Playing the Villain
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...
about 2 hours ago • 2 min readThoughts On Process: Sending An Action
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...
7 days ago • 2 min readHow To Deal With Fear
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...
14 days ago • 1 min readPresence
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...
21 days ago • 1 min readActing For Film: The Ice Cream Exercise
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,...
28 days ago • 1 min readThoughts on Process: Behavior
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...
about 1 month ago • 2 min readThe Auditioning Mindset
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...
about 1 month ago • 1 min readThoughts On Process: The Alchemy Of Acting
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...
about 2 months ago • 1 min readInspiration From Other Art Forms
The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective LA Acting Studio Inspiration From Other Art Forms The Seven Fine Arts A Fine Art is defined as something created mainly for its beauty and intellectual value. It’s judged based on its aesthetic appeal and the depth of its meaning. The traditional seven fine arts include music, painting, sculpture, poetry, architecture, literature, and dance. To see how acting fits into the fine arts, it's important to understand that although...
about 2 months ago • 1 min readThoughts On Process: Improvisation
The Collective Spirit The Official Newsletter Of The New Collective LA Acting Studio Thoughts On Process: Improvisation Jazz As An Anaology Previously, I’ve mentioned jazz as a way to understand the concept of “letting go” as an actor. Jazz serves as a great analogy for structured improvisation in acting. While it may seem chaotic, jazz is actually highly structured. Musicians stay within a set framework, following the melodic line. This balance of freedom and structure is crucial to jazz—and...
2 months ago • 1 min read