MONOLOGUE & VIDEO

USE OF VIDEO CAMERA IN ACTING CLASS

Biomechanics, Stage-Metrics and the Screen

[ total actor files ]

I. Historical note: Russian school of formalism and structuralism

It's time for Meyerhold and Stanislavsky to make peace. The Psychological Realism and the Acting Biomechanics were developed around the same time and the rivalry of two Russian directors should be a subject of history. In training of actor they both are complimentary. In fact, we use both all the time; director blocks actors which is very much an act of imposing externally the structure on performance (even if it was developed improvisationally), actor develops justification for his character (even if he doesn't call it "motivation"). Inner and outer worlds have own domains and an actor is the modem where the two meet. That's why Actor is a focal point of staging. He separates and connects the Objective and the Subjective.

Stanislavsky System is well known as Method Acting. Thanks for Age of Cinema (now TV and Video) the "realistic" environment asks for mimetic forms of performance ("like in real life"). To a great degree Meyerhold went into non-realistic direction precisely because he tried to define the stage language, the theatricality of acting. Interestingly enough he used many ideas of Russian structuralists of the twenties. If not for this ideological background of formalism the discoveries of Eisenstein in film language unlikely be possible. The main principle to view behavior as a text allowed to understand the laws of deconstruction of reality and reconstruction of it in a new media.

In powerful applications of Method Acting rooted its weaknesses and limitations. Since we appeal to the wholeness of actor, the task of differentiation becomes extremely difficult. I am required to live within the continuity of my inner existence, becoming an introvert. Stanislavky himself was well aware of boundaries of this school of acting. Perhaps, it was one of the reasons why he didn't want to lock his explorations into complete "system." With all his definite (even radical) ideas Meyerhold had left not a single textbook for his "techniques."

II. STRUCTURE AND DECONSTRUCTION

"The chief resistance to Structuralism today seems to be of Marxist origins...it focuses on the notion of history (and not on structure)." Certainly this has been the case not only with Structuralism but Post-Structuralism as well. The turn away from diachronic to synchronic concerns is a difficult one to erase. However, the problem of history raised my Marxists is not the simple one of "History - Yes or No," but instead of the role of history in the creation of social, linguistic and economic environments. History in Structuralism seems to come only through the back door, only so far as the synchronic contains within itself the historical traces of its own genesis. Marxism would tend to look for unified processes within history, especially economic ones, and their broad effects on Western Civilization. Some forms of vulgar marxism (that of the late Engels, the Second International, and aspects of Lenin's thought) abuse History in a worse fashion than the Structuralists, turning it into a determined telos.

Structural man: a man who mentally experiences structure as an aspect of his objects. This is accomplished through the imagination.

The Structural Activity: to reconstruct an "object" in such a way as to manifest thereby the rule of functioning (the "functions") of this object. Barthes considers this process a destructive/constructive one, a working of the mind of man against nature. The Structuralist Activity adds something to the "object" thus creating what Barthes refers to as the Simulacrum: "a veritable fabrication of a world which resembles the first one, not in order to copy it but to render it intelligible...a mimesis of functions." Its two components are dissection and articulation. The first locates certain mobile fragments whose differential situation engenders meaning. That is, its position relates to the other fragments in such that any alteration in the one will precipitate a change in the others. Fragments have no significance except at their frontiers, where they are defined and define other fragments. These fragments are not anarchistic, but instead ordered by the class to which they belong, and through which they can be seen as different. The logic of the fragment operates by the least significant difference.

III. DECONSTRUCTION (DEFINING) OF SPACE, TIME AND BODY

Subtext and Contra-text: two texts inter-action.

IV. Segmentation and Dramatic Composition

1. Macro and Micro actions.

V. Shots and acting areas (floor plan)

1. Head and Shoulders

2. Chest and head (neck)

3. Hands and face.

Monologue and scene time break down

Movement and timing

Mapping Time

Establishing Time Frame

MONOLOGUE HOME WORK

"Read all the Shakespeare you can; if you can play Shakespeare, you can play anything." -- John Carradine

Monologue breakdown starts with the scene before. Actor have to carry it in pre-acting. You can't biging a new segment without depurturing from the previous one. Monologue is a dramatic journey for the audience.
Breakdown is done in several steps.
First -- segmentation.

	HAMLET[1]

1      To be, or not to be: that is the question:
2      Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
3      The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
4      Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
5      And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
6      No more; and by a sleep to say we end
7      The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
8      That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
9      Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
10     To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
11     For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
12     When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
13     Must give us pause: there's the respect
14     That makes calamity of so long life;
15     For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
16     The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
17     The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
18     The insolence of office and the spurns
19     That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
20     When he himself might his quietus make
21     With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
22     To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
23     But that the dread of something after death,
24     The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
25     No traveller returns, puzzles the will
26     And makes us rather bear those ills we have
27     Than fly to others that we know not of?
28     Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
29     And thus the native hue of resolution
30     Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
31     And enterprises of great pith and moment
32     With this regard their currents turn awry,
33     And lose the name of action.--Soft you now!
35     The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
36     Be all my sins remember'd.

Exposition:

1      [1]To be, or [2]not to be: [3]that is the question:

2      Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
3      The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
4      Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
5      And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
6      No more...

	Are we done with establishing the theme of the monologue in
those 'five and a half" lines? Is the inner conflict clear?
	All depends of YOUR choices. On how did you design the
character of Hamlet. And if the monologue is not working for you
-- go back to your choices in characteriization.

	Now, take apart the segment of the exposition.
	First line consists several acting sentenses. Three or two?
"To be" is opposing "not to be" -- simple thought conflict, an
idea. Shakespeare (Hamlet) calls it "question." (the question). I
ask students to use "/" for indication of "pausing" for acting
"punctiation." The initial design will look like:

	/To be,/ or not to be:/ that is the question/

	which is eauivalent of

	To be, (pause) or not to be: (pause) that is the question

	Pause is a stop which will be filled in later with "action."
	You could use "//" and "///" for a longer (bigger) break. My
choice:

	/To be,/ or not to be:// that is the question///

Action (Movement) could have enumerous ways of expression. What is important to remember, that you have to have structure and to search for it in the text. With Shakespeare we know that it is in there; often with non-classic texts you have to "impose" YOUR structure on the text. Especially, if it's a non-dramatic text. 2004 NEW: film acting pages -- seven chapters? Notes. Camera as a partner. Biomechanics for camera. Shots (LS, MS, CU) -- different modes of acting.

Visit my other website for more on directing and film terminology: Film 600

[ Actor's Text -- homework and test in class ]

PS

[ actor's checklists ]

Examples of countra-text [ ... ].

Do the monologue analysis below: floor plan (new window) -- indicate your positions on stage (acting areas). Use all 9 squares, number the changes with the correcponding numbers in the text. Each motion must be motivated. How is the inner conflict is expressed in dichotomy of left and right, upstage -- downstage? Use the props. Print and bring two copies in class. Write answers to 5Ws (notes). Break the text into shots (LS, MS, CU). ...

Homework

[ try to use different color markers for main motiffs. ]

Mark 1-2-3 of composition: exposition, climax, resolution.

Have this analysis in your actor's journal or post it to the acting egroup.

emotions:

DOCTOR. The devil take them all... damn them all. They think I'm a doctor, that I can treat all sorts of complaints, and I really know nothing about it, I've forgotten all I did know, I remember nothing, absolutely nothing. The devil take them. Last wednesday I treated a woman -- she died, and it's my fault that she died. Yes... I did know something twenty-five years ago, but now I remember nothing, nothing. Perhaps I'm not a man at all but only pretend to have arms and legs and head; perhaps I don't exist at all and only imagine that I walk around, eat and sleep [weeps]. Oh, if only I didn't exist! [Stops weeping, morosely] I don't care! I don't care a scrap! [a pause] Who the hell knows.... The day before yesterday there was a conversation at the club: they talked about Shakespeare, Voltaire.... I've read nothing, nothing at all, but I looked as though I'd read them. And the others did the same as I did. The vulgarity! The meanness! And that woman I killed on Wednesday came back to my mind... and it all came back to my mind and everything seemed nasty, disgusting and all twisted in my soul.... I went and got drunk...

movement:

Chekhov (3 Sisters)

5W's

ABC of Dramatic Structure

Floor Plan

NB

Next: title

The Video Notes are not posted.

Some of the texts on this page will be moved to METHOD directory *

This monologue is from THE HAIRY APE by Eugene O'Neill. Just to let you know, in case you think I'm trying to be cute or something, O'Neill really did write in dialect, which makes it really impossible to figure out what the hell he wants his characters to say at times.

Actor's text in parantheses.

(he is gruff, blown up like a peacock, needs intimidation to get his point across. addresses imaginary woman:)

YANK: Hello kiddo. Got anyting goin' on for tonight?

(smooth, putting the moves on, then drops this:)

YANK: I know a boiler down by the docks we kin crawl into.

(she rejects him--walks away--visible change between braggadocio and hurt feelings, but before anyone can attack him while he's vulnerable, he changes again and addresses imaginary friends)

YANK: Holy smokes, what a mug! Go hide yourself before the horses shy at ya. Pipe de heine on dat one! You look like de stoin of a ferry boat! Paint and powder! All dolled up for de kill! You look like stiffs laid out for de boneyard!

(tired of this game, exhausting being so obnoxious and creating this facade.)

YANK: Ah g'wan, the lot of youse--you give me the eye-ache.

(anger! they reject him--he doesn't fit into their world)

YANK: Look at me, why don't youse? I belong!

(points at imaginary construction site)

YANK: You see that building goin' up over there? See dat steel- work? Steel--that's me! I'm it--the inside and the bottom of it. It moves--speed--twenty-five stories up--movin'!

(ends metaphor for self, addresses imaginary crowd gathering)

YANK: You simps don't move. You're on'y dolls I winds up to see 'em spin. You're de garbage, get me--de ashes we throw over the side. Now what do you got to say?

(calling every one else losers, but who's the real loser here? yank! at this point he grows belligerent that they haven't taken his bait. just give him an excuse to hit you. oh, you won't? then he'll make one. he strides DS to up his intimidation factor again)

YANK: Huh? Bums! Tarts! Pigs! Bitches! Get off the oith! G'wan, ya bum! Get outta here! Look where you're going, can't you? Fight, why don't you? Put up your mitts! Fight--or I'll knock ya dead!

---

The wicked Queen By Keena Lindsay

(Laying on the bed) I am so sick of be called the wicked queen. (sarcastic and rising from the bed) I'm not wicked, I'm obsessive (rise and start to pace the room. in a voice of confession) There's a big difference All I ever wanted was to be the fairest in the land. Ok maybe attemped homicide was a bit extreme, but That doesn't make me evil. ( in a voice with a hint of jealosy) Do you have any Idea what It's like to constantly be around someone you know looks better than you? It's terrible!

(being egotisacal) Besides, I was doing a favour for all of humankind that girl is just too happy for her own good! ( in a slightly angered tone) I was so sick of the blue birds flying around the castle. Who do you think cleaned that up? It wasn't Snow White I'll tell you that I never made that girl do any chores. She's just like my friend's stepdaughter, refuses to let anyone else lift a finger and then turns it around and makes us look bad. ( in a nagging tone) I'm telling you, that Cinderella girl should get together with Snow White. Let them fight it out as to who gets to do all the work.( aggrevated) It's like some kind of ( stumbling pause) complex or something.

(In a defensive tone) All I'm saying is that it wasn't completely my fault, but I'm still destined to go down in fairy tale history as "the wicked queen" Please help me to stop this ulgy rumour about my actions. ( checking the time and in a non-thrilled manner) Oh dear, I better go. I have to so my community service sentence cleaning up after those dwarfs ( snotty tone) I would rather done hard time,( exiting upper stage right pause at the door) but what can you expect from a jury of playing cards? (exit stage right)

[ ... ]

monologue : acting2

mono : acting3

VERSHININ. Yes... [laughs]. How very strange it all is, really! [a pause] When the fire began I ran home as fast as I could. I went up and saw our house was safe and sound and out of danger, but my little girls were standing in the doorway in their night-gowns; their mother was nowhere to be seen, people were bustling about, horses and dogs were running about, and my children's faces were full of alarm, horror, pleas for help, and I don't know what; it wrung my heart to see their faces. My God, I thought, what more have these children to go through in the long years to come! I took their hands and ran along with them, and could think of nothing else but what more they would have to go through in this world! [a pause] When I came to your house I found their mother here, screaming, angry. [MASHA comes in with the pillow and sits down on the sofa.] And while my little girls were standing in the doorway in their nightgowns and the street was red with the fire, and there was a fearful noise, I thought that something like it used to happen years ago when the enemy would suddenly make a raid and begin plundering and burning... And yet, in reality, what a difference there is between what is now and has been in the past! And when a little more time has passed -- another two or three hundred years -- people will look at our present manner of life with horror and derision, and everything of today will seem awkward and heavy, and very strange and uncomfortable. Oh, what a wonderful life that will be -- what a wonderful life! [Laughs] Forgive me, here I am airing my theories again! Allow me to go on. I have such a desire to talk about the future. I'm in the mood [a pause]. It's as though everyone were asleep. And so, I say, what a wonderful life it will be! Can you only imagine? Here are only three of your sort in the town now, but in generations to come there will be more and more and more; and the time will come when everything will be changed and be as you would have it; they will live in your way, and later on you too will be out of date -- people will be born who will be better than you... [laughs]. I am in such a strange state of mind today. I have a fiendish longing for life. [sings]. Young and old are bound by love, and precious are its pangs... [laughs]. (3 Sisters, Act III)

Use the first monologue from 3 Sisters (Chekhov) for your dramatic structure analysis: Adnrey, for example (line-by-line analysis).

scenes