Star Tip for Great Performance | 4 Rules to Observe People and Practice

An actor observes "characters" in people

You are already a great actor!

In your day to day life you perform different roles and that too, successfully! For example, when you talk to a child, your tone, language, gestures and feelings are different. But when you have to talk to your father or grandpa or your beloved or to an outsider with whom you have to get some favor or to your boss, your approach is different. You mold yourself accordingly and give a great performance. However, this is natural and there are no camera or sound or lights.

So you see, you are already an outstanding actor!
Then why can't you portray a character given  by a casting director or a director? The answer is simple.
In life, you go on acting naturally, subconsciously and as YOU! Whereas when a role is given to you, you find it difficult to transform into that character because you don't know how to get into the skin of that character.
The reason?
You have no data bank in your mind of different types of people with different attributes- for example: you might have seen a postman, a teacher, a beautiful girl, a police officer, a shop owner etc etc. But you don't remember them.
Well, though we shall be discussing various acting techniques in the subsequent posts, I'm giving below a simple and the best way to learn how to portray different characters and bring out different attitudes and emotions.

Rule 1

Always Keep a diary/ notebook and label that book as "Observation"

Rule 2

Keep your mobile with you with voice recording and video enabled below mobile screen
A binocular, if possible

Rule 3

OBSERVE

• Observe people in different walks of life, for example on the road, in a train, in a garden, in other public places and in your own house
• Observe different kind of people keenly around you and record  their types, profile, walk, posture, language, accent, attitudes, emotions. If this is not possible in a public place, just keep in mind and note down the details in your notebook.
• Easier is at your home, neighborhood or to go to a garden every day, identify one or two people and record them.

Select Different Types and Odd Types

REMEMBER- Films are the stories of life with different types of character: a thief, a police officer, a mother in law, a lover, a beggar  a pundit or a priest, a car driver, a judge and many more...

Rule 4

Practice your noted/ recorded characters every day in front of a mirror till they get imprinted in your memory. This way you can have a rich data of different characters in your memory for an instant recall when a director gives you a role.

Observing, Recording and Practicing Emotions and Attitudes in People!