tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90978632660233830172024-03-08T05:53:33.401+00:00Charles VerrallWords of wisdom ... my thoughts on various subjects,
plus any latest news regarding my acting classes.Minki Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10278957760805026136noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-64802304208378951772015-10-22T20:02:00.003+00:002015-10-22T20:02:36.600+00:00Beginnings of Books<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Our class this Saturday will be inspired by famous first lines of books. For example:</span><br />
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It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.</div>
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(Nineteen Eighty-Four: George Orwell)</div>
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Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.</div>
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(Cannery Row: John Steinbeck)</div>
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It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.</div>
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(Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen)</div>
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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ..</div>
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(A Tale of Two Cities: Charles Dickens)</div>
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Call Me Ishmael</div>
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(Moby-Dick: Herman Melville)</div>
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that makes five, but Taki Theodoracopulos, who Inspired this idea, suggested another one which is maybe not quite as good and is about bullfighting, hardly my favourite event, but is included none the less, so:</div>
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On August 28, 1947, in Linares, in Spain, a multimillionaire and a bull killed each other, and plunged a nation into mourning</div>
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(The Death of Manolete: Barnaby Conrad)</div>
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I shall be asking for improvisations using these first lines but NOT following the plots of the books.</div>
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Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-18261516693543268692015-10-22T17:14:00.002+00:002015-10-22T17:14:34.909+00:00Some of Our History<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Anna Scher Theatre and Charles Verrall Learn to Act have been in existence for a long time so maybe many of you might like to know something of our story.</span><br />
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It starts in January 1968. Anna Scher had done some acting and written some poetry which led to television appearances. She applied for some supply teaching to make ends meet and was sent to Ecclesbourne School, in Islington. Very soon she started a Drama Club, which immediately became extremely popular in the school and, before long, in the surrounding area.</div>
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By 1970 the club had grown so much that she was forced to find a different venue and it was at this time that I came in with her, initially just running the administrative side of the business. This was the Bentham Court Hall era, which lasted six years and included the formation of a charity and growing success managing the careers of young actors.</div>
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The philosophy was to provide the best possible improvisation based training at the lowest possible price. As a business plan this sounds absurd but, in the outcome, it was brilliantly successful. We produced outstanding young actors, working in a much more up to date style than the competition and, in numbers, people who would never have been able to afford the orthodox drama school route.</div>
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On reflection, it is easy to see how this was influenced by my own life experience. My parents were both brought up by single parents themselves. My mother was rescued from poverty by winning a scholarship to the grammar school and my father joined the Air Force and then became a partner in a haulage business. Sadly, he died when I was only four years old.</div>
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So it could be said that, in aiming for best training, cheapest price I was simply following the needs of my family. To get my education I had to win scholarships to school and university and I had to find unusual ways of doing things that worked. Apart from my parents I would name Leonard Cheshire as an important influence.</div>
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And, of the people who were in that first class back in 1968, John Blundell and Herbert Norville have recently been in touch. The current 'longest inhabitant' is Ray Cezan. Members who have achieved striking success include Kathy Burke. Gary and Martin Kemp, Linda Robson, Pauline Quirke,, Ray Burdis, Naomie Harris, Phil Daniels, Joe Wright, Susan Tully, Gillian Taylforth, Andy Serkis, Jake Wood and many, many, many others.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And we're still going strong.</span></div>
Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-33621144042125605322014-02-04T13:16:00.000+00:002015-10-22T17:02:23.604+00:00The fear of failure leads to the joy of successWhen I was co-director of Anna Scher Theatre I used to have a sign overlooking my desk. It read '99% isn't good enough.'<br />
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Nobody's perfect, so that's a good motto, but the fact remains that, in a competitive field, performing arts, success can never be guaranteed.<br />
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Is that a reason not to try? Emphatically, no!<br />
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Because ...<br />
You will learn so much along the way, from performing arts, that you will be equipped to do many things apart from acting. It's a win-win situation: you either succeed at acting or else you succeed at something else.<br />
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Believe me I've seen both arms of the win-win many times and it's true, both are labelled 'win.'. We're a happy, happy crew.<br />
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But if you don't put the work in then you can't expect success. Think about it. You won't win any prizes. You've hardly begun and already you've given up.<br />
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Better by far to have put the work in.<br />
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The fear of failure leads to the joy of success<br />
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CharlesCharles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-57655739468286976742013-11-21T22:44:00.000+00:002013-11-21T22:44:51.100+00:00Natural TimingMany people suppose that acting for television is easy, that you just do what you would do anyway, if it were real life.<br />
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But the point is that it isn't real life. So how do you make people believe that it is?<br />
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Three classic virtues are to maintain believability, listen to the other actors and share attention.<br />
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Another more subtle point relates to timing. Never force an emotional response forward, your job is just to allow it to happen. Likewise, never deliver a line before it has to be delivered. If you wait it will be easy to recognise the right moment.<br />
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<br />Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-5810314842801114042013-08-16T10:25:00.000+00:002013-08-16T10:25:59.401+00:00The rewards of nurturing talentI have spent a large part of my life encouraging people to fulfill their potential. Perhaps the most surprising instance was something that took place on 25th October 1998.<br />
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At that time I used to run in quite a lot of road races and I can't remember what took me to a venue near Heathrow that Sunday for the Bedfont Lakes Five Mile Run. It was certainly some way off the beaten track for me. Anyway, I found my way there and I remember that the course was wet and hilly, with a lot of twists and turns. As I was jogging round, warming up, I fell in with two African looking guys aged about fifteen. We chatted as we ran and I asked if they had run on this course before - no, neither had I. We got back to the start and wished each other luck in the race. There were now quite a lot of competitors gathered there, the gun went off and we all went storming along the footpaths.<br />
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Although I'd started quite fast I still managed to overtake a couple of runners near the end and finished up 7th, so I was quite pleased. I jogged back along the course, warming down, and caught up with the same two teenagers I'd seen before. How did they get on? "Oh, I won it" one of them replied. "You must be a keen runner" I remarked. "Yes" he said "I used to do football but now I'm doing running." "Well" I said "you should keep up with it. You could do really well. What's your name?" "Mohamed Farah" he replied.<br />
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And the moral of that story is that encouraging talent can bring unexpected rewards.<br />
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Good luck to Mo Farah this afternoon. He has a very difficult task and winning is not a foregone conclusion<br />
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Statistical note: I was 7th of exactly 100 finishers in a time of 31:59. Mo Farah's time was 28:58. Today he'd be capable, on that course, of about 21 minutes<br />
<br />Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-50868732797777128012013-05-29T10:33:00.002+00:002013-05-29T10:33:48.586+00:00Beware the sudden shout!<br />
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In recent weeks I've seen a number of showcases of people who have been taking acting courses. Some of the performances have been good, some not so good, but I have noticed a feature common to some of the not so good ones: the sudden shout of anger. Beware the sudden shout!</div>
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As a way of portraying anger it simply doesn't work. It always seems artificial and stagey and that is because it isn't true to life. When people are angered it takes time for the feeling to develop:anger feeds on itself. In real life the first feeling is often surprise "I'm amazed that you could be so offensive ..." or threat "If you do that once more ..." And it's only a little after that that shouting and a red face kick in. Even that is not the only way to express anger, some people are very quiet and pale and that can seem more dangerous. So if the script indicates anger, think very carefully about how your character expresses it. Beware the sudden shout!</div>
Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-12562695849384699792013-03-21T13:33:00.001+00:002013-03-21T13:33:05.655+00:00Five Words to Make You a Better ActorThe five words are: practice, experiment, learn, connect and observe.<br />
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Practice: repetition is the mother of skill and no-one ever became good at anything without spending a lot of time doing it. This is true of sport, mathematics, learning a foreign language, anything you can think of, including acting. So to get better at acting, do a lot of acting.<br />
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Experiment: try different things, assess whether they work. Remember that it can be as productive to find what doesn't work as what does work. Always be ready to stretch your capabilities.<br />
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Learn from others: see what other actors do and absorb whatever you see that is effective. You can learn from your fellow students every bit as much as from the giants of the silver screen. Learn from writers, too, ancient and modern: study their scripts in all media..<br />
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Connect: aim to get to know as many other performers as possible. The performing arts are a small village rather than a great conurbation and quite soon you will find you run across the same people again and again. Aim to get involved and make friends. You will help them and they will help you.<br />
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Observe: as an actor, the whole of the human species is your subject of study, so observe what people do in all sorts of different circumstances. Observe yourself as well. Wherever you are be alert to how people behave, act and react, their spoken language and their body language.Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-61230699678584024082013-01-10T15:07:00.000+00:002013-01-10T15:07:22.338+00:00Explore the Complications of Accents<br />
I’ve been too busy lately to produce any <strong>Words of Wisdom</strong> so it’s about time I remedied that.<br />
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This week it’s <strong>Explore the Complications of Accents</strong>. The basis of an accent is the tonal quality of the vowels and consonants in a person’s speech. This is largely determined by the way a speaker adjusts the geometry of their face and mouth, to make a different speech instrument to make sounds through, but is not the whole story..<br />
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Apart from the tone of a voice, nasal or open, for example, there is the tempo, that is the rate at which people speak – people from big cities tend to speak more quickly than those from the country (they also walk faster.) Similarly, big city speech tends to be more throaty, the throat being closed against the pollution and traffic fumes that fill the air.<br />
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Other considerations are: how much do the speakers use emphasis or do they deliver more smoothly? Are their consonants slurred or pricked out? To what extent do they tend to be dramatic or phlegmatic? These are individual characteristics but we do all tend to conform to cultural norms.<br />
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All individuals differ slightly (that’s how we recognise people from their voices,) but they do fall into broadly similar groups and we do tend to affiliate with people who sound the same as we do. In fact studies in the USA show that there are better race relations in cities where black and white people sound alike, compared with plsces where black and white have different accents..<br />
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Another interesting area of study is where accents have been influenced directly by other languages and cultures:: the various Scottsh accents, Welsh, Irish, Caribbean, African, Eastern European, South and East Asian, and last and by no means the many accents of the USA, to which we are all heavily exposed through the mass media. And as the planet has become a smaller and smaller place, through globalisation, accents are everywhere moderating and the young speak differently from the old.<br />
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It should always be remembered that the way we speak is a sensitive matter of class and identity and that not everyone is happy about the way they sound. And then there is the whole matter of RP English, but that must wait for another time.<br />
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Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-46566525170017073612012-05-10T15:35:00.001+00:002012-05-10T15:35:38.381+00:00Remember to Red-Team and Use Your ThumbTwo sets of <b>Words of Wisdom </b>this week. The first comes from the military: operational planning. Traditionally, friendly forces are designated 'blue' and the enemy are 'red.' Red-teaming means, in the first place, looking at an operation from the enemy's point of view: how will they view the conflict and what will they try to do. More specifically, it means using skilled operatives to test the security of defences and flag up any weaknesses, for example, by trying to smuggle explosives on to an airliner without being detected. It's a way of being more effective by shifting the viewpoint.<br />
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This principle can be applied to sports and games. For example in Chess, which is essentially a war game, it can often pay to get up, walk round the board and look at a position from the other player's point of view. In Boxing, sparring partners will be chosen for their resemblance to a future opponent. In Football training one side may adopt tactics expected to be used by the other team in the next match.<br />
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How does this apply to acting? It's about looking at things from more than one point of view. When preparing with a script for rehearsal don't focus solely on your own part. Look at all the parts so that you can see the script from every character's point of view. <b>Remember to Red-Team.</b><br />
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The other <b>Words of Wisdom</b> this week are a simple bit of technique. When a group of actors are doing a script reading there is a tendency for everyone to bury themselves in the page in front of them - and go faster and faster into the bargain. To avoid this deliver each line 'off the page' in other words addressing the line to the character you would be speaking to if you were on stage. Problem: how do you keep your place when you're doing this? Simple solution: keep your thumb opposite the line you are delivering then, when you return to the script your thumb will be there to guide you. <b>Use Your Thumb.</b>Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-31269483305817293442012-04-26T17:23:00.001+00:002012-04-26T17:23:34.223+00:00Excellence for AllThe <b>Words of Wisdom </b>this week are <b>Never say you're no good at anything.</b> How often do you hear people say 'I'm no good at spelling,' 'I'm rubbish at Maths,' 'I can't learn lines,' 'I'm no good at catching a ball' or 'I can't give up smoking.' Such negative statements don't help you to get anywhere in life and they can be very damaging, so whenever you find yourself uttering such a negative script, even to yourself, replace it with a positive one. With persistence and practice you can improve at all these things. Sometimes you can do this by yourself, for other things it helps to draw on the knowledge of a teacher, in one form or another. In particularly difficult matters, such as addiction, you will almost certainly need help, but help can usually be found, if you look for it with enough determination.<br />
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Always remember that you are equipped with a brain that is the most wonderful and complex organ in the known universe. You have a body which is capable of extraordinary feats of speed, strength, stamina and skill. You have access to the whole range of human behaviour, some of it instinctive, some of it learned. You are surrounded by other human beings, many of whom may be willing to help you in manifold ways and today, with the development of the internet, all the knowledge in the world is, quite literally, at your fingertips.<br />
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The first step towards improving at the things you feel you are not good at is to understand and believe that you can improve. Then find out what you need to do and then practice ... and practice ... and practice. The only limitation you have is the time you have available because, in the end, time beats us all.<br />
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But meanwhile, avoid people who put you down, because there will always be people who don't want to see you succeed and that's a sad fact that you have to accept.<br />
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A long time ago, Anna Scher and I started a theatre for young people. The idea behind it was 'Excellence for All' in other words to provide the very best drama training at a price that anyone could afford. We worked and worked and worked and, gradually the theatre became more and more successful. Most people were enthusiastic and positive about what we were doing, but there were some who were not. Some of them saw our aim of excellence as being against their political belief in enforced equality, others saw our work with people who didn't have much money as somehow threatening to their power and privilege. Such people aim for power and get gratification from hurting people and destroying things. And so, Anna's illness providing the opportunity, the theatre was brought down.<br />
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Pity them, for they will never be happy. But remember the belief in excellence for all and <b>Never say you're no good at anything.</b>Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-35626615053246421602012-03-29T11:09:00.002+00:002012-03-29T11:30:25.166+00:00One more thing about finding out moreMore <strong>Words of Wisdom </strong>to add to last week's (actually because I forgot to put it in, although it's terribly important.) One of the best ways of exploring a text to see what you can do with it is by experimenting with changing the punctuation. Put in some imaginary commas, at random. Take out a full stop so that the words run on. Throw in a question mark at an unexpected place.<br /><br />Some of the results will be nonsensical but it will be surprising if you don't find new emphases or new insights. Try it and see.Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-46966678045777593862012-03-22T13:47:00.003+00:002012-03-22T14:29:39.340+00:00Use your voice to find out moreThe Words of Wisdom this week are <strong>Use your voice to find out more. </strong>More about the character you are playing and more about your capabilities in relation to it.<br /><br />When you are working on a part, unless a particular dialect has been called for, you will probably start off using something close to your normal accent and tone of voice. It's easy to get locked in to this and fail to explore the full extent of what the character might be about and how you might be able to deliver it. To avoid this, take a section of the text and vocalise it in different ways, for example:<br /><br />Sing it (in any style)<br />Growl it<br />Moan and groan it<br />Bark it, aggressively<br />Change the pitch, up or down<br />Speed it up<br />Slow it down<br />Smile all the time you are speaking<br />Murmur it<br />Whisper it<br />Look in a mirror, trying to outstare yourself<br />Use a lot of meaningful gesture<br />Talk on the edge of tears<br />Laugh out loud<br /><br />It is worthwhile taking time over this exercise. Listen to what is happening with your voice. How does it feel, physically? Emotionally?<br /><br />If you work on it receptively you will find things you didn't know were there.Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-45508780066653223752012-02-08T18:11:00.003+00:002012-02-08T19:18:42.194+00:00Learn to work the red carpetSooner or later, if you achieve the least degree of success in the business, you will find yourself invited to a gala opening before which you will walk up the red carpet. This may happen even if the film is an insignificant short in which you have a minuscule part, so it's essential to learn the correct technique to employ in this situation.<div><br /></div><div>You will have three sets of people to work with: photographers, fans and press. The photographers will probably be confined to a roped off area to one side and when you arrive at the red carpet they will start calling out your name to get you to look at them so that they get a good shot of you. This can be quite confusing but what you do is very simple. Starting at the near end of the line, you eyeball each lens in turn, giving it a friendly gaze for a few seconds. When you get to the end of the line be prepared to repeat the exercise if they're still calling your name out. Take your time, make sure they all get a good picture and be prepared for requests to pose with someone else, as well, someone you know or a complete stranger.</div><div><br /></div><div>You then turn to the fans. They may be family and friends, or inquisitive people who happened to be passing by, but their presence, gathered together behind a rope, turns them into fans, while your presence in the lights and on the red carpet, turns you into a star. They will ask for your autograph and it's a good idea to have with you a brightly coloured marker pen, one that writes reliably, so that you can sign your name easily. Make your signature very large. But the important thing is to talk to them. Ask them what kind of films they like, whether they've come from far, thank them for coming. They will be thrilled.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally come the press interviews, some for print media and some for internet. Again it's your job to be as helpful as possible, even if it means giving the same answers over and over again. Have a few soundbites and anecdotes ready for use. Be patient and make sure they spell your name correctly. Remember who they are: you may meet them again, perhaps in a more important job than the one they have now. This is not a good time to remember things that went wrong or people you did not get on with, so be diplomatic and forgive and forget.</div><div><br /></div><div>All this attention can be quite head turning, so it's important to keep your feet on the ground. In ancient Rome, when they held a triumph for a returning general, amid all he adulation a little man would be employed to whisper in the general's ear and remind him the he was mortal. In the same way always remember that you will walk down the street the next morning and no-one will know who you are. (If you're lucky.)</div>Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-35417229316913222782012-01-26T23:14:00.002+00:002012-01-26T23:58:49.688+00:00Surprise, SurpriseSurprise is a difficult emotion to depict (if it counts as an emotion, psychologists are divded on this.) You can't surprise yourself: it's the result of an unexpected change acting on the unconscius mind. So how can actors show this?<br /><br />Surprise is in the mind but it has its effect on the body, in sudden and compulsive moment. The movement may be large or small. If the whole body moves it might suggest terror, or maybe slapstick comedy. Working in close-up you might be much more subtle: a slight change in the eyes may be enough, particularly if you are playing an emotionally guarded character.<br /><br />Then there is the double take, when one person's grasp on reality has suddenly changed, the delayed surprise, anticipated by the audience and the other characters but not by the one who is to be surprised, the cumulative surprise, for good or ill, one thing after another. For all of them, work from the movement. Maybe you'll surprise yourself, after all.Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-27133577771607013502012-01-12T11:18:00.002+00:002012-01-12T14:10:49.218+00:00Audiences and WordsYou read the lines, you learn the lines, you deliver the lines you've learned and it's very important to <b>get the words right. </b>A rough approximation simply will not do. The writer will have gone to a lot of trouble to compose each line so that it reveals character and advances the plot and it is disrespectful to cast his or her intentions aside and deliver your own version. Of course, in rehearsal, you may well find instances where a line does not roll off the tongue easily. If you want to suggest a change ask the director, who may well refer it to the writer.<div><br /></div><div>Sometimes a problem with a line can be resolved by a change of emphasis and actors need to be adept at this. A good exercise is to take a sentence and run it repeatedly with all the possible emphasis in turn. For example:</div><div>"SHE said she was happy ... she SAID she was happy ... she said SHE was happy ... she said she WAS happy ... she said she was HAPPY." Feel the different implication of each version. Start by hammering out the words in capitals, then gradually make it more subtle and therefore more realistic.</div><div><br /></div><div>And another important thing to remember: <b>the audience is not stupid.</b> They are intelligent people. You don't need to lead them to conclusions by the nose. If it's there they will 'get it.' No need to exaggerate. Subtleties are better than stereotypes.</div>Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-43992160537249768362012-01-02T16:18:00.003+00:002012-01-02T22:15:10.616+00:00Words, words, wordsThe break for Christmas and New Year has given me the opportunity to compile no fewer than five new sets of Words of Wisdom.<br /><br />First Words. Television drama seems to be in retreat in the face of reality TV, so what does that tell us about the medium of TV? All drama depends upon illusion, but what kind of illusion? On stage (and radio) the illusion is that what is produced in our imagination, prompted by what we are being shown, or, told, is real, wherever it may be in space and time. We want to believe in it and, provided that it is done well enough, we do believe in it. On film, the illusion is that we are experiencing a wonderful dream. On television the illusion is that we are looking through a window at a real world neighbouring our own. It is on the same scale as our world and, however unlikely the events portrayed may be, we believe that they could be happening to us, or people like us. Hence the success of reality TV and, whether we like it or not, that is the reason why successful television drama approximates more and more to reality TV. It may not be real 'reality' but, if you are working for television, try not to get too far away from it.<br /><br />Second Words. Which side of stage or screen is dominant? Answer: the left side, seen from the audience's point of view - 'audience left' is known, confusingly, as 'stage right.' There are a number of possible reasons why winners progress from left to right, or turn to their left, as we see in comics and cartoons. Most languages are read from left to right; in the northern hemisphere the sun, moon and stars appear to move across the sky from left to right; running tracks are left-handed; so are most racecourses, except where the lie of the land tells against it. But perhaps the reason is that most of us are right-handed. Our right leg is stronger than our left, therefore when heading forwards we tend to veer to the left, so the observation that positive movement goes from left to right may become embedded early in our lives. Watch children running round a playground and see if it's true. Bear it in mind when blocking a scene or composing a shot: left is dominant over right.<br /><br />Third Words. It's only necessary to do things once. If you use a gesture, a turn of speech or a way of handling a prop, what is sometimes called a piece of business, do it once and, because the audience's attention is focussed on you, you will have established it in their minds. In drama, one can represent many. If you use the same business more than once there is a danger that it will be distracting, or that it will appear self-indulgent or attention seeking. Of course, there are exceptions to most rules and sometimes a repeated item can become a motif that gives a particular signal, or repetition may produce an increasingly comic effect but, nevertheless, unless there's a very good reason for repetition, it's only necessary to do things once.<br /><br />Fourth Words. If you make a mistake, keep calm and continue. Just go on. Half the audience won't even know. Most of the rest won't mind. Don't in any way draw attention to the fault. If you 'dry' or get in a tangle, the other actors, if they are professional, will help get you out of trouble. Improvise the next bit till you get back on track. And this applies in rehearsal as well as performance, so you practice the correct way of dealing with mistakes. Some actors, in rehearsal, will turn a mistake into a gag: not a good idea. Just go on till the director stops you.<br /><br />Fifth Words. Be still. The strongest and most watchable thing you can do on stage is to be in a central position, not moving a muscle. If you are supporting in a scene the least obtrusive thing you can do is to be tucked away at the side, not moving a muscle. No fidgets. Be still.Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-79305434890104444152011-11-24T16:43:00.002+00:002011-11-24T21:18:30.514+00:00Models, Singers, Writers: all of us are ActorsSome actors look down on models, particularly models that get acting parts. The assumption is that they just have the luck to be born beautiful and are simply a pretty face attached to a fit body. But models have to project emotion, a style and a persona. That's acting.<br /><br />Some people assert that a singer is just a voice, someone blest with the ability to make beautiful sounds. But what do songs tell us? Some - ballads - tell us a story. Others are more direct and the singer presents as someone we might know, or be, in real life. But larger than in real life and communicating profound feeling and deep emotion. That's acting.<br /><br />The writer Andrea Newman once said that writing is acting for shy people. Writers create character and story which they don't present themselves, though other people may, but their characters perform in our minds. That's acting.<br /><br />All of us are actors: look how differently we behave in different circumstances: at a business meeting, falling in love, attending a funeral, or on a night out. Same person playing different parts. That's acting.<br /><br />As Shakespeare puts it 'All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players.' And the <strong>Words of Wisdom</strong> are <strong>'Models, Singers, Writers: all of us are Actors.'</strong>Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-82119254073021886202011-11-01T15:35:00.003+00:002011-11-01T15:52:24.319+00:00Aim at a star<strong>'Aim at a star and you'll hit a tree.'</strong> That was advice given to me as a boy, jokimgly, by a countryman friend of my late father when I told him that I was interested in astronomy. That memory has stayed with me ever since and, as with many country sayings, you can take it two different ways. And that makes it a kind of test.<br /><br />You could take it to mean that ambition always ends in failure, or you could take it to mean that you should try to do as well as you can, because then you'll at least get somewhere.<br /><br />I prefer the second interpretation. Aim high; try to be the best you possibly can be; work hard; practice. Don't be content with being just about good enough. <strong>Aim at a star and you'll hit a tree.</strong>Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-657129309295905952011-10-27T13:39:00.004+00:002011-10-27T15:04:07.533+00:00Acting is easier than you might thinkThe <strong>Words of Wisdom</strong> this week are <strong>Acting is easier than you might think - but you can go on learning about it all your life.</strong><br /><br />How so? Well, acting is the most accessible of the arts. It's a development of play, which is how we learn from a very early age, imitating the behaviour of others. It comes into our lives automatically, before we even know it. It's for that reason that improvisation, drama based on life rather than literature, is the best grounding for a would be actor's training..<br /><br />Other arts, painting or playing a musical instrument, require more development and do not come so easily. Writing, in particular, demands plenty of life experience.<br /><br />So what is acting? It means going into character, pretending to be someone you're not, feeling and speaking like someone else. And that's it.<br /><br />Well, it's not quite as simple as that. Acting may be easy but that doesn't mean that everyone does it well. When people act badly it's generally for one of two reasons. Either there's a lack of confidence, so that they stiffen up and become wooden, or else they may be trying to impose a theory on what should be a natural process. They're acting in their head but not in their heart.<br /><br />And you can go on learning about it all your life. You can develop your technique and knowledge of how human beings express themselves in speech and body language. You can explore and experiment and this can go on for ever.<br /><br />But if you're an actor you still have to learn the script and turn up on time.Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-52376272226564927182011-09-29T16:35:00.004+00:002011-09-29T17:37:38.453+00:00Why is the trial so fascinating?Once again the cameras have been allowed into the courtroom to observe a murder trial involving figures from the world of show business. The <strong>Words of Wisdom</strong> this week answer the question 'Why is the trial so fascinating?'<br /><br />Many of us still feel sadness and a sense of loss over the death of Michael Jackson, a supremely talented but deeply troubled figure. But there are additional reasons why so many of us are rivetted by the trial footage.<br /><br />We are inquisitive creatures and the televised courtroom licenses us to observe and stare and watch people under pressure. They are not pretending: it's real. The are not particularly aware of the cameras, being entirely focussed on the questions they are asking or answering. In acting terms they are underplaying and often trying to hide their feelings: that draws us in. The slow tempo of the court procedure doesn't bore us: it enhances the suspense, even when the line of questioning appears trivial.<br /><br />For actors this is a rare opportunity to study people's communication under pressure, both conscious and unconscious. Study tone of voice as an indicator of personality and mood. Watch gesture, restricted in the circumstances but always indicative. Observe eye movement and gaze; direction and duration. Note how blink rate goes up when a person is under emotional pressure. Particularly interesting is head movement, because it is not possible to talk or listen without moving your head and head movement is very revealing (though it does vary in different cultures.) Notice in the trial the way a witness will nearly always start nodding before they utter the word 'yes.'<br /><br />A particularly interesting example of revealing body language was in the trial of O J Simpson in 1995. One of the lawyers was describing most graphically the way that it was alleged that O J had killed his wife. The camera cut to O J and we saw that he was slowly nodding as the events were described. Now body language is not evidence or testimony but, if it were, O JSimpson could have been found guilty on the spot. In fact he was acquitted but a civil suit a couple of years later found against him for some millions of dollars and he is currently serving a life sentence for unrelated serious charges,<br /><br />All fascinating stuff.Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-5037647715469714532011-07-27T15:43:00.005+00:002011-07-28T18:15:06.358+00:00Your first day on a film set<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>A</b>re there any more annoying words than 'Please may I borrow your pen?' There you are, writing down something important and someone, who can't be bothered to carry a pen or pencil, wants you to interrupt your chain of thought and wait while they use your property. They'll probably need reminding to hand it back to you, as well. This is just one example of things you should always have with you when rehearsing or shooting a film. The <b>Words of Wisdom</b> are <b>Always run a checklist before you leave home.</b> That way you make sure that you don't forget anything, The items on your checklist will include your script, the schedule if one has been issued, some water, something to read while you're waiting, some cash (you might want to buy someone a drink at the end of the day.) You will of course have checked the journey so that you get there is good time. And you'll be bringing a pen or pencil - and maybe a spare, in case you find yourself sitting next to an idiot.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >The next <b>Words </b>are <b>Maintain Continuity. </b>Once you have been cast in a part don't change your hairstyle or any other feature of your appearance without permission. If you are using any of your own clothes and accessories don't make any changes. It's not a good idea to drink alcohol at a lunch break. Even just one drink changes the way you speak. Similarly, the location catering may be delicious, but eat sparingly.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>Get to Know Who Does What. </b>If it's a big production the number of people involved is quite staggering and may be baffling to a beginner. It's worth studying the Wikipedia article on Film Crew, which gives you a rundown of who does what. On arrival you will probably report to the '2nd AD' (second assistant director) or possibly a 'PA' (production assistant.) whose job it is to shepherd you through costume (sometimes known as 'wardrobe'), hair and make-up and deliver you on set when required. Remember that everyone is there to help you and if you keep your eyes and ears open you will learn a lot. You may find you are working with a big star. If so, don't stare, don't behave like a fan and, above all, don't ask for an autograph. That would not be appreciated. It is more likely, of course, that your first job will be on a much smaller scale production. In which case there may be a lot of overlapping between cast and crew and you may be asked to muck in and help out in all kinds of ways. You will, of course, show willing - within reason.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >The next <b>Words of Wisdom: Trust the Director. </b>The story is told of Marilyn Monroe shooting the film Bus Stop, with her acting coach, Paula Strasberg, standing next to the camera. Before and after each take the two of them would ignore the director and go into a huddle and have a whispered conversation. What this did to the cast and crew can only be imagined, but sometimes as many as thirty takes would be required for each shot. Coupled with Marilyn's notorious unpunctuality the result was that filming fell more and more behind. That's an example of not trusting the director. You must trust the director. Even experienced actors find it hard to visualise the composition of a shot while they're performing. You don't get to see through the lens. You don't know how the scene is going to be edited. You don't know how music is going to be used in it, let alone CGI (Computer-generated imagery.) The director is carrying all these in his or her mind so <b>Trust the Director.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b>If you're a stand-in you're there to help. </b>You may be asked to be a stand-in for an actor who is temporarily unavailable. You are of similar stature and you are there to give another actor an eyeline and someone to play off. So don't just stand there like a plank! Match your facials and body language to the person you are substituting for. That will help your fellow actor.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >And finally: <b>Learn to Hit Your Mark Without Looking at it. </b>Sometimes you have to move into shot and, because it's a close-up or an intricately composed shot, you have to stop at a precise position, usually marked on the floor by a piece of 'gaffer tape.' (The 'gaffer' in a film crew is the chief electrician, incidentally.) But you mustn't look down while you're doing it. The audience don't want to see an actor looking for where his feet should be. So how do you do this? Practise! At home, put a piece of tape on the floor and go and stand over it, so that you became aware of where your surroundings are when you're on your mark. Then go to your starting position. Look at your mark and visualise, as footprints, the steps you are going to make to hit your mark. Then, without looking down, walk those steps. See how close you can get. Then keep on practicing, trying different distances and angles. After a while you'll hit your mark every time and you won't be the one who gets it wrong.</span></div>Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-58906160645660289582011-06-23T15:17:00.002+00:002011-06-23T16:42:27.887+00:00The Eyes Have ItThe <b>Words of Wisdom</b> this week are <b>The Eyes Have It.</b> It's about body language, which means communication without words, or sounds, through posture, movement, particularly head movement, and gaze, where we look and for how long and the character of our looking, revealed by tiny changes in our eyes and the tissues around them. This non-verbal communication is very powerful and originates much further back in our evolution than spoken language. The language of our eyes is close to that of the gorilla or the orangutan. Even if you make a pet of a much more distant cousin, a cat or a dog, you will find that when you greet it you look at its eyes and it will look at yours.<div><br /></div><div>Most of the time we are unconscious of what we are signalling with our eyes, but we can become aware of it and of the way it arises from our inner feelings. Hence, when acting, we can raise the emotional temperature by intensifying what we are doing with our eyes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just studying how long people look at each other tells us a lot about their emotional state. People who find it difficult to meet other people's gaze will appear shifty, while two people gazing long at each other presages either aggression or sexual attraction - the mouth will tell you which.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's an interesting exercise to try when you're walking along a busy street. Clock the eyes of everyone walking towards you, for just one second. Then tell yourself what their eyes tell you about their personality and emotional state. You will find that you can always find something, sometimes difficult to put into words, but always something about the way they are feeling and the kind of person they are.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Eyes Have It.</b></div>Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-1817751377247668182011-05-26T17:50:00.004+00:002011-05-26T18:27:40.371+00:00Stregths and WeaknessesThis week's <strong>Words of Wisdom</strong> are<strong> 'People have the strengths of their weaknesses and the weaknesses of their strengths.'</strong> This is a general truth and something for an actor to remember when developong a character. People are rarely all good or all bad or all strong or all weak and therefore, if a character shows something of both extremes, that is believable, because it's true to life, and interesting, because it's complicated.<br /><br />Here are some examples of what I mean. A person who's determined may be stubborn and is very likely a mix of the two. Someone who's kind may also be weak; someone who's honest may also be blunt; someone who's analytical may also be nit-picking; someone who's attractive may also be vain. See if you can think of some more examples.<br /><br /><strong>People have the strengths of their weaknesses and the weaknesses of their strengths.</strong> On related subjects, here is some more wisdom. From 18th century poet William Cowper: 'Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavour' and from the ancient Greek Oracle at Delphi: 'Nothing to excess' and 'Know thyself.'<br /><br />Good wisdom for acting and for life.Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-34923915702542892942011-05-18T20:39:00.002+00:002011-05-18T21:27:59.245+00:00It's what the audience believes that counts<strong>Words of Wisdom: It's what the audience believes that counts.</strong> Here's an example of how an audience's belief can be broken. At one time I was co-director of Anna Scher Theatre, a theatre for young people in London. The members used to put on short plays and there were various stage properties that they could use in their performances. Among these was a large, thick, silver coloured plastic dagger, not an object that anyone could be hurt by, but, as teenagers' plays often feature a good deal of violence, one that was used quite a lot.<br /><br />Then one day a group was down in the coffee bar, preparing for a play. Someone went behind the bar, where they shouldn't have been, opened a drawer and found a large, pointed knife that was used for cutting up food. They decided to use it in the play.<br /><br />Well. the moment came in the play when the knife was produced and immediately a murmur ran through the audience. Some were thinking "Wow! That really is a big knife." Others were thinking "They shouldn't be using that" or "If someone gets stabbed they'll be hurt." The point is that if they had used the old dagger, the audience would happily have believed it was the real thing, but when they used the real thing, reality intruded and the audience became focused on the knife and stopped believing in the play.<br /><br />The stage is a medium that works by using words and actions to make the audience feel as if they are watching something real. If the actors do something that reminds the audience that it isn't really real, then the performance fails. This is particularly true of things that are spectacular or 'scene-stealing' which may create a big effect but may also damage the production as a whole. <strong>It's what the audience believes that counts.</strong>Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097863266023383017.post-11915468986179631762011-05-04T17:13:00.003+00:002011-05-04T22:54:11.226+00:00The audience is not stupidIt's hard to define what good acting is but we sll know what overacting is and recognise it when we see it. It's excessive emoting that isn't true to life. It doesn't allow for the audience's intelligence and this week's <strong>Words of Wisdom</strong> are <strong>The audience is not stupid.</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />In particular there is one aspect of intelligence in which an audience is more sensitive than an individual person and that is emotional intelligence, based on the ability to share and understand other people's emotions. As we are social creatures we are naturally equipped to feel the pain and joy of others. Someone feels a particular feeling, smeone else receives that feeling, shares it and transmits it again. It is obvious that in a large group of people the feeling will be that much more magnified. That is why a crowd will often behave much worse than any of its individual members would. That's why the larger a demonstration is the more likely it is to turn into a riot. If we are sitting at home watching a football match we can see the game perfectly, it's as if we are sitting in the best seat in the ground, but it's much more exciting to be at the match and experiencing the atmosphere, the shared emotion.<br /><br />So the audience at a play also feel the shared emotion and are particularly sensitive to falsity. Often their unconscious mind will be telling them that something is not quite right. If the actors are overactiing and not believable the performance will not communicate true emotion. It may be superficially impressive but will lack honesty.<br /><br /><strong>The audience is not stupid.</strong>Charles Verrallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738250298305945936noreply@blogger.com0