Key Student Notes: Actor Training 2/07/2016

Peter Valentino Key Student Notes: Actor Training

Get a monologue and practice it for class!

“Yes and…” drill:

  • “Yes and” is a positive connotation, “Yes BUT…” is a negative connotation.
  • Always look for the specificity of your scene partners dialogue and ideas.
  • Look to create a new thread off the previous idea or sentence. Continuously making the conversation and dialogue travel to new places and ideas.
  • Don’t reiterate the previous ideas and dialogue, always look for the opportunity to travel somewhere new.
  • Decide the relationship and status between you and your scene partner. Then build around and within the proximity of your two characters.
  • Try to avoid questions and any negative conversation hinderer. Further the conversation forward and make it travel into something new and imaginary.Some specific notes from Peter’s analysis after Actors perform their scenes (Saturday 2/6/2016):
  • Watch out being like the other actor. Drop any preconceptions of how the scene was portrayed on the screen. You are a unique individual who can bring a new expression to a scene. Use the breath.
  • Watch out for “just” reading the script. Don’t read through your scene partner. They are a human being and you are talking to them. And remember that this is real life. Can your scene be interpreted as “Real Life?”
  • Work the escalation. Play it with instinct.
  • Once you’ve resonated with the emotion, don’t drop off the cliff and into a whole new thing. In real life emotions don’t just drop off and morph into a new thing in an instance. Blend it, find the levels and feel everything out. The breath can help with this process.
  • Don’t just be the character. Think like them. Breathe like them. How is their psyche and thought process in the moment?
  • What is the moment before? Get into it.
  • Speed up your dialogue and expressive actions to real life, pick up the flow and let it take you.
  • American actors need to spend more time on diction and articulation.
  • Work in the mirror. Videotape yourself.
  • Find the antithesis. Find the polarity. Find the emotional reciprocal: where does your emotional charges switch, find it, then blend it into real life.
  • Give legs to your ideas and psyche, trust your instincts. Let it travel and enjoy the ride.
  • Your wardrobe helps you get into the character. What you wear is a projection.
  • The script is something that gets people talking, the actor plays the human and makes the magic.