Conquering hurdles
Screen acting has to look and feel real!
Here are a few tips to explain how to achieve this.
Listen and then react.
Listen to your partner, who is delivering the lines. Please do not pick up on cues! Picking up on cues makes it look artificial and unsure of your lines. Poor actors get into a rhythm of reacting in a clockwork fashion because they are waiting for that cue. Instead pick up on their feelings and emotions, a trigger, a reaction!
Be in the moment and the reaction will look and feel realistic and honest. Don’t think about the script!
Be Vulnerable
Be vulnerable. It doesn’t matter what people think. Remember, this is your chance to shine. When you are being open and completely absorbed in the emotion it looks realistic! Your instinct will try to work against this because it feels uncomfortable but for you to be a great actor, it really is important to be fully be immersed, especially in an emotional scene. You need to be vulnerable.
A winning performance!
Get good at ‘being comfortable being uncomfortable’. I know
this sounds rather confusing but let me explain.
To fully let down your barriers and expose your raw emotions that can feel really uncomfortable because it’s like 1000 eyes are intensely looking at you, waiting to criticize your every move.
Well, that is your imagination, but believe me, this is how it feels for new actors.
The audience whether it’s friends, relatives, an audience other actors are actually rooting for you and want it to be good. They want to see a raw performance and live through that emotion with you. If you can conquer this, you have a winning performance.
Practise Makes Perfect
How do you get over those initial nerves and imposter syndrome?
Well, like everything else in life you need to practise.
Practise in front of anybody that will watch you.
Go to classes, get up on stage, organise your own small performances in clubs, bars, community centres. Just keep practicing. The more you do, it will get easier and you will get better. (I will post some monologues and scripts up shortly). Practising will get you over your fears. It will make into a confident, talented actor. In the meantime if you can do what the fearless can do, then just throw yourself in at the deep end and see what comes out of the other end. You maybe surprised.
Sometimes you just need to take that chance!
Anyway, thank you for reading and there will be more acting tips from Alyson to come.
Remember, these tips are based on my experience only. Wish you all the luck in the world!
If you want to learn more, please subscribe to my email list to receive my newsletter with my blogs and posts. alysonswords@gmail.com