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| Acting techniques by legendary coaches |
These are great techniques learnt and practiced by international actors who are legendary cinema superstar celebrities
The Objective
The objective of learning these techniques is to enrich and refine your craft of acting to stay ahead of fierce Bollywood competition
Konstantin Stanislavski
The Father of Acting Techniques
Konstantin Stanislavski (1863-1963) was a Russian director and actor. To this day, he is one of the most influential figures in world theater and has influenced dozens upon dozens of actors and teachers. The umbrella term for his series of techniques is called Stanislavski's system, and the most common chunk of the system is "The method Acting." This technique asks of the actor, "What would I do if I were in the character's situation?" Basically, if whatever circumstances of the scene were happening to YOU, how would you react? This question led to the analysis of motivation and objective, both of which have become so commonplace in the theater that they are no longer a style; they are theater basics. What would you do? Why would you do it?
Sandy Meisner
Emphasis being placed on an actor's response to other people and circumstances, resulting in a specific behavior to produce an emotional, truthful performance without 'faking it'
Exercises designed by Meisner:Repetition- "In this exercise, two actors sit across from each other and respond to each other through a repeated phrase. The phrase is about each other's behavior, and reflects what is going on between them at the moment, such as "You look unhappy with me right now." The way this phrase is said as it is repeated changes in meaning, tone and intensity to correspond with the behavior that each actor produces towards the other. Through this device, the actor stops thinking of what to say and do, and responds more freely and spontaneously, both physically and vocally. The exercise also eliminates line readings, since the way the actor speaks becomes coordinated with his behavioral response."
Alexander
The Alexander Technique is a method that works to change (movement) habits in our everyday activities. It is a simple and practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and coordination. The technique teaches the use of the appropriate amount of effort for a particular activity, giving you more energy for all your activities. It is not a series of treatments or exercises, but rather a reeducation of the mind and body. The Alexander Technique is a method which helps a person discover a new balance in the body by releasing unnecessary tension. It can be applied to sitting, lying down, standing, walking, lifting, and other daily activities
Lee Strasberg
The techniques consist of recalling the circumstances, physical and personal, surrounding an intense emotional experience in the actor�s past and then prepare the character in a story.
Strasberg required that an actor, when preparing for a role, studies (or creates) not only into the character's life in the script, but also, far more importantly, into the character's life before the situation existed at the beginning of the story (which is not mentioned in the script).
Personally, I do not consider Strassberg technique is relevant in contemporary acting for films, TV or commercials
Uta Hagen
Uta Hagen (1919-2004) was an American Broadway actress and drama teacher, born in Germany.
Hagen advised actors to learn as much as possible about the character, to research everything related to the character's world. She also devised a series of exercises designed to make the actor more aware of his or her surroundings and wrote lists of questions for actors to answer ("Who am I? Where am I? What do I want? What is in my way of getting what I want?" and others).
Hagen also stressed the importance of doing rather than just standing around. People don't just stand and wait, she said in an example- They fiddle with things. They talk to themselves. They study their environments. They watch people.
In a camera setting for a film, no one should just "wait" without some type of corresponding action. For example, if you are listening to what your Co-actor is talking to you, be curious, observe, understand and respond truthfully with your emotions and physical gestures (such as with your eyes only if you cannot move your other body parts)
Above all, Hagen spoke about honesty, making choices and actions not to "show" any acting but to truly be in the moment.
Stella Adler
Stella Adler (Stanislavski disciple who studied alongside Strasberg at the Group Theatre in NY) went to Europe to study with Stanislavski, herself. Stanislavski was originally an advocate of depending on an actor's own memory experiences and substituting it to create a "character", but he realized that it was flawed.
Why? Over time, a memory can change. For example a memory that was once traumatized as a kid is now a silly memory. Stella said Strasberg was wrong and formed her branch of American Method. Her version focuses more on imagination and
doesn't use past memory in actor's own past life and substitution in creating a "character". You use your imagination to be the character and create the environment. Robert DeNiro, and Marlon Brando were from this school.
Michael Chekhov approach
Michael Chekhov was a student of Stanislavsky�s; his teaching focused on opening the subconscious through external, physical practice. As opposed to �substituting� one�s own father for the father in a scene, or using �affective memory� to personalize the relationship, he advocated creating a fictional father through the use of �archetype� and imagination. He developed the �Psychological Gesture��a rehearsed confluence of the character�s thoughts, feelings, and desires into a single
expressive, physical gesture�to align the senses quickly and with great potency.
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