First off, I would like to express my joy at the fact that Kostya was finally able to return to his lessons. That was a great relief on my part.
Secondly, I dreaded this chapter just from it's title. Objectives and tactics are hard things for me to accomplish; I can unit a script well enough, but once I need to figure out what my character wants and how they are going to get it, then I am in trouble. But comparing units to a turkey? Really? It kind of made sense, actually; especially the sauce part. I guess that sometimes people need weird analogies to help them better understand things. Hey, whatever floats your boat, man.
I liked when the director said "the mistake most actors make is that they think about the result instead of about the action that must prepare it." This is immensely true and I know that I am guilty of doing that often. Studying Shakespeare with Professor Fiebig has really helped me step away from that; since he uses Stanislavski's way of uniting and objectifying a script. It provides helpful insight into the mind of your character(s).
**I apologize for the hint of cynacism in this blog. I fear that I am beginning to fall asleep.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteYour monologue ended up being a solid, though very “safe” audition piece with a number of physical shifts, but not a lot of emotional depth or investment. This is going to be a struggle for you moving forward as an actor, but I think you can do it.
Specific notes:
-There are several places where you “self indicated” your actions such as “Here on my knee” and “pour in waters” and “worship the sun.” Your physical actions here matched exactly what you were saying, which actually weakens your approach to both physicality and clarity.
-Emotional connection – believable love for both the Countess and Bertram – lacked throughout.
-Lost imagery.
-Your approach to Helena’s age and youthfulness is good.
-Divide your thoughts up into even smaller bits.
-Often, you tighten your jaw and facial mask, so words sound and look pinched.
The second time you did your piece, I notice four key areas that you’ll want to address:
-Speed: slow down, hit each thought and emphasis fully
-Emotional investment: this is related to stakes not being high enough.
-Clarity of thought
-Informality of status: even though you’re declaring your love, you’re doing so as a servant to her mistress
Your journal to this point has been solid and thoughtful.