New Collective Acting Studio

The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective LA Acting Studio Thoughts On Process: Creating A Relationship Who Are You Talking To? One of the first puzzling acting notes I ever received was, "I didn’t feel who it was you were talking to." I didn't quite understand how to approach this until I began to develop my craft more deeply. The key, I discovered, is truth. When you can tap into a real sensation that evokes a specific relationship, there’s no need to "act"—the...

The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective LA Acting Studio The Value Of Art To Society Art Is Order Frank Gehry - Walt Disney Concert Hall Art plays a vital role in shaping our daily lives, regardless of the political climate. If we take a moment to look around, we’ll notice that art is everywhere. It is the great organizer, bringing structure and meaning to the chaos of our world. Art invites us to reflect on our own experiences, encouraging us to explore our...

The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective LA Acting Studio Playing the Villain Connection You’re reading over the sides for your next audition when you suddenly realize that your character is a mass murder, criminal, cult leader, drug dealer, or terrorist. This can be daunting. How do you move past judgment and resistance to truly connect with such a character? Kathy Bates in Misery Without finding a real connection, you risk the peril of playing to an idea. As you...

The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective LA Acting Studio Thoughts On Process: Sending An Action Emotional/Psychological Energy Action is defined as the “Emotional/psychological energy that the actor sends the words on”. This process is achieved through script analysis and choosing strong, active verb phrases to explore throughout the scene. Sending an action means sending the energy through your eyes and physicality. The actions of the character shift and progress...

The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective LA Acting Studio How To Deal With Fear Use It, Don’t Lose it Have you ever tried to calm your nerves before an audition or performance by telling yourself, "Don’t be nervous," only to find that it makes things worse? Many of us can relate. But as actors, nerves can actually be beneficial, if we can understand how to channel it creatively. Fear is just a form of energy, and in the heightened world of drama, it mirrors the...

The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective LA Acting Studio Presence What Is Presence? In acting, presence is also referred to as star quality. It is something every actor strives for - - and, to be clear, it has nothing to do with how you look. Presence is achieved through a combination of elements: relaxation, emotional depth, and an air of mystery. Luckily, these are not just things you need to be born with. Through the process of developing your craft, every actor...

The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective LA Acting Studio Acting For Film: The Ice Cream Exercise The Reaction Shot In one of my first advanced Acting for Film classes in New York City, our instructor, the incredible Joe Paradise, introduced an exercise. Each actor had to open a freezer door, pull out a half-eaten carton of ice cream, look inside, and react to something shocking. The camera was set up for an extreme close-up. I was thrilled to try it out, thinking,...

The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective LA Acting Studio Thoughts On Process: Behavior Behavior Vs. Lines Sometimes actors forget about the importance of behavior. They focus on memorizing the lines rather than searching the lines for clues about action and for developing the character. The art of acting involves creating a character as a three dimensional human being. To help deepen their craft, every actor needs to learn the joy of observing and incorporating the...

The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective LA Acting Studio The Auditioning Mindset Empower Yourself The power dynamics of the audition process is the first thing the actor must work to overcome. Even the official definition of “audition” is synonymous with trial or test. This can immediately trigger our worst childhood memories: not feeling good enough to be picked for the team, the pressure of not getting a good grade on our report card, or the fear of being judged...

The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective LA Acting Studio Thoughts On Process: The Alchemy Of Acting Artful Chemistry Alchemy is defined as any seemingly magical process of transforming or combining elements into something new. An Alchemist is defined as someone who transforms things for the better. How does this relate to the art of acting? Imagine the craft of acting as something similar to sciences such as chemistry and cooking. The heightened reality of a...