i'm in a play, in which I play a father trying to cope with his sons death. His daughter constantly fights with him, and in one scene i raise my arm to slap her, but catch myself. She runs off and i'm left standing there,i'm not sure what to do, i watched a video of it and it's looks silly and awkward....Any advice?

(im supossed to be upset with myself for even thinking of hitting her, my next line is: "i've never hit anyone")

im new at this forum, so sorry if this is not the sort of thing discussed.

This is exactly the kind of thing we discuss here, welcome.

Have you discussed the problem with the director? Video doesn't always capture the way the scene looks from the house.

I don't know the play or the scene, but I would think it should look awkward... after all, this isn't something your character would do. Truth be told, I'm hesitant to offer anything more than that without knowing what your director says and without knowing the show.

So CastMe, you agree with Mike and I and then go on to give advice, the very thing that we advised against.  (Falling on floor LOL)

An actor dosen't make a value judgement?!  A playwright doesn't make a value judgement?!  A director doesn't make a value judgement?!  The playwright always has a point of view or a value judgement even when they seem not to or the intent is to be ambiguious.   Theatre has been manipulating audiences feelings and points of view for centuries.    Where's the risk or challenge to remaining neutral?

But this is getting off Broceli's original point of disscussion.   Bottom line - work it out with your director.

CastMe I'm thinking that you agree with me more than not.   I see having a point of view or making a value judgment as making a choice to either do or not do something that will advance the point of view or value judgment of the play or playwright or to simply move the plot along.

Why are you asking our opinion of this?  None of us are in a position to second guess your director.   If you have a real concern about what the director has asked you to do or if you have another idea I'd strongly suggest going to the source about it.

As a director it would upset me if I had actors that wouldn't come to me if they had an issue with what I've asked them to do or if they discussed it only with other actors who are also not in a position to give that kind of advice.   By discussing it with your director maybe the two of you will come up with something even better.

B-M-D

I think James is feeling a little insecure in what he's been asked to do. However, I agree he really needs to talk with his director and explain that he's still uncomfortable. Of course, what he's feeling on stage may not be what it looks like out in the house. I've never been a proponent of using videotape during the rehearsal or performance period as a tool to develop character or movement. That's what the director is for. When I direct, I forbid any use of video.

James,

If what you are feeling is based on what you are seeing on the tape (I'm going back to your first post), perhaps it's time to put the tape away and trust your director... after all, that's why we have directors. After all the discussions we've had on this board about "backseat directors", we tend to defer to the director in this type of instance.

Everyone -

Videotape as a rehearsal tool - discuss.

I've never used video as a rehearsal tool or had a director that used it for that.   When watching performances that I've directed or performed in on video they don't look or sound the same as when I've witnessed them live. 

Maybe it's the quality of the video itself, I've never seen a ct performance that's the same quality of a professional video of a B'way show that you'll sometimes see on PBS. 

Bottom line is that I would never use video as a rehearsal tool and would only use it for archival purposes (personal or otherwise) of performances. 

Just what I was going to say. This relates to the other discussion about "doing nothing."  How you feel as an actor does not neccesarily have anything to do with what the audience perceives.  What you think you are seeing on a videotape does not neccesarily represent what an audience is going to perceive.  That's why you need a director.

Yes, but.  What you do, and how you do it, is colored by how you feel.  Ever ask your SO "What's wrong?" only to hear "Nothing" ?  Now, do you know whether it's really nothing, or whether you'd better start making up the couch to sleep on?  Sure you do.  Because what we think and feel reads in what we do.  Now, if you're a good enough actor to stand over Hamlet's dead body and make me feel "oh, crap, my best friend's dead and Denmark's screwed now" while you're actually thinking "man, I'm hungry and horny and my feet smell," great.  You're a rare exception, but great.  I'm not.

Yug.  I can barely stand to listen to myself; if I ever had to watch myself, I'd crawl in a hole and never come out.   I have two videos of performances I've given -- and I have it on reliable authority that they were pretty decent performances -- and I've never watched either of them.  Gave copies to my mom, though.

Years ago, I saw a performance by a young lady whose abilities had previously impressed me. In this show, however, she was awful. I was appalled and spoke to the director afterward, diplomatically asking the question, "What did you do to that woman?" The director explained to me that she had gotten ahold of a videotape of her performance from the previous weekend, watched it, and changed everything she didn't like about her performance. The director was tearing his hair out.

Since then, video is a bad word around my productions... I don't even want my actors looking at a movie or stage producition video of a show I'm directing (should there be one). I don't want them doing their impression of the actor that had the role previously, I want them using their own brain and working with my interpretation of the show.

You?ve heard of the film editing experiment by Kuleshov where the exact same clip of an actor was used in different montages of various images? The audience read different emotions from the exact same expression depending on the combination of images. I think it can be the same in theater.  Now, note the following is from a community theater hack so take it for what it?s worth but: I?ve come to the conclusion that there is a lot of nonsense associated with method acting or at least what people think method acting is. Starting out as an actor, when I was trying to use this approach there were many times where I was ?feeling? something appropriate only to be told by the director that it wasn?t working. Often, I would ?feel? uncomfortable with what would work.  I came to the conclusion that it doesn?t always necessarily matter what you are feeling. I eventually did a number of plays with a director who used (approximately) the Meisner approach and that crystallized my opinion on this.  I think actors can frequently get into trouble trying to ?do? too much, not just with actions but with thoughts and emotion. I think the most important thing is to imagine yourself in the situation and to then pay attention to the other actors and to what is actually going on in the moment.  Sometimes trying to conjure up emotions or memories takes you out of the moment and gets in the way of that. Possibly related to this: recently, I?ve been reading some about Eugenio Barba and the ?pre-expressive? which, if I?m understanding it correctly (and I very well might not be) refers to a starting physical and energetic state (or stage presence) that communicates to the audience without the addition of any intellectual meaning.  Can anyone enlighten me on this?:)

Never read either of her books . . . I just may have to track this one down.

<checks local library . . . checks university library . . . nope . . .>

Okay, I just ordered the damn thing from B&N.  CastMe, I'm sending you the bill if it's no good

I will say this: she's got a great reading list on http://www.judithweston.com/book.shtml - her website .  I also love the concept of an "Acting For Directors" class.  I think we need some more of that kind of thing:

• Lighting Design For Actors (or how not to stand on the one dark spot on a brilliantly lit stage)
• Directing for Set Designers (or why the door an actor needs to enter through must, in fact, open)
• Choreography for Singers (or Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us)
• Acting for Audience Members (or why it's a bad idea to answer your cell phone while that guy in black is going on about slings and arrows).

Same reason they stand in the ONLY dark spot on the stage.  Manage to be in the ONE spot the mic doesn't work, and do the ONE thing  that will break the props as the curtain is going up.

And the same reason why, when they (we) drop something, they get an "Oh S$#%!  I dropped something"!" look on their faces and stare at each other like idiots instead of JUST PICKING THE DOGGONE THING UP!

CastMe, I'll start a new thread here with my thoughts once I get the book.  It is supposed to ship today. And I promise I won't make you pay for it -- I've yet to read a book on acting/directing that I didn't get something out of!

video for rehersal: Well when I do lights I like to shot viedo of a run through and use it to ruff in my cues. I always tweek live on stage and make changes but the video gives me a great head start and less fixing whem the actors are there. This is for techies only I don't like the idea for actors. I use it to remind me of where folks are on stage ect.

...as long as you ain't using it to set gels!

I haven't forgotten about this -- I want to finish the book and give it the review it deserves.  Just been busy lately.  But, as a first impression, I don't think I'll be asking CastMe to reimburse me . . . .

I'm a bit late on this, but thought I'd put in my 2?. I think videotape is a tool like any other, and can be used for good or evil. As an actor, I use it for two primary reasons: 1) To record choreography, and 2) to evaluate my own performance.

I can be off book in about a week, but I have mental blocks when it comes to remembering choreography. Being able to have a review on dance that I can practice at home helps everyone.

The self-evaluation is not my preferred method, but it is necessary if the director is unable to provide feedback, or is too meek to criticize. After I have developed my character, I know what I want the audience to see. I need a third-person perspective to let me know if my actions are speaking that character.

Video is helpful for visualizing gross body movement, not subtle detail and inflection. I'll use it to check for some comedic timing, to fix stage balance, etc. Often, I catch myself hunching, which I do unconciously when I'm paired up with shorter actors (I'm 6'0").

I've had occasion where I didn't get out my video camera but the director did. She used it to fill in her notes, not to show to the cast. At one point however, she took me aside and showed me some video of myself. "It looks ok, but there's something missing that I can't pin down. It needs something more. Look at it, then fix it." The next time I did that scene, it was what she was looking for. What I needed to fix was hard to give as a note, but easier to see what was wrong.

My review of CastMe's recommended book is (finally!) up, as a new thead under this topic.

Bottom line:  it's good, get it!

juror #3:  Honey, aren't you glad you joined this Board?  You're already a legend! And that certainly would be a way to end a dramatic moment......

Love,

"red"

PS - don't pay any attention to Marty's innuendos.