7/30 Class Recap

Mon Aug 03, 2020 11:59 pm

Today’s class provided another opportunity to observe someone streaming and do some detective work. The key takeaway from the last class was this exercise is about the person and not the story. This concept makes sense when you think about it in terms of using this for script work. When you get a script, you already know the story but it’s the inner depths of the character that need to be discovered. Jon further explained that human beings aren’t so simple. To get to their core, you have to build a relationship with them. So, look at their objects as metaphorical clues to their physiology, habits, contradictions, and so forth. Particularly, it is through these contradictions that these cores unfold. He continued that an actor’s main talent is empathy and training to build that empathy toward others. Your empathy is your main weapon. Try not to see people as all bad or all good, but as a complex human being.

This time, it was Molly’s turn to describe her dreamscape character. Her character was a very slim girl around 26 or 27 years old and about 5’3” or 5’4”. When touching her, Molly said her freckled skin was very soft while her dirty blonde hair was coarse and straight from breakage due to years of straightening it every day. The descriptor “soft” also appeared when she said her eyes were a soft green. This woman was standing tall and wearing a worn white cotton t-shirt tucked into her high-waisted jeans and white and grey sketchers. From this description, along with the added strong scent of perfume, this woman seemed to be dressed rather nicely as if she was going out somewhere. However, despite how dolled-up she was, this character was also wearing a leather tool belt. When exploring her surroundings, at a tall, wood table in the middle of the garage where this girl is standing. On the table was a pair of tiny silver tweezers that were a bit rusty. Also on the table was a ring with a big heart on it made up of tiny stones or diamonds. She clarified that this ring had a couple of stones missing though it was not an engagement ring or wedding ring. Later, Molly shared with my group that the ring also had an engraving that read “with love.” Also mentioned laying on the table were a couple of small, super tiny nails that weren’t meant for anything heavy-duty. When going through the objects on the character’s tool belt, only a few things were found. First was a small white pencil with no eraser that was sharpened so much that only “coffee 1” could be seen on it. Next was a tiny ripped up piece of folded up scrap paper with “call Jeff tonite” written in pencil. Molly then described a red poker chip with small white writing that said “all in.” The white paint on the chip was so worn down at the edges that it faded back to red in some places. Finally, there was an empty tube of Burt’s Bees chapstick that has dirt stuck in the crevices. Just from reviewing these objects, one can see how this character has a tendency to hold onto things even if they are worn or need mending.

During our Q & A with Molly, we also found a few details that helped us home in on the character. She explained that this character doesn’t have a boisterous personality and even speaks in a softer register. Her mood is focused and she is specifically focusing on the ring that she is trying to repair. She also let us know that the ring is fairly new or recently polished and the heart on it is “obnoxious” which is why she ruled out it being an engagement/wedding ring. When we asked her to smell the perfume again, she noted specified that it is so strong that it hurts her nose but could smell peach undertones and that it was expensive. Despite being so dressed up that she may look out of place, Molly said she looks comfortable wearing the tool belt and being around the workshop. Similar to my character, she was wearing no makeup and was naturally pretty. When describing her, Molly summed the character up by saying that everything about her was very precise. Though what intrigued me the most was when Molly shared with us that the Jeff from the crumpled-up note is someone that the character knows well.

As soon as Molly began telling up about the ring while streaming, I immediately knew this girl’s story. Partly, because I’m going through it a bit myself. And now that we learned our lesson about focusing on symbolism, the meaning behind those objects became crystal clear. With the ring, she was literally mending a broken heart. The objects found in her tool belt could easily be mementos representing the journey of her relationship- Jeff could be the ex, the pencil could be from a coffee shop date. We even played with the idea of a Vegas wedding being involved in their story due to the poker chip. So, although she is trying to heal, there are still fragments of the relationship that broke her heart laying around. This is so true to getting through a break-up: you’ll be going about your day when suddenly something so small can trigger the pain of that heartbreak. Holding on to so many old things, especially the empty (and therefore useless) chapstick, follow the narrative of not being able to let go of the past. However, the chip’s message of “all in” could represent her betting on herself rather than depending on others, like this ex. This is a great mantra to have when going from having someone so intimately imbedded in your life to being independent again. We also discussed color schemes from the dream such as the red of the chip representing passion. The most prominent color throughout the character description was white. This, also with the repetition of the word “soft” gave a vibe of innocence or a fresh start. When discussing the eraserless pencil, white clothing, and preciseness, we concluded that, in her mind, mistakes cannot be made. Since she was familiar with her surroundings but seemed to out of place, this could be her parents’ home and she has come home to heal. The contradiction of being so well dressed for a garage workshop and not having any real tools showed that she may be considered a fish out of water. When Jon revealed that archetype along with Molly divulging the genre was a quirky comedy, I could practically see the made-for-tv Lifetime or Netflix movie unfold before me. He even said this image could easily be a strong plot point in Act 1 of the story. When discussing our findings with Jon, I was proud that we picked up on the same repeated words as he did (soft, tiny, and white) and how they were important to discover this character’s core. He also provided the helpful advice that if you get to their core, that is their archetype. Knowing this, in turn, helps you to play the role. And quirky fish-out-of-water is great for comedy and type we’ve certainly seen before. Another great piece of advice was, “give as much value to objects as you can.” Which makes a lot of sense in terms of always making an effort to elevate the scene.

This class was so much fun! Now that we understand how to break down a character using symbols, I feel like we are finally getting a hang of finding that core through detective work. It also helped that I clicked with this character so quickly and early on into Molly’s stream. I’d watch this movie. I’d audition for this movie. It’s funny finding a rom-com in the midst of Molly’s dream environment since I believe it was hers that had the dreaded purple abyss!

Tue Aug 04, 2020 12:00 pm

Such juicy detail. You are learning, Grasshopper!

7/30 Class Recap

7/30 Class Recap

Re: 7/30 Class Recap