By studying the Meisner Technique, actors have a chance to explore the concept of the actors instrument. The instrument analogy can be helpful when breaking down all the various aspects that can determine how good an actor is. As an audience member, it becomes apparent very quickly who the good actors in a piece are or who might be falling short. But, can we pinpoint what makes us feel that way? In fact, it is the actors instrument and how well rounded and how well developed it is.
There are six aspects to consider when looking at the actors instrument. Those elements include emotional expression, sensory expression, physical expression, empathy and intelligence. In the Meisner technique, all aspects of the actors instrument need to be addressed and considered and are essential to mastering the craft. It is easy even for non actors to identify professional actors who have mastered the different aspects of their "instrument." It is the true legends, the icons of stage and screen, that have mastered all six.
Take, for example, Sylvester Stallone who is know for his commanding physical presence and physical expression. Stallone is certainly able to express emotionally, but overall his most powerful tool onscreen is his physical expression. As an actor he expresses emotional in a very physical, often external way. Actors must focus and learn about all the aspects of the acting instrument, which will help them be diverse and capable of many types of roles.
Emotional expression is one of the first things most up and coming actors focus on. Obsessing about how a character feels about something and how to express it is usually the primary thing actors concentrate on. One of the most important, but certainly not the only tool to master is the emotional expression aspect of the actors instrument. It's important to remember, however, that each of the six aspects of the instrument are related and must be developed and work together.
Emotional expression gives meaning to the story. It clues the audience in to what the character is about, the conflicts they face, what their deepest needs are. It is common in classes teaching Meisner acting in nyc to create an emotional history of a character, imagine it in detail and then use all the aspects of the instrument to express them. Meisner acting students are masters of human emotion, the full range and complexity of the human experience. They do this by creating a "library" of human emotion and a resource of reactions and ways of communicating based on studies of real people. When called upon to create a specific character, they dig very deep and create and imagine (another part of the instrument) what that character's emotional story is. Having created a full emotional life and a foundation of behaviors, thoughts and ways of reacting, the actor can then bring the character to life, in the moment, in a spontaneous way.
Just as an example, vulnerability can express many characteristics, from innocence to deep insecurity. Actors might work hard to develop this emotion and the complex ways it can be expressed. If the actor has also worked hard to develop other aspects of the instrument, such as imagination, sensory expression and intelligence, the complexity of emotions will be there. Vulnerability might be expressed by smashing a vase to pieces, or by simply sitting still and the challenge is to use ways appropriate to the character. This is a subjective, creative process.
The myth is that acting is simply pretending to have an emotion. Acting is not "emoting," by injecting emotion into a script. As Sanford Meisner always said, Acting is DOING. In other words acting is being in the moment and allowing any number of emotional reactions well up and take you over and turn you into the actual character. Great acting is, moment by moment, opening up to the character and allowing them to take you places you may not have imagined. Great actors do not force themselves to cry. They feel genuine, strong emotions and a sense of grief or loss and images makes them cry. Acting students who have developed a deep capacity of raw, true human experience that can express it using all aspects of the instrument are the ones that learn the most about the craft. Give yourself permission to feel fully and strongly, and express it in ways that are physical, intelligent empathetic and real.
There are six aspects to consider when looking at the actors instrument. Those elements include emotional expression, sensory expression, physical expression, empathy and intelligence. In the Meisner technique, all aspects of the actors instrument need to be addressed and considered and are essential to mastering the craft. It is easy even for non actors to identify professional actors who have mastered the different aspects of their "instrument." It is the true legends, the icons of stage and screen, that have mastered all six.
Take, for example, Sylvester Stallone who is know for his commanding physical presence and physical expression. Stallone is certainly able to express emotionally, but overall his most powerful tool onscreen is his physical expression. As an actor he expresses emotional in a very physical, often external way. Actors must focus and learn about all the aspects of the acting instrument, which will help them be diverse and capable of many types of roles.
Emotional expression is one of the first things most up and coming actors focus on. Obsessing about how a character feels about something and how to express it is usually the primary thing actors concentrate on. One of the most important, but certainly not the only tool to master is the emotional expression aspect of the actors instrument. It's important to remember, however, that each of the six aspects of the instrument are related and must be developed and work together.
Emotional expression gives meaning to the story. It clues the audience in to what the character is about, the conflicts they face, what their deepest needs are. It is common in classes teaching Meisner acting in nyc to create an emotional history of a character, imagine it in detail and then use all the aspects of the instrument to express them. Meisner acting students are masters of human emotion, the full range and complexity of the human experience. They do this by creating a "library" of human emotion and a resource of reactions and ways of communicating based on studies of real people. When called upon to create a specific character, they dig very deep and create and imagine (another part of the instrument) what that character's emotional story is. Having created a full emotional life and a foundation of behaviors, thoughts and ways of reacting, the actor can then bring the character to life, in the moment, in a spontaneous way.
Just as an example, vulnerability can express many characteristics, from innocence to deep insecurity. Actors might work hard to develop this emotion and the complex ways it can be expressed. If the actor has also worked hard to develop other aspects of the instrument, such as imagination, sensory expression and intelligence, the complexity of emotions will be there. Vulnerability might be expressed by smashing a vase to pieces, or by simply sitting still and the challenge is to use ways appropriate to the character. This is a subjective, creative process.
The myth is that acting is simply pretending to have an emotion. Acting is not "emoting," by injecting emotion into a script. As Sanford Meisner always said, Acting is DOING. In other words acting is being in the moment and allowing any number of emotional reactions well up and take you over and turn you into the actual character. Great acting is, moment by moment, opening up to the character and allowing them to take you places you may not have imagined. Great actors do not force themselves to cry. They feel genuine, strong emotions and a sense of grief or loss and images makes them cry. Acting students who have developed a deep capacity of raw, true human experience that can express it using all aspects of the instrument are the ones that learn the most about the craft. Give yourself permission to feel fully and strongly, and express it in ways that are physical, intelligent empathetic and real.
About the Author:
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides acting classes in NYC for serious actors. Find out more about meisner acting at the studio website or read this article about emotional memory.
