Volume 1,  Issue 6    December 2003        Jill Place, Publisher         jill@actingintuitive.com

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THIS MONTH: Character Observation

Dear <<FirstName>>

Welcome to Acting Magic! I'm Jill Place . . . the one with the wide grin. I'm surrounded by stars because I'm both an acting coach and an intuitive. Which means . . . unless the planets go out of whack or some asteroid goes off course . . . that I may be able to sense what you're thinking and feeling at the very moment. Let me see . . .

I can sense that you want to be a better actor. I can also sense that you're very excited to learn more about Act Intuitive, a blend of the best of 20th century acting technique with 21st century intuition. Was I right? I thought so! That's why each issue of Acting Magic has what I call two "little t's" . . . an acting tip and an intuitive trick . . . two little sections with great ideas to increase both your intuitive talents and your skills as an actor. The big article, the "BIG T", gives you some major TECHNIQUE clout to take your acting to the next level. I'll also be bringing you some newsy spots about The Intuitive and the Industry from time to time. And some great internet acting links and news from all of my friends in the Entertainment Industry. All so that you can Make Acting Magic!

I'm so excited that Acting Magic is growing and changing! Now we have a new improved format designed by my wonderful friend, student, and graphic artist, Steve Porus. Thanks, Steve, for such a terrific job!

If you've missed any exciting issues of Acting Magic, back issues are archived on my website, www.actingintuitive.com. Simply click on "Articles" and you'll see links to all available back issues.

As-Ifs

Choosing adjustments is one of the really creative parts of acting.  And the most fun! If the intention is what you want in the scene, the adjustment is how you do it. And even though Sense Memory makes for wonderful, textured adjustments, it’s not the only way to adjust your scene. I'm a big advocate for whatever works. So this Method maniac is also fond of a type of adjustment called the “As-If”. Quite simply, you act “As-If” you’re whatever the scene requires.  And let your imagination take you where it will.  “As- Ifs” are great for many reasons:

  • They’re really useful to stimulate your imagination when you have to create a situation for which you have no personal experience, like murdering someone or being a drug addict.

  • They help you connect to the character’s behavior when you can’t fully express that particular moment or quality in a scene.

  • You can use one of my favorite adjustments, the personalization “As-If”, to create relationship with your fellow actors where none exists.  One of the few times I ever played a romantic lead my leading man was gay! Boy, did I ever have to use a vivid personalization to fall in love with him on stage.  I pretended that he was the man that I was in love with at the time.  A personalization is, quite simply, substituting someone you know for someone you don’t.  You can also use a physical quality or piece of clothing from a familiar person.  I once was successful in creating loathing for the other character in a scene by seeing the shoes of someone I loathed every time I looked at the feet of my fellow actor.  Marilyn Monroe put Shelley Winters’ face over the faces of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot to create relationship with two men dressed in drag.

  • They enable you to justify your character’s motivations with what the director expects of you.  When I acted in Our Town, the director wanted us to do the third-act Birthday scene double-time.  So I took the “As-If” adjustment that I was on a different plane of existence where everyone talked in a stilted, rapid manner.  It was the only way I could justify the direction.  The result was very eerie and effective.  Just what I wanted!  And what the director wanted, too.  I once saw a program on the making of The Rainmaker where the acting coach directed Matt Damon to act his first day in court “As-If” he were an expectant father.  When I watched the movie later, I could see where this “As-If” really helped Damon find the truth . . . and fun . . . of the moment.

As you can see, you don’t need to know Method technique . . . or any technique for that matter . . . to use “As-Ifs”.  You simply need an overactive imagination.  But I like to use “As Ifs” as adjuncts to Sense Memory or to use Sense Memory to explore an “As If”.  For example, an “As-If” of holding a dead cat in your hands can be so much more vivid . . . and reproducible . . . if you can actually feel the sensory experience of the fur, the weight, and the lifelessness. 

 

Next month, we'll go back to basics with the "Warm-Up".

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Intuitive Trick

The Power of Positive Thought 

Words are very powerful things.  They can make or break your life.  Changing the wording of the thoughts you think and the words you say can free you from negativity, enhance your psychic powers and give you a more fulfilling life.

 

I’m sure you’ve heard of affirmations.  There are tons of books about them.  But books can’t help you change your thought patterns.  Only you can do that.  So I’d suggest that you start by noticing the thoughts you think and the words you say. For example, lots of us start sentences by apologizing for ourselves or expressing our fears.  So see if you can change statements that begin with “I’m afraid . . . “ or “I’m sorry . . . “ to statements that begin with  “I can . . . “   or “I am . . . “ for a start.  If you have affirmation or daily thought books (and who doesn’t!), by all means read them for examples.  But using your own unique language can better empower you to make radical change.

 

To find your own positive words, first relax and close your eyes.  Then ask your guidance or your Higher Self for a statement that you can use to affirm your well-being (acting success, health, prosperity, etc.).  Here’s some thoughts about creating your own affirmations suggested by the book, How Psychic Are You? by Julie Soskin:

 

Keep it simple.

            Be inventive.

            Ask for a brief, memorable catchphrase that you can easily memorize.

Always refer to yourself in the first person, as “I” or “Me”.

Phrase it the  present  tense  as if it’s happening now  or  has already

     happened.

Always  use specific  but doable    success     numbers   (see   “Acting 

     Success" or "Prosperity" examples)  

Say your catchphrase out loud two or  three times a day for at least a

     month.

 

Here’s   some sample  affirmations.  These were  given to me by  my  Higher  Self.  Ask your own Higher Self to give you yours:

 

Weight Loss:  Everything that I eat makes me thinner and healthier now.

Acting Success:  I go on at least 10 SAG auditions and am hired for at  least three paid SAG acting jobs a week.

Prosperity:  My talents attract at least $10,000 a month.

Boy (Girl) Friend:  I  have a life  partner who I passionately love, who nurtures  me and is my  ultimate  life  companion.  I  just  can’t wait to see him and share my  life with him every day. (No one said they had to be short,  just easy to memorize.  For  an actor, a whole  soliloquy could be appropriate.  But . . . please . . . keep it simple!)

 

If you feel you need help with affirmations, I'd suggest www.tut.com. I absolutely love waking up to this little e-mail service that sends daily inspirational thoughts from the Universe.  Just visit the website and sign up for their Notes from the Universe . Their catchphrase sums up this article . . . "Thoughts become things . . . choose the good ones!" 

 

Next month, we'll talk about Meditation.

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About Jill

MAKE ACTING MAGIC! 

I intuitively guide actors to discover the best within themselves so that they can bring their unique talents to the world. I'm Jill Place, the Acting Intuitive. I combine the best of 20th Century acting technique with my 21st Century intuition. I honed my intuitive and acting skills through years of intensive training with such illustrious teachers as Lee Strasberg, Uta Hagen, Sanford Meisner, and Viola Spolin. And in my career as a successful singer, actress, and original Groundling.

I'm also a medical intuitive and spiritual healer.  I can see where actors have emotional or energy blocks that kept them from fully expressing their craft.  And I can intuit ways to easily remove these blocks.  My students not only become better actors but quickly understand complex acting techniques that have taken me years to learn.  And they consistently work in films, on stage, and as television series regulars.

Saturday classes will resume again on January 3rd from 12 noon to 4pm. Beginning in January, I'll also begin teaching a Wednesday evening class from 7:30pm to 11:30pm, so call for an interview as the first of the year will be here before you know it! I will continue to work individually with students by appointment throughout the holidays . . . and throughout the year . . . if you need some expert help for that important audition. For more information, visit my website at www.actingintuitive.com, e-mail me at jill@actingintuitive.com, or call me at (323) 225-9850 if you're local or (888) 237-6875 if you're not. I sense that you can't wait to talk to me and start my classes . . . right?

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Acting Magic

Acting Magic is on hiatus until January, when we'll return with some exciting news about people, places, and events in the Entertainment Industry . . . just in time for pilot season!

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Technique

Character Observation                              

I love love, LOVE this holiday season!  I put up this huge designer tree (antique-lacy garlands, peach and gold poinsettias, and peachy-brown glass globes), cooked up a storm of a Christmas dinner (Tandoori Turkey, Sweet Potato Brulees, Cranberry and Goat Cheese Salad) and even made tasty gifts (Spicy Citrus Pecans).  But what I love even more about the holiday season is the people!  All that bustling and buying gives us actors a chance to observe people at their best . . . and their worst.  And gives us an opportunity to gather up more characters to pack away in our acting bag of tricks.

Watching people is like second-sight for actors.  We’re fascinated with human nature.  My ex-husband used to chuckle at my blatant staring.  And I don’t know about you, but I make friends on line.  And I’m not talking about the internet.  I heard the life stories of at least two people standing on line at 6 am at the Robinson’s-May After-Thanksgiving Sale.  But even if you’re not chatty like me, watching people in the stressful holiday crunch can give you lots of acting ammunition.

Here’s some powerful ways to observe people so that you can use them for characterization:

Watch how people walk.  I often instinctively start characterizations with a different walk.  It instantly transforms me.  Watch what part of the body leads a person’s walk.  Some people lead with their head, thrusting it out before them as they walk.  Others lead with their stomachs or their knees.  Whatever part of the body leads the walk, it changes the physical orientation of the body.  Also watch the feet.  I supenate, thrusting out my toes much like a ballet dancer.  Others walk pigeon-toed, or on the heels or balls of the feet.  Changing the way you walk can immediately create a new character for you.

Check out people’s mannerisms.  You can create character from a single mannerism.  I loved the eyebrow picking Russell Crowe did when his character was nervous in A Beautiful Mind.  Since he met with John Nash, perhaps this was actually one of Nash’s mannerisms.  Actors are natural mimics, so creating and using mannerisms as part of your characterization can be a cinch whether you’re a Method actor or not.  But Method can also help you create mannerisms.  I once hosted a talk at the Strasberg Institute where Martin Landau spoke.  He explained that one of the ways he creates character . . . and he’s a master at it . . . is to use several pain Sense Memories in different parts of his body.   He said, get a pain here and then a pain there, and then you’re an old man.  And he convincingly limped off, his body suddenly transformed!  I had done many pain Sense Memories by that time, but had never realized until that moment that giving yourself a pain in the foot could alter your body and develop strong mannerisms that define character.

Observe how people talk.  And not only accents, even though it is helpful to collect accents to stick in your bag of acting tricks for future roles.  Most actors have good ears for accents.  But it’s also helpful to note that people talk in different ways.  Physically, people talk with their mouths in different positions.  For example, my little-old-lady character speaks with a jutted-out, immobilized jaw that makes her seem instantly ancient both physically and vocally.  People talk animatedly . . . acting out every word with their bodies.  Or they talk robotically.  Tonally, people go all over the scale from every note in a four-octave range to a monotone.  They also speak in different parts of their throats . . . the sound coming gutturally from the back of their mouths, dropping from the lips, or exploding from the soft palate.  It’s important to observe all these things if you want to change the way you talk for a role.

Get familiar with human interaction.  I know there’s only a few days left in the year, but parties and other large gatherings are great to watch people interact in many ways.  You’ll always find a drama going on somewhere.  And I can’t help blatantly staring at those dramas.  Partly because I’m curious but also partly because I’m an actor and a coach.  Human nature is an ongoing fascination for me.  People react to the same situation in different ways . . . ways that you might have not imagined.  So it’s important to watch how interactions start, escalate, and are resolved.  And chuck those, too, into your acting bag of tricks.

I know it’s late in the year, but what are you doing New Year’s?  Or perhaps the Robinsons-May After-New-Year Sale? Actually, every social event gives us an opportunity to observe people exercising their humanity.  And, as Lee Strasberg always said, to “Use It!”

Next month, we'll talk about Cold Reading. Until then, make acting magic!

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