At WiseGEEK, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.
What are the Best Acting Tips?
Some of the best acting tips involve the actor paying attention to details that help make his or her characters seem both realistic and riveting. For example, even minor fluctuations in the tone of the voice can make a big difference between good and bad acting. Actors must practice reading scripts in different ways in order to get the best version possible. Being able to act well with the eyes only is one of the best acting tips for aspiring actors.
Good actors must be able to express the character's thoughts and feeling through the eyes in order to be believable and interesting. If the facial expression doesn't match the situation the character is in at any given time in the script, the words and character are likely to seem flat. Many actors tend to overemphasize arm or hand gestures rather than conveying emotion and thought through the eyes. Of course, television and film with their close-up cameras are especially good mediums to capture subtle facial expressions. Theater actors do have to be a little more dramatic in movement and speech as constant closeups of the face are not a regular occurrence in stage acting.
Pauses between words and lines is another one of the best acting tips. The best advice for how to handle pauses in acting is to use them in a way that that character would if he or she were a person in real life. This applies to not only the length of the pause in between dialogue, but what the actor is doing with his or her eyes and body. For example, if the character has just admitted he is the murderer to another character, what would a person with the character's background and qualities be likely to do in that situation? Would he or she pause and look away with a sense of worry in the eyes or would the eyes be glaring and defiant because the script noted that the character makes the confession in an angry manner?
One of the best acting tips is being able to understand the script thoroughly, because when an actor understands the character's feelings in each scene, the actor's body language and voice inflections are likely to be a better fit for that character. If an actor isn't sure of the exact way to deliver a line, there is more chance of the end of each sentence going up in inflection like a question and this isn't considered impressive acting. The more natural an actor can make his or her character come across in each different situation, the more believable the character and the actor become.
AS FEATURED ON:
AS FEATURED ON:
-
![A postage stamp with a portrait of Constantin Stanislavski, the creator of the Stanislavski method of acting.]()
By: rook76A postage stamp with a portrait of Constantin Stanislavski, the creator of the Stanislavski method of acting. -
![The more natural an actor can make his or her character come across in each different situation, the more believable the character and the actor become.]()
By: oneinchpunchThe more natural an actor can make his or her character come across in each different situation, the more believable the character and the actor become. -
![Practicing different tones and inflections can help an actor improve their talent.]()
By: David StuartPracticing different tones and inflections can help an actor improve their talent. -
![Theatre actors often must be more dramatic than film actors.]()
By: EaglebrookSchoolTheatre actors often must be more dramatic than film actors.
Discussion Comments
@Cageybird, I did some acting in community theater a few years ago and I could always tell who the experienced actors were in the cast. They didn't treat rehearsals like parties. From the time they arrived at the theater until the time they left, they were working on something. By the time of the actual show, these actors were completely in character and had all of the stage directions memorized. I think one good acting tip is to take the work seriously from the first day of rehearsal. Directors notice this sort of thing, and it's directors who make decisions for future productions.
One tip I have for beginning actors is to learn the dialogue quickly enough to be "off book" long before the director requests it. It may sound counterintuitive, but the words are actually one of the least important elements of an actor's overall craft. I've seen acting exercises in which the actors played out a love scene using nothing but numbers as dialogue. What the actors said wasn't nearly as important as what they were trying to convey.
Most audiences don't want to hear a stage full of actors recite Shakespeare or Arthur Miller or August Wilson's words. They can do that at home themselves with a copy of the script. What audiences really want to see is a character from a play become real flesh and bone onstage. This means the actor needs to get past the playwright's words and find the character who speaks them. If an actor suddenly forgets a line in the middle of the performance, he or she should be able to think enough like the character to come up with a convincing substitute.
Post your comments