There is always someone who can stand on stage and steal the show. He is such a good actor that he drags you into his own world and leaves you on the edge of your seat. Read on to find out how to be a great actor or actress and show strong emotions that will captivate your audience.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Prepare for the role
Step 1. Read the entire script 2 to 3 times
You have to know the whole play or movie well, not just your character. Actors exist to drive the broader theme and plot of a movie. If you don't understand the general themes and ideas of the script, your performance will seem out of place. As you read the script, ask yourself what the main theme of the play is. How does your character fit into the story?
Once you understand the whole story, focus on your parts and read them 1 or 2 more times, focusing on your character's paper and lines
Step 2. Ask several key questions about your character and answer them
To really get into your character, you have to dive beyond what's on the page and start thinking about what motivates it. This does not mean that all of that will be seen on screen, but knowing these little facts will help you fully play the character and can lead to important discoveries about how you will play the role. When coming up with "answers," trust your instincts or ask the director or writer for help.
- Who I am?
- Where am I from?
- Because I am here?
Step 3. Know the desire that defines your character
Every character in almost every story wants something. This is the basis of the plot. The wish may be to save the world, get a date, or just eat something, but you have to know this wish and why your character has it in order to interpret it accurately. All of your character's actions will somehow originate from this desire as it is what drives and animates him.
- A character's wishes can change and you have to take note when this happens. It is almost always an important scene or moment to perform.
- As an exercise, try to distinguish the wishes of your favorite characters or actors. In Bloody Oil, for example, the main character is completely driven by the need to find more oil. Every action, look and emotion flows from this endless and passionate greed, and you can see it on the face of actor Daniel Day-Lewis in every scene.
Step 4. Practice your lines until they become instinctive action
You should never have to stop and think about what you are going to say. You should be more concerned with how you are going to say it. The only way to get to this point is to practice your lines over and over again, doing your best to recite them without consulting the script. Ask a friend to play the rest of the roles so that you can have a two-way conversation realistically.
- Experiment with the lines as you read them. Try them in multiple ways with different inflections or emphasis and see how they affect your character.
- Recording yourself and watching the recording later can help you see small mistakes or hear new ways to recite the lines.
- Focus on learning the lines first before worrying about perfecting them. You should be able to recite the words now and only then make them perfect.
Step 5. Talk to the director about his vision for the character
If you've already been given the role, sit down with the director to see if there are any specific directions in which he wants to take the project. Briefly let him know your ideas about the character and how you think they will contribute to the project themes, then listen to his ideas. Remember that you are there to serve the project as a whole, not just yourself, so you need to be able to accept ideas and constructive criticism gallantly.
If you haven't been cast yet and are going to audition, choose a direction for the character and stick with it. Don't try to give people what they want to hear. Instead, read the notes and prepare the lines in the way that feels natural to you
Step 6. Put yourself in your character's shoes
You can't properly portray a character unless you can get into his head. Although the words are written, your actions and positions are not always decided. Also, knowing your character well will help you improvise if someone forgets their lines. Preparing for a role is the process of getting inside your character's head, embodying him in the best possible way.
- Method acting is when an actor refuses to get out of character on set. Between takes, he stays within the role, trying to fully inhabit it so that he is always perfect when playing the role in front of the camera.
- Find the parts of the paper that you identify with. Have you felt the emotions your character goes through? Do you know a little about their fight? Find ways to channel your emotions into your character lines for the best results.
Method 2 of 3: Play Credible Characters
Step 1. Commit to your papers
As an actor, it is not your job to rewrite the script so that you are "nicer" or to judge the script or the character and play a version of yourself instead. It's your job to play a character who could credibly inhabit the world of the movie, play, or television series. Just like the writer, director, cameraman, etc., you have to work as part of a larger, more consistent group to create a good show.
- Don't be ashamed of something your character does because ultimately it's just acting. If you hold back in a disgusting, violent, sexual, or emotionally difficult scene, you only end up alienating the audience and coming off as "unrealistic."
- The best actors fully commit to their roles. Have you ever wondered why Tom Cruise is still an action star? It's because he never plays a script by winking, joking, or half asleep. She always has great energy and commitment, even in crazy or comical situations.
- Committing to a role means doing whatever it takes to play your character realistically, not doing what makes you, the actor, look better.
Step 2. Learn to react
While not everyone agrees that acting is reacting, it is still an important thing to consider while learning about acting. This means that you have to work on your reaction rate in any given acting situation. Really focus on the other actor's lines, listening carefully to them as you would anyone else's conversation in "real life." You must answer honestly, in your character's voice, even if you are not the main attraction in the scene.
- Stay in the moment. Don't try to start thinking about the next scene or agonize over whether you said your lines properly in the previous scene.
- For a funny example, look at Charlie Day on the series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Even when he's not speaking, his brows, eyes, and fingers move rapidly, fully engaging with his character's insane and unpredictable energy.
Step 3. Think about consistent posture
It's important to remember that something as small as a precise posture for your role can make a big difference. Not only does it make you look more confident but it will also make you feel more confident because it will force you to stand with your head held high. If your character is weak or lean, hunch your shoulders and stay away from others. If you are heroic, stand up straight with your chest and head held high.
Step 4. Use your rhythm and volume to dictate the energy of a scene
When reciting lines, it's tempting to do it as fast as you can, but this is a surefire way to lose the nuance in your role. Instead, let your pace and volume mimic your character's internal state.
- Nervous or scared characters often speak quickly, causing words to fly.
- Angry characters raise their voices and may speak more slowly (to emphasize something) or more quickly (when they are overflowing with anger).
- Happy or excited characters tend to speak at an even volume or raise the volume as the speech continues. They speak quickly.
- A variety of rhythm and volume depending on the scene is a great way to show how characters change or react to certain events.
Step 5. Play with the emphasis on your lines
Think about the subtext of each line and emphasize accordingly. Think of emphasis as the most important word or phrase in the sentence. It may not sound important, but emphasis can play a huge role in whatever you say. "Tea love to you "has a different connotation than" I love you to you", for instance.
This is another place where famous actors can help you practice. Search online for an old script for a movie you haven't seen, then pick a character and try a couple of interpretations of the lines. When you watch the movie, compare how the actor chose to recite the lines. There is no correct answer here, but this may help you notice the subtleties of the emphasis
Step 6. Respect the script
Unless you are given permission to do so or are briefly improvising a word or two, stick to the script as much as possible. You may not be sure if there is a connection to another line or scene or if a director likes the exact way a line is recited for one reason or another. If in doubt, always obey the script. Someone will tell you if they want you to improvise or veer off to something different.
Step 7. Keep your scores constant
Bearings are the places where you move and where you stand in a scene. Once you have established the markings with the director, do not change them. Work on standing on exactly the same bearing in every take, rehearsal, or scene. This facilitates continuity and helps the rest of the cast and crew to properly plan their own jobs.
This is especially crucial on filmed projects, as identical markings allow an editor to cut fluidly between different takes without the audience noticing
Step 8. Ignore the camera or the public
Noticing, acknowledging, or reacting to your audience is the fastest way to get out of character. In most cases, the characters don't know they're in a play or movie, and neither should you. This comes with practice, but a good way to prepare is to simply stand in front of a camera. When you notice it or feel that you are being watched, don't react to that feeling.
- Many experienced casts and crews will not make eye contact with you while you perform, knowing that it is a natural human tendency to respond to that eye contact. Try to help your co-workers by doing the same while they are working and you are taking a break.
- Be aware of the things you do when you are nervous. Avoid playing with your hair, hiding your hands in your sleeves, or shuffling your feet. Instead, deal with your nerves by taking a deep breath and drinking some water.
Method 3 of 3: Perfect Your Craft
Step 1. Investigate human behavior through conversations and books
To play a diverse selection of people, you have to meet a diverse selection of people. When meeting new people, do your best to be quiet and listen. Ask them about their lives and their stories, take note of how they speak and any jargon they use, and allow yourself to be a sponge. Reading helps you see the same concepts in action and actually activates the same part of your brain that is activated when you act.
You should also do research specific to your role. If it's based on a specific person or time, find out as much as you can. These small pieces of information will be incorporated into your interpretation, even if only subconsciously
Step 2. Observe and re-observe the actors you admire
When you watch someone perform, let yourself be carried away by the scene the first time, watching it as you would any other movie. Then replay the scene, paying specific attention to each actor separately. What do they do when they don't speak? How do they recite their lines? What is your body position and posture like and what movements do you use to sell your lines?
- Would you recite the same lines differently? If so, how?
- Classics, like Shakespeare's, are a great way to see the art of acting. Watch, for example, 5 different actors perform the same Hamlet monologue. How do they differ? What artistic decisions does each actor make to make the character unique?
Step 3. Take acting classes
These classes often end in a production or presentation and are a great way to practice acting in a low pressure environment. Take notes not only from the teacher but also from the other students. What can you learn from them? How would you improve his way of reciting the lines? Would you make different decisions for the character? Try to befriend your fellow actors and take the time to ask them for advice on your acting.
You never know when a fellow actor will be successful and could help you land a role. Be nice and friendly to everyone in the class; it will bring you great benefits later on
Step 4. Take improv classes
Improvisation is the art of acting in the present, letting your character take command and reacting accordingly. Having improv skills will help your characters appear natural, as if they are actually reacting to events on the screen in real time and not reading from a page. There are many improv classes available in most urban and semi-urban areas, and many acting classes contain at least a small part of improv training.
Improv games, such as acting out tips from friends, acting out with strange props, or acting out short scenes with a friend, are great ways to practice acting anywhere
Step 5. Practice the "cold readings" so that you do very well in your auditions
A cold read is when you are handed a script and asked to act it out at the same time. Sometimes you are given 1 or 2 minutes to review it and sometimes you just have to jump right in. While this is scary, it is also very easy to practice. Buy a book of monologues, choose excerpts from a book, or even take a dramatic article from the newspaper and read it aloud. You can also read it once silently and then take 20-30 seconds to choose a direction for the piece before you begin.
This is also a good warm-up exercise, helping you prepare your mind and body for the performance
Advice
- Try to imagine the script and the emotions as if they were real life. Relate it to your life or someone else's.
- Recite your lines to yourself in a mirror. See how you look and your hand gestures and then make changes to better fit the scene and the character.
- Be passionate about what you do. If you like something, don't be afraid to show it.
- Read all the good books you can find. When you read a story, you are forced to imagine how a character would react. In the long run, you will become so good at imagining these actions that you will be able to copy them in a way that seems natural. Soon you will be able to go through the same process of imagining and doing when reading a script.
- Respect and pay attention to your stage manager and your director.
- Remember: use your whole body to show your feelings, not just your voice.