STANISLAVSKI'S METHOD ACTING-PART 4
How are you guys? I hope you are doing well and things are clear up till now. It's been quite a long time we haven't met,actually I was busy with my prior commitments and so couldn't make it up to. But now that I am back let's further continue discussing about Method Acting and its aspects! So today's topic is CONCENTRATION. Well I remember in my childhood days, my concentration level used to be very weak and couldn't seem to find and alternative but to mug up thinks hardly! that's sad for me but true...
Concentration does play an important part in everyone's life. One should always work on this aspect it helps a lot in creativity and dealing things with the best quality outputs. A lot of relaxation adds up to concentration of an actor. An actor needs stage relaxation in order to achieve concentration, either through mental or physical exercises. When it comes to stage, Concentration means the act of centering your attention on a particular object/person in stronger quality. When it comes to acting on stage many actors get distracted because of the audience appearance and cannot go beyond it. Before standing on stage one can practice in an indoor room by considering one wall as its Fourth Wall or the audiences wall.
Choose a wall and think as if it's the audience in that direction!! As you look into the imaginary audience try to look at the boundaries, the curtain color, pictures hanging or whatever necessary you think that needs to be created and portrayed. The result of it might be twofold, one you will consciously be aware of the present situation and will stay alert in the act, and might not feel low upon audiences starry eyes, and it will create a privacy in terms of audience and the performer as they get fresh air between fourth wall and not an open stage!
It is very pivotal to look at the objects and not feel conscious about anything offstage. A very simple and precise exercise one can do is to completely look at a nearby object for a certain entitled time like (ex lamp,book,furniture,instrument etc.) and then later on close your eyes and make revelations of the object that you studied. You will actually end up realizing that yes, there are certain characteristics that needs to be observed. So now try out with another object and quickly try to grasp all the details of it.
The more you practice,the more you actually observe and be prepared with its past, present details as well. This ironically helps an actor to observe maximum in less amount of time. It helps an actor expand his vision by using concentration and imagination. The actor has artistic license to find his material that stimulates his emotion and to keep his material until needed. An actor needs to develop a deeper sense of observation and imagination more than a ordinary person. When an actor gets attracted to a certain object he must rise above all, so that his/her power of observation gets improved.
Out of shrewd observation, a person needs to have the knowledge of an objects wealth for actor's mental storehouse. Stage fright is direct result of lack of concentration. As soon as an actor gets his/her concentration all nervousness shaky hands and butterfly will vanish away! Stanislavisky describes in it's book the Actor Prepares all his mechanical inventions that have been used by his students at the Moscow Art Theatre. He has categorized stage presence of an Actor as the Attention Circle.
So the attention circle here is as per Stanislavisky Method Acting Theory!
1) TALKING TO YOUR OWN SELF.
Now one needs, to understand when it comes to talking to self,it means its you who need to be interacting with yourself. In this state one needs to surrounds himself/herself in the spotlight of its own.
This is a part of screen acting as well, but when talked about stage acting it can be a soliloquy that you are presenting on stage. While in this circle one's energy might be confined in a particular self centric area, and should have strong voice energy that is resilient and focused inwards.
2) CONVERSATIONAL- YOU WITH OTHER PERSONS OR WITH AN OBJECT
Here, you are in a conversation with another person,where either you interact with the next person, it includes drawing them into your circle and make them feel attracted and respected. Also the object can be of focus no matter what its your personal accessories or furniture in spotlight.
3) THE WORLD IS A STAGE PLAY/ EVERYONE IS INVOLVED
This includes tremendous amount of energy, just the shakespeare plays have where there is a lot of interaction and a lot of movement is taking place with the audience and the world. Here the attention is completely public, means now you need to seek every possible nearby or far object to make people grab your attention and project your emotions worldwide! These 3 aspects play very pivotal role in having your concentration done.
Upon reaching this stage now you can actually this with a piece of monologue or syllogism, wherein you can inter variably change through circles like the one where complete stage is involved to a very confined audience or an object.
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An Actor's Concentration needs to be developed on daily basis in order to make him feasibly work on stage as well as on screen. He must be able to see the life complexities in an extra ordinarily way to build. When an object of interest attracts him, he must rise above the average person in life and learn to focus his attention so that his powers of observation will be improved. He must not be afraid to examine and question an object.
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As soon as an actor's nervousness is released, next time you feel nervous in a situation, pick an object, a physical object like a cup and straw, or maybe slippers that a person is wearing. Take in its size,shape,weight, design, and basic ingredients. Ask yourself these questions regarding the physical characteristics and apply your concentration accordingly! Exercises should be calm and have a focal centering effect.
As an actor if we more emphasize on sense memory, if we really strengthen the art of sense memory, mechanical interferences such as spotlight effect which is being used to make an actor articulate the area of concentration, eventually turns out to be baseless or unnecessary.
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In order to create a better impact, one needs to create a sensory circle. Sensory circle inscribed with concentration,draw an imaginable boundary around themselves. Now as per your marked boundaries you can set your circle and try to concentrate in an imaginary defined circle. As for circle region can be enlarged, you can imbibe any object or the world is now available for you!
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Well at a distant place also you can use your sense memory to actually nurture your concentration and focus. Try visualizing your object, the way you have actually sensed an object through sense memory or an imaginary boundary horizon. But in between these lines there will be wind, waves, clouds and birds that needs to be created by an actor. Sounds and Senses will be included in it.
So one can try to visualize a object like a sailboat that was quite at a distance and replace it with your actual object, try to place it in before your eyes and concentrate on its detail, scrutinize every aspect of it! Your eyes will organically turn out to be in the same transfixed position as that of an actual object. Your eyes will actually be in a state where it should be, it will gaze an object as if for real.
Your eyes will be might seem or feel as if the object in reality is at your front. After quite a little practice you'll able to create dilations through your eyes, that will turn quite provocative to the spectator, like once I remember that at quite a distance these two where sharing stage presence, and were so infused in between each other, they were very shy but also at the same time, quite instinctive at stage.
There might be situations wherein you might feel the lose of concentration, when it comes to expansion of your circle. In that case, try to recollect yourself, try to bring back your concentration again and again, it actually might lose interest in audience when it comes to your eyes/visuals. It might disturb the mood of your audience. These sensory circles when it comes to performing for audience on stage to that of performing for television set might be seamless. But a completely different experience an actor might encounter on set that onto a stage.
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In acting these circles really help in concentrating and stay focused on stage, on set one might lose this circle. In order to sustain characterization, one must actually be flexible for the light change, limitless spaghetti like chords that are completely stranded on floors might disturb, noisy cameraman calling for takes and shots, technical people every time adjusting there instruments in front of you. And a limited to carry out complete production process. It is indeed challenging, also when it comes to television you don't really have time to rehearse rigorously now and then. I think when the episodes are live and are being aired, it gives a sense of actually being able to pull of things so effortlessly in such a chaos.
At the end its individual call that one really need to follow sensory circle or concentration circle to engage in a situation or to just call it off. Thus Relaxation and Concentration hereby plays pivotal role in actually making things possible and to make them poignant part of actors process through characterization. So get up and work relentlessly and prove yourself!!!
THANK YOU!!
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