Any actor interested in studying the Meisner technique should explore what's known as the actors instrument. The instrument analogy can be helpful when breaking down all the various aspects that can determine how good an actor is. As an audience member, it becomes apparent very quickly who the good actors in a piece are or who might be falling short. It may also just be a sense of something not coming across in the right way. They can also sense when an actors instrument is not well developed, because they don't "believe" the character portrayal.
The actors instrument is comprised of six different elements, all important. The aspects of the instrument include sensory expression, emotional, empathy, intelligence and sensory and physical expression. Mastering the craft of acting with the Meisner Technique requires that all six aspects of the instrument are well developed. It is easy even for non actors to identify professional actors who have mastered the different aspects of their "instrument." Rarely, there are actors that come along and become the best of the best by being gifted at them all.
For example, an actor like Stallone is known mainly for his physical expression and presence. Stallone is certainly able to express emotionally, but overall his most powerful tool onscreen is his physical expression. As an actor he expresses emotion in a very physical, often external way. This is why actors must focus on learning about each and every aspect of the instrument, so that they can be as well rounded as possible.
Emotional expression is the most common aspect of the instrument that actors are focused on. Obsessing about how a character feels about something and how to express it is usually the primary thing actors concentrate on. One one hand, it is short sighted to place too much emphasis on this particular aspect of the actors instrument, however, emotional expression is certainly a key aspect of emotional expression. All six of the aspects of the instrument should be studied diligently until they are mastered.
Of course, it is meaningful emotional expression that draws people into any character or story. It clues the audience in to what the character is about, the conflicts they face, what their deepest needs are. It is common in classes teaching Meisner acting in nyc to create an emotional history of a character, imagine it in detail and then use all the aspects of the instrument to express them. Meisner acting students are masters of human emotion, the full range and complexity of the human experience. They do this by creating a "library" of human emotion and a resource of reactions and ways of communicating based on studies of real people. When called upon to create a specific character, they dig very deep and create and imagine (another part of the instrument) what that character's emotional story is. This created life, its emotions and patterns of behavior, are then drawn upon moment by moment, not in rehearsed ways, but spontaneously.
Just as an example, vulnerability can express many characteristics, from innocence to deep insecurity. There are many actors who, with hard work, can learn to differentiate and express this complex emotion. If the actor has also worked hard to develop other aspects of the instrument, such as imagination, sensory expression and intelligence, the complexity of emotions will be there. A single tear, without words can accomplish this, but how about a sense of vulnerability shown while one is smashing a clock to pieces? This is a subjective, creative process.
The myth is that acting is simply pretending to have an emotion. However, acting is not simply reciting words using certain inflections and gestures to communicate emotions. Acting is doing, as master teacher Sanford Meisner always said. In other words acting is being in the moment and allowing any number of emotional reactions well up and take you over and turn you into the actual character. This may feel risky at first. Great actors do not force themselves to cry. There are genuine emotions in their performances, often unpredictable ones that appear as they work as character. Developing a deep capacity to understand and feel the full range of human emotions and experiences is a great way to become an open, flexible acting student, the best kind of student. As an actor you must give yourself permission to feel fully and live truthfully, whether you are in character or not.
The actors instrument is comprised of six different elements, all important. The aspects of the instrument include sensory expression, emotional, empathy, intelligence and sensory and physical expression. Mastering the craft of acting with the Meisner Technique requires that all six aspects of the instrument are well developed. It is easy even for non actors to identify professional actors who have mastered the different aspects of their "instrument." Rarely, there are actors that come along and become the best of the best by being gifted at them all.
For example, an actor like Stallone is known mainly for his physical expression and presence. Stallone is certainly able to express emotionally, but overall his most powerful tool onscreen is his physical expression. As an actor he expresses emotion in a very physical, often external way. This is why actors must focus on learning about each and every aspect of the instrument, so that they can be as well rounded as possible.
Emotional expression is the most common aspect of the instrument that actors are focused on. Obsessing about how a character feels about something and how to express it is usually the primary thing actors concentrate on. One one hand, it is short sighted to place too much emphasis on this particular aspect of the actors instrument, however, emotional expression is certainly a key aspect of emotional expression. All six of the aspects of the instrument should be studied diligently until they are mastered.
Of course, it is meaningful emotional expression that draws people into any character or story. It clues the audience in to what the character is about, the conflicts they face, what their deepest needs are. It is common in classes teaching Meisner acting in nyc to create an emotional history of a character, imagine it in detail and then use all the aspects of the instrument to express them. Meisner acting students are masters of human emotion, the full range and complexity of the human experience. They do this by creating a "library" of human emotion and a resource of reactions and ways of communicating based on studies of real people. When called upon to create a specific character, they dig very deep and create and imagine (another part of the instrument) what that character's emotional story is. This created life, its emotions and patterns of behavior, are then drawn upon moment by moment, not in rehearsed ways, but spontaneously.
Just as an example, vulnerability can express many characteristics, from innocence to deep insecurity. There are many actors who, with hard work, can learn to differentiate and express this complex emotion. If the actor has also worked hard to develop other aspects of the instrument, such as imagination, sensory expression and intelligence, the complexity of emotions will be there. A single tear, without words can accomplish this, but how about a sense of vulnerability shown while one is smashing a clock to pieces? This is a subjective, creative process.
The myth is that acting is simply pretending to have an emotion. However, acting is not simply reciting words using certain inflections and gestures to communicate emotions. Acting is doing, as master teacher Sanford Meisner always said. In other words acting is being in the moment and allowing any number of emotional reactions well up and take you over and turn you into the actual character. This may feel risky at first. Great actors do not force themselves to cry. There are genuine emotions in their performances, often unpredictable ones that appear as they work as character. Developing a deep capacity to understand and feel the full range of human emotions and experiences is a great way to become an open, flexible acting student, the best kind of student. As an actor you must give yourself permission to feel fully and live truthfully, whether you are in character or not.
About the Author:
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides training for serious actors committed to improving their craft. Find out more about meisner acting in nyc by reading this article about actors instrument by visiting the studio website.
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