Actors and actresses need to continue to hone their acting skills and abilities through a long and continuous learning process. For those of you who are already or want to engage in acting, there are various ways to learn and improve your acting skills, such as taking courses, practicing, auditioning, acting in shows, and even taking advantage of everyday experiences.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Studying Acting Techniques
Step 1. Learn the basics about acting
Just like muscles need to be trained to get stronger, you need to study and practice if you want to improve your acting skills or talents. One of the right ways that are very useful is to learn acting from professional actors or actresses and attend seminars.
- Look for information about acting courses held on campus or in your city. Take courses that interest you to keep you motivated to improve your acting skills.
- A professional coach or acting teacher can teach you the correct technique and provide you with the knowledge that will enable you to act well. While studying, you may not be able to judge what you are doing, but the teacher sees it objectively and is able to provide useful feedback. That way, you can make improvements, understand the basics, and make the most of your acting skills.
- Many acting coaches and teachers specialize in a particular acting and can help you achieve what you want. If you want to improve your acting skills in front of the camera to audition, find the right teacher according to your needs.
- Make sure you have the right perspective before you start learning to act. Don't assume that you are ready to become an actor/actress so you don't need to take a course. For now, you still need to study and audition to become an actor/actress.
Step 2. Read a book that talks about acting
In addition to preparing yourself and increasing your knowledge, reading books and learning acting techniques is useful for improving your acting skills to become an actor or actress.
- Learn how to act the way you would study the material covered in class. You'll also have to do your homework, read books, and memorize. When it comes to learning to act, the audition is the test.
- There are so many books that discuss acting techniques. Do not immediately buy a book just because the title is interesting. Before buying, ask teachers and trainers for recommendations.
- Read books that contain valuable information about how to act, for example a book entitled Didi Petet's Acting Book by Didi Petet. In addition to acting instructions, this book contains philosophical statements and the late Didi Petet's deep thoughts about life. Audition by Michael Shurtleff is a very useful book. This book contains 12 acting guides that go beyond just auditioning. These instructions are also discussed in other books and can be applied when acting.
Step 3. Read the script for the theatrical performance
Story scripts are a source of knowledge about acting that helps you understand how to play various characters and analyze the material contained in the script.
- When reading a story script, pay attention to stage clues, beats (the smallest unit of meaning from dialogue), and dialogue. Every aspect of the story script is useful for improving acting skills.
- Pay attention to the character you want to highlight. In story scripts, important characters have a purpose and represent a certain reality, whether in the Shakespearean era or modern scripts. Each character has an end goal, which is something to be achieved. Every dialogue and every role is a means to that end.
- Write down your opinion of the story you read and its purpose. Take advantage of the knowledge learned from the course or book to understand the dialogue and each character. Set aside time to practice speaking dialogues and monologues while speaking. This activity helps you understand how to portray a certain character on stage or in front of the camera.
Step 4. Take note of the things that are useful
Learn acting techniques from your favorite actor or actress, for example by watching when he is being interviewed, reading books that tell about his career, and watching films that act very well.
- Actors who are able to act well can be a very useful source of knowledge. Observe the way he expresses his feelings and responds to something or someone. In addition, the talented actor deeply lives every scene he plays and acts as if he is actually experiencing it. Use this knowledge to improve your acting skills and try to do the same.
- Watch video interviews with experienced actors or actresses. This step helps you learn acting techniques, get into the role, and understand how to play a particular scene or character.
- Don't just copy your favorite actor or actress. Find out what he finds valuable and useful and then apply this to develop yourself.
Method 2 of 3: Honing Acting Skills
Step 1. Set aside time to practice doing a monologue
This step is useful for improving memory, learning how to play a character, and preparing to audition.
- You can search the internet for monologue scripts, but be selective. Do not let you do the same monologue with several candidates who auditioned. This often happens because people immediately download the first script that appears through an online search. Avoid this by choosing monologue manuscripts that you've read from books or other sources.
- Read the monologue text carefully and try to understand its content. For that, you need to divide the script by beat and determine the goals you want to achieve. It's time to apply the 12 acting guidelines in the book Audition. Determine how to apply each clue during a monologue by finding out the background of the story, for example: where you are, who you are talking to, who you are, what you want, and so on.
- If you really want to improve your acting skills, prepare approximately 4 monologue scripts. Try to understand the content, memorize it, then practice as often as possible so that you are ready to act every time. Choose 2 humorous stories, 2 more dramatic. In each category, make sure 1 story is contemporary, 1 is classic.
Step 2. Audition for the role
Acting courses and lessons are useful for figuring out and developing talent, but you can improve your skills by auditioning.
- Take advantage of auditions to find out which acting skills you excel at and determine what needs to be improved. In addition to self-promotion, auditions are also a means of self-development.
- When auditioning, participants are usually asked to read a story script while acting spontaneously, do a monologue, or both. Auditions help you make decisions quickly and spontaneously while acting because you have to understand the script in no time. However, a good appearance with minimal preparation makes your abilities continue to grow.
- Take as many auditions as possible. Find a theater or film production house that holds auditions and sign up. Also, ask the coach about how to find an audition organizer.
- If the audition goes well and you are given a role, there are opportunities to improve your acting skills. While auditioning, imagine that you are receiving an award for best lead actor. Try to live your role by playing the character as best you can and making the right decisions. If this is still difficult, auditions can help you develop yourself.
Step 3. Make a recording as you practice
Practice recordings can be used to find out your habits and determine what needs to be improved.
- Get your camera ready and then record it while you are doing a monologue or doing a scene with friends. At first, you may not like how you look or sound. Keep a record of things about how you look, how much or how little you move, and how confident you are in acting.
- Watching your own performance from an objective perspective helps you determine what needs to be improved. Maybe your articulation is not clear or you touch your face a lot. Maybe your movements are excessive and seem unnatural. Write down everything that needs to be corrected and then practice again.
Step 4. Make your own movie or show
With various technologies and resources available, you can set up a production house to make movies or put on shows.
- So that you can act, rent a small theater space and put on a show or set up a camera and make a video to upload to a website. Producing a film or hosting a show to see you act gives a new perspective on your abilities. This step challenges you to give the best performance.
- By producing something for others to see, you are free to choose your own acting style and become a great actor/actress. During the process, you can determine the things you like and don't like, the ways that are useful and which are not. Because you are doing it for yourself, you will perform at your best.
Method 3 of 3: Increase Creativity
Step 1. Do meditation so that you are more know yourself.
Meditating for a few minutes to find out what you are interested in keeps you connected to the character you are playing.
- Meditation can be done every day without having to sit on the floor. You can meditate while doing activities that excite you and benefit your artistic talent. It could be, you become an artist because you like it. Being an actor or actress is a challenging profession that often requires you to find a job to pay for living expenses with acting skills.
- Take time to practice monologues each day, read a book or script, or watch a favorite movie. This step helps you get to know and understand yourself so that you stay motivated to keep creating without getting distracted from your ultimate goal and love of art.
Step 2. Practice cold readings (reading the script while acting spontaneously)
Find a friend who is already an actor or someone who is willing to help you practice cold reading.
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Cold reading practice plays an important role when auditioning and is useful for honing acting skills. When practicing or auditioning for cold reads, you need to understand the following:
- Connection. What is your relationship with your partner (in the scene)? What do you want from him? Make sure you choose a positive answer. Even if you hate your character, try to love this character. Hate puts you at a dead end, but love gives you many options.
- Conflict. Look for conflict scenes in the story script. Why do you and your partner fight? Who should give in? Practicing cold readings helps you understand how to act a winner using only the dialogue in your script and your abilities.
- Location. Find out the location of the scene you are playing. Learn to visualize it. Choose a location you've been to. You can both imagine different locations. In-depth and detailed knowledge of scene locations greatly influences how you act.
- The previous moment. Every scene has a beginning, but if it's not the first, there's always another scene before it. Find out what your character is doing or experiencing before the scene you play. Understanding the previous moment has an impact on how you start the scene. This step helps you act well. Plus, you show your partner and audience that you're not acting empty-handed when the scene starts.
Step 3. Take note of the important points as you read the script
Understanding the various important things that you find, such as locations, previous moments, conflicts, etc. will help you improve your acting skills.
- Take notes if there are dialogues that remind you of an event that has happened. If you remember past experiences while acting, bring back the feelings, body language, and emotions that you experienced at that time and then use them while acting.
- Record your acting goals and the dialogue that helped you achieve them. For example, if you want to eat your mom's sandwich, write down the dialogue that makes your wish come true. In this way, the dialogue you speak feels more meaningful because you actually understand the spoken sentence, instead of just saying the words written in the script.
- Take notes on what your character looks like to other characters, especially in scenes that don't involve the character you are playing. This step allows you to get to know your character better because other people give an objective opinion. Take advantage of this knowledge to portray your character as best you can and present a three-dimensional appearance known as given circumstances. The storyteller has already determined the facts about your character. Use those facts to act out the best you can.
Step 4. Apply what you learn while practicing
So that you can act well, apply everything you have learned when you are on stage or in front of the camera.
- You will learn different theories and methods as you take courses or read books and story scripts. Even if something doesn't work or doesn't work for you, don't ignore it before you implement it.
- Determine the most appropriate techniques and methods from all that you learn and then apply them as you act. Over time, you will be able to determine a way of acting that will make you feel more deeply about the role and get the best results. In order to improve your skills, you need to adapt and make changes while continuing to learn.
- Make the most of your knowledge and skills. Practicing, taking courses, and studying are ways to improve acting skills. Put all you have and know. Think of every audition, scene, or show as the most important job you've ever done. You can't improve if you act half-heartedly.
- Use life experience as a provision for acting. As you age and experience life, you have a wealth of experience that you can use when playing a character. It could be that the story script that you read 5 years ago turned out to be very useful and suitable for your role today. Take advantage of your life story to showcase three-dimensional characters.
Tips
- Look for new ways to develop in areas you are less skilled at, for example by taking courses. Join a drama class if you want to learn to focus and live in the present.
- Make sure you keep learning and reading. Learning the ways or techniques of acting from your favorite veteran actor or actress will inspire you to take advantage of every opportunity and try new things.
- Use seasoned actors and actresses as a source of inspiration.
- Live the character you play. Don't just read dialogue. Understand the dialogue script so that you really know the character that will be played.
- Acting coaches are able to tutor you privately as needed.
- Be confident and remember why you want to be an actor/actress.
- Enjoy the activities you do. Acting should be fun even though it can be quite challenging at times. Take time to reflect on why you like the activities you do.
- To be able to show emotions when your character is in dialogue, read the book aloud and each time one of the characters speaks, speak the dialogue with the emotions he or she feels.
