Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Often new actors will mistakenly use only one element, either psychological or physical,
which will result in “false” acting
. They will portray an emotion without any physicality or
show a physical gesture without emotion. For example, if a director instructs a student to
“act scared,” and then he or she chooses to act “scared” by shaking the body nervously
and bugging out the eyes, the performance will be a cliché of acting—an empty shell. (This
should not be confused with comic caricature.) Again, bad actors
represent
emotion. Good
actors know how to incorporate the psycho-physical technique and
recreate authentic
char-
acters using
emotion
and
gesture
.
A Note about Character
In Chapter 4, you will begin working intensively with
character.
The character design is a
shell that must be informed by many elements including education, culture, upbringing, per-
sonality, age, gender, and more. Actors call this the
mask
. More importantly, remember that
the emotional state is
fi ltered
through this shell (mask) of character. Therefore, how characters
will react in a given situation is determined by their personal traits and emotions. For example,
if a character is frightened, it will be expressed differently if the character is:
• A 17th century French Countess who may have “learned emotions” and will not reveal
anything that is not acceptable. Even her gestures are prescribed.
• A 20th century immigrant teen in Miami.
• A 21st century teenager who tries to look “cool” and be aloof because she is afraid
to show any real feelings.
Applying the Physical Process to a Character
Grimmy by Mike Peters
