Stanislavsky Method

1. Motivation

1.1. An Actor will often ask a Director what his or her motivation is because if the choice he or she made isn’t working, a different motivation will give him or her clues to adjust the performance.

2. Subtext

2.1. A good exercise is to put words to the subtext, but subtext comes to life in the tone of the voice or body language. Is our character angry with the guy who fired him? Or is he secretly begging to be rehired? Each choice will precipitate different actions or tone, so finding the subtext of dialog helps an Actor make choices that will reflect in the way he moves and speaks.

3. Observation

3.1. Stanislavski believed that Actors should be keen observers.

3.2. That’s why an Actor might do a ride along with a Police Officer or visit a prison.

4. Adaptation

4.1. It is often said that acting is reacting because an Actor must be in communion with his fellow Actors.

5. Units and Objectives

5.1. The super objective of a character may be to get a job, but each scene provides particular obstacles and smaller goals, which are called units and objectives.

6. The Magic If

6.1. The words “magic if ” are probably the most inspiring two words in the creative sphere.

6.1.1. Stanislavski knew that whatever happened in a play (or in a motion picture nowadays), was not the truth.

7. The Body as an Instrument

7.1. There are the overall physical embodiments of character – for example, a pregnant mother will walk a particular way.

8. A Word About Emotional Memory

8.1. The idea of the practice is for the Actor to explore his personal experiences to find a similar emotion to the one the character is experiencing and tap into that “emotional memory”.