EPISODE DESCRIPTION:
As a launching off point into the craft of writing, Zena starts by diving deeper into the craft of acting. We can learn six things off the bat by studying the differences between the two crafts.
#1. While writers are often distracted by many different things they must accomplish, they can learn to focus more on the main character, like their fellow performing artists do.
#2. Actors are judged by their flowery words and how pretty they make a story, but actors are judged according to how truthfully they portray real human beings, which is the true substance of story.
#3. By incorporating an actor’s way of approaching story, writers can choose which things to describe so that every moment, every detail, ultimately points back to the main character’s internal emotional state.
#4. The writer uses words to create a world, which he hopes will ring true to the audience, whereas the actor uses his body, which enables him to connect more deeply to the part of story that truly matters, namely, human nature.
#5. It may seem like the job of the actor is easier since they only have to focus on one thing, but given how oddly people behave when they’re just learning how to act, it’s clear that the actor’s craft is just as complex and difficult in its own unique way.
These are just a few principles that we can appropriate from the craft of acting and apply to our own discipline.
UP NEXT
Next week we’ll dive into even bigger lessons on a practical level that we can learn from our fellow performing artists. There are some profound takeaways from the craft of acting that writers can use to enhance our own skills, because unlike writers, actors only have one concern: to embody and truthfully portray a single character to the audience.
QUESTIONS OR TOPIC REQUESTS?
If you have a question or a specific writing related topic that you would like Zena to consider addressing in a future podcast, click on the link below to leave a voicemail recording for Zena.
https://www.speakpipe.com/ZenaDellLowe
DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPTS?
Zena is currently working on making the transcripts for these podcast episodes available for download on the Mission Ranch Films website. If you would like to be notified when this option is available, click here to join our email list. https://missionranchfilms.com
SPECIAL THANKS
The Mission with Zena Dell Lowe would like to thank composer Carla Patullo for the original music she graciously permits us to use in the intro and outro of this podcast. To find out more about this amazing talent, go to www.carlapatullo.com
Support the show
Ep. 22 Transcript
Wed • 15:56
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
character, actor, writers, acting, craft, writing, sound, fiction, story, audience, podcast, body, emotional state, keanu reeves, literary fiction, words, convey, scene, literary merit, film
SPEAKERS
Zena Dell Lowe
Zena Dell Lowe 00:00
INTRO: Hello, and welcome to the Mission with Zena Dell Lowe, a podcast for artists and storytellers about changing the world for the better through story.
Zena Dell Lowe 00:12
TOPIC INTRODUCTION: Last week, I announced that as of this episode, we would be returning to a craft-oriented focus on storytelling. What I didn't tell you is that we would be using the craft of acting as the entry point for this discussion. Now, what many of you may not know is that in addition to writing, I also teach acting, and I can tell you that there is a great deal of practical, useful, and mind-blowing information that writers can borrow from their fellow artists. So, if you're an actor, sit back, relax and enjoy this podcast because you may learn some things about your own craft that will make you a better actor. And if you're a writer, you're about to learn some key, primary acting principles that you can then learn how to apply so that your work will become all the more powerful and effective.
Zena Dell Lowe 01:01
PRESENTATION: To that end, let me begin by giving you a brief overview of the actor's craft. Number one: the actor is not encumbered with as many competing concerns as the writer. Writers have a lot to think about. A piece of fiction is made up of many different component parts, each of which is integral to the overall story. You have the main character, yes, but you also have supporting and minor characters. You have a world that you have to build, you've also got to be thinking about mythology and genre, and abide by the rules of both. You've got to set the tone or the mood or the ambience of each scene, making sure that the characters relate to each other appropriately, given the relationships that have been established. You have to establish those relationships in the first place, which implies history and backstory and setups and payoffs. And you have to worry not just about one character, but all of the characters, what each one wants, and what tactics they'll use to get it, and how each of their own interests compete with or conflict with all of the other characters' needs and wants and desires. And if all of this wasn't enough, you also have to worry about structure, all the rules of storytelling that must be adhered to, in order to satisfy your audience's expectations over the course of the telling. And you have to make sure that you're doing this always in a way that is beautifully written and well-executed, and ultimately brings joy to your audience. Holy cow, writing is hard. Which is why it might seem that the actor has an easier job. After all, the actor has only a single focus. All they are concerned about is demonstrating and conveying the veracity of the character that they are playing. So, you might think that acting is easier than writing, and maybe it is for some, but for a vast majority of the people on this planet, it is extremely hard.
Zena Dell Lowe 02:55
Which leads me to point number two: the writer's craft is judged according to how well the writer strings words together, but the actor's craft is judged by how well he reflects the truth of the character's internal emotions. The art of writing is about words. It's about how you put those words together. When writers succeed in stringing together a bunch of words and phrases in a way that is deemed beautiful, it's called craft. This is what allows some writers to attain that mythical status of literary, but somehow this alludes others, though nobody quite knows why. When you google what qualifies something as literary fiction, you're going to find answers like, "Generally speaking, literary fiction is regarded as having more literary merit." But nobody explains why. What gives it more literary merit? I read one article that said, "While literary fiction aims to hold up a mirror to the human condition, popular fiction aims to entertain, to thrill, to comfort." As such, pop fiction tends to be driven by plot. Plot is less important in literary novels. Often, very little happens. Well, boy, you could have fooled me, because if that's the case, then sign me up for Pulp pop fiction, because I have no interest in reading a story where very little happens. The whole point of story is to watch and see how the character grows and changes over the course the telling. Of course things are happening. If it's not happening, you don't have a story. What I want to emphasize for our purposes here is that all of that stuff is like the difference between having a plain-looking but incredibly yummy cake, and having a fancy, dolled-up, colorfully-frosted cake that looks gorgeous, but tastes "meh." When push comes to shove, we are always going to prefer the cake that tastes good, because cake is for eating, not for looking at.
Zena Dell Lowe 04:58
So, now you're wondering, what does that wonderful metaphor have to do with actors and writers? Well, this is where character comes in, because the heart of every story is a personal paradox. And of course, actors approach a story from the point of view of character, which leads me to point number three: approaching story the way an actor does means that every detail, every description, every moment, will somehow reflect the main character's internal emotional state. The acid test of any work of fiction always comes back to character. The reason we're starting with the craft of acting, and we're looking at some of the things we can learn from actors, is because actors naturally approach story from the point of view of character first. And this sort of approach is one of the big picture items that I want to impress upon you. Don't get so initially bogged down with the beauty of the words and the turns of phrases that you fail to focus your energies on character. If you do this right, you can focus exclusively on character and find nuances and levels in your writing, because you're approaching everything from the character's point of view.
Zena Dell Lowe 06:13
For example, one of the beautiful writing tools and rules of writing a novel is that you want to somehow convey to the audience all of the five senses. What does it smell like? What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it taste like? What does it sound like? What am I hearing. Right? That's the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Well, what happens is a lot of writers get so caught up in those descriptive terms, but those paragraphs may or may not have anything to do with the rest of the story. They might not play into the narrative or have anything to do with the actual character, and so it fails to really convey a deeper level of meaning to your audience. But if you start with character first, then you will even choose the details that you want to describe that ultimately will point back to the internal emotional state of your character. So, for example, let's say you're describing crunching leaves. Well, somehow you want to connect that back to the emotional state of your character. So, if you're writing a thriller, maybe you use those crunching leaves to add suspense and anxiety to your character, given his situation. Or if you're writing a romance, maybe you use that sound to build anticipation and excitement about what's to come just around the corner. And if you were writing a drama, maybe you would use that sound to maybe be a reflection of the monotony or the inevitability of death that's always under one's feet. I don't know exactly, but the point is that whatever picture you're trying to create, it's going to be better and deeper if it signifies or points back to the internal emotional state of the character at that moment. And then, instead of just creating a beautiful picture, you're creating a scene based on that character's internal emotional state, which then endows the scene with deeper meaning and elevates your writing to a much higher level. And by the way, when you're able to do this well, you're going to begin to see that it really is all connected. It will also help you to stay away from describing anything that ultimately has nothing to do with the real story. So, in that case, it's not only useful, but it's practical because it keeps you on track, it prevents you from going off the rails.
Zena Dell Lowe 08:34
Which leads me to point number four: while the writer's tools include a pen, paper, and words, the actor's instrument is the body. I often encourage writers to take an acting class or two because I find that writers who are actors are usually better overall. Ironically, however, most writers would rather eat nails than try to act. Why? I mean, at face value, it seems like it shouldn't be so difficult, right? It's common sense that an actor only has one thing to think about. They have one concern and one concern alone: their character. That's it, that's all they're occupied about. And yet, the thought of getting up on a stage and performing that character in front of a bunch of people is absolutely terrifying to most writers, and for good reason. When I teach acting, I tell my students that where musicians have actual instruments that they get to rely on like flutes and bassoons or violins or what have you, and painters have brushes and palettes of paints and canvases that they get to use and their craft, the actor only has a single instrument: the body. And in fact, they are only limited, or gifted, in accordance with how well they can manifest things in their body. So, if they're supposed to be sad, then they're only as good or bad as how well they can portray sadness with their body. If they're supposed to be angry, if they're supposed to be fearful, if they're supposed to be running away from bad guys that are chasing them, they are only as good in that scene as how well they can portray that emotion in their body.
Zena Dell Lowe 10:18
Which leads me to point number five: the actor has to accomplish two primary objectives. The first is to effectively communicate and the second is to make us believe. By "effectively communicate," I mean that it's the actor's job to accurately convey to the audience a true picture of what's actually going on for the character at any given moment. It basically means that I understand the scenario that's at play. So, if I've asked a student to walk across the stage and pretend that they hear a noise, like someone is following them on their way home, their first duty is to effectively communicate to me that that scenario is actually what's at play. However, the real acid test of how good an actor is, is: did they make me believe it? And this is true across the gamut. The acid test of any good actor is whether or not they're able to convince me that whatever's happening is really truly real, that the emotions that they're experiencing are real, that the situation that they're in is real, that the relationships that they're having are real. And they do this by showing me their body movements, their reactions, the sound of their voice, their expressions. And based on how well they manipulate their body, we either believe it or we don't. Think about how incredible that is. The sole criteria of any actor's ability is whether or not they're able to make the audience believe. We know they're pretending, and yet, it's because we know that the scenario isn't real, that we're so impressed if they make us buy in. Meryl Streep, arguably one of the best actresses who's ever lived, is good for one sole reason: because she makes us believe. All an actor has to do to be good at their craft is make us believe it's real. All they have to do is make us believe that whatever emotion that the character is supposedly experiencing in that moment, that the words that are coming out of that character's mouth in that moment, that the fantastical situation that the character is in in that moment, and that the relationships that they're having with other characters in that moment, are real. That is their job. And many of them get paid millions of dollars to do it. So, what does that tell you? What are the implications of that? Well, for one thing, it may sound easy, but it's not. It's extremely hard to do.
Zena Dell Lowe 12:57
Which leads me to the final point number six: non-actors behave weird when they try to act. It's fascinating to me as a teacher, whenever I'm working with beginners or non-actors, because it's like a switch gets turned off in people's brains. You ask someone to walk across the stage, and all of a sudden, they don't know how to walk. And then as soon as they're done "acting," they walk off and they talk and move and behave normally again. It's the most hilarious thing you've ever seen in your life. And you know what, even if you are good at appearing natural, even the pros have their limitations. Think about Keanu Reeves anytime he's tried to do a period piece, or Kevin Costner when he did the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Now, both of these actors are excellent in many ways and in many genres, but Keanu Reeves simply couldn't make us believe that he belonged anywhere outside of a contemporary context. And Kevin Costner apparently couldn't manipulate his mouth to do whatever machinations the mouth needs to do to be able to carry out a believable accent. We need to believe that what the character is experiencing at any given moment is real, and the actor's job is to make us believe. And this is increasingly harder to do, because of the technical advancements within the film industry. There are more and more films and even TV shows that are being shot on a sound stage with a blue screen or green screen in the background, which means that actors aren't actually in the location that they're filming their scene in. And in many cases, they don't have anyone to act with. They're literally acting with nothing. And this is precisely why I, for one, want to acknowledge and applaud my fellow performing artists who are able to make me believe, even in scenarios like this, and it's also why they are worthy for me to learn from and worthy for you to learn from as well.
Zena Dell Lowe 14:59
CALL TO ACTION: I want to thank you so much for joining me today. If you've enjoyed today's episode, would you please subscribe to the show and consider rating and reviewing the podcast? Also, if you have a question or a topic that you'd like me to explore, all you have to do is go on my website, missionranchfilms.com. You'll see, on the right hand side of the page, a box that says "podcast voicemail." Click on that box, leave a voicemail message, and I will do my best to accommodate any question that you may have in a future episode.
Zena Dell Lowe 15:35
OUTRO: Until then, you have been listening to the Mission with Zena Dell Lowe. May you go forth inspired to change the world for the better through story.