An Actors Playhouse: BUILDING YOUR ROLE

Friday, 2 September 2016

I have heard a lot of actors say that the action and the plot is more important than the character. They believe that the character is just a tool to achieve the goal of the story using actions and reactions.

In my opinion, that notion is totally wrong.

Without characters there is no story and no action. The story can only be told by characters, whether it's an animal or a chair. The chair is a character if that is what the story requires. It could be an old rocking chair that can transform into a house. The chair that will be used must be old and must be a rocking chair, these are the characteristics of the chair.

If the important thing in another story is a bird, it could be a red, angry bird. So the filmmaker knows to find a bird that is red and can be angry. That bird is the important character that can tell the filmmakers story.

Usually, most films require human beings to tell their stories. Without these beings there is really no story. Space and time cannot tell a story they can only provide time lapse, unless it's a documentary with a voice over.

For the purpose of film and acting, every actor should know that his role is the most crucial in the story telling process.

A role played by 5 different people will be portrayed in 5 different ways because people have different personalities. They cry in different ways, express anger in different ways, laugh in different ways even run in different ways.

So it is important for the actor to

Study his own expressions
Try out different expressions
Understand the emotional demands for each scene and practice them
Pick up the mannerisms for the role that can be different from what he is used to
Find a movement, habit or expression that can run as a common thread in the film to help identify his role easily
Understand the importance of his job
Know how to create a CHARACTER BIBLE
Believe in the character he has created
Become the character
Deliver the best character ever.

It is important to understand the script, the relationships within, your character and its role within the plot, the pace, space and time of each scene, the modulation of emotions and its clarity, the expectations of the director.

With these, you are on your way to building your Role.

In the next article I will take you through the fastest way to create a CHARACTER BIBLE.

Thank you for stopping by.

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An Actors Playhouse

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Friday, 2 September 2016

BUILDING YOUR ROLE

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