ACTORS EXPRESSION℠
"Before you choose how you want your character to move, choose how they stand still in their preference."
-Piero Dusa
If Actors Preference℠ is the foundation, Actors Expression℠ is the structure, the outward extension of the acting instrument you're building. After completing Actors Preference and understanding the initial acting system, one will begin to understand what a complex and subtle process acting is. Actors Expression℠ focuses on the performance of acting; body language of the character, script analysis, phrasing, triggers, physical impediments and Dusa’s remaining 16 Levels of Acting.
How many times have you watched a performance and it was clearly obvious that the "actor" was portraying his own preference…merely "playing himself." A true character actor is one who can believably shift and play a character's preference even when it is opposite their own. Actors Expression℠ is a deeper look at character development and performance. There is a tendency for the novice actor to dismiss a particular character's preference when the action by that character doesn't feel authentic to the actor. In reality, when an actor is playing a preference that is not their own, it feels awkward and unnatural, like writing non-dominant hand. It’s the actor’s job to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and to play the behavior/thoughts/feelings/actions of a character based on the character’s preference, as written in the script, and not based on the actor’s own preference.
Actors Expression℠ is when the actor puts the unspoken transitions - lightning thoughts (flashes of images and thoughts linked to the character’s overall objective), intentions and behavioral traits- into the body language of the character. This internal dynamic is expressed through vocal and body speed, focal point and energy, combining the internal with the external, and all unraveled in the moment…the character becomes authentic. From this point of mastery over the character, the actor can also choose to mask the characters real feelings by applying a quality. In choosing to apply a quality the action played is opposite to how the character really wants to behave, the specific way the quality is executed is necessary in order to achieve an objective. This makes the performance intriguing, unpredictable and non-stereotypical.
From Da Vinci to Tarantino, every artist doubts his own work - there is no solution to forever overcoming our inner-skeptic. Indeed, it is this inner-dialogue that continues to challenge and push even the most recognized talent. BUT, with preparation comes the knowledge that you are capable of making valid choices. It is the perspiration of preparation that gives you confidence to control your instrument with a high degree of skill - your choices will not always be accepted or appreciated but they will always be respected.
As an actor it’s common to second-guess the choices made during an audition. The louder that internal dialogue the greater the indication the actor was not prepared. An actor must not only know, but totally believe, their approach to a character is at least as valid, if not more-so, than the director's view of the character and even the writer's initial conception. The creation of performance is an organic process - ideas by the writer, enhanced by the director and finally embodied within the actor. It is not just the actor's task but also their responsibility to synthesize written words and verbal direction in order to create. Often the actors creation is unrecognized by the writer or unforeseen by the director - the actor's choice may be rejected or highly praised. Either way, the actor that makes strong, definitive and appropriate choices is never wrong. They are right for that actor in that moment.
Every actor studies technique but it is our own intuition that breathes unique variation into the act of creation. Experience and intuition combine to give the actor the power to create choices and build a character, which defines the actor's job. Acquiring a deep knowledge of Actors Expression℠ is the framework that allows the actor's intuition to expand the boundaries of creative skill. Mastering and applying Dusa’s 16 levels of Actors Expression℠ gives the actor the power to defeat the negative voices because they will have only the thoughts of the character. The actor will know with utmost certainty that they have used the information given in the script to create a real-life, believable character through that character’s preference and specific behavior, phrasing, emotional connection, etc. There will be no question that the choices made by the actor were right because the choices are based entirely on the character’s preference. Being prepared in this way will allow the actor to walk into the audition retaining their natural charisma and combine that charisma with the character’s preference. This allows the actor to let the character flow freely and come alive. This performance system allows the actor to leave the audition or performance without questions, self-doubt or judgment.
At the Audition
When asked to define "obscenity," Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously replied; "I'm not sure…but I know it when I see it." And, like Stewart, many directors' and casting directors', etc. aren't exactly sure of what they are looking for in a performance…but, they'll know it when they see it. And THAT is why auditions and screen tests exist!
Actors Expression℠ is the epitome of self-reliance, the result of which is the skill to direct oneself. Every artist has made the mistake of going to an audition guessing what the casting director might or might not want. Others go hoping for specific direction. These questions are answered by knowing the character’s preferences. If the actor has thoroughly done their homework, they will already have made choices for actions that are character-specific and appropriate. The casting director may not know what they want but if the actor knows the character and exhibits the character’s preferences, the actor's performance will resonate. Watching a character-specific performance indicates to the (casting) director that "this is a professional actor who has thought about the character, knows more about the character then is written in the script and makes character-specific choices." This also gives the (casting) director the flavor of the character as the actor sees it and the opportunity to make adjustments, or ask the actor to read for a different role.
On The Set
When preparing for a role, self-direction is a vital tool in the actor's arsenal. It comes not only with practice but by letting go of one’s preference perception; stepping out of the one’s personal preference and objectively looking at what is being shot from all four quadrants. The actor will need to use the YELLOW quadrant to look at the big picture using imagination to create and re-create the scene, thinking about how the direction will look from the angle of the camera. The actor will need to be logical and shift to the BLUE quadrant, analyzing choices, being realistic about space, framing, props etc. The actor will need to use the GREEN quadrant to know the specific details, practicing each step and continuity, making sure there are choices for every possible scenario. The actor will need to use the RED quadrant to go with their intuition, using the emotional connection to the character to know how the character would feel and respond throughout.
An example of one part of Dusa’s Level, Body Language of the Character, is Ben Kingsley’s character, “Don Logan” in the film, Sexy Beast. During the kitchen confrontation with Ray Winstone’s character, “Gary Dove”, Ben Kingsley uniquely breaks down the text and specifically uses vocal and body speed to achieve his objective. His vocal speed accelerates with his emotions, as his emotions rev-up, the audience can see his tension through his vocal and physical pacing. The speed fluctuates perfectly with his character’s BLUE dominating, ruthless preference.
Actors Expression℠ guides the actor through character creation, re-creation, and transformation. The next course in the system is Destructive Preference℠.
The Actors Expression workshop is one of a kind and exclusively taught by Piero Dusa. If you want to improve your call-back ratio, make chemistry at the screen test and have an unforgettable performance, contact us for more information on the individually tailored lessons or full workshops at info@pierodusa.com
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