I am sure it will come as no surprise
to the class to hear that I primarily tell personal experience
stories. It is much more natural for me to remember details that have
actually happened to me. I get a lot out of learning and telling
oral-traditional stories, but they take me so much longer to prepare,
I often have to make the decision to tell personal stories, as I can
try more of them out.
One thing that this means is that I am
usually a character in my stories. When I tell a story, if I am a
character, I try to act how I acted in that moment. That being said,
I had never really given much thought to myself as I have
characterized myself. Reading Doug Lipman's chapter “Kinesthetic
Imagery and Characterization,” has really set my wheels turning.
What exactly did I act like in those instances? Am I allowed
to change the characterization of myself?
Where this really struck me was around
the issue of Open and Closed Postures (57-59). I have never told a
story where the character “Bob Leopold” was characterized with a
Closed posture. What would that mean? How might just changing the
posture change the characterization of the central character, and
thus change the story entirely?
It soundly like I've got lots to play
with.
-Bob
I believe that changing the posture (open/closed) or small movements (tics perhaps)---will follow with a changed voice and changed meaning within a story.
ReplyDeleteJoy
Counter-point: often the actor discovers a "somatic component" in a character that influences a range of behaviors. Getting a feeling for the body of the persona can yield a particular voice and vocabulary. Where is the emotional/intellectual energy centered? How does this person fill a room? What is the tempo? The weight? The directness/indirectness of approach?
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