Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Prepare yourself
• Method 2 of 3: Group Rehearsals
• Method 3 of 3: Preparing for the Role
• Tips

Good actors get used to any role. All professionals read scripts, rehearse monologues, and also go on creative experiments in acting classes. A good game looks like it’s effortless, but it’s actually a tremendous amount of effort.The following guidelines will help you become a top-notch actor.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Prepare yourself

1. 1 Record monologues and short skits. Buy a collection of monologues online or in print and rehearse a variety of roles. Choose a monologue and run it 2-3 times, then record your speech on video. When revising, pay attention to weak points, successful phrases, and also write down ideas for improving your game. After that, repeat and record the monologue again until you are satisfied with the result.
   • Choose a variety of monologues, not just the most comfortable ones. During rehearsals, you need to set yourself difficult tasks.
2. 2 Watch your favorite actor. Watch and revisit your favorite scenes. What does an actor's movements look like? What words are underlined in each line? How does an actor behave in a moment of silence? It's not enough just to look at your favorite actors. Study their playing style.
   • Would you say this line differently? If so, how?
   • Watch YouTube videos in which different actors play the same role (for example, from films and plays based on Shakespeare). What makes the same lines perceived differently and better remembered?
3. 3 Focus on diction or manner of speaking. All actors must pronounce phrases clearly and confidently. Video recording will come to the rescue again. Listen to your voice and pay attention to fuzzy phrases. Learn to speak clearly at varying volumes and speeds so that every word exudes strength and conviction.
   • Read the monologue or article aloud, but don't act out the emotion. Focus on the clarity and articulation of words and lines, and at a steady pace. Read the text like a lecture.
   • While reading, stand up straight, straighten your shoulders and lift your chin to breathe freely.
4. 4 Repeat one phrase with different emotions. Acting requires displaying a wide range of emotions, so it is important to do an emotional warm-up. Take a simple but multifaceted line like "I love you" or "I completely forgot about it" and rehearse a variety of emotions: happiness, love, anger, pain, hope, shyness. Rehearse in front of a mirror or videotape yourself to follow your facial expressions and tone of voice.
   • Make a list of the emotions you need to work through. Are some of them easier than others?
   • Make the task more difficult and try to make a smooth and natural transition between emotions. For example, simulate a situation where a happy person suddenly hears a shocking news.
   • For a master class on expressing emotions, watch Patton Oswald's video with David Byrne.
5. 5 Practice cold reading. On cold reading, you are given cues and asked to act them out without preparation. Such a task often comes across on auditions. The challenge may seem daunting, but it helps to improve acting skills and learn to improvise, which makes the actor self-confident.
   • Focus on the phrase, repeat it quickly to yourself, then make eye contact with the audience and speak the line.
   • Dramatic breaks are your friends. It is better to speak slowly than too fast.
   • Take a newspaper, magazine, or short story book and act out the text.
   • Find short sketches or monologues online and start reading without preparation.
   • Record yourself on video and revise the recordings.
   • An exercise like this is great for warm-up: it helps prepare your mind and body for playing on stage.
6. 6 Get used to different roles, characters and people. The best actors are like chameleons - they dissolve and get used to each role. This requires a rich emotional experience. Watch movies and plays, read information, and take notes to see the world through the eyes of your character. This is especially important when preparing for a specific role. Go deeper into the role, research the issue to fully immerse yourself in the character.
   • Read plays and scripts at least once a day.Then watch the movie and watch the actors embody what is written on the screen.
   • Study famous characters and monologues. How do they change and develop? Thanks to what they are remembered by everyone? Underline, take notes and find meanings of unknown words so that the text is not a mystery to you.

Method 2 of 3: Group Rehearsals

1. 1 Rehearse short skits with friends. You can write sketches yourself or take a ready-made text from books. You can even find scripts on the Internet and rehearse dialogues from your favorite films and TV shows. The best way to improve your acting is through acting, so call a friend and work together.
   • YouTube has become a platform for short funny scenes and videos. For example, you can shoot and publish a short web series with a friend.
   • Try to videotape the rehearsals or ask another friend to watch and share your opinion.
2. 2 Sign up for acting classes. If you want to become an actor, then you have to study. Follow not only the teacher, but also the rest of the students. Everyone can teach you something important, even if you disagree with the acting decisions. Think about how you would play each role, and learn from the successes and failures of your peers.
   • Perhaps after a while you will meet these students on stage or on the set. Success can come any minute. Be kind and support your colleagues as you will form an acting community later on.
3. 3 Work on reactions in an improvisation class. Improvisation is a key skill, even if you don't plan on doing pop comedy. Through improvisation, the actor learns to react to any situation and at the same time remain in the role. Acting is not only about the spoken phrases. The actor gets used to the character and does not leave the role, no matter what happens on stage or in the frame.
   • If you do not want to spend money on classes, then gather a team of several friends-actors and start playing improvisation games. You can rehearse at home with one of you.
4. 4 Get out of your comfort zone and don't get hung up on the genre. Don't limit yourself to genre or one type of role. This will only complicate your job search and will not be able to develop as a versatile actor. Use every opportunity to appear in front of the audience, whether it be a role in a film, advertisement, play, or even a pop comedy.
   • Actor Paul Rudd started his career as a DJ at weddings, but he wasted no time learning to work with the public.
   • A pop comedy is a one-man show for whom you write the script yourself. Such shows are great for developing acting skills.
   • Try acting, even if you want to be a movie actor. Role work and consistency are invaluable to any actor.
5. 5 Take part in various films and theatrical performances. Even without a job, find connections in the art world for your chance on stage. Take on any job that allows you to get to know directors, producers, and other actors, even if it's just a humble personal assistant job. The hackneyed cliche does not lie: "People are hired by people." You won't get your next role through a resume or a faceless email. Go out, meet people, and take the initiative.

Method 3 of 3: Preparing for the Role

1. 1 Read the script several times. For a good game, you need to capture the whole plot, not just your role. The actor should not stand out, but become a cog in the big mechanism of the story. To do this, you will need to understand the plot, all themes and motives, as well as your own role.
   • Analyze the entire plot and return to scenes with your character. Read them a couple more times, and then focus on the character's role and words.
   • How would you summarize the essence of the film in 1-2 sentences? And your role?
2. 2 Examine background information about the character. It is important to understand your character in order to get used to the role. You don't need to write a whole biography, but try to understand the main events in this person's life. Sometimes you can discuss such issues with the director, and sometimes you have to rely only on your gut. There is no need to go too deep. Try to answer a few simple questions:
   • Who am i?
   • Where did I come from? Where am I going?
   • Why am I here?
3. 3 Define your character's goals. All characters in almost any plot want to achieve something. All characters have their own needs and desires, even if it is a desire to be left alone, as in the case of Dude from Big Lebowski... This desire sets the character's vector throughout the entire plot. Perhaps this is one of the most important aspects of any role.
   • A character's desires can change, but you should be aware of these points in the script.
   • As a practice, try identifying the desires of your favorite characters and actors. For example, in the movie Oil Daniel Plainview is driven by only one aspiration - to extract oil. Every action, look and emotion is dictated by endless and unbridled greed.
4. 4 Repeat the lines until you remember. Read and repeat them as many times so that you know your role by heart. You only need to think about how to pronounce the words. Ask a friend to read the lines of the rest of the characters so that you only play your part. Run phrases up and down, as in a real conversation.
   • Experiment with cues. Pronounce them differently. How does this affect the scene?
   • Improve your lines only after you memorize them. If you think about how to better remember the words, they will never sound natural.
5. 5 Ask the director how he sees the character. The actor is called to serve the good of the plot, not advertise himself. Talk to the director about any strong personality traits, emotions, or ideas about the character. In doing so, do not forget about your own ideas. Give the director your idea of ​​the character and include helpful third-party comments.
   • If you come to audition, then choose and stick to one look at the character. You won't have time to seek advice and make changes as you listen, so trust your instincts.
6. 6 Link your personality and experiences to the role. Basic human emotions are the same for everyone. You may not have ever saved the world from an alien invasion, but you certainly felt fear. This is a turbulent time, so you need to show courage. Find the emotions and experiences that are inherent in your character to play a difficult role. Great actors show audiences just another facet of their personality. All people have something in common, even if the character does not at all look like a real actor.
   • First of all, identify the basic emotions of the scene - happiness, regret, sadness, and then just develop the idea.

Tips

• Leave your real emotions aside. Free your mind and focus on the character.
• Always bring a notebook to rehearsal. Write down all your mistakes, as well as the director's tips and tricks.
• Remember to be confident as you play.