The Actor's Survival Handbook by Tucker Patrick Ozanne Christine

Author:Tucker, Patrick, Ozanne, Christine [Tucker, Patrick, Ozanne, Christine]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
ISBN: 978-1-135-47041-8
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Branch:

Text

Twig:

LEARNING LINES

Second Family Tree:

Rehearsing

Branch:

Rehearsals (long, short, or none)

Twig:

LEARNING LINES

Less Is More?

This could not be more wrong!

This phrase has become something of a mantra, often recited at training establishments and in acting classes. What it means is that if you do gestures and expressions and words simultaneously, the audience will be confused and not quite get what you are trying to convey.

Unfortunately, it is taken to mean that you should be selective in your acting and cut it all down to only one thing. This will indeed be clearer to the audience than something muddled up with many other things, but there is an alternative.

When you study great acting, whether it is on the screen or on a stage, ask yourself if that performer is doing less or more for the audience than a less-esteemed actor does. If you watch closely, you will see that she is doing more; lots more. That is why she is so great, because she can communicate more to her audience than other performers can. In computer terms, you could say that she is sending out more bytes of information than they do.

So many actors are restricted by this saying, yet the real truth is that less is less, and more is more. Have a look at Al Pacino and Robert De Nero in their first face-to-face screen meeting in the movie Heat. Watch how much they do, and if you want a comparison, see the same scene done by two less well-known actors in L.A. Takedown, Michael Mann’s first version of this movie (made for television). The difference between the two versions is astounding: with Michael Mann as the producer, director, and writer for both movies, the famous actors do a huge amount more than those who originated the scene. This is food for thought indeed.

Always remind yourself that there might be an opportunity at any moment to do more for your audience members, for they are (aren’t they?) the ones you are acting for. Try to find a positive way of acting a negative thought. For example, don’t act “not speaking” by simply not speaking but make as if to speak and then decide not to, so the audience understand that your silence is chosen.

SEE also: ACTING: WHAT IS IT? and OVER THE TOP

The reason “Less is more” has taken root is that in training situations there are, naturally, some performers who are not yet skilled at what they do, or even some performers who turn out not to be very talented, and some of their choices are not so good. It looks better to the teacher if they make these wrong acting choices smaller, or reduce the number of them, for that makes the scene work a little better, but it does not improve the acting. No, here is your life belt:

Less is less and more is more, so do more and do it well!

(The exception to this is speaking in a close-up for the screen where you must use less volume, but do a lot more with your expressions.

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