MTL - Best Actor-Chapter 25 means and ends

"I know that some people will ask this question, and I also know that some people will use "The Godfather" as an example, but since the three most eye-catching ideas are all taken out, why forget to include them in the same What about Lee Strasberg, who has a show? That's the master of the Hollywood method, and many great actors have been instructed by him." Harrington on the podium asked in a playful tone, which immediately caused a lot of laughter Voice.

Then, he looked up and continued to speak: "Then I will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of these two forms of expression, but before that, I hope everyone remembers one sentence, there is no most Good acting, only the most suitable acting."

Harrington said, walked to the blackboard, and wrote down the previous sentence: "Compared to the method school, the skill party does not have enough depth of excavation, but it does not mean that the technology This is one point that Pi did not dig. The Method School needs talent and needs to experience the spiritual world of different characters, and young actors, or rookie actors whose life is not too turbulent, it is very difficult to do this, so at this time It is best to use the technical expression to polish your acting skills, and then adjust it step by step according to your actual situation. However, it should be noted that the technical expression is used a lot. If you do not have enough control, It’s easy to become cookie-cutter, in a nutshell, all the characters are made to be you, not the characters themselves.”

Some of the students let out a low laugh, as if thinking of someone because of it, Harrington didn't care, and still said loudly: "But what about the Methodist? Is the Methodist perfect? ​​Of course not. Even the masters who adhere to the method school have different interpretations of the form of expression, among which Konstantin Stanislavsky, Bey Brecht and Antonin Aalto are the most typical!”

He wrote the names of the three people in turn, then drew a dash after Stanislavsky and wrote the phrase "man and drama are one".

" Stanislavsky believes that an actor should fully understand the character's heart and integrate with the character, so that he can show his world in front of the camera. This is the most classic explanation . And Brecht believes that actors can't integrate too much, keep distance, and control the role." Harrington said, and drew a dash after Brecht and wrote "distance" and "distance". "Control" two words.

"As for Aalto," he smiled, "he asked the actor to be the character, to forget everything about himself, to believe from the bottom of his heart that the character is himself, in short, let himself become Neuropathy."

At the same time, he wrote "madman" in the dash after Aalto, and burst into laughter.

"This is not a joke," Harrington shook his head at this time, "Maybe you think this is a fantasy, but the truth is, this method of expression is very effective, if you really If you are able to identify yourself as a character in and out of the movie, even if the movie is average, your character will be very eye-catching. However, this is not without a price. If you can't adjust it in time after finishing the shooting, It's easy to fall into depression because you can't tell who you are, and the pace of modern life is so fast, it's hard to say what it will be like in the face of pressure, that's why Aalto is asking the actor become neurotic."

He raised his hands at this point: "If any of you are interested in trying, my suggestion is that it is best to prepare a hint for yourself before that, so that you can pass a certain The behavior recovers from the state of the character. For example, two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster, it is said that her secret is to eat a large sandwich after filming and recover immediately. My view on this Yes, she keeps her figure really well."

There was another burst of laughter, and then the bell rang outside.

"Okay, let's get here today," Harrington immediately began to pack his books, American teachers and professors are quite punctual at this point, "If you have Interested in comparing the pros and cons of the technique school and the method school, I suggest you go to see "A Streetcar Named Desire", Vivien Leigh's performance is a typical technical school, and Marlon Brando's performance is a typical method Pie. The spark in this movie because of their confrontation can be seen as a textbook classic of two acting skills."

"Sir, Mr. Harrington!" he exclaimed.

"Who are you?" The other party turned around.

"I just listened to your class," Sean explained, "I love your class, it's funny, lively, and inspiring."

Harrington smiled and continued walking without saying anything, Sean immediately followed: "I noticed one thing, although you analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the technical school and the method school, the actual It still sidesteps the original question - which way is better for an actor."

"Really?" Harrington replied casually.

Sean didn't care, but continued: "But according to my observation, you obviously prefer the method school, and you also admit that if you can control yourself, then the way the method school will behave It would obviously make the character even better."

"I have a question, um... huh?" Harrington looked at Sean.

"Sean Tang, you can just call me Sean." He replied hurriedly.

"Very well, Sean, what I want to ask you is that you discuss these, which is better, technique or method, and why." Harrington asked.

Sean was stunned for a moment, and after thinking for a while, he gave the answer: "In order to make the character play more real."

Harrington let out a noncommittal voice, looking ahead, walking non-stop, with a faint smile, obviously not interested in this answer.

Scratching his head, Sean thought quickly, combined with Harrington's previous lectures, what did he mean? But after more than ten seconds, Sean didn't figure it out, seeing that the door of the corridor was already in front of him.

At this moment, the sentence "there is no best acting, only the most suitable acting" suddenly flashed past, and then a similar sentence I heard in a previous life also appeared came out. He was about to open his mouth, but immediately closed his mouth again, and his intuition told him that he was still a little short, what could it be?

Finally, when the two stepped out of the door, something they had learned from performing a stage play suddenly poured out, followed by a series of performances after they came to Los Angeles. , including the banking experience that Frederick took a fancy to.

"In order to convey the character's emotions to the audience as perfectly as possible!" Sean said such a sentence.

Harrington stopped, turned his head, and looked at him in surprise.

"I have heard a sentence, which is somewhat similar to what you advocate, there are no bad movies, only bad actors." Sean was very smart, and he lived in two completely different countries. , in some respects can be observed and examined from a new perspective. In addition, I have accumulated a lot of experience from high school to the present, and I have been thinking and rubbing it in the previous classes, so under the pressure of Harrington, in just a few tens of seconds, I have initially integrated conceptual things. .

"So we discuss these, really to play the role better, and how to play it better? That is to convey the emotion of the character to the audience as perfectly as possible, Let them cry and laugh in front of the screen with the joys and sorrows of the characters as much as possible. This is the purpose of the actors, whether they are technical or methodical, they are all just means!" After that, Sean couldn't help but get a little excited. .

Harrington looked surprised, stopped and looked up and down before asking, "Have you ever had any formal performance experience?"

Sean hesitated, and finally decided to tell the truth: "I'm not a student at USC, Mr. Harrington, I'm just here to listen. I'm an actor, a young actor who has just entered the industry, although I acted in a series of stage plays in high school, but that is always different from film and television, so after playing a role, I came here to receive more systematic training."

Harrington was more and more surprised, and at the same time with a hint of appreciation, and finally patted him on the shoulder, motioning him to follow.

"You summed it up very well, Sean, no matter what form of expression is just a means, and the ultimate goal is to convey the character's emotional world to the audience." Not far from the boulevard After taking a seat on a bench in the , Before the 1960s, there was a clear distinction between technique and method, but now they are starting to be indistinguishable from each other. Meryl Streep, for example, has received ten Oscar nominations so far this year, including 8 times best actress, what do you think made her a favorite of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?"

"I've seen Sophie's Choice and The Bridge, and she's a great actress," Sean recalled, "It was two completely different images. , one is sad and fragile, the other is gentle and strong.”

"If you have the heart to understand, you will know that Streep can sometimes spend months trying to design all aspects of her for a character. If it involves real people, she She will also try her best to imitate the other party's accent and small movements, which are all within the scope of the technical school. But once the filming starts, she will devote herself fully to achieving Strasberg's integration of people and drama, which is also a method The category of pie." Harrington nodded, "so I always advocate that there is no best acting, only the most suitable acting. As long as you can convey emotions to the audience on the screen, infect them! Impress them! That is excellence. actor!"

Here, he repeated what Sean said before: "As you just concluded, no matter what form of expression is just a means, if you want to be an excellent or even great actor, A lot of things need to be done, but the first thing to do is to distinguish between the purpose and the means, understand the priority and know how to choose.”

Then, Harrington looked at the time and stood up: "Okay, I still have something to do, I'll be here for the time being today."

"Can I ask you questions in private in the future, Mr. Harrington?" Sean asked hurriedly.

"Oh, of course, you are very smart and quick-witted, and I am very happy to communicate with young people like you." Harrington smiled, "Even if you don't take the class, you will You can come and find me, but only this month, I will go back to England after the New Year, I am British."

"Thank you, Mr. Harrington." Sean clenched his fist.