Improv Class, Mon., 7/13/2020

Top of the Class Pyramid:  Audition Performance
                                              Character
                                              Streaming
                                              Process 1 and 2
Foundational classes to prepare for the class above it.

Process 1 is a foundational class for work in front of a camera.  
Sense Streaming    I don't have enough info on this topic, yet.  

At the very start, we must know:
1.  Who Are You
2.  What are you doing
3.  Where are you    Create the sense of where you are (hot/cold, quiet house, noisy restaurant): it's done through senses since the studio will not look like that.


Definition of Imagery
Imagery draws on the five senses, namely the details of taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound. Imagery can also pertain to details about movement or a sense of a body in motion (kinesthetic imagery) or the emotions or sensations of a person, such as fear or hunger (organic imagery or subjective imagery). Using imagery helps the reader/actor develop a more fully-realized understanding of the imaginary world that the writer has created.

Jon pointed out that the sense of Vision is 2-dimensional  and not as strong a trigger as the other senses.

Our exercise:
First deeply relax in a comfortable and still position.  Eyes closed.  See nothing in your mind's eye.
We were provided with words/phrases like a crackling fire, thunder, music playing in a distance (I could not get the sense of this),
perfume (I'm highly allergic to this, and my sense of being near a perfume aisle of a department store was so strong, my throat got sore and my sinuses hurt),
the feel of a warm body alongside,  I cannot recall taste.

We were encouraged to just let the sound of the fire, the smell of perfume, the feel of a warm body be absorbed.  In some cases, more than one sense was experienced
at the same time.  Only when the "sense of" the fire, the thunder, the perfume, were fully realized, then we could open our eyes and at last see.  

I've been listening to "Sanford Meisner On Acting" (audiobook).   Jon, did you work with Mr. Meisner?  Meisner's methods and exercises resemble yours!

I liked this line from the book
"The goal of the Meisner technique has often been described as getting actors to 'live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.' "

Yes I did. I had many issues with his technique, but it did have an interesting core. He taught us to be present in the work. However, it became self indulgent and also it sacrificed real work on the script. Close, but no cigar. By the way, he lost me at “truth”. What the heck is truthful about acting. Not the words, the the place, not the characters....what is true?