Techniques? Tips? Things to do?

[rhys]

Hey, i want to try out some of the acting techniques and stuff. I'm bored and considering becoming an actor, but really am not sure where to start.

By the way, there is an acting/directing forum? AWESOME!!!

[Zacatac927]

run around having an Australian accent..... oh wait, you do... ok

try out for theater, they teach you techniques of projecting you vioce, but they don't tell you how to have emotion...

just go with the flow, ask people if they think you're a good actor

[Mr.Anderson]

Don't over or under project emotion. People either seem to be too timid or overact when they're supposed to be angry or happy. The thing to remember is, you're a human being, you know what its like to be angry. So look at yourself from that view first to make sure you are acting in a realistic way. Then, start creating the differences your character might have from you. But start with yourself.

But as for getting into acting, sign up for drama classes at school. Get into local theater. But always always allllways remember, if you are gonna go from stage to screen, you will have to tone yourself down. The stage will teach you some methods for acting, I mean I've been in some plays, but, basically you have to overact so that people in the audience can hear you and see from you body language what you are feeling. With film it is much much more subtle and revolves much more around the face and expression.

[rhys]

Fair enough. I already do drama classes and stuff.

[Knightly]

Find something physical to do that makes sense for the character and the scene...Make a pot of coffee while delivering your lines, whatever. Know your lines back and forth, so you don't have to spend time recalling them in the moment, they just happen...then use them as REACTIONS to events around you in the scene. I work alot with non-actors...some of the best shot's I've gotten from them are when they think they camera isn't rolling.

One scene in particular, I had a scene with a boss and an employee. I needed to demonstrate that they had a good working relationship/friendship but that she was frustrated by being interupted. Off camera (camera still rolling, I whispered to him to just keep repeating her name like a child trying to get their parent's attention. The scripted lines were:

BOSS
Jacky...

JACKY
What, can't you see that I'm busy?

So I started working with her on her physical activities that she would be doing, the other guy was horsing around a bit...I told her to ignore him while we were working on this...then cued him and stepped out of frame...the result?

http://www.sticktowhatyouknow.com/knightly/what.mov

I had her keep that in mind when we ran the scene again (unfortunatley, people laughed in the Background or I would've used that take...cause it was real). Creating tension between characters is helpful too...in an emotional scene, tell the submissive personality to take control by not letting the other actor see their eyes...tell the dominant personality to deliver their big line while looking directly into the other actor's eyes...they will struggle for control of the eyeline and a subtext of control will be created that is wonderfully unspoken.

I never tell actors to walk somewhere...I give them destination actions. If I tell them to walk over to the table and pick up a pen and walk back to set it down here...they will "ACT" that whole thing out...we don't want acting, we want reality. I ask them to Write something down...if their character is a bit flighty, I won't tell them where I've put the pen, if they are more together, I'll point to the pen when telling them to write stuff...they will get up naturally, walk over naturally, pick up the pen naturally, come back naturally, then act like they are writing something.

[DEDFX]

You want to become a vampire, stuntman, dramatic actor, oh RHYS....

[rhys]

lol, whats that supposed to mean?
Thanks knightly that will help.