Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Outrageously Awful Acting Tips Brought to Light

By Anne Davenport Rosario


Acting tips are everywhere. You've likely heard more than your fair share. Have you remembered or tried to use many of them? There are lots of different people offering acting advice, especially on the internet. The problem is not all the information you get is worthwhile. This article will demonstrate some bad acting tips you may have read. Do not follow these bad acting lessons.

When you get started in acting, it is tricky to know who to listen too. Fortunately there are lots of knowledgeable actors eager to share their experiences. My own personal acting journey has shown me which acting coaches offer good information. Good acting advice is found in authors like Audition by Michael Shurtleff. I have read, studied and practiced acting, and I can tell you what advice is not worth listening too.

Have you seen acting tips regarding script memorization? As an actor, your concern should not be memorizing dialogue. You should concern yourself on why the character is saying what he is saying. What does the character want? What is he feeling when he is speaking? How does he influenced by the other characters? The audition process is not about looking for a person who can memorize lines. You want to rehearse with the script. But no director will chastise you for improvising some of the lines. Your performance is what counts, not how well you committed the script to memory. Cedric Hardwicke hints at this when he said "When [actors] are talking, they are servants of the dramatist. It is what they can show the audience when they are not talking that reveals the fine actor."

Tips regarding your reactions are often bad advice. Of course you want to react to other characters, but you don't want to plan your reactions. Have you ever seen someone overact and take note how ruins the moment? Over acting with fake body language is hammy acting. For example, Harry Pachon mentions that Spanish TV has quite a bit of overacting. Acting theory says you should employ techniques like sense memory accurately portray the emotions of you character. You will react without thinking using this skill. You don't want to plan ahead for body language. Darise Error writes that mugging screams, "Hey, look at me. See how funny I am."

The above are examples of low quality acting tips. But there are credible acting materials available to you. ActingScenes.com is one example of a good acting resource. There are free scripts you can download and practice for class work or perhaps even duet acting competitions. There is a free method acting ebook based on the teachings of Constantin Stanislavski. Method acting teaches you exercises like the breakfast drink to help you improve your concentration, eliminate stage fright and develop as an actor.




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