Despite the fact that Shia LaBeouf once stated that he was a "lonely dude", it is doubtful that this feeling is shared by many other actors. This statement implies that his career forces him to make sacrifices. Being "brokenhearted", he stated to The Washington Post, is an essential part of being a true actor. It is likely that there were several actors who took offense to LaBeouf's statement. However, due to the popularized concept of the "suffering artist", there were probably others who took his statement to heart.
As any commercial acting workshop that provides quality commercial acting techniques will teach you, it is impossible to be a good actor and to not be in tune with the plight of the human condition. However, there is no reason for an actor to himself suffer in order to be able to succeed in an audition. How can an actor embrace a role and explore a stereotype without becoming lost in the role?
When discussing identity and stereotypes, the term that must be discussed is distortion. Meisner training, along with other acting methods, consider distortion to be a necessary skill. All actors distort the truth, from those who are involved in dramatic films to those that perform on reality shows. If a distortion of the truth is done particularly well, it can actually make the actor see himself more clearly. This is, in reality, the job of the actor.
The Meisner method defines stereotypes as distorted views of people and their characteristics. They are, in fact, essential to creating characters. Despite this, actors have to ensure that they do not allow the stereotype to dominate the character. Even the simplest character must be more complex than a basic stereotype. The most successful actors are able to create personalities that are opposites in many ways such as a comical character who has a tragic past.
A partial use of stereotypes can help the audience to better understand your character, at least on a superficial level that can be fleshed out later on in the performance. Any character that does not demonstrate complexity at some point in the performance will quickly be dismissed as boring by the audience. In some instances, the writer may have written a character to be a stereotype as a device and, if this is case, care must be used when developing the character.
Many actors are known for their sensitivity to the human condition. Actors are people just like everyone else and can suffer just like we can. Suffering, however, does not need to occur for an actor to succeed in his craft. Success comes, instead, from continued study, passion, and dedication.
As any commercial acting workshop that provides quality commercial acting techniques will teach you, it is impossible to be a good actor and to not be in tune with the plight of the human condition. However, there is no reason for an actor to himself suffer in order to be able to succeed in an audition. How can an actor embrace a role and explore a stereotype without becoming lost in the role?
When discussing identity and stereotypes, the term that must be discussed is distortion. Meisner training, along with other acting methods, consider distortion to be a necessary skill. All actors distort the truth, from those who are involved in dramatic films to those that perform on reality shows. If a distortion of the truth is done particularly well, it can actually make the actor see himself more clearly. This is, in reality, the job of the actor.
The Meisner method defines stereotypes as distorted views of people and their characteristics. They are, in fact, essential to creating characters. Despite this, actors have to ensure that they do not allow the stereotype to dominate the character. Even the simplest character must be more complex than a basic stereotype. The most successful actors are able to create personalities that are opposites in many ways such as a comical character who has a tragic past.
A partial use of stereotypes can help the audience to better understand your character, at least on a superficial level that can be fleshed out later on in the performance. Any character that does not demonstrate complexity at some point in the performance will quickly be dismissed as boring by the audience. In some instances, the writer may have written a character to be a stereotype as a device and, if this is case, care must be used when developing the character.
Many actors are known for their sensitivity to the human condition. Actors are people just like everyone else and can suffer just like we can. Suffering, however, does not need to occur for an actor to succeed in his craft. Success comes, instead, from continued study, passion, and dedication.
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The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides quality meisner instruction. Find out more about commercial acting class in nyc by visiting the studio website.
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