TS3238 Journals: Muscular Release, Belief and the Sense of Truth
Those are my unedited journals written for the purpose of this class. It is meant strictly for reference only. I retain the full copyright to my work. It is illuminating and powerful to notice the growth that I experienced as an actor between the first and final weeks of this module, and I am happy to share this progress with you.
Acting is not real - that is a refrain which we have repeated in this class since Week One. In place of reality, generations of theatre practitioners and acting teachers have created methods and techniques to help the actor deliver naturalistic performances which look and feel real, but are ultimately a product of the actor’s imagination and their willingness to believe in their sense of truth.
As we look into muscular release of tension, belief, and the sense of truth, I found it intriguing to think deeper into how I can increase this connectivity between my ability to construct a sense of truth and my muscular impulses towards action. When I was facilitating for the chapter of Muscular Release, the purpose of carrying out the tension release exercise was to draw everyone’s attention to how we naturally hold tension in some parts of our bodies unconsciously, even though we may not always want it to happen. The ability to reliably and consistently perform a specific action, or to control a group of muscles with precision, begins from being aware of our ingrained habits. From awareness, the actor may then construct the character’s mannerisms in a more complete manner, such that every thought and emotion the character has is driven by the given circumstance, and that mental impulse may then deliver an instinctual but justified response from the actor’s body and voice in the form of appropriate muscular tension and release.
Based on my understanding of the Meisner technique, it seeks to develop this awareness and spontaneity by training the actor to react to dynamic given circumstances in real time, so that the actor is not only able to develop a keen sensitivity to their sense of truth, but translate it to an appropriate reaction immediately. This is achieved by the repetition exercise, in which a pair of actors repeat the same phrase while noticing shifts in the underlying intention or the expression of their partner, and adjusting their tactics accordingly. The exercise can also be carried out with assumptions, where each actor makes an assumption about the other, and the receiving partner then repeats the assumption about themselves, while experiencing their own reactions in the moment.
I related this back to what we have learned this week: If our sense of truth leads to muscular release, then the Meisner technique appears to be an attempt at allowing this process to happen so seamlessly and naturally that it becomes almost like second nature to the actor. This process is intriguing as it incorporates spontaneous changes into the given circumstances, and in my opinion, the Meisner technique creates room for its actors to explore more of their range and to trust their instinctual responses as they pick up on cues which may have gone unnoticed by other actors.
Relating this journal entry to the process of acting for the screen, after our practical sessions of acting for the camera, I realized that I have learned to gauge the distance and angle of the shot, to communicate with the cameraperson as much as possible, and certain best practices that truly only come with trial and error. Understanding the composition, camera movements and the purpose of the shot helps me to visualize what the actor must do so that they fulfil their role as naturalistic actors while getting the take that the director needs.
Acting is not real - that is a refrain which we have repeated in this class since Week One. In place of reality, generations of theatre practitioners and acting teachers have created methods and techniques to help the actor deliver naturalistic performances which look and feel real, but are ultimately a product of the actor’s imagination and their willingness to believe in their sense of truth.
As we look into muscular release of tension, belief, and the sense of truth, I found it intriguing to think deeper into how I can increase this connectivity between my ability to construct a sense of truth and my muscular impulses towards action. When I was facilitating for the chapter of Muscular Release, the purpose of carrying out the tension release exercise was to draw everyone’s attention to how we naturally hold tension in some parts of our bodies unconsciously, even though we may not always want it to happen. The ability to reliably and consistently perform a specific action, or to control a group of muscles with precision, begins from being aware of our ingrained habits. From awareness, the actor may then construct the character’s mannerisms in a more complete manner, such that every thought and emotion the character has is driven by the given circumstance, and that mental impulse may then deliver an instinctual but justified response from the actor’s body and voice in the form of appropriate muscular tension and release.
Based on my understanding of the Meisner technique, it seeks to develop this awareness and spontaneity by training the actor to react to dynamic given circumstances in real time, so that the actor is not only able to develop a keen sensitivity to their sense of truth, but translate it to an appropriate reaction immediately. This is achieved by the repetition exercise, in which a pair of actors repeat the same phrase while noticing shifts in the underlying intention or the expression of their partner, and adjusting their tactics accordingly. The exercise can also be carried out with assumptions, where each actor makes an assumption about the other, and the receiving partner then repeats the assumption about themselves, while experiencing their own reactions in the moment.
I related this back to what we have learned this week: If our sense of truth leads to muscular release, then the Meisner technique appears to be an attempt at allowing this process to happen so seamlessly and naturally that it becomes almost like second nature to the actor. This process is intriguing as it incorporates spontaneous changes into the given circumstances, and in my opinion, the Meisner technique creates room for its actors to explore more of their range and to trust their instinctual responses as they pick up on cues which may have gone unnoticed by other actors.
Relating this journal entry to the process of acting for the screen, after our practical sessions of acting for the camera, I realized that I have learned to gauge the distance and angle of the shot, to communicate with the cameraperson as much as possible, and certain best practices that truly only come with trial and error. Understanding the composition, camera movements and the purpose of the shot helps me to visualize what the actor must do so that they fulfil their role as naturalistic actors while getting the take that the director needs.
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