Bryce Harrison PETER VALENTINO ACTING STUDIO Key Student Notes: Observations and Analysis 6/18/2016
– Law: In terms of acting on set during the shooting phase, your continuity must be the same every time. There are no exceptions. Every take, regardless if it is your camera angle or not, must be the same every time. Your level of desire will dictate your level of focus and devotion to this law of acting. Abide or suffer the consequences.
– The Actor must be so off book that that the script breathes out of your subconscious mind.
– Off book means you have internalized the text and you know it by heart. In other words, you are completely memorized.
– Anthony Hopkins reads the script 200 times.
– Know your lines. Know your lines. Know your lines or don’t show up. Don’t be an amateur.
– The Actor is in the pursuit of making the hypnosis real and believable for the audience. Get to work.
– The Actor is always acknowledging the proximity and material within the improvisational conversation.
– Watch out for excessive feet movement: The actors nervous dance.
– Beat changes: Transitory moments in the script. The Actor blends the breath and text through an integration that organically moves with the grain of the overall arc of the scene and story.
– The occupation of the character dictates 50% of your expression.
– Always play the status and integrate it into the text and movement of your character.
– Who’s in charge in the scene? Who has higher status? Where is the scene taking place? Why is it taking place there? Where are the beat changes? When do the emotions escalate? Trust your instincts and dive into the script with an open heart. If you believe it with all of your heart and spirit, so will the audience.
– The Actor must never be afraid to be vulnerable.
– The Actor is always working towards their dialogue being synchronized to the speed of actual life. Shorter discovery times and doing the math quickly can help in this process. Observe life and mirror it into your performance.
– Sense memory objects must be real to the Actor in a cold read.
– The Actor must find themselves discovering the proximity.
– Choices need to be spontaneous and committed. The Actor thinks on their feet.
– The Actor integrates objects into their movement and text.
– Discover the believable blocking that suits the relationship within the scene and script.
– Good acting should internally effect you. Be vulnerable and always reveal the truth.
– Your punctuation, enunciation, and articulation must be professionally sharp.
– Acting is work. Your goal is to get paid for effecting people.
– The Actor is as responsive and instinctual as an animal. Incorporate animal essences and instincts into your actor training. Humans are animals and we must be in the pursuit of unraveling all of our constructed habits that society has foisted upon us. You are as responsive and in the present moment as dog or a lion or any other animal. Animals do not contemplate death, they are in the moment and focused on what is right in front of them. Let go of all those thoughts and distractions that do not serve you in the present moment.
– Engage into actor training with full mental and physical force.