Monday, July 28, 2003
WEEK 30 - First Trip to Lexington
7/28/03
First day of camp. Good fun. Three hour ride in the van with Lee who writes plays and used to be a big shot for Merryl Lynch, David, a gay 50s actor with good comic timing, Dana, a working New York actress, and Amy Wolf from LA who is treating herself to a vacation. She deals with a lot of a-holes in the waitressing world in LA – people not giving her props.
Dinner was really good. BBQ chicken, slaad, spicy baked potatoes, carrots, cheesecake cubes – the strawberry was particularly good. They gave us sides to read and then dinner and then we worked from 7:15 – 11:25 with one five minute break – it was great. Jamie and Chris are right on. Chris is so understated and so deadly accurate with his critiques and suggestions, it’s pretty scary. Jamie’s a little more in your face about everything but still right on.
No weak links, really, in the acting here. I can hold my own and I’m better than some. I am very excited about how I can apply all that I learn here to when I finish writing my plays and directing my feature film. The main key is simple and so often overlooked. Play the action. Every character should go after what he wants. That’s what acting is, action – we want to see action. The director of a movie calls ‘action!” she does not call ‘dialogue’ or ‘talk!’
My notes from today:
Be on time. If you are on time, you’re late. Be early.
What do I want, what’s in my way, how am I going to get what I want? This is the only driving force and the only motivation you ever need and the only thing with which you ever really need concern yourself.
Vocabulary:
OBJECTIVE: what do I want? / same as acting = intention
SCENE EVENT: what happens in a scene. E.G. This is the scene where I convince the detective to take my case.
All you can play is what you want. You can’t play ‘I have a stomache ache.’ Can’t play ‘I feel bad for all the starving children in Ethiopia today.’ All I can play is ‘I must convince this man to take my case, even though I have no money.’
Directors don’t say ‘be urgent’ Director’s say ‘if you don’t seal this deal, you lose your house, your car, your wife.’
Tight cue pick up
Passover question: Why is today different from every other day?
Don’t send up a send up. Don’t comment on a comment. Play your action for God’s sake.
If you find something that works, you may keep it. You don’t have to discover something new every time. If it works, for God’s sake, keep it.
Everything you need is in your partner’s eyes. It’s not in Ethiopia (so there’s no need to look out there.) ¶ 6:19 PM
First day of camp. Good fun. Three hour ride in the van with Lee who writes plays and used to be a big shot for Merryl Lynch, David, a gay 50s actor with good comic timing, Dana, a working New York actress, and Amy Wolf from LA who is treating herself to a vacation. She deals with a lot of a-holes in the waitressing world in LA – people not giving her props.
Dinner was really good. BBQ chicken, slaad, spicy baked potatoes, carrots, cheesecake cubes – the strawberry was particularly good. They gave us sides to read and then dinner and then we worked from 7:15 – 11:25 with one five minute break – it was great. Jamie and Chris are right on. Chris is so understated and so deadly accurate with his critiques and suggestions, it’s pretty scary. Jamie’s a little more in your face about everything but still right on.
No weak links, really, in the acting here. I can hold my own and I’m better than some. I am very excited about how I can apply all that I learn here to when I finish writing my plays and directing my feature film. The main key is simple and so often overlooked. Play the action. Every character should go after what he wants. That’s what acting is, action – we want to see action. The director of a movie calls ‘action!” she does not call ‘dialogue’ or ‘talk!’
My notes from today:
Be on time. If you are on time, you’re late. Be early.
What do I want, what’s in my way, how am I going to get what I want? This is the only driving force and the only motivation you ever need and the only thing with which you ever really need concern yourself.
Vocabulary:
OBJECTIVE: what do I want? / same as acting = intention
SCENE EVENT: what happens in a scene. E.G. This is the scene where I convince the detective to take my case.
All you can play is what you want. You can’t play ‘I have a stomache ache.’ Can’t play ‘I feel bad for all the starving children in Ethiopia today.’ All I can play is ‘I must convince this man to take my case, even though I have no money.’
Directors don’t say ‘be urgent’ Director’s say ‘if you don’t seal this deal, you lose your house, your car, your wife.’
Tight cue pick up
Passover question: Why is today different from every other day?
Don’t send up a send up. Don’t comment on a comment. Play your action for God’s sake.
If you find something that works, you may keep it. You don’t have to discover something new every time. If it works, for God’s sake, keep it.
Everything you need is in your partner’s eyes. It’s not in Ethiopia (so there’s no need to look out there.) ¶ 6:19 PM
