A Guest Blog from Ben Hopkin – LA Acting Coach
The ABC’s of Acting. Well, Kind of…
This guest blogging thing is always fun. Especially while writing for someone in the same artistic discipline. Many random thoughts run through one’s mind, including: bon mots like, I hope we’re both on the same page, Please don’t let me look stupid, Should I include my headshot? or spare his poor readers? You know, wonderful self-affirming statements, like most of those that bounce around the insides of our skulls.
It’s somehow even worse when you’re an anglophile American, writing to an audience that is largely from the UK–many from Scotland, the land of my forefathers and host to one of the coolest accents to grace the planet.
But somehow here we are, you reading my guest blog and me nervously biting my fingernails wondering if you’ll like me. Sounds just like an actor, doesn’t it?
Something to think about, though: it doesn’t have to be that way. Our self worth is not dependent upon what others think of our acting (or of our writing, for that matter). I’m going to tell you something that you may not believe. It doesn’t really matter if you’re a good actor or not. If you love to act, you should. Full stop.
This may offend your sensibilities. That’s okay. It’s not really important for you to believe me. What is important is that you engage in the craft of acting. Study it. Live it. Breathe it. The more you do it, the better you will get at it.
Sanford Meisner said that it takes ten years to really know how to act. I don’t know if I completely agree with his timing, but it is true that to gain mastery of any art form takes time. There is no real shortcut. Well, there actually is, but we’re imperfect people, so even the shortcut is something that will be uneven at best. At least at first.
Now that I’ve baited you with that tantalizing “shortcut” statement, let’s talk about acting. Rather than the ABC’s of acting, I talk about the three C’s (I was never a very good speller). The three C’s of acting, as I see them, are connection, communication and commitment.
The first C, connection, is the shortcut. When we open up and reach out to another actor, something amazing happens. There is a thread of connection that forms between us and informs each of the choices we make as actors. It’s the same thread that exists when we’re talking to a close friend about something that’s important to us–that feeling of opening our heart and finding a soul-mate. We feel the link. We can also feel when it’s severed, due to hurt or fear. When we’re connected, everything that we do and say will affect our partner, and vice-versa.
The problem is, we all have baggage. Things scare us or hurt us and we suck it all back in. If our craft is lacking, the performance will be uneven at best, completely chaotic at worst. We’ve all seen the really gifted but untrained actors who are wildly inconsistent. This is why–craft smooths out the rough edges of when we aren’t perfectly connected. The craft or technique of acting is the “communication” part of the three C’s. Our communication needs to be clear, specific and active in order to really affect our partner (and also the audience).
This C is the one that most acting teachers spend the most time on. Why? First, it’s easily teachable. It’s kind of A+B=C kind of stuff. Objective/action work, repetition and Laban efforts all fall into this category (by the way, if you’re a new actor and don’t know any of those terms, don’t be scared…they’re all just ways of talking about communicating with someone). Second, it’s straightforward. It’s fairly simple to explain and fairly simple to pick up. It’s not easy, but it’s simple. Finally, it works. We see tangible results almost immediately.
Thing is, while this is the stuff that’s easiest to explain, it’s not necessarily the most vital. Without it, our performances will be uneven. But with only the communication part, our performances will not move an audience like they could. Connection and commitment are what separate the spectacular performances from the merely good.
The final C, commitment, is all about making a strong choice and then going with that choice 100%. We don’t like to commit to our choices for fear of “doing it wrong”. But when we don’t fully inhabit our choices, they feel weak and wishy-washy. Committing to a choice fully can feel like we’re stepping off of an emotional cliff, but when we do it, we realize we’re completely supported. The audience LOVES us for it, and we can feel that love, even if we’re acting for film.
So, that’s my take on the basics of acting. Reach out and connect with your partner, communicate with them clearly and actively and then commit fully to each choice you make as an actor. It demands hard work, dedication and courage, but the rewards are truly celestial.
Ben Hopkin
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