Week 2

1. The 5 main ways a director can motivate actors to an end result are as follows: Playable actions (ex; instead of ‘be angry’, maybe ‘slam the cup down’), objectives (ex; reminding the actor ‘you want her to apologize’), clarify change in emotions (ex; ‘at this moment, she realizes he’s no good for her’), as-ifs (ex; ‘play this as if your dog just got hit by a car’), and questions that lead the actor in the right direction (ex; ‘how long has it been since your character has seen her best friend when they run into each other here?’). All of these provide solid ways to point an actor in the right direction without plainly stating an end result.

2. Asking questions can be used to remind the character of their motivations and emotional state without having to say it as an end result. For example, if an actor needs to be angry because they just lost a competition, you might ask them, “how important was this competition to you?”

3. The ‘possible three’ technique provides actors with 3 different directions in different takes, forcing the actor to be creative in how they approach the scene. This is used because after trying all three, the actor will have more ideas to work with as they blend the three directions together in a way that makes sense to them. The more creatively involved your actor is, the better their performance will probably be.

4. Stanislavski: All-around school, focuses on preparation and using personal experiences. Strasberg (Method): Personal emotions are used to be fully ‘in’ the character. Meisner: Focuses on outward emotion & being grounded in the moment, reacting appropriately to circumstances. Adler: Reliance on research and empathy rather than recalling personal emotional events. Practical Aesthetics: Focus on what can be seen, actionable desires, and what the moment calls for.

For his role as the Joker, Joaquin Phoenix engaged in extreme method acting, even losing a ton of weight in order to fit the desired appearance. Yeah, this may be too far.

5. a) Actors should be in the moment by fully immersing themselves and reacting based on the world/characters around them, rather than predetermined emotions and outcomes. b) Actors’ performances are more convincing when they appear to be making choices, not serving the plot. They should have freedom to behave and interact with the world as they see fit (to an extent). c) The actors should be allowed to draw from their own subconscious mind (past experiences, imagination, associations) in order to deliver an authentic performance. d) Actors need to be allowed to ‘fail’ to build trust and comfort in the environment they’re working in. Directors should be supportive and understand that mistakes are opportunities to learn, not reasons to yell.

6. An end result is a desired emotion we want the character to display without any specific help on how to get there. These are often difficult to accurately portray and not specific enough for actors (i.e. people’s angry can look different). That’s why it’s important to motivate the actors towards an end result by using specific language that invites them to build a genuine connection to the story.

Link to scene discussed below:

A. The scene is about two brothers having a conversation about one of them being drafted to fight in a war he doesn’t want any part in.
B. Alex wants to find a way out of his selective service responsibility, Aaron wants to bring Alex on his side in the coming revolution. In the short term, they both want to win the game.
C. The characters are brothers.
D. Alex doesn't think there’s a way out of his responsibility and Aaron is trying to convince him to join the rebellion. Alex is unsure of their chances.
E. When Alex wins the first round of war, when Aaron indirectly brings up the selective service, when Aaron tells Alex about the revolution, when Alex decides to join the revolution, and when Aaron wins the drawn-out round of war, beating a King with an Ace.
F. Alex is unsure of his future and worried for his safety. Aaron also worries for Alex’s safety, but will put the rebellion first.
G. Deciding whether or not to disobey the government and (for the broader story beyond the scene because that’s what a throughline really is) if they will succeed in rebellion.
H. Figuring out what to do about Alex’s selective service situation.
I. This is the spark of Alex’s journey from obeying rules and a government he doesn’t believe in to fighting for what he believes is right.
J. The audience is hopefully inspired by Alex’s choice and excited to see where his journey goes.