Acting tips are commonplace. You've likely heard more than your fair share. You may not even be able to recollect most of them. Many websites, businesses and actors offer advice on acting. A major problem is which advice do you trust? In this article you will learn a few of the rather poor pieces of acting information. You should disregard the information given in the following tips.
When you get started in acting, it is difficult to know who to listen too. Luckily there are plenty of knowledgeable actors eager to share their experiences. My own personal acting journey has shown me which acting coaches offer beneficial tips. Uta Hagen provides solid acting techniques in her book Respect for Acting. I have read, studied and practiced acting, and I can tell you what advice not to follow.
Perhaps the most careless acting tip you'll find is advice on how to memorize lines. As an aspiring actor, your focus should not be memorizing lines. You should focus on why the character is saying what he is saying. What are the characters goals? How does he feel when he is speaking? How does he respond to other characters? The audition process is not about looking for a person who can memorize scripts. Of course you want to try to keep with the dialogue as written. It's acceptable to have the scene in your hand when you rehearse and refer to it as needed. The important thing is how well you can act. How well you recall the script word for word does not count. Sanford Meisner once said "An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." The meaning is clear, that the emoting and behavior of your character is far more important than what is being said.
A further dreadful acting tip is instructing you to react. You must not plan your body language. What you should do is focus on feeling what the character feels and you will react without thinking about it. As soon as you begin to plan body language you run the risk of them looking fake. It is referred to as mugging and it is over acting. In the movie Amadeus, actor Tom Hulce purposely over acted the title role. Acting theory says you should employ skills like emotional memory to feel what your character is feeling. You will react without planning ahead using this technique. You don't want to plan ahead for body language. A review of Scarface in People magazine called Al Pacino an over actor, saying "his acting isn't acting, its shameless showing off".
The above are examples of bad acting tips. However, there are many beneficial acting websites and resources. One website you will find meaningful is ActingScenes.com. You will find free scripts that you can use for competition. There is a free method acting PDF based on the concepts of Constantin Stanislavski. The method acting ebook covers concepts like concentration to become comfortable on stage, and drills like shoes and socks to improve your acting skills.
When you get started in acting, it is difficult to know who to listen too. Luckily there are plenty of knowledgeable actors eager to share their experiences. My own personal acting journey has shown me which acting coaches offer beneficial tips. Uta Hagen provides solid acting techniques in her book Respect for Acting. I have read, studied and practiced acting, and I can tell you what advice not to follow.
Perhaps the most careless acting tip you'll find is advice on how to memorize lines. As an aspiring actor, your focus should not be memorizing lines. You should focus on why the character is saying what he is saying. What are the characters goals? How does he feel when he is speaking? How does he respond to other characters? The audition process is not about looking for a person who can memorize scripts. Of course you want to try to keep with the dialogue as written. It's acceptable to have the scene in your hand when you rehearse and refer to it as needed. The important thing is how well you can act. How well you recall the script word for word does not count. Sanford Meisner once said "An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." The meaning is clear, that the emoting and behavior of your character is far more important than what is being said.
A further dreadful acting tip is instructing you to react. You must not plan your body language. What you should do is focus on feeling what the character feels and you will react without thinking about it. As soon as you begin to plan body language you run the risk of them looking fake. It is referred to as mugging and it is over acting. In the movie Amadeus, actor Tom Hulce purposely over acted the title role. Acting theory says you should employ skills like emotional memory to feel what your character is feeling. You will react without planning ahead using this technique. You don't want to plan ahead for body language. A review of Scarface in People magazine called Al Pacino an over actor, saying "his acting isn't acting, its shameless showing off".
The above are examples of bad acting tips. However, there are many beneficial acting websites and resources. One website you will find meaningful is ActingScenes.com. You will find free scripts that you can use for competition. There is a free method acting PDF based on the concepts of Constantin Stanislavski. The method acting ebook covers concepts like concentration to become comfortable on stage, and drills like shoes and socks to improve your acting skills.
About the Author:
Drop by ActingSenes.com to get the acting secrets PDF. You'll discover a free acting script and lots more.
