BREAKALEGG

At the end of the day, a character is fully created when it is no longer seen as a character, but a person. But how do we make this change? Where do we get the necessary information and tools to make this possible?

A)from our own experience.
B)from observation.
C)from research.
D)from our imagination.

This is the 3rd of a four week series in which we will look at all these tools: today we look at research.

RESEARCH

We cant always observe what we want. Fortunately, research and studies can fill that void. And anyways, even if we could observe the people we want to incarnate, it is an invaluable complement to research them. There are hundreds if not thousands of books on any subject to which we can turn to when we need information. And the best way to gain information is through reading (when we can not have a direct interview).

Characters from another time, for example, should require very precise research. The actor should learn the gestures and mannerisms common to that historic period; through art books, visits to museums, reading plays and finding inspiration. The director should provide concrete details on which the actors must expand, but thats not always the case so you should do it on your own.

Marlon Brando lived with paraplegics from the Birmingham Veterans Hospital, to learn about their problems and portray them in his 1950 film "The Men". Glenn Close had interviews with various psychiatrists to understand her obsessive character in "Fatal Attraction". Dustin Hoffman did the same thing to play "Rain Man".

Never under estimate the power and depth research can give your character.

Next week we will talk about how to use imagination with this research.

Posted on July 2nd, 2009 under Actors Training •  Print This Post •  Email This Post • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback