Getting it together, Together….
I occasionally hear actors bemoaning the fact that they cannot afford to travel to the USA (or, less often, the UK.) to attend an advanced acting school or “go to Class”.
There are no doubt many hundreds, possibly thousands, of good Acting Coaches in the United States. Beware, there is probably an even larger population of bad acting coaches! Given SAG-AFTRA membership of over 162,000 and at least that number of non-union actors, there must also be a plentiful supply of failed actors – or at least “resting” actors – who make ends meet by “giving Class”.
Sometimes I hear Cape Town actors complain: “We don’t have anyone to go to.” We simply don’t have enough surplus actors of any grade – successful, resting or failed – who are inclined to become Drama Coaches. Paradoxically, our actors who do work are probably busier than their foreign counterparts, relatively speaking, so would find it difficult to conduct regular classes. Actors who are not working can’t afford to pay enough to make a regular Class worthwhile anyway…
We’re about to go all the way around the mulberry bush here, but I think you get the drift.
Once in a Blue Moon, a more or less “famous” Acting Coach / Casting Director (usually American, it seems) appears and gives a weekend lecture or two to an auditorium full of actors from across the entire spectrum of ability, to varying degrees of acclaim. The cost of living in New York or LA, (Or perhaps a week at one of our Game Lodges?) multiplied by our exchange rate, means that fees are high, and we don’t know whether the exercise was worth it until we’ve shelled out an often eye-watering amount of money.
All of the above leaves us on our own at a time when the opportunity for South African actors to creep up the credit roll has never been better – provided we can up our game.
Occasional seminars by visiting coaches don’t solve the main problem, which is the on-going sharpening of the skills of our working actors. Apart from the lack of coaches and the financial constraints, we face at least three other obstacles to our actors taking continual skills development seriously:
The belief that a Diploma or Degree from one of the many “Film Schools”, “Acting Schools” or Universities is a ticket to a career as an actor. (No, really!) No doubt the glossy brochures have something to do with that perception, as does the very South African pursuit of “Certification” without the Education that should underpin the piece of paper.
The resistance to peer learning by many of our actors. During my term as Director of The Actors’ Centre in Johannesburg, an actor for whom I had considerable respect approached me in a theatre foyer and said: “Look, I really don’t think this thing is going to work. I mean, why should I go to a class given by somebody with whom I went to University?” That attitude completely ignores the fact that our life experience, work experience and personal development begins to diversify the moment we leave an educational institution and break into the real world as a working actor.
The attitude that we don’t have the time. Beg’pardon? Ex-Kh-use-Me!!! A Ballet dancer or concert pianist with that attitude would not have a career at all! Neither would a tennis-player nor a golfer. We talk of acting as a Profession, although we all know many outside the profession would smirk at that. Why? Well, partly because they think acting is “easy” and not really work, and partly because “real professionals” like Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants and Opticians are subject to the requirements of CPD, prescribed and enforced by Legislation for many professions. [“Continuing Professional Development (CPD) or Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is the means by which people maintain their knowledge and skills related to their professional lives.”]
Mercifully, the Government has neglected to bother itself about swamping the acting profession in bureaucracy, and long may it remain so, but we would do well to adopt the principle of CPD.
How then does a committed actor go about finding support in the quest to enhance and maintain the skills necessary to climb up the credit roll of international films shot in South Africa?
Time to call on the South African trait we brag about: “Maak `n Plan”. I believe that establishing a network of Working Actors’ Groups will go some way to addressing the issues stated above.
Working Actors’ Groups
The basic idea entails a group of actors of roughly the same standard and preferably living within an easy commute of each other getting together regularly to work on their Craft on camera. The whole point of the exercise is to be able to assess how your performance comes across on screen. Video cameras are surprisingly inexpensive and you really do not need bells & whistles. The only important technical requirement is that it is easy to connect to a TV screen or that you can easily transfer the files to a computer with a large screen
Getting Started
Ask around. Pay attention to the chatter at audition sessions to get an idea of who takes their craft seriously enough to work at it. Although you could start with just two people, it is better to have at least three. How you handle two or more people in the group who would often be up for the same part will depend on the character, sensibilities and relationships within the group, so be sensitive to that when establishing a WAG. It would also be in the spirit of “Getting it Together – Together” for established groups to offer advice and guidance to a new group.
Group Activities
Perhaps a good starting point might be to re-visit recent auditions which members of the the group have done. We all know the “Dammit! Why didn’t I….” feeling after an audition, and a group exercise may be a good way to turn frustration and self-reproach into a learning experience.
Although lead times are so short these days, take the opportunity to work together on up-coming auditions when it is possible, especially if you can pair off in common scenes..
Collecting Characters
The entire tapestry of Humanity is an actors stock-in-trade. Actively observing interesting characters you encounter in everyday life will enhance your understanding of human interaction and enhance your ability to portray character. I would suggest that “Collecting Characters” is a good way to start a working actors meeting. Perhaps on a random draw basis, one or two participants describe a “character” or personal inter-action observed during the past week. The point is to analyse why & how you deduced character and the emotional state of the person you observed. It is important that this exercise doesn’t degenerate into a story-telling session.
Movie Clips
Occasionally, you could study, then explore on camera, variations of one scene that has caught your attention in a movie. One Scene! Movie nights are for Old Folks Homes! (Watching the whole movie and studying the set scene on your own would be your “homework” from the previous meeting) Do not disregard scenes involving supporting actors. In fact, seek them out. While learning from “The Greats” is admirable, this exercise comes with two caveats. Beware of slavish recycling of “tricks” or habits. Realistically, you’re not likely to be playing a Lead yet, so an important step along the way is to understand why certain actors consistently get cast in those support roles you’re trying to break into.
Improvisation
Understand that although improvisation may occasionally be a useful means to explore a specific problem in a scene, this is not an “Improv Group”. (Nothing wrong with Improv Groups at all – on the contrary, participating in an Improv group should be one of the arrows in your quiver.) Understand that while Improv requires quickness of mind and spontaneity, acting in a film requires following a structure set by the script. The point of a Working Actors’ Group is to improve and maintain your ability to get from a script to a performance, whether to land a part through a good audition or to hold your own on set against an experienced international actor.
Sharing
The major benefit of a WAG will be derived from doing acting together coupled with immediate feedback from viewing the exercise on screen together.
If one or more members have recently had a call or two on an international set, re-telling and critically analysing the experience could be useful to everybody. Also consider inviting a more experienced actor to share their experience of a longer stint on an international set with you.
It is important that the core members are comfortable with each other and get on well. Trust is vital for people to be honest with each other – a mutual admiration society is not going to be of any benefit.
Reviewing your video clips
Don’t play back your exercises immediately after each take – you won’t have that “crutch” on a production, and you need to develop faith in your internal barometer. When everyone has recorded the exercise, a coffee break will allow just a little distance, then review the material together.
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RULE ONE: The actor in the clip always reviews their own performance first!
Developing a capacity for honest self-assessment is essential for growth. When the actor has shared an assessment of their own performance with the group, other members may offer constructive suggestions or comments.
Play a clip several times on as large a screen as you can while bearing the following in mind:
Look for missed Beats and Micro-beats
Mute the audio – Is the emotive content adequately conveyed by gesture, demeanour, posture & expression?
Is it “over-played” or is it unclear?
Play the video at high speed, if possible. Look for facial “habits” and unnecessary gestures.
Cover the screen or close your eyes. Listen for meaning, emotion and “attitude” conveyed or lost due to incorrect intonation, pace and breathing.
Depending on your camera system, you may consider making copies on data sticks so that each actor can also do their own review after a few days have elapsed.
Do the same with the other actors’ clips – you can all learn both “Do’s” and “Dont’s” from each other!