Farmer Acting is Storytelling

1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-0-9891220-7-8
Verlag: Timber Creep Productions, LLC
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 127 Seiten

Acting is Storytelling is the definitive approach to the organic acting technique.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Farmer, Ken

Leseproben

CHAPTER 2 - THE BACK STORY

With the old methods, styles, systems and approaches, far too much emphasis is placed upon intellectual analysis; the analysis or interpretation of the story and the analysis or interpretation of the character; what's the subtext, what did the writer mean, what are my character's obstacles, what does my character want, who's helping the character, what is the character's objective, etc, etc. Every step the actor takes toward intellectualizing the story or the character, takes him one step away from the story or the character. You don't think about acting, you feel it. If the heart is empty, then the head doesn't matter. Most actors analyze too much and create too little. It is better to eat your soup than to speculate on it.

RIGHT BRAIN, LEFT BRAIN:

It is generally understood today about the function of our brain; the left side is the analytical or logic (linear) side and the right side is the creative or abstract side. The left is usually jealously dominant and will suppress the right whenever possible. The moment the actor starts to "think", 'what's my objective', 'what's the objective of the scene', 'if', 'what's the subtext', 'what's my next line', etc., he automatically and axiomatically smothers his creativity. Most people's brains have a great difficulty in transferring information from one side to the other. The thinking side (left) is always ego based and is the side used when we try to "interpret or analyze"; the actor must learn to ignore the "ego" and allow the creativity to rise to the surface. "It is only when we lose all awareness of the 'self', that the character becomes alive." -(James Caan)5 The left side is only used in preparation while it is the right side that is used in performing.

DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION:

"Dramatic interpretation is a byproduct of knowing. For this reason, interpretation is a result, not a cause."6 When the actor knows the story and has created his character, interpretation will always take care of itself. Again: interpretation is a byproduct of knowing. The actor must read and reread the script (preferably aloud), many times as an observer, an observer, not as a participant, paying no more attention to one character than another, to fully understand and know the story and its sequence of events; all stories have a sequence of events with a beginning, middle and an end. (Anthony Hopkins has stated that he reads a script up to 500 times before beginning to work on his character.) Once the story and the sequence of events is understood, and only then, can the actor begin the work on the character's BACK STORY.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTORS:

As previously mentioned, the actor starts with the given circumstances as supplied by the author and himself for his foundation. Back in 1985, when I was shooting "Silverado", I was told by Mark Kasdan, co-writer of the screen play, that "Writers create opportunities for actors, we supply the bones or frame of the character and it is up to the actor to create the flesh, blood, skin, hair, eyes and teeth and to breathe life into the character and make him unique.

Writers have neither the time, inclination nor the space to lay out a character for the actor. If we did, a normal movie script (120 to 140 pages) would be longer than "War and Peace". That's why we cast actors who can create their character based upon their understanding of the story." "Don't ask me what I meant to express with my stories, ask yourself what they mean to you." - Eugene O'Neill

THE CREATIVE PROCESS:

The BACK STORY initiates the creative process of the actor (all creativity starts with impulse. "Imagination and creativity are guests that do not like to visit lazy people." - Tchaikowski) The actor creates (in writing) a complete biography of the character from birth up to the time the story takes place as well as a psychological profile. It is not mandatory to apply terms as sanguine, choleric, melancholy, phlegmatic, Type A or Type B, etc., although it can be helpful; it may also be beneficial to look up the astrological profile and the tendencies from the birth date (which, of course the actor usually has to create). Primarily the actor should be interested in what the character is like or what makes him tick. What are his goals, what are his desires, wants and needs in his life. What are his mores, habits, manners, lifestyle and values. What interesting things have happened to him in his life that makes him unique? How does he respond and deal with conflict, crisis, fear and love and why. (Commonplace is not interesting) He must even create anticipation or dread of future events for the character; what is the character looking forward to (or dreading), what goals (specifically) has he set for himself in his life, what does he anticipate is going to happen to him. "Always give the character a secret that only he knows." - Katharine Hepburn. And I have added: Always give your character a secret he knows about the other character(s) that the other character(s) doesn't know he knows.

FROM WITHIN TO WITHOUT:

Expression moves from within to without or to say it another way, as within, so without. To quote Dion Boucicault, "The Art of Acting", "… the study of character should be from the inside; not from the outside! Great painters, I am told, used to draw a human figure in the nude form, and, when they were proposing to finish their pictures, to paint the costumes; then the costumes came right. That is exactly how an actor ought to study his art. He ought to paint his character in the nude form and put the costume on the last thing." 7 You don't build a house from the outside, you must first design and construct the frame and the last thing you do is paint it. "Always work from the inside out; if you work from the outside in, all you have is a dry husk." - Meryl Streep8. A character is a blank canvas upon which the actor paints all of the emotions, details, fantasy memories and characteristics at his command. The actor is the brush: emotions are the colors; the character is the canvas.

NOBLE WILLINGHAM:

Recently I attended a function for Noble Willingham, who was running for a seat in the U. S. Congress. In visiting with Noble, I remarked how much I liked his performance as General Tayler in "GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM" and he commenced to tell the story of how he got the part. (Noble is a great storyteller). He was called in to read ( along with every other actor his age in Hollywood) for the director, Barry Levinson, and after the usual small talk, Levinson asked if he was ready to read and Nobel said, "No"; Levinson looked rather confused and Nobel continued, "I'm not going to read, but I do want to tell you about this guy".

Nobel began to tell the life story of the character, from birth to his current tour in Nam, his entire life, and when he finished, He asked Levinson, "Now, do you still want me to read?" Levinson replied, "No,… I don't think that will be necessary". Fifteen minutes after Nobel left Levinson's office, his agent called and told him he was booked for the part. Nobel had done his research and created the entire Back Story before he went in and had such a clear visualization of the character that there was no need to read the dialogue. Ahh,…. the value of the Back Story.

Research is, sadly, one of the most neglected factors in creating a BACK STORY. Many student actors feel they can "get by" on charm or wit, grit and bull shit (this is just pure laziness). This attitude becomes habit and the easiest way to change a habit is not to inhibit or abandon it but to replace it. Changing a habit does not begin with a conscious choice to restrict your body from responding in its old natural way, but to seek out or design new habit patterns for your character and make a conscious choice to replace the old with the new. The old habits remain within your own personality and the new habits are ingrained in your character, but horrors of horrors, it does require some effort and work.

COMPLETE CHARACTERS:

In order to create a complete character, you must research and look for or create new habit patterns for the character; even if it is only seeking out and talking to the type of character you have to create. I was cast to play the part of an attorney in a "Dallas" episode back in the '80's and I went to an attorney friend of mine and asked him about being an attorney, from an attitude standpoint.

He said, "Just act like you know everything". That simple piece of research formed the basis of my character's BACK STORY. It is not always that simple; what if you had to portray a blind person, a doctor, a paraplegic, a policeman; (I even attended a "Citizen's Police Academy", to learn procedures and...