Units, objectives and physical actions

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Applying Stanivslaky's methods in rehersal

Today we focused on our rehearsal process and how we are applying the methods we have learnt such as the making of units, objectives and physical actions. I found this to be so much harder than I had anticipated, with all the work I had done on my script being forgot about the minute I started to rehearse the scene. Up until now learning about Stanislavsky and his methods had all been theoretical, and so when it came to applying the work I had done I found that I was unable to  hold any of it in my head and therefore it felt like I hadn't developed massively over the time period in terms of my character and how I act within the scene. The rehearsal was a big eye opener as it made we realize that half the work I had done (objectives, physical actions ans given circumstances) had not been properly thought about or been done in enough depth, explaining why it was impossible to apply it to my work as there wasn't enough of an understanding for me to be able to utilize that work I had done. Therefore from this rehearsal I know that I have to go back to all of my units, objectives, physical actions and given circumstances and really commit to working through each one of these things in detail so it become ingrained within my brain. When reading Bella Merlin's book, I found a

passage particularly interesting where she talked about how Stanislavsky said that you need to do all of this work and then forget it all once on stage. After experiencing this first rehearsal that concept makes perfect sense, however it is only possible if the work you did is really understood and imprinted in you as your character. If you reach this point you wont have to try and forget all your work while on stage, it will just disappear as you will no longer need to make the conscious effort to apply it as its so ingrained within you. 

I feel these methods are more important than ever with The Seagull as my character of Arkadina and the stage world of the play is something that is far away from the reality I live in, Arkadina especially is a character that I find really hard to grasp as shes so different to me and my encounters in life. She is a mother, someone of great wealth and status in the arts and is around 40 years old, all these things make it very difficult for me as a 16 year old who doesn't live on a huge country estate to connect with. Therefore methods like emotion memory are needed for me to draw on and real get inside this character and the play. 

Method Of Physical Action

The method of physical action is used in expanding on Stanislavsky's methods in creating units and objectives, so that the actor is more able to understand the thought processes and physical direction that accompanies each line/unit in the scene. When working through your script a physical action is needed for each unit so you understand what your character is physically doing to the other elements/characters in that scene. A physical action is made up of a TRANSITIVE VERB where the verb fits into the structure of I ____ you, for example I empower you. This physical action also fits alongside your objective so both things should correspond in terms of their aims. A physical action is important for your objectives as it enables actors to connect their minds to their bodies. Objectives focus on how the thoughts of the character operate and what they are trying to gain. This method on its own purely focuses on what the brain of the character is doing and therefore offers no incentive for the actor to translate this into a physicality/what actions would come out of it, by creative a physical action (transitive verb) for each unit you are able to have an overall understand of both the characters thoughts and how these are pursued in their actions. 

The method of physical action was explored in rehearsals via creating a 'score' of physical actions and then repeating these until they become so familiar that you are no longer acting them. To understand thks furthur in class we did a simple action, like opening your front door, in such detail that was only specific to how we open OUR EXACT front door. This piece of movement should feel natural and not forced, the aim was to be able to do it/describe it in such detail that anyone could come along and action opening your door exactly how you would. 

Affective Memory

There are two types of affective memory; sense and emotion, in both cases Stanislavsky uses these memories from past events and transfers them into the present so they can be reused within a scene to recreate how it made you feel emotionally and what you experienced via your senses.

Emotion Memory - Emotion memory is used so actors are able to show truthful and believable emotions on stage, for this to happen these emotions need to be unlocked from within yourself and not made up, anything made up that isn't felt will seem fake and untrue to reality. Stanislavsky believed that it was more effective to recall emotions from an event that happened a long time ago as he thought the the distance created by time would help to create a stronger and more refined idea of how it made you feel, as he said it was a "splendid filter for remembered feelings". From experience and the exercise we did in class, this does seem like a valuable concept. When recalling how getting my acceptance letter for Brit made me feel, I did find that as so much time had past I was only left with the most significant emotions of that event as those were the ones that dominated how i felt at the time. Other smaller pieces of emotional information that came about within the background had been lost as they were no longer relevant due to the passing of time and therefore changing of the situation. These memories don't have to be direct to you that you experience, instead it could be something you heard or saw as long as it triggered an emotional response.

Sense Memory - 
Sense memory plays to the 5 senses; touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight. Instead of an emotional recall, sense memory is the recalling of how the physical aspects of the event, for example: what could you hear, see, taste and smell as well as what did it feel like when you touched various things. This allows you to build a picture of the setting that these emotions occurred in, therefore allowing the emotions felt to become more real and truthful.

Objectives and Super Objectives

Objectives are one of the main methods developed by Stanislavsky. For each character you play you will have a super-objective, this is the overall thing that your character is trying to gain through out the play. By having a super-objective you're are able to adapt to anything that may arise during your scene that isn't scripted as you know what your character will want to get from that new situation. A characters objective on the other hand is only temporary and specific to the given circumstances of that scene/bit. An objective helps you to deliver your lines and understand how your character would repond to others lines as now you have a basic understanding of what they are trying to achieve through their speech and how that effects their reactions. As I metioned in my tempo-rhythm post, the objective effects the pace of the scene and your character. This is because if your objective to to (for example) not get killed thwen the stakes are extremely high and therefore you are going to try harder to achieve your objective, meaning an increase in pace and intensity. The exercise we did in class helped to demonstrate how hard it can be to maintian an objective/multiple objectives as every other character is also trying to achieve their objective. Often these objectives clash and conflict arise, therefore youn must tr harder to acheive your objective despite the conflict. 

Tempo - Rhythm

Stanislavsky also thought a lot of how tempo - rhythm fits into the making of a scene or play, becoming an important part of his process. He decided that each scene has a pace, this is the overall speed that it moves at and this is a stays constant until the scene changes. There is then the second factor of the tempo that each character has. This can be along the same lines as the pace of the scene as these two things influence each other and therefore if the majority of characters have a very slow and mellow tempo then the pace will be very slow and mellow. However, there is the opportunity for characters to have a tempo that goes against the pace of the scene, creating a conflict that in turn creates drama and an interesting dynamic. Stanislavsky was also a large fan of sound effects and how these could be used within scene to create an atmosphere and the pace. Things like a simple ticking clock create an overall pace that the characters can work to or against. The tempo-rhythm is also linked to the objectives of the character, this was discovered through and exercise we did in class. The exercise showed that as the stakes of your objective get higher, your tempo increases as you have more to lose. This makes the scene become more intense and dramatic. 

Circles Of Attention

The circles of attention can be taken as both a technical concept for the actor and as a concept for your character work. The purpose of the technical side to the principle is to enable the actor to filter out unnecessary aspects of the stage and therefore refine their focus. The image on the right demonstrates circles of attention quite well, as it shows how from one spot can branch out your focus to both small and large circular areas around you, this of course may include behind you not just in front. This is important as it helps the actor have various focal points on stage to prevent loss of concentration. It also enables the actor to have the awareness that is needed for that particular moment, this could be an awareness of other actors on stage, an awareness of the audience or just an awareness of themselves. Circles of attention then come into play in your character work. This is because if you are able to establish what range of attention or awareness your character has at that moment in time then you can make informed decisions about other actions they may carry out.

During our exploration exercise we looked at how your circles of attention can vary. The smallest circle of attention we all had was at the very beginning while chewing gum, this was an inner circle of attention as it was within my body and therefore not outside of myself (external). From here your circles become external and can be anything from just by your feet to all the way at the other end of the stage. The exercise really helped my understanding of this principle as I was able to physically alter my focal points within the scene and therefore experience this concept in reality and not just in a text book.