Advanced Acting Class 2

Cute bunny hehe.

Hey guys!

So, this picture is relevant, because I had my next acting class and it was WACKY.

We had to act like animals!!!

Okay, let me explain.

My acting teacher likes to give us all kinds of fun and embarrassing acting exercises.  He tells us that he doesn't do it so he can have a good laugh and make fun of us... and I wouldn't believe that if this method didn't work, but it actually kind of does.

Whenever you're acting, you're going to have to be able to portray a certain character, and there are numerous ways to do this.  The one we learned in class this time was the animal method.  Basically, you look at your character and you think "hmmmm what (if any) animal does this character remind me of?"  For example, a devious and sneaky character may be like a snake, an angry and intense one may be like a wolf, or a jumpy and hyper one may be like a squirrel.  Once you chose your animal, think of what that animal does and how it acts (like a wolf prowls, growls, and attacks people... scary) .  Take in those characteristics and think about how you can display them in little ways, like facial expressions, movements, and voices.  Again, a wolf may have a low, growling voice, stare people down, etc.  Keep that all in mind and try acting out a scene or a monologue.  You would be surprised at how much it changes the way you act.

The goal with this method isn't to see who can act like an animal best... in fact, you shouldn't even be acting like and animal, you should be acting like a person with some subtle animal characteristics.  This method actually works with other things too, like colors or weather.  Basically, you are drawing emotions and traits from things that you can observe.  It really centers your acting and gives you a solid thing to focus on while trying to develop a character.

It's definitely not for everyone.  Making animal noises and movements in front of everyone in my class was certainly not my cup of tea, but I have to say that it's a useful method that will surely come in handy one day. Having a lot of methods in your head is good because you will always have ways to deal with scenes or monologues, even if they are really hard to handle.

Well, that's it guys :)  Thank you for reading!  And, as always, if you have any questions feel free to mail me! Thanks <3 :)