#77: They're Always Popping Their Cork
Tuesday 10/15/24
Today we are focusing on an ACTING TIP! Acting Tip Tuesday again haha!
I had a great coaching this week where we talked about TACTICS. The student hadn’t heard of the word tactics as it applies to acting so let’s chat about it.
A “tactic” is how your character achieves their objective. Pinpointing your objective is the most important part of choosing a tactic. Once you know what your character wants, you can play around with how they pursue it. It’s the “action in the moment” as one of my acting professors shared. Tactics don’t exist alone - they must be attached to the objective.
While reading the script, a simple way to nail down your objective and tactics is by using active (or “transitive”) verbs. Is your character trying to start a fight? Choose a verb such as “confront” or “antagonize.” Are they trying to woo a love interest? Go with something like “seduce” or “impress.” Make sure the verb you choose informs not just your physicality, but also the tone and subtext beneath it. “Run,” for example, only describes what you’re doing; “energize” illuminates why and how. OOOH that was juicy. I should write a book lol.
When using tactics - think about these:
Objectives can change. A character’s goal doesn’t always stay consistent from beginning to end. Make sure you can identify beats, or the subtle changes—either external or internal—that occur within a scene. A new beat can alter a character’s objective, which calls for new tactics. How you go about getting what you want will change.
Play around. Acting is that nothing is set in stone. Don’t lock yourself into any decision if it doesn’t feel right or isn’t connecting emotionally.
Then forget it! As is true for any acting technique, tactics won’t work if it’s all you're thinking about while performing. The goal is to build a strong foundation through preparation, and then be totally present in the moment. We don’t want to see you work. All the prep is great - but it is PREP. You have to listen in the moment and see what happens. In the words of Meryl Streep - “ball up your training and throw it out the window before you start working”.
Objective is WHAT YOU WANT.
Tactics are HOW YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT.
Here is a lyric example using What Only Love Can See from Chaplin. Now, I do NOT know this show but I think it’s a great example of lyrics that don’t really move story forward, but are meant to evoke an emotional response from an audience. So how do we not make this just another sad love song… let’s use some TACTICS. I’m going to assume her objective is to get him to believe in their relationship…
let’s break it down (lyrics italicized/bold)
Let me show you the best that's inside you.
Leave the films behind you, just stay and talk to me.
(to me this tactic could be “to comfort” - i want him to be comfortable so he will open up and trust in us. By saying “JUST stay and talk to me” i’m trying to provide that comfort)
If you show me the man behind the movie,
You'll start a whole new story that only love can see.
(so, comforting didn’t work because otherwise the song would be over, soooo… in this section, based on the lyrics, I would use the tactic “to motivate” or “to encourage”. By saying “show me the man behind the movie” i’m saying “stand up for me and for us. Show me who you really are”)
Through tomorrow and days of sorrow,
Let me follow and i will remain.
(welp, i’m still singing, so i haven’t gotten my objective, so based on these lyrics, i’m wanting him to know that now matter what comes our way, i will be here. I would pick the tactic “to assure” - i’m giving courage by affirming i’m not going anywhere.
Let them whisper and search for the answer.
But we must remember what only love,
What only love, What only love can see.
(i guess none of that worked YIKES lol, here i am singing a final verse! The words LET THEM tells me this is more demanding. Comforting didnt work, motivating didn’t work, assuring didn’t work… so i must DEMAND that he let people say and do what they will and we will stay connected - together. I would use TO DEMAND for this final verse RIGHT TIL THE END. Since the end has a repeat - what only love… what only love can see… this means i have to follow through on the demand because I say it twice.)
This song is a great example. And now you know how my brain works! Enjoy investigating this in your coachings or on your own material!
Dreams Don’t Die
Julie