BY MICHELLE DANNER 

As an actor, you are always training regardless of whether you are seasoned or just starting out. You want to say, “I have a craft.” You are always in the pursuit of sharpening your tools. You are looking to keep your instrument alive responding, open to stimuli. Actors depend on having an instrument that works. You need to exercise it. Here are five basic essential things you have to work on constantly.

1. Script analysis – Pick up plays and screenplays and break them down. Understand the script analysis of it from A to Z. Make a list of the events, beats, relationships, wants, conflicts, and obstacles—and look for what is not obvious. That’s good script analysis. Look for the deeper meaning of things. Go out on a limb in your analysis. What could be the extra layers of complexities that exist? Those discoveries will lead you to make choices that are off-kilter. Again, the more you train yourself to do this exercise, the easier it becomes to do this intricate work.

2. Creating characters – You should constantly be thinking about creating different characters. Keep writing backstories for different characters. Create profiles, composites. Keep exploring their physicality. That is always the way into finding out who they are. What are the most controversial events that could have happened to them? Read lots of biographies. It will inspire you to find twists and turns. Interview folks online, ask them about their lives, and uncover their secrets. It will give you ideas!

3. Improvising –  Yes, you have to be able to improvise and think fast on your feet. Reach out to you actor friends on Skype or Facetime and improv with them. Keep your improvisational muscles strong. The other it was great to watch Stephen Colbert improvise with John Oliver over Zoom. When you are purely bypassing your mind and giving in to your instincts, you hit your gold. To be able to put it in your own words makes you able to own the material you are working on on a deeper level. Also, knowing you can improve the scene makes you fearless—a feeling that you could handle anything. You can have a lot of fun getting out of your head in that way and completely forgetting what the next moment is. You really have to trust your impulses and channel them in the most creative way.

4. Knowing the words –  memorize material all the time. This is a good time to work on committing lines to memory. If someone comes to see you perform in a play, remember that cliché question they ask you backstage, “How did you learn all those lines?” But all joking aside, for some actors, memorizing can be a challenge. The breaking down of the script, knowing who the character is, and improvising the dialogue before committing to the words that are written can very much help you with this tool. Again, it’s a muscle that you have to train. Memorize a poem, a song, a monologue, or a scene every week. Once you understand the intent of the line, say it and make it yours over and over again. Your body has muscle memory; it remembers. Although improvisation is wonderful, if Aaron Sorkin or David Mamet wrote that script, you will need to get it perfect word for word.

5. Knowing how to work in front of the camera – Set up a camera next your TV, a webcam, or your phone. Yes, practice makes perfect, but the moment a camera is filming you, everything is different. Learn to watch yourself and learn from it. It’s important to understand if the choices you are making are reading. Look at what your body is doing; look at what your face is doing; see how you take direction and implement the adjustments quickly. As you try out different choices, find out which one is the strongest and which one plays the best.

Every tool mentioned above is a muscle that needs to be worked on consistently in order to strengthen your craft.

Once you have that foundation, repetition will deepen your work as an actor. While you are at home, this can be an incredibly productive time to grow artistically. So roll up your sleeves and get to work!

find your online course and online classes that are interactive and live. Learn Acting at one of the Best Acting Schools in Los Angeles
2437 Main Street Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone: 310.392.0815
Email: actingclass@michelledanner.com

We are pleased to offer our live Online interactive acting classes at reduced rate valid through May 15. Experience real time live interaction with your instructor and your classmates.

FILM /TV ACTING TECHNIQUES – WORK ON FILM AND TV AUDITIONS & PREPARE TO WORK IN THE INDUSTRY

Gain confidence in front of the camera and build all the skills you need to launch your acting career.  Learn to make powerful acting choices, listening and answering in the moment as you fully commit to your acting partner and your objective in the scene. Techniques are based on Stella Adler, Meisner, Uta Hagen, Stanislavski. You will receive comedic or dramatic to work on every week as well as assignments via mail. Cost: $ 250 for 4 weeks – $ 400 for 8 weeks 

Just enter the amount and we will put you in the class manually once the payment is confirmed. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thank you.  Click here to reserve your spot and pay

Saturday, at 12:30PM- 2 PM PST Los Angeles time. or Friday from 2pm – 4pm PST Los Angeles time 

How to use your Anxiety to manifest your potential-Online Interactive Classes

Act on the motivational message behind your anxiety. – Address the cognitive, biochemical and structural aspects of anxiety to experience immediate and long term results. – End anxiety by tapping into your inner wisdom to discover your true path in life. Experience proven tools and techniques to rewire the brain so that a new normal can be achieved.

Saturdays from 10am – 11:30am –PST Los Angeles time Cost: $ 250 for 4 weeks – $ 400 for 8 weeks ONLINE INTERACTIVE CLASSES Just enter the amount and we will put you in the class manually once the payment is confirmed. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thank you. Click here to reserve your spot and pay.  CLASSES ARE HELD IN VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS HOSTED BY ZOOM.

Breaking into Hollywood: The Business of Acting-Get the roadmap to working in the industry

This intensive gives you the road map to learning how you can work in the industry as an actor and gives you the tools you need to break into Hollywood. By the end of this class you will understand how to market yourself and you will understand the agent process, and how to begin to audition. It can take years for an actor that is new to “the business” to learn the ins and outs, and the do’s and don’ts of the industry. This class is for actors who need an agent; who are trying to get to the next level; who are unsatisfied with the amount of auditions they are getting; and who have an agent but need to book work.  An Interactive Workshop That Answers Your Questions: How to get a headshot and show reel that stands out, How to get into SAG-AFTRA, How to create a resume that gets you called in, How to find agents, managers, lawyers, and publicists, How to get work without an Agent, How casting works, How to develop an individualized strategy for your career!!

Monday May 11 from 5:30 pm – 9:30pm for $100 You can reach our acting school in Los Angeles at (310) 392-0815. Let us know if you have any questions about in person classes in Los Angeles or online course please email us at actingclass@michelledanner.com

Click here to reserve your spot and pay

Find your online course and online classes below:

CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE CLASSES FOR ACTORS

CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS

Most importantly, if you are interested in acting classes in Los Angeles or online acting classes please call 310.392.0815 Email: actingclass@michelledanner.com

Learn Acting today: find your Acting online classes. Our acting school in Lo Angeles is located in 2437 Main Street Santa Monica, CA 90405

Learn Acting at one of the Best Acting Schools in Los Angeles

As an aspiring actors interested in enrolling in our acting programs you can do so online at different times over the course of the year. We offer online acting classes to prepare you for film and television acting can be taken in virtually in real time online. Our acting Classes are held in virtual classrooms hosted by zoom.  If you need an online acting coach for a skype acting coach session please call or email us. Get LIVE interaction with your online acting coach and your classmates. Free online acting classes are not available but we do have discounted online acting courses and beginner acting classes-