How to become a successful actor – PT2

Acting Workshops

I talked about 2 types of workshops in my last post and today I will talk about two more. If you are an aspiring actor then follow these posts as there is lot more to come. After these workshops, I will be covering some of the things that you may not learn in any acting school. So, please read on.

3. Improvisation Workshops

In a normal scenario scripts are fully written and need to be followed so that the characters or the story itself do not get out of line. “Then why do you need to attend these workshops?” You may wonder. Let me explain.

How do we get better at driving, martial arts, painting or cooking etc?. We use repeat action. Each time we do something where most of our senses are involved, it gets carved into our memory and repeating those actions turn that skill into a second nature.  Improvisation works exactly the same way. It creates an automation of our expressions and emotions in certain types of situations. So, when we need to perform in a similar type of scene, our brain can draw the information from those previous experiences, taking most of the burden of performance off our shoulders.

Improv workshops will also improve your speed and accuracy of understanding the scenes, characters, their history and motives. So, don’t discard improv as some useless exercise. It is an amazing tool, use it as much as you can. Run through as many different types of scenarios as possible. Experience as many different types of emotions because each time, you will learn something new. Each time you will explore a new strength in you.  

Although improv workshops are given a medium importance,  I feel that these workshops offer much more than they are given credit for.

4. Scene Breakdown Workshops

These workshops are often recommended for most aspiring actors who are just starting out. Here you will learn how to breakdown a scene which is a must for any actor. I would say that even if you have trained with some well known acting schools but have not worked with enough professionals in the industry then these workshops will be beneficial for you. The workshops can be either done on camera or without one but the basics are similar.

You study all sorts of scenes for films, Television and stage plays. You will group read the scenes, break it down, block it out, rehearse and act it out as a final scene. These workshops will also offer you a chance of putting the acting techniques that you have learnt, into action. These techniques can be Method Acting, Meisner Technique or anything else that you have learnt. You will learn how to act out a scene sincerely and truthfully.

Finally, If your tutor is using a camera then it is an icing on the cake. Have fun and widen your experience of performing in front of the camera. You will also learn to control your  voice levels, positions and movements and this will help you when you are working on a professional film set. So, do take some Scene Breakdown Workshops at least.

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