Should Actors Have Knowledge of Story Theory? Guest blog from @StoryMeBad

If you think about it, in the context of performing arts, a story can’t exist without an actor. The actor is the means of communication between the audience and the story, and the written character is the ‘media’ - the sensory languages - that connect the story emotion to the audience senses.

So it is your duty as an actor to be true to the character; and the character is defined primarily in terms of what he or she does in delivering the real story. If you are not true to the character, you will not communicate the story as intended by the writer. How can actors understand what a part really asks of them?

I recently worked with the actor Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley in The Harry Potter films; also star of 101 Dalmatians; Shakespeare in Love and many, many more) and with Willy Russell (Theatrical legend and writer of Educating Rita; Shirley Valentine; Blood Brothers). The results of our conversations threw up four key factors in, firstly, what an actor needs to do in delivering a story and secondly, what a story and its characters should have to reflect well on you as the actor. Here we go then!

1.       Deliver the ‘Real’ Story

 An actor must understand his character`s role more deeply than simply delivering the actions and speaking the words. An actor must understand his role in delivering the truth of the story - the learning and message the author wants the audience to leave with. Once you have read the script, uncovered all its mysteries and you understand the real purpose and message of a story, then your job is clear: you must deliver your character`s contribution to delivering that purpose and message. That is the actor’s job.

2.       Deliver the Character

Secondly, the character himself: what is it about him that facilitates the delivery of this story? For example, if the story relies on your character`s cowardice, you can work on how to shape your delivery of this facet of the character. It is often way more important to approach this key component from its polar opposite in order to deliver it to maximum effect. In other words, a character who presents as strong and brave in dominating his wife and children may show this critical cowardice when genuinely under pressure to be brave out in the real world. By understanding the element of his character that delivers the story message and moral, the actor can be smart in the way he wraps up this precious deliverable and feeds it into the story at the perfect time and in the perfect manner. Watch Back to the Future. Marty McFly’s dad, George, is portrayed throughout as weak and unassertive. And yet this whole story pivots around his moment of bravery when he finally makes a fist. Everything. Watch it again, and think about that in the parts you play.

3.       You, the Actor

You must ask yourself, as an actor, what can I bring to this character that is different and special and which stamps my authority on this part? When a part gets an actor it is inevitable – totally unavoidable, in fact – that the actor will bring something to the part that was unexpected by the writers. If an actor is any good, and has done 1) and 2) properly, this is generally a good thing, whereby the actor is able to give life to the character in the correct spirit – the one intended by the author and required by the story.

To give you an example, Mark Williams told me this about his role as Arthur Weasley, Ron Weasley`s dad in Harry Potter:

”When we first worked on Harry Potter, I was coming to grips with Arthur, and Julie Walters was playing my wife, Molly Weasley. Julie and I spent time discussing how our characters might have met; where we met; how come we have seven children; how long we’d been together and what shared loves and values our relationship might be based on. We decided that we met at college and had been together since then, so we gave them a kind of studentish attitude and a ‘Jolly Hockey Sticks’ characteristic that they share because they met at college and have been together since then. Obviously, JK Rowling didn’t write that into the books, but having that provenance and understanding helps me to ‘be’ the character and helped Julie and I to deliver something that makes the Weasley family, as an entity in itself, feel real.” 

How can an actor know if the part is a good part to play?

The absolute top thing for an actor to look for in a story and in a part is our old friend, subtext. The majority of acting roles are `on the nose`. That is to say, everything the character does and says represents what he is genuinely doing and saying. It is very hard for an actor to make themselves look good with a part like this. A part that you can get your teeth into and which will reflect well on you as an actor must have subtext. The words you speak and the actions you take will not be the truth. Your character will know more or less than the audience about the truth of the situation.

When a character says `I love you`, but her actions tell a whole different story, this is a character with dimension, a character delivering the ‘real’ story in subtext.

If you would like to know more, I have a specific blog post on subtext at www.thescienceofstory.blogspot.com and address the subject in full in The Story Book, where you can also find the complete conversations with Mark Williams and Willy Russell. 

Never forget, you aren`t acting. You are delivering a story. If you have a good story and you deliver it well, you will be a fine actor.

David`s Book - The Story Book - is available now in hard copy in the UK, or in eBook format from his website (www.baboulene.com) or from Amazon Kindle eBook stores.

Taking a Break

So, I'm moving.

Again.

Some of you that have been following along know that I left L.A. last year around this time to move closer to my wife's family.  We had never been in close physical proximity to them before and our kids had only ever had brief holiday visits to get to know them.  We decided to change that.

And while we won't miss Idaho Falls all that much (hey, it's a great town--they now have an OLIVE GARDEN!!), leaving them will be painful.  And yes, it is my in-laws I'm talking about.  I'm one of the luckiest guys on the planet.  Not only am I madly in love with my wife, but I love her family, too.

But...

I'm going to be starting a new job.  I've been hired to build and then run a multimedia production studio.  It's very exciting and more than a little bit overwhelming.  It's also right next to where my parents live.  #score

Clearly, this is a pretty big change for us in a lot of ways.  And in order to really be there for my family, I'm needing to figure out how to better manage my time.

So here's the deal:  my internet radio show is going on hiatus.  The length of that hiatus is going to be determined by you guys.  You've seen or read or heard me ask for help on my Twitter stream, here at my blog, my iTunes page, my imdb page and on my internet radio show.  I've asked you guys to subscribe, to follow, to comment, to review, etc., etc.  And some of you have.  Most of you have not.

I really do understand, and this is not in any sense of the word intended to be a rant.  We're all busy.  We think, "I'll do that.  Just not right this second."  And then somehow weeks go past and we haven't taken action.

But in the meantime, those on the other end of things are left... well... alone.

Something you should know about me.  I love to teach and I love to help.  If, by my words or actions, I can keep someone from making the same mistakes and missteps that I did, it makes me exceptionally happy.  If I get to watch an actor fall in love with the craft, I'm ecstatic.

However, with a few notable exceptions, I have no feedback from you guys about whether or not what I'm putting out there is helping anyone.  I am able to track how many people read my blog, listen to my show and download my archived episodes on iTunes.  That number is far greater than what my subscriptions, comments and reviews numbers would indicate.

And those numbers are important.  They allow me to get the visibility, the sponsors and the support I need to justify taking time away from my family to do this work.  Because it does take time, effort and creativity to do.  And now that I'm starting a new and very full-time job, I'm not sure if it's worth the energy it takes.

That's where you come in.  If you like what I'm doing and want to see it continue and even expand, you need to let me know.  Start by following and commenting on my blog, since you're already here. :)

The other things you can do to help (and not all at once, for the sake of your own sanity) are listed here.  My blogtalkradio page could use followers, facebook "likes", comments and reviews.  Same with my iTunes page that archives all of those episodes.  My imdb page could also use those facebook "likes" (and even just searches for my name, to be honest... which is why the link is just to the main imdb page... type "Ben Hopkin" into the search bar).


Lastly, if you're an actor and looking for training, take a chance on my online classes.  Currently I'm only offering one-on-one training, which is incredibly inexpensive when compared with others in the industry.  I also allow you to try me out for free with a half-hour trial class.  Just email me at actingwithoutthedrama (at) gmail (dot) com to set one up.


But really, the most important things here are the ones that cost you nothing but a wee bit of time.  And yes, I just said, "wee".  *snort*


My blog will return in July, regardless of the response.  My radio show may also return then if the response is strong.  If the response is moderate but enthusiastic, the show will return in August.  If the response is weak, it probably won't come back at all.


I do want you all to know that this isn't intended as an ultimatum.  It's rather a reality check for me.  I have no interest in vanity projects.  If all I'm doing this for is an inflated sense of self, it's simply not worth it to me.  If, on the other hand, I'm really helping out and can receive some (free) help in return, then I'm all in.


So let me know.  It's in your hands.  :)


I'll announce the outcome when my blog returns in July.  Until then, my Twitter stream will still be active (although reduced in the number of tweets) and I will do my best as always to answer any direct messages or emails I receive.  Hope to hear from you all soon!

Mouthing Off

I got a request the other day to do some additional dialect work on my podcast.  Well, it's been a while since I switched over from prerecorded podcasts to live radio shows and I'm not positive that this new format is conducive to dialect training.

But so what?

One of the things I talk about all the time is that we should step outside our comfort zones.  So, I'm going to put my money where my mouth is.  I'm going to try something that I'm not sure will actually work.  In fact, it may fail spectacularly.  But if it does, who exactly gets hurt?  No one but my ego, and he and I aren't really on speaking terms much these days anyway.  I kinda blame him for the vast majority of the stupid mistakes I've made over the course of my life.

So, this Thursday at 8 pm PST, I'll be talking about dialect training on my internet radio show.  I'll start with some general tips on dialect training overall, and then if there's time, I'll talk about the specific changes for what's called RP.  RP stands for "received pronunciation", by the way, which is itself a shortening of "received in the best society pronunciation".  We'll talk about that, too.  :)

Therefore, I request the honor of your virtual presence, this Thursday at 8 pm Pacific Standard, for my grand experiment.  Who knows?  If it goes well, we may do multiple sessions.

That Was Fun... Let's Do It Again!

I had so much fun talking with you guys this last Thursday that I thought we'd do it again.  We only just scratched the surface of the topic of marketing, because (let's be honest) there's lots to talk about when it comes to self-promotion.

I loved so much of what came up during the last show.  Yehuda and Stephy had wonderful questions and comments and it was great to get to the core of what ends up stopping most of us--self-sabotage.  Remember always that there are two sides of the coin of fear:  the fear we won't live up and the fear that we will.  We generally discount the latter, but I've found that it can be the more powerful of the two. 

It doesn't seem to make sense.  I mean, who doesn't want to be fabulously successful, right?  Turns out in practice that most of us want success and fear success in roughly equal measures (usually weighted a little towards the fear).  Change... even good change... is scary.

So, let's embrace the discomfort.  And let's start this Thursday at 8 pm PST.  I know that there are many of you out there that want to call in but are afraid.  This is an excellent time to get over those fears.  I don't bite.  I promise.  :)  You can find my show here.  Go there now and set a reminder for yourself.

And for those that are afraid to start training--now's a good time to get over that one too.  Sign up for my classes at the top of the blog!  You won't regret it.

Brainstorming Session

We've all done it in other areas of our lives.  Gotten together with friends, family or co-workers and come up with ideas.  So, I thought it might be a good idea for us to try it this Thursday at 8 pm, Pacific Standard Time on my internet radio show.

This is a session that's open to actors, filmmakers, writers, casting directors, artists in general.  The point is to come up with ideas to help one another self-promote.  Whatever our artistic bent in life, we need to put our services out there for public consumption.  Unless we've already "made it" and our phone is ringing off the hook, all of us could use a leg up, or at least some great ideas on how to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps.

I've certainly given out a bunch of my ideas on what we can do to be marketing ourselves, but I want to hear from YOU!  The collective mind is always better than just one person in the dark, blindly trying to come up with good stuff.  Let's come together and help each other out.

Don't like to call in live to a radio show?  'Sallright.  As much as I would love to hear from you, it isn't necessary.  Leave a comment here, @ or DM me on my Twitter stream or send me an email--actingwithoutthedrama (at) gmail (dot) com.  Let's figure out innovative ideas to connect with others in the industry.

An example of what  I'm talking about?  Kristy Hatsell (@Kristi_Gail) put together something called Actors Supporting Actors on facebook and it looks to be a really excellent way to network with other actors in the Los Angeles area.  If you're in that area, you should check it out.

So, get those brains a-hummin', folks!  I want to hear from you.  This will only work if we step outside our comfort zone and participate.  #callme #Iamlonely  :)

Commitment, Revisited

Yeah, yeah.  I get it.  I talk too much.

But at least I commit, right?

This week we're taking another go-round with the final "C", commitment.  There's a reason for that.  I'm going to blame it on the half-hour format.  Some might blame it on the fact that I spend way too much time yapping.  I prefer to refer to myself as someone who is very detail-oriented.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you clearly missed my radio show last Thursday where I managed to spend the entire time answering a question from the stream as well as one from a caller.  Hopefully it was useful information for everyone, but I'm not going to try to claim that it had anything to do with the topic.

I will say, though, that that's kinda how I roll.  I give more weight to a real person asking a real question than I do to the topic that I chose.  It does mean, however, that if you tuned in specifically to hear about commitment, you didn't get much of it.

So, we will talk more about it this week.  Probably.  I'm not making any hard-and-fast promises, because if someone calls in and wants to talk about agencies, marketing, some specific acting discipline or whatever... I'm most likely gonna answer their question before I do anything else.

There is a solution to this.  If you want to hear about commitment, call and ask me about it.  I LOVE to hear from you guys.  It totally makes my night/week/month, so don't hesitate!  I don't bite unless asked, and I'm pretty sure the rest of my listeners don't either.  Remember:  shyness is just reverse judgment, and none of us want to be judgmental, right?  :)  So, tune in this Thursday at 8 pm Pacific right here and call in at (424) 243-9619.  At which point, we'll talk about whatever you want to talk about. :)

If you've been under a rock or just started following me on Twitter or reading this blog, just wanted to let you know of the amazing reduced prices for my online acting classes--$50 per month for once-a-week classes and $90 per month for twice-a-week classes.  You can't find better than that anywhere, and the online classes are super convenient and perfectly suited to learn on-camera technique.  You can sign up at the top of my blog.

The Final "C"--Commitment

This is the one that sets apart the pros from the amateurs.  If you can master this one, the audience will definitely sit up and take notice.  They may love you, they may hate you, but they will NEVER ignore you.

I'm not talking about committing to being a working actor, or committing to training, or committing to follow through with what you say you're going to do.  That is all good, and all really important, but it's not what really what we're discussing right now.

What we're talking about is making an acting choice and then going ALL IN!!!  Acting is not a time for us to be wishy-washy about our choices, nor is it a time to hesitate.  Let's learn to make strong (meaning not necessarily expected), active and specific choices.  We talked about that last week with the actions, right?  Powerful active verbs'll do it for us.

Once we've done that, we need to step into those choices 100%.  Don't "punch" a little.  "Punch" all the way.  That doesn't mean the choice has to be physically huge.  It just means we need to really embrace the playing of that verb.  We don't like to do this.  It makes us feel vulnerable and exposed.  Guess what?  That's a good thing.  No, actually it's an excellent thing!

So, come join me this Thursday at 8 pm Pacific Standard Time for my blogtalkradio show.  We'll be talking about this subject more in detail then.  While you're there, follow my blogtalkradio page and leave a comment for me so I don't feel lonely!

Also, for those of you that haven't heard, I am offering my online acting classes starting at a measly $50 a month!  So, what I'm saying is that location and money are now no longer an excuse for not getting top-notch training.  You can join by going to the top of the page here, or you can email me with more questions at actingwithoutthedrama (at) gmail (dot) com.