Well this is probably a simple question, just list information you know about this.

How do you personally get into the role?

invite them over for coffee
heavily sedate them
tie them up
go to work with scalpel
get into their mind
(Sometimes I like to eat poptarts during this. I feel it enhances my emotions)

/fast forward to Academy award

that's how all the pros do it

quote:

Originally posted by Oh_hai_thair:
invite them over for coffee
heavily sedate them
tie them up
go to work with scalpel
get into their mind
(Sometimes I like to eat poptarts during this. I feel it enhances my emotions)

/fast forward to Academy award

that's how all the pros do it

LAAAAAAAME...

think how they walk, dress, eat....little things that make them...them

watch people...observe

I think it is extremely important not to judge them. If you are playing a character that would be described as a "psycho mass murderer", of course your natural instinct would be to judge them and say they are crazy. BUT, if you really want to do the role/character justice, you have to make yourself not do that, and really think about WHY they made these choices. This is because they would never be like, "oh, I am such a horrible psycho mass murderer." They would think they were right in what they were doing. It's your job to find out those reasons, and that really helps with character. If you can do it with such an extreme, then you will be able to do it for any role.

Mystique

You could begin by not referring to the character in the third person.

JB?

Jim

There are many steps and a number of different approaches to "getting into a character's mind". One way in is to read the play over and over and over again and trust the unconscious to give you a dream about the character's world view. The next step would be to use the sensory process to "activate" the dream and explore the images in relation to the play or film script you're working on.

quote:

Originally posted by miss stone:
LAAAAAAAME...

when you make fun of me I go into a corner and cry.

quote:

Originally posted by Oh_hai_thair:

quote:

Originally posted by miss stone:
LAAAAAAAME...

when you make fun of me I go into a corner and cry.

What did you mommy do to you...

Well, there are a few schools of thought on the subject...Daniel Day-Lewis will go out and build a cabin...if that's what his character does. Now, he's awesome...actors don't get much better than him...so, do I think living the life of the character is imperative to creating a believable character? Mo. But it sure doesn't hurt. Each person is different.

What I do is read the script as an outsider...like a book. I see the story, and I see the characters form in my head. I watch the inner movie very carefully, trying to stay organic. Then I read the script again, and watch directly the inner movie in my head, in relation to how my character reacts and thinks. This helps me get started...it's more of an instinctual thing.

Another thing I do is before I have my lines down, I will guess what my response to another character will be without reading the script. Then I will see how close I was...go through the whole script like this, and you'll see how far off YOU are from the CHARACTER. You can try and augment your feelings this way. <never 'memorize' your lines...let them sink in by feeling each beat>

Other than that...I'm from the school of thought, which believes that MOST characters can be performed by you, without having to 'become someone else.' Unless you are playing a character that is clearly in need of some unique personality traits that you do not possess...it's best to just be yourself, and allow the script/story to influence you accordingly. I'm not saying you have to get all David Mamet up in there (ie. just read, don't act), but I'm saying there is no escape from yourself...no matter how good you are...so don't try and romanticize getting 'lost' in another character...not unless your schitzo will that happen. You may get lost in a moment...which is good, and that's what you want. Acting (and life) is all about moments.

Thanks for listening.