Good acting

Character trait layers-

What is good acting?

I believe that good acting is performed when a character’s feelings, thoughts and movement are made believable. The audience should be able to forget that they are watching a performance and feel the same emotions that are being portrayed on stage. Someone’s character should react truthfully to an imagined set of given circumstances. To build up every element of a role you need to know every detail about them, which includes a lot of research. For example where they live?; what’s their family background?; what relationships do they have with other characters?

When an actor comes on to a stage there should be a sense of presence. Whether or not your character has a big or small part you should use all your energy to fell every moment. When an actor is full of passion they usually get lost in their performance and concentrate in who they’re playing. Acting is a world full of rejection and so an experienced actor shows perseverance by not backing down and showing there determination to get a role. It’s driven by passion.

You don’t act a character; you have to be that character. The best actors are capable of achieving the right ‘emotional temperature’ without making an emotion to obvious or over reacting. An actors work has to be real, deep and profound. It’s important to take valuable directions from others and listen to the things you need to develop.

Why I chose this picture: As you can see it's a picture of the actor , Heath Ledger, who is known as the well-known character, 'The Joker' from Batman. He is an example of a good actor because he's able to transform an imaginary character into a realistic person. The picture shows himself and half of The Joker which is a symbol to me that as an actor you don't act a character- you BE the character. The subtlety of his creation makes it more believable for the audience and it's the actors interpretation that makes it so unique.

From watching this short clip you can see how incredibly hard this actor had to have worked to develop those gestures and movement to bring the aspect of his character to life. I fitted this into my post because it relates to every section of what to include when making your character.




What’s important about a character?

Voice:  Tone, diction, clarity, accents, tempo, pitch, projection

·          Physicality: Gestures, Body language, movement, energy,

·       Objectives: Your character will always have an aim or want for something in a scene

What makes a bad actor?

If your not listening to another character then you’re not responding, which means you can’t be reacting. How do you know what your suppose to feel or how you’re suppose to portray yourself if you’re not reacting to something. Unsuccessful actors tend to be more worried about not forgetting their lines then not acting. That’s something you can automatically hear. Don’t just say your line because you know you should or that’s what the script says, feel it. The advice I can offer is be in the moment, because for me, time slows down and I feel that I am able to play a character with a meaning to it (or flow).

Remember that you’re not the only one in the room and the audience want to be affected by your feelings. But if you’re standing tensely, face to face with someone and hiding your face then it will seem so fake and very irritating for the audience. It’s good to create a bond between a character and the audience when performing.

Think to your self would I do this action in real life? Would my character react that way? Etc..