On Tuesday we were taught about method acting. Kelly was teaching us how to get in the zone before performing. We were given examples of actors/actresses that us method acting.
I completed some research associated with method acting and was very interested with the whole concept.
After researching, I realised how serious some stars take method acting. When preparing for a role it may become dangerous. Method acting is a style of acting in which an actor tries to understand and feel the emotions of the character he or she represents. Method acting becomes dangerous when an actor or actress cannot turn of their emotions after performing a role and start living the life that their character would live.
After researching, I found that people believed Ledger's death was a result of him immersing himself in the role of the joker. Ledger reportedly suffered from depression and insomnia. This led many people to believe that playing the role of the joker was an adding fact to Ledger's mental health. Ledger was a very big fan of method acting and immersed himself in every role he would play.
To help us understand this practice, Kelly gave us a little snippet into the world of method acting.
First of all we were told to be completely relaxed. All of our bones and muscles should not feel an ounce of tension. It was quite an interesting sight to see everyone laying on the floor completely relaxed with their eyes closed. It was like there was not an ounce of the outside world in the room and all that mattered at that exact moment was being completely cut off from the rest of the world. Kelly then instructed us to close our eyes and imagine an Autumn day. Every sense was thought about; what we could smell, hear, see, touch etc. It was very eye opening because when completely relaxed you notice things that you wouldn't when you are actually walking around on an autumn day.
We don't usually take time to realise what is around us. Everyone is too busy living their lives and rushing around without noticing the beauty around us. When we partook in method acing, Kelly told us to realise these things. After we imagined the autumn day, we went outside where we compared the day to the one we had imagined. We took around ten minutes comparing it to what we had imagined when laying down completely relaxed. We were told to feel the crunch of leaves under our feet, smell the fresh air, listen to the birds chirping. These are all things we totally dismiss from day to day.
I thoroughly enjoyed method acting and can see why many actors use it. Whenever I need to immerse myself in a character I will think of what Kelly taught me and will most likely use method acting.
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