Playing opposite of whats expected.

[Luciano Munoz III]

Another thing that adds a sense of realism to the scene and something that I absolutely love is when I see an actor who is in a scene and is delivered some terrible news and the director and the viewers are expecting to see the actor break down and totally cry but the actor does not. Now good actors in a scene where they are supposed to cry will break down and cry as expected, but a great actor will play opposites and they my even smile for a moment, or laugh a little while losing their composure. I absolutely love observing actors doing this, because people in real life do not suddenly explode with a fountain of tears, instead they would hear the knews and try to keep their composure and show that they are strong until the realization takes over and they allow themselves to cry usually in private. If an actor can play opposites while acting it can add alot of character, and an extra dimension to their acting, while making their acting more realistic, relatable to the viewer, an more fun. It helps create a unpredictable roller coaster for the viewr an keeps them thinking about the performance, and can even get them remembering times from their lives. Its awesome and a very helpful tool, and I feel it has changed my acting so much. I would love to hear if you agree or not go ahead and post you comments, as always your opinions are welcome and appreciated thanks.

 

Luciano

[CoachDalton]

Good observation.
One of the rules of drama; "Allow the problem to arise, make it worse and avoid solving the problem". When a character reacts in a way that the audience expects (logical human behavior), in a sense, they are solving the problem. I always preach to my students; "Don't solve the problem". If the character has every reason to cry, but the actor holds back or reacts with a less obvious choice, then the audience will cry for them. If the actor does what the audience would expect a human to do, then they become "observers" instead of participators.

If you're watching a really good film, you will be wrapped up in the story. You think to yourself as you watch, "Oh no! I hope he doesn't do that ...oh god he's going to do it ...no don't do it! Oh my god, he did it ...why did he do it?"
We have to to take the audience in a seemingly logical direction, then act and react in a way that "messes with them". That's why playing the obvious always leads to predictable characters and plot lines. Good screen writers know how to mess with the audience and actors have to know how to do the same thing with their character choices.

We are storytellers. Unfortunately, actors often get so wrapped up in their character's traits, back-history, relationship dynamics with other characters, etc. they forget to consider HOW TO SERVE THE STORY. Every character and every scene has a purpose which serves the story. Actors have to see the story through the eyes if the writer, director, editor and most importantly, the audience BEFORE they make their acting choices.

Your primary objective as an actor is to manipulate the audience.

[Luciano Munoz III]

YES!!! I couldn't have said it any better, in fact you probably said it better than I would have! Thats exactly how I feel, and what I'm working towards. Thanks for commenting Coach.

Luciano Munoz