Actors discuss Part 1: Stanislavski's method of physical actions

[@karmistri]

"If you know your character's thoughts, the proper vocal and bodily expressions will naturally follow." Stanislavsky

[@lianevinall5371]

Stanislavski was constantly changing his system. Nobody is right or wrong, people are not necessarily misinterpreting because there is no recorded evidence by Stanislavski himself of his system other than his semi-fictional books. Strasberg, Chekhov, Meisner, Adler, Vakhtangov, are all people who recorded their own versions of Stanislavski's system and very often are mistaken for Stanislavski's work. We know that he moved away from Emotional Recall in performance, but still used it in rehearsals in his later days. What this director is saying is that it can still work for some actors, but Stansilavski always said to never use his work as a bible - some things may work, some may not. It is ever changing.

[@mahmudmunia2009]

I am agree with you. I think acting is just reacting for a purpose. Some time It just not reacting but just follow the own mind and emotion.

[@gerard1657]

Liane Vinall You're correct. But most of his disciples did the same, which is constantly adjust,add to their approach. The most misunderstood was Strasberg. Everyone associates him with only sense memory/affective memory and private moment, he also stressed as much on animal work, gibberish, song and dance,etc. Stanislavsky ,like Strasberg would constantly go back and forth, using whatever would work at that moment. Stanislavsky in later yrs got more into physical actions, but he did still use emotional recall when needed. The thing with emotional recall, and Strasberg would say that too (I studied with Strasberg, as well as many other stanislavsky disciples i.e. meisner,hagen,etc.) is that emotional recall is used for two reasons. One is just in class to exercise various emotions so that the triggers are there when needed. And two, in performance, only if nothing else is working. I would say Stanislavsky and Strasberg were the most complete. I thin Meisner's repetition exercise is so zen ish profound, but at the same time it is one thing. And there isn't a lot of work on character, movement, styles,etc. I think it was a mistake that adler and meisner out of anger refused to ever use emotional recall. Not that it was the end all answer, but it was one of many ways Strasberg also never wanted to write a book of his approach (others have written about him) because he said there is no such thing as the actors bible. Uta Hagen wrote a great book 'Respect for Acting', but then when she toured the country and seeing how other teachers were using her book as the actors bible, that's when she wrote her second book 'challenge for the actor', saying that she never meant for her first book to be the answer all to acting. It always seems like it's 'others' who have bastardized the greats work. All these people who love and think they know Brechts approach. They don't. When he directed, he said throw away theory. Theory is for academic thought. There are those who have created theaters out of Growtowski's work (his stuff is great too), yet he constantly moved on, not staying with his early teachings.

[@gerard1657]

Liane Vinall It's not really that Strasberg, Adler, Chekhov, Meisner is mistaken for Stanislavsky's work, it's that they went their own way, which is what everyone should do. Adler came back from Moscow telling Strasberg that Stanislavsky stopped using emotional recall (which he didn't0, and Strasberg said 'so what, that's him. I agree with him, not that his way was right, and he never said it was, but too many people get caught up into making anyone of these people as gods of acting. Its about taking in all, and creating your own unique way Most of the greats did not write their own books on acting (aside from Hagen), but others that wrote about their systems.

[@gerard1657]

***** Agreed Harry. And all the great acting teachers would say the same and agree with what you've said

[@actorsumitkundu]

Liane Vinall hllo..?

[@mthoodviewer]

Stanislavsky was a pioneer in opening up behaviour observations and definitions for actors in my opinion. Now whether you agree or not, he did enlighten many to examine their behaviour both mental and physical and place it into real awareness with in the body of the performance. You will see it allot in film studies where lines are learnt, character is developed then performed and the whole physical is non existent. This is distracting to me because half of the communication is lost.

[@mthoodviewer]

It is not a focus on science it is a focus on behaviour and examination because being in a performance is clearly not reality but how do you bring reality to it. Stanislavski merely noted crucial areas to be discussed as humans in a performance arena. Very interesting study and I find it fascinating.

[@karishmarathod586]

Love the videos! Keep making more of these. I've been reading Stanislavski's 3 part books on acting. This really helps in understanding the concepts better.

[@karmistri]

Both emotion approaching the physical and physical approaching the emotional are correct. It is a psycho-physical process, the appraoch you choose is simply a matter of preference aptitude, taste etc. I approach characters both inwardly or outwordly depending upon the material the character, the style of the piece and so on. For the record Stanislavsky never discarded emotional memory, it is a valid tool.

[@leslielandberg]

Very lucid discussion of a very important idea. Whether or not you use it, like it, adapt it or ultimately reject this approach in favor of something else, this is truly food for thought! Thanks!

[@karmistri]

Remember he lived in Soviet Russia and was under watch, the successor to the Moscow Art Theatre after his death was a Soviet patsy. The other teacher assistant who was working with Stanislavsky when he died held his training in tact, her name is Maria Knebel I get so annoyed with actors that claim to study Stanislavsky get it so wrong all the time.

[@andreluizteatro1]

Tyler Moore oi

[@AlucinorProductions]

Feature Documentary Director and Actor: Passions, Process and Intimacy with Dalip Sondhi is now out and being distributed by Contemporary Arts Media. View the trailer on our channel page

[@andymcgregortheatre]

The video says he discarded emotionally memory. That he moved on from that way of thinking.

[@gerardcaldarisejr9985]

Great video keep making.

[@AlucinorProductions]

Thanks!

[@joshlee6039]

emotional memory is no where near affective as creating experiences in your imagination.which are done jn the moment making them more potent to respond to. memories fade its not as affective. you cant force emotions cause it will come out unathentically. to many actors try and force out the emotions you need stimulant to evoke them

[@shanejupp8699]

josh lee so faking it then?. That ain’t the way forward

[@FelinoDollosoActor]

Thank you

[@AlucinorProductions]

You are welcome

[@HillaryMarek]

I bet this is such an informative video but the background music is so loud that my speakers are picking it up and isolating it so it's louder than the voices. Man i wish i could hear them 😢

[@AlucinorProductions]

Lol would turn it down if we could! Try the captions ;-)

[@connoringlis]

you dont use things in your life for emotion :s you simply say the emotion in your head and breath you will feel the emotion

[@CyrilViXP]

That's all basical techniques of external implementation, all those decoys are helping to sculpt the extension of the role and the perspective of the role. That techniques with internal line of experiences (which is much important) are creating a through-action of role. The feeling of it. Not the crafts folk tune. The actor's profession is very hard in psychological and physical way. It is not that thing, you can get when you want to.

[@kyrasoleil1]

Awesome!

[@nahshonroche5060]

"What if it's the action that causes the emotion?"

[@AlucinorProductions]

Indeed

[@touch1872000]

The Power of The Actor by Ivana Chubbuck

[@MannequinFactoryy]

so true, I love this comment

[@borkoboyanov]

Question is... how do you stop method acting if you are Training for a method actor and you don't have the guy with the table (the conductor?) Interesting question... How dangerous could this be? Can I... act out Advanced Math for example to the extend of Getting Late in an Uni? :))))))

[@PrickAndWanker]

actually actors are more educated and more aware of the world they live in.

[@EvilMeans]

It's strange to me that Stanislavsky is interpreted this way. If Stanislavsky is method, method is being of the moment and of the character. Thinking of your cat dying whilst in a scene reacting to your daughter getting hit by a truck seems in bad form. The entire point of the method is to exist as the character. If you don't have the personal depth to understand the character you're playing, perhaps you shouldn't be playing that character.

[@shinchan___4]

If you do it right all roles will have something u can emotionally relate with and tap into them other than that Stanislavski also has imagination questioning and experiencing In his method

[@OuchPictures]

I don't like the idea of using personal experience in acting. I would still try it though, if it was available where i live. But i find the PEM method more attractive.

[@gerard1657]

Ouch Pictures The actor should try all techniques, you never know when one might work at different times. And I find it unbelievable how misconstrued affective memory has been told by people who don't know what they're talking about. It is not about re-experiencing a personal experience when you are in the middle of a performance, like so many say. This is 100% false, and can't believe people who say that is what it is. PEM is ok,. I've been in the industry for over 30yrs as professional actor, acting teacher/coach, there is no such thing as one technique or approach being complete.

[@oneulo8859]

Does anyone know the name of the track played in this?

[@AlucinorProductions]

Can't recall the track name but its from the proscores (royalty free music) from videocopilot.

[@oneulo8859]

@@AlucinorProductions Thank you.

[@AlucinorProductions]

@@oneulo8859 You're welcome

[@SceneComplete1]

What's the basis for your comment here?

[@vLinko777]

Is this Waapa?

[@mthoodviewer]

hmmmm

[@thebaroness7276]

@PINKFANTASY Concur.

[@anactorism]

God this is wanky - actors and a director being wanky - blah blah blah. Wanky self-congratulatory self-importance in the extreme. Stanislavski all but discarded emotion memory as an approach to acting when he realised that acting was much simpler than that - and it is. Actions aren't necessarily physical. And, far more importantly, where is the Art, the Beauty, the Life in all of this? Please stop woefully misinterpreting and misappropriating the great Russian School of acting.

[@rodgerbenson6929]

Method acting ..!! Acting ?? If i play a reporter in a movie ..why would i act in 1st place ..i am a reporter now myself , i wont act ..A reporter wont act like a reporter ..He is a reporter..

[@benjanning]

hon!

[@fazehead]

Just Act and use your Feelings, and stop being a Science!!

[@elromanozo]

... OR you could just do your job and PRETEND, like Orson Welles and countless other great actors did/do.

[@ludvikpiza4282]

Thinking of playing as a "job" is the worst you can do as an actor. As an artist in general.

[@elromanozo]

Ludvík Píza Hardly. Or stay unemployed, if you want... You HAVE to play those scenes wether or not you are in the mood. It's not a choice. You have to MAKE yourself be in the mood, just like with any other job... even though it's entirely possible to enjoy your work ! Countless people do, even accountants.

[@elromanozo]

***** And yet, I've seen SOOOO many bad actors using that "method" of yours... It looks unbelievably fake, whereas a lot of the recorded performances from before that method was widely used, or of people not using it, seem to me consistently better ! Even if you assume a bias (because more performances from many actors, including bad ones, are now recorded, whereas only the better actors were ever put to film in days gone by), I'd estimate the same chances to be "good" or not, whether you use the "method" or not. Ergo, I don't think it does anything... As long as the actor works on his part, it's always pretending anyway. Just better.

[@elromanozo]

***** Also, a LOT of acting coaches and actors don't follow the method, and don't even like it... I can see quite a few recommended videos on the side of this page that say so.

[@elromanozo]

***** So basically, you're saying the exact same thing as I am... Whatever the method, it works just as well, as long as you actually work.

[@kevinklein1459]

Acting should be organic , they talk to much and plan to much

[@lamor666]

This is so wrong and so uneducated view on Stanislavskij and Chekhov I can hardly believe it.

[@benzahiryoussef702]

+lamor666 Hi, I always see your comments on every video made on the Stanislavski method of acting. You say that they're all wrong and uneducational, then tell us what is is , the right thing to do ?

[@thewebchronicles]

+Benzahir Youssef I love how he still hasn't answered yet lol. I swear people just say anything for negativity these days

[@babakbabak4589]

yyyyyyyyy

[@TioC-L-S]

i understand nothing

[@chloecox8041]

This deserves more likwa