C E N T E R I N G   E X E R C I S E  FOR CREATING  CHARACTERS QUICKLY

In Improv, it is important to change characters quickly.  Audience likes variation in characters, and the

ability to take on multiple characters realistically shows an actor’s range.

In order to achieve the effect of being another person, we adopt their physical and vocal characteristics

that the audience can identify.  It helps them to understand what is happening.

In COMEDY THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND IS ABSOLUTELY VITAL.

One way of quickly creating characters quickly is to change ones CENTER.  Your center is the point

of your body that your movement originates from.   It is where your energy in movement comes from. 

Imagine walking into a room with a body part leading the way.   This changes your gait (walk), your posture,

your gestures, every aspect of your body. 

Your center can affect the way that you speak.  As you let a physical character emerge, you submerse

yourself in thinking like that character, making choices he/she would make, looking at the world as

that character.  Taking on a character changes how you feel.

By using a variety of vocal and physical dynamics, we can convey to an audience the type of character we do. 

Choose 5 Centers to work with. Use the first one and walk around as though a string were attached

to that body part, leading the way.  Walk around at least 2 minutes.  After really feeling a difference

in your body, begin to speak.  You can imagine you are on the phone with someone, talking to a specific person,

in front of an audience.  Say whatever it is that comes to your mind.  Do not stifle yourself.  Have fun.

Then relax.  Take a breathe.  Drop the character.  And take some notes on your experience in the chart below.

Repeat process 5 times.

PHYSICAL NOTES:  How do your arms, hands move as a result of your initial movement? 

How do you walk?  What parts of your body is strained? Do you move faster? Slower?

EMOTIONAL NOTES:  Did you feel a change in emotion?  Happy? Sad?  Confused? Angry? Proud? 

How did you feel about the world?  Explain.  

VOCAL NOTES:  How was your voice affected?   Pace? Rhythm? Pitch? Resonance?

CHARACTER:  What type of character was created by your choices?   Did you feel like a spoiled 8 year old? 

A ditzy blonde cheerleader?  Homer Simpson?

TYPES OF PHYSICAL AND VOCAL CHANGES TO CONSIDER IN THE ASSIGNMENT:

Vocal ChangesPhysical Changes

Dialect                             Center

Placement  (Resonance/Nasality)

Pitch                         Gate(walk)

Tempo/Pace                   Tempo/Pace

Projection                         Rhythm

Support/Resonance                      Gestures, Nervous Habits

Melody/Rhythm (singsongy, Legato, Staccato)

Diction/Vowels/Articulation                           Posture

Vocabulary Choices                      Facial Expression

CHART

PHYSICALVOCAL         HOW DID ITTYPE OF CREATED

CENTER             CHANGESCHANGES          FEEL                 CHARACTER              

                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                         

QUESTION     What did you learn from this exercise?

IMPROV GAME ASSIGNMENT

Part 1

WATCH THE FOLLOWING IMPROV GAMES ON YOUTUBE, MOST ARE FOUND WHEN YOU

SEARCH “Whose Line is It Anyway” + the name of the game. Or “Improv” + the name of the game.

Or “Improvisational Theatre” + name of game. Or “Jet City Improv” + game.  Sometimes the word

“whose” is spelled incorrectly on youtube, and written as  “who’s”

Helping Hands           Scenes From a Hat            Questions       What Happens Next

Props          Three Headed Broadway Star           60 Second Alphabet

Worlds Worse              Tag               Theatre/Film Styles

Lets Make a Date (dating game)          Party Quirks          Press Conference  

Chain Murder MysterySuperheroes

Sports Commentators          Fixed Expressions         Stand/Sit/Lie

Whose Line (Slips)     Number of Words       Two Line Vocabulary     World’s Worse

Every Other Line     Growing/Shrinking     Fractured Fairy Tales     If You Know What I mean

Half Life

For each game, write down the directions for how to play the game.  Take notes on how the actors

used their CORE.  (Character, Objective, Relationship, Environment).

After watching the games:   How does the game keep advancing?  What do the actors do

well to form an instant story? What made you laugh?

Part 2

Make a List of ideas for each of the Following categories and bring to class.

1.  Subjects for Worlds Worse

2.  Subjects for characters in Dating Game

3.  Odd Locations that could be used for games like “Lets Make a Date” and “Party Quirks”

4.  Titles to be used for Scenes from a Hat

Part 3

Write a list of characters you can play.  List as many as you can think of.

CHARACTER STUDY

In film, we usually see two types of actors.  Those who you recognize who usually play the

same type of character repeatedly  and those who totally embody and alter their own physicalization

and voice and use their bodies as an instrument which “plays” these characters.  They transform.

Examples of these types of actors are Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Dustin Hoffman, Jim Carrey,

Nicole Kidman.   Do both types of actors create memorable characters that entertain audiences?

Yes, of course.  But those who transform are fascinating to watch.

Johnny Depp, Jamie Foxx and Charlise Theron are examples of actors who transforms.  

You will notice differences in their body (his center, his movement) and his voice (patterns of speech,

pitch, tempo, pace).   When you watch them, you do not see the actor – you see a pure character.

They look at the world differently.  Their relationships with the other characters are based on who they are. 

They live in the environment of the character.  And they fight for what they want, their objectives.

Assignment Part 1:  Watch the following film clips.  In some, you may have to fast forward through

to the parts where the  actor is showcased.  The first time you watch the movie, leave the sound on. 

Then, in order to focus on how the actor moves, turn the sound off and watch the clip again.  

You will have to copy and paste the links into your web browser.

Assignment Part 2:  Write an Essay:  .  How do these actors change in order to embody 3-dimensional,

very real characters?  How do they use their voice and body to convince us that they are the character?

Compare and Contrast each actor in relationship to the films they are in.

JOHNNY DEPP   (CHOOSE 5 OF HIS MOVIES FROM THE FOLLOWING)

EDWARD SCIZZORHANDS

http://www.hulu.com/watch/30549/edward-scissorhands-a-good-astringent

http://www.hulu.com/watch/30561/edward-scissorhands-dinner

PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QIV5aRJ9L4

SWEENEY TODD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cJLmYPgUhk&feature=related

ED WOOD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i_9rrNqyQE&feature=related

SECRET WINDOW:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d20mFLlxeY

FINDING NEVERLAND

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjPYlJzIexg&feature=PlayList&p=7B01E720883CE948&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=46

DON JUAN DEMARCO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BmW9rnPxTM&feature=related

BLOW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLV08BNotRY&feature=related

CHOCOLAT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKykOCGpQdc&feature=PlayList&p=CAA90605D5C4C610&index=19

SLEEPY HOLLOW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRsYAykdlCY&feature=related

DONNY BRASCO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=685cicsqzrI&feature=related

JAMIE FOXX  (WATCH ALL)

THE SOLOIST

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi475792153/

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi37880601/

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi492700441/

DREAMGIRLS

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3785556249/

MIAMI VICE

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2979594521/

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2526413081/

COLLATERAL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IahuQ0FZQhk&feature=PlayList&p=C60310E9DA4C8D50&index=42

RAY

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi193986841/

CHARLISE THERON  (Watch all)

MONSTER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViNCBnYlttQ

TWO DAYS IN THE VALLEY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJI0ubJBMLk&feature=related

DEVILS ADVOCATE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtR0oU2GKiM&feature=related

NORTH COUNTRY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9ed6mMuVuQ&feature=related

SLEEPWALKING

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTsk5wiHgH0&feature=PlayList&p=2586B5419BE251C5&index=0

MONOLOGUE ASSIGNMENT

Assignment 1:  Go to kgmccarty.com and to the "Monologue 101"  it will lead you to another page,

where there is a link for "Monologue 101" on Google.   Watch the Monologue 101 Video

and TAKE GOOD NOTES!  You may quote from the powerpoint, but please explain things

as you understand them.    This will take approximately an hour.

Assignment 2:  Watch the following monologues on Youtube.  You will have to copy and paste

the links into your web browser.   Watching these willl take approximately 25 minutes.  Then answer the questions

below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4IeEmLlxok

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju6zgbHsN1M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4lO8s2tbPE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArdGRwJ6yWc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sog7KyEd06E&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6hLmmpA5Lg

QUESTIONS:  What creates a sense of reality in these performances? 

Do you feel the actors embody the character?  Do they “Own the Text”?  Is it believable that they

are speaking these words for the first time?   What type of gestures & facial expressions do the actors use? 

What is their CORE?