Tag Archives: Acting

Lee Strasburg Acting Technique : Memory Exercises

Article by Alison Roskopp

Lee Strasberg was inspired by Stanislavski to create “The Method.” The Method is the most used acting technique in America. In fact most actors on screen and on stage were trained using Strasberg’s Method. The objective to this technique is to portray authentic emotions and thoughts in imaginary conditions.

Relaxation is stressed as it helps the actor stay free. Strasberg’s reason for ridding muscles tension is that the actor can enter a greater state of reaction and concentration.

Sense memory exercises are used to help the actor develop concentration needed. Sense memory is the ability of using one’s senses to remember experiences and objects. The actor utilizes all five senses during sense memory exercise.

Next is emotional memory. Emotional memory is recalling past emotional experiences to fuel a needed a emotion for a scene. The actor’s job is to re-create using his or her senses at the time of the experience. Through much practice and skill, a actor can bring on the needed emotion in a matter of seconds with just a memory of a smell or sound.

Characterization exercises trains the actor in making realistic and believable characters. One example is the widely known “animal exercise.” Here the actor will study and watch the animal, then using his or her five senses they try to become that animal. Eventually with practice, the actor then can take what he learned and apply it to whatever role is playing.

Scene work is also a big part of Strasberg’s method, where the actor will ask questions about the character when preparing for a role. Improvising is also highly encouraged so a scene can become more realistic and real for the student. Stanislavski’s technique of action verbs and breaking scenes into units is also heavily used. Strasberg also created additional exercises for specific issues that an actor may have such as, spontaneity or habitual behavior.

Students wishing to get into method acting must learn to lose their inhibitions, as often times work done in these classes feel uncomfortable and may seem crazy. Class starts with an hour of relaxation to relive tension with the use of movement and voice. During these relaxation sessions it’s not unusual for an actor to laugh or cry as they release emotions and tension in the muscles. Then another hour is used for sense memory exercises. Acting students will each have their own assignments that they will work on at the same time as others.

A method acting class may be overwhelming to some students because the exercises can trigger many strong emotional responses. An experienced teacher can help students to be in control of their craft.

Finally, there is a lot of homework that is involved when using Strasburg method. Sense memory is one of the hardest aspects to this type of acting technique. Practice is imperative.

Alison Roskopp studied Lee Strausberg technique in Los Angeles. She recommends always continuing your training at one of the few top acting schools in Los Angeles. She currently recommends the acting lessons Hollywood actors swear by – Lesly Kahn Actor Training.










Secrets of Method Acting – part 4 : Memory Exercises

Article by Neils Bohr

The Breakfast Drink is the first Sense Memory exercise.

The Breakfast Drink The purpose of this exercise is to experience and fix in memory the reliving of all the sensory aspects of the breakfast drink. Choose what you habitually drink in the morning (e.g. a cold fruit juice or a hot drink like tea or coffee). Take the cup or glass in both hands and concentrate on your five senses one at a time. Breathe in the smell. Concentrate on the aroma. Allow yourself to feel the heat, steam or cold of the cup. Explore the cup with your hands. Note the weight and texture of it. Be aware of the patterns or decorations on the cup. Note any cracks, nicks or flaws. Listen to the liquid as you stir it or swirl it. See the color, size and shape of the cup. Taste the liquid. Be aware of the temperature, texture and flavor. Also pay attention to the cup against you mouth.

This whole procedure should be done slowly. Deeply explore all of the sensations. The more time to devote to exploration, the more beneficial the exercise becomes. The idea is to be entirely focused and completely concentrated on the breakfast drink.

Now set the container down, turn away and repeat the entire procedure without the breakfast drink.

If you find that you are not able to recreate some of the sensations experienced with the actual cup or glass in your hand, go back to the physical object itself and explore it again. Concentrate on weak sensory aspects as you work with the container (for example, if you cannot re-live the odor, return to the drink and focus on the odor in particular). By thus alternating between the actual drink and imaginarily re-experiencing the drink, weak sensory aspects may be strengthened.

The goal of this exercise is to improve concentration, but specifically this is an attempt to determine how many of your senses are working.

The “breakfast drink” refers to coffee. Coffee has a distinct smell. As you have learned, smell is an important trigger for memory recall. Using a cup of coffee as the breakfast drink will make the exercise easier. However, the exercise is called the breakfast drink so that any cup and liquid may be used.

from actingscenes.com

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Method Acting – Practical Excercises for the Actor : Memory Exercises

Article by Brian Timoney

Method Acting Tips

The Method has become synonymous with many great actors such as Daniel Day Lewis, Sean Penn, Forest Whitaker, Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and Marlon Brando to name but a few. But what is the Method? And what has made it so successful?

Below are practical exercises from the technique that clarify some of the tools used by Method actors.

1. Develop Your Concentration

A high level of concentration is essential to enable top quality acting. Concentration triggers your belief, impulses and imagination.

Concentration is not abstract. Often you will hear teachers or directors telling actors to concentrate and focus, but what on? You have to concentrate on something real and something specific this evokes real thought. Not phony or pretend thinking, but real thought.

The first exercise we tackle in the Method to build concentration and belief in what we are doing on stage, is the Sense Memory exercise.

2. Sense Memory Exercise

It is understood that we perceive the world through our senses. We see, we hear, we smell, we touch, we taste. This is what stimulates us as human beings. It’s also understood that the memory of these senses can affect us. We have all felt hungry and thought of our favorite food and started to salivate, or heard a song that has reminded us of a relationship we once had. Our memories are strongly linked to our senses.

To develop your concentration and sense memory, begin with a simple exercise.

The Breakfast Drink – Recall what you drink first thing in the morning in intricate detail. Close your eyes and recreate in your mind’s eye the room that you have the drink in – really see it, smell it, touch it, hear it. Then bring your attention to the drink and slowly start to drink, really concentrating on the senses. Try this for 15-20 minutes. Then choose a monologue you have learned by heart and start to say the lines whilst thinking about the drink. The drink is the main focus of concentration the lines are secondary.

You must ensure that you are truly focused on the drink. Test this by continually asking sense questions internally to yourself, such as ‘How hot or cold is it? What is the cup made of? How does it taste?’, whilst saying the lines at the same time. Tricky I know, but it will have a significant effect on the believability of the lines. The reason for this is that the experience of the drink is real to you – you believe in the drink. This belief starts to transcend into the words of the character.

3. Overall Sensation Exercise

In the same way as the breakfast drink, try an overall sensation sense memory. Ok, this part can be a bit uncomfortable, but take a cold shower….for real. Then later try and recreate in your mind’s eye that event. Use all your senses to relive the cold shower. Once you have done this for 15-20 mins, try saying the lines from a monologue whilst recreating the experience of the cold shower. This will have quite an impact on your senses and will impact the way that you say the lines significantly.

4. Personal Object Exercise

Ok, you are probably getting the hang of this concept by now. This time, identify a personal object from your own life that has significant meaning to you. Take the object and really focus on it. Investigate it from a sense point of view. How does it look, smell, taste, feel and sound? Whilst doing this, start to say the lines from a monologue. Do nothing more other than investigate the object in intricate detail and say the lines. The memory of the object will impact the way that you say the lines of the character.

5. The Animal Exercise

This exercise is relatively famous within the technique. It requires you to humanise an animal’s physicality to recreate a new physicality for a character. If you look at Marlon Brando’s performance in the ‘Godfather’, he plays a bulldog or in ‘A Street Car Named Desire’ you can see that he plays an ape.

Pick a wild animal that you think could have similarities to your character. Go to the zoo and study the animal physically. Study how they move, eat and sleep, in detail. Then at home, physically recreate to the best of your ability, the animal. Once you have done this for awhile, stand up and humanise the animal. How would it walk and move if it were human?

Author: Brian Timoneyhttp://www.themethodcentre.co.ukemail:info@themethodcentre.co.ukBrian is an experienced actor, director and teacher of the Method. He established The Method Centre in London, an actors studio in the UK focused on the Method.










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Stanislavski Acting Technique : Memory Exercises

Article by Alison Roskopp

Constantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski was a 20th century Russian actor and director. He created an acting method that has been used and transformed by many greats within the acting industry. His methods and techniques have trained a plethora of modern celebrities and stage actors. His goal when creating the Stanislavski system was to create realism in acting. He is the father and creator of Method acting.

Stanislavski believed in the power of imagination in creating real emotions. He taught his students to use “If” questions: “What if this happened to me?” Also he told them to ask questions about who the character was and used the answers to create the realism of emotions.

The Stanislavski method trains actors to use what is called a super-objective. How it would work is first the actor finds the driving force or theme of the script. Next the actor must find the objectives within that script, such as what the character wishes to achieve, obstacles and actions. The point of using the subject-objective is to focus on the action instead of the emotion.

Students studying the Stanislavsky acting technique are taught concentration and relaxation. The actor is taught to relax his or her muscles and prevent using unnecessary muscles that are not needed in an action. Then they must work on concentration and learning the ability to find “solitude in public.” This solitude will help the actor with any tension that may come from performing. For example, the actor would concentrate on a small area, and then increase the size of the area until it encompasses all of the stage.

For the emotions, Stanislavsky taught emotional memory. Emotional memory is where actors recall past memories to achieve the needed emotion for a role or scene.Character building is also a major focus for Stanislavsky. Actors are taught to learn how to build their character with different techniques. This is achieved by using “from the outside in” approach. This “outside in” builds the character’s physicality and voice.A class starts will relaxation and concentration. A beginner actor first works on doing concentration exercises and a more skilled actor works on emotional memory exercises. Homework is abundant, as students must create a complete and full biography for their characters. In addition to the bio, the student must create additional scenes outside of the script.

Within the script itself student must also write down super-objectives to break scenes into units, then creating action verbs for each unit. Improvising is also expected from actors studying the Stanislavsky technique. Then lastly is physical and vocal training. In this part of the class, actors go through exercises and learn about costumes and makeup. Rhythm and tempo are also taught as well. Speech, singing and dance classes are often times strongly encouraged by a Stanislavsky teacher.

Alison recommends that all actors learn the master techniques early in their careers. Attend acting workshops in Los Angeles to learn technique and stay sharp. Prepare for auditions with the best acting coach in Los Angeles, Lesly Kahn.










Exercises to sharpen your memory, increase coordination, quickness and timing.
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