Any actor interested in studying the Meisner technique should explore what's known as the actors instrument. Making a comparison between acting and an instrument is helpful in categorizing aspects of the acting craft and what makes a good actor. Even the most inexperienced audience knows when acting is good or not, simply by how engaged they are in the material being presented. It may also just be a sense of something not coming across in the right way. They can also sense when an actors instrument is not well developed, because they don't "believe" the character portrayal.
There are six aspects to consider when looking at the actors instrument. Those elements include emotional expression, sensory expression, physical expression, empathy and intelligence. Mastering the craft of acting with the Meisner Technique requires that all six aspects of the instrument are well developed. Many actors have mastered many of the six aspects of their instrument and audiences can identify with and respond to those the most. Legendary actors are those that have mastered all six.
Take, for example, Sylvester Stallone who is know for his commanding physical presence and physical expression. This doesn't mean that he can't express himself emotionally, it just means that his physical presence is the most developed of his acting tools. Although he is practiced at developing an emotional side of his characters, those expressions are often communicated through physical means. Actors must focus and learn about all the aspects of the acting instrument, which will help them be diverse and capable of many types of roles.
Actors often focus mainly on emotional expression, thinking it to be the most important. Obsessing about how a character feels about something and how to express it is usually the primary thing actors concentrate on. One of the most important, but certainly not the only tool to master is the emotional expression aspect of the actors instrument. All six of the aspects of the instrument should be studied diligently until they are mastered.
Meaning in a story is derived mainly from the emotional expression of its characters. It clues the audience in to what the character is about, the conflicts they face, what their deepest needs are. It is common in classes teaching Meisner acting in nyc to create an emotional history of a character, imagine it in detail and then use all the aspects of the instrument to express them. Meisner acting students are masters of human emotion, the full range and complexity of the human experience. They in fact, build a library of emotions and reactions and methods for communicating them. Specific characters can be created by delving very deep into the imagination and using the "library" of human behavior they have created. This created life, its emotions and patterns of behavior, are then drawn upon moment by moment, not in rehearsed ways, but spontaneously.
Just as an example, vulnerability can express many characteristics, from innocence to deep insecurity. Actors might work hard to develop this emotion and the complex ways it can be expressed. If the actor has also worked hard to develop other aspects of the instrument, such as imagination, sensory expression and intelligence, the complexity of emotions will be there. After all, vulnerability can be expressed through tears, or smashing something to pieces or just walking through a park. This is a subjective, creative process.
The myth is that acting is simply pretending to have an emotion. Simply reciting inflections and gestures that express certain emotions is not acting. Acting is DOING, as master teacher Sanford Meisner always said. In other words acting is being in the moment and allowing any number of emotional reactions well up and take you over and turn you into the actual character. Great acting is, moment by moment, opening up to the character and allowing them to take you places you may not have imagined. The best actors do not pretend to feel something, or coach themselves to do anything while in character. They feel genuine, strong emotions and a sense of grief or loss and images makes them cry. This process requires that an actor develop the capacity to create and feel true sensations, and then express that through all channels of their instrument. Actors must give themselves permission to feel strong emotions, and express them (or not, if the role requires it) in physical, intelligent, empathetic ways.
There are six aspects to consider when looking at the actors instrument. Those elements include emotional expression, sensory expression, physical expression, empathy and intelligence. Mastering the craft of acting with the Meisner Technique requires that all six aspects of the instrument are well developed. Many actors have mastered many of the six aspects of their instrument and audiences can identify with and respond to those the most. Legendary actors are those that have mastered all six.
Take, for example, Sylvester Stallone who is know for his commanding physical presence and physical expression. This doesn't mean that he can't express himself emotionally, it just means that his physical presence is the most developed of his acting tools. Although he is practiced at developing an emotional side of his characters, those expressions are often communicated through physical means. Actors must focus and learn about all the aspects of the acting instrument, which will help them be diverse and capable of many types of roles.
Actors often focus mainly on emotional expression, thinking it to be the most important. Obsessing about how a character feels about something and how to express it is usually the primary thing actors concentrate on. One of the most important, but certainly not the only tool to master is the emotional expression aspect of the actors instrument. All six of the aspects of the instrument should be studied diligently until they are mastered.
Meaning in a story is derived mainly from the emotional expression of its characters. It clues the audience in to what the character is about, the conflicts they face, what their deepest needs are. It is common in classes teaching Meisner acting in nyc to create an emotional history of a character, imagine it in detail and then use all the aspects of the instrument to express them. Meisner acting students are masters of human emotion, the full range and complexity of the human experience. They in fact, build a library of emotions and reactions and methods for communicating them. Specific characters can be created by delving very deep into the imagination and using the "library" of human behavior they have created. This created life, its emotions and patterns of behavior, are then drawn upon moment by moment, not in rehearsed ways, but spontaneously.
Just as an example, vulnerability can express many characteristics, from innocence to deep insecurity. Actors might work hard to develop this emotion and the complex ways it can be expressed. If the actor has also worked hard to develop other aspects of the instrument, such as imagination, sensory expression and intelligence, the complexity of emotions will be there. After all, vulnerability can be expressed through tears, or smashing something to pieces or just walking through a park. This is a subjective, creative process.
The myth is that acting is simply pretending to have an emotion. Simply reciting inflections and gestures that express certain emotions is not acting. Acting is DOING, as master teacher Sanford Meisner always said. In other words acting is being in the moment and allowing any number of emotional reactions well up and take you over and turn you into the actual character. Great acting is, moment by moment, opening up to the character and allowing them to take you places you may not have imagined. The best actors do not pretend to feel something, or coach themselves to do anything while in character. They feel genuine, strong emotions and a sense of grief or loss and images makes them cry. This process requires that an actor develop the capacity to create and feel true sensations, and then express that through all channels of their instrument. Actors must give themselves permission to feel strong emotions, and express them (or not, if the role requires it) in physical, intelligent, empathetic ways.
About the Author:
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides training for serious actors committed to improving their craft. Find out more about meisner by reading this article about actors instrument by visiting the studio website.
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