Acting is all about listening and reacting. In fact a more accurate term to describe an actor, most especially a screen actor, would be a reactor.
When you are fully engaged with the other actors in a scene, listening to them with all of your senses, then you are far more interesting on screen. Editors traditionally cut away from the person speaking to the other actors in a scene to show their reaction to what is being said. A look or gesture can speak volumes on-camera and can detail story and character far more quickly and effectively than mere words. After all, the words themselves aren’t important. It’s what we mean when we say them that matters.
As in everyday life, actors are constantly responding to stimuli in a scene – what is said to them, what is done to them, and what is happening around them; the way we respond to stimuli reflects each individual’s personality and attitude.
An actor who hasn’t developed their listening skills is not engaged with the other actors and therefore is not effective on screen.
The famous Hollywood actor Spencer Tracey was renowned for his listening skills and film editors would cut to him regularly during scenes as his reactions spoke volumes.
It was this ability which gave him a lot of screen time and helped to make him a star.
Steve McQueen is another good example. McQueen instinctively understood the camera and how to use it. He was one of the very few actors who regularly gave away lines, preferring to listen and react instead. McQueen would say to the director: “I don’t need to say this. I can show it instead.” He knew that he was far more effective when he was doing something, as opposed to saying something. McQueen let his brooding blue eyes and his face do the work, and the camera sucked it up.
Mad Max and Mad Max 2 made Mel Gibson an international film star. Gibson had very few lines in both films – it was what he did that mattered, not so much what he said.
Dialogue is important. But a look can convey far more intent and meaning on-camera than two pages of dialogue.
When we speak it is the tone of voice and the inflection that conveys the meaning behind the words. This is how we communicate our true intent and feelings.
At the Screen Actors Workshop equal emphasis is placed on dialogue and physical performance in our classes, as we are training for the screen not for the stage, and the physical aspects of the performance are as important as the words themselves.
Filed Under: The Acting Blog Tagged With: acting, acting classes, acting lessons sydney, acting tips, professional acting tips, screen acting