a full course, it would certainly include more, but it wouldn’t include anything to do with character, because it’s unnecessary.
I don’t say that to be controversial. I don’t say that because I am not aware of character based training, I have trained in many of them and read the books of their master practitioners, I don’t say that ‘cos Mamet says so’, but because my experience, and this week’s work demonstrates that truthful, engaging, captivating performance can be delivered without it.
And as my intensive student goes off to Los Angeles to work with his agent on adding more acting work to his career, I feel confident that he takes with him, the seeds of the professional skills his acting career will need to blossom.
The Craft of the Actor
It’s a new year, a fresh start… and it’s time to start taking a fresh look at your profession.
Despite living in a quick-fix world, our profession does not support this kind of culture. The profession of the actor is one of the apprentice and one of the craftsm’n. The craft cannot be taught in a few minutes, a few hours, weeks or even months. Whilst training may only take a limited amount of time,the craft of the actor requires the acquirement of skill, expertise, knowledge and experience which takes the actor from the position of an apprentice – someone learning on the job, to the position of master craftsm’n. To learn the craft of the actor takes a significant amount of time, it needs both professional and life experience.
The craft of the actor is learnable. It is a discovering and developing a set of skills that will eventually allow you to effortlessly perform a task, just like the craftsm’n. Of course, a knack for your craft will probably help you to move faster in your learning at the beginning of your career, but acceleration will eventually slow right down. In the end, it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Craft requires constant work and unfortunately since most actors are out of work a lot of the time, they cannot get enough time on the job in order that they properly learn the craft of acting sufficiently.
Too quickly come the shortcuts, the basics are not well-learned, the technique still feels awkward, stiff and difficult to apply. You must spend your years working on the associated skills and knowledge of the craft, but it will take much longer to gain mastery of language, action, nuance and your own vulnerability. It takes years to learn to remove the layers of self-protection, self-doubt, self-conscious, to get out of your own way significantly enough that you can reveal yourself to the role and to the audience. That’s the greatest challenge of the actor’s craft, not to create a clever character, or out-think the writer, but to reveal youself, without barriers. That’s the real craft of the actor.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2009
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Recent Posts
- Tackling Talent: Part 2 with ACS Assistant Coach Ian Watt
- Tackling Talent: Part 1 – A Guest Blog from ACS Assistant Coach Karli Evans
- Know your Job
- Finding Fulfilment
- Do NOT Let the Director Near the Lighting Board
- A Few Good Resources
- The Wood for the Trees
- Lessons from Sandy…
- Making Excuses
- I don’t trust Acting Schools
- Advice to the Advancing Acting Student
- New Glasgow Acting Classes Begin Tonight!
- Gatekeepers: A Secret about the Acting Industry
- The Skills of the Actor
- The Craft of the Actor