Acting record

I choose one audio clip from the movie ‘Liar Liar’. The actor Jim Carrey against the traffic rule and being pulled over by the police. Luke recommends us to think of a different way to act it than how the original audio was recorded, so I think a small story for this audio and place the background story as a crazy old man with a young nurse’s conversation in the hospital.

storyline: A nurse pulled over an old man in a wheelchair because she wants to ask about how he feels today. the old man is crazy so he thinks he is on the street and was pulled down by the police because he against the traffic rule.

role: a young nurse, a crazy old man in the wheelchair.

place: the hospital ward

I use 15 min to quick draw a storyboard to help me act much easier. the storyboard simply shows the facial expression and movement of the characters.

when I was acting I noticed the action is not cartoony and exaggerated enough, I need to add more action to these characters to show their personality. so I adjust my performance, first I want the old man to be crazier, he won’t talk like normal people, he is emotional. when he is speaking the last sentence,’ while running a red light and speeding!’ he uses his hand to grab his head and shout, and he smacks his hand down on his wheelchair arms.

the next part is the nurse, she is in contrast to the crazy old man, she is polite and gentle, so I adjust the sentence performance more politely. ‘why don’t we just take it from the top?’.

she bends her back asks the crazy old man gently.

and the last part is she been shocked by the shout of the crazy old man. so she didn’t stand still as my storyboard drew, she steps back.

after this acting record, I think the most helpful way is to draw a storyboard before you actually start the performance, I think the performance reference needs to have exaggerated motion, and better wearing not too loose clothing, cause when you use your reference you can see your motion clearly. when you are recording just don’t be scared to look ugly, because the most important thing is to get a good reference.

Acting rerecord

Luke said my acting record needs to add in the second time acting record, is the facial expression.

The main point of the second acting record is to make sure what facial expression will show these two character’s personalities. the doctor is gentle and polite and the crazy old man is crazy and irritable.

in the whole conversation, the crazy old man have much more lines than the doctor, so I give him more action than the doctor, he uses much different body languages to show his feelings, the doctor is more close to the stabilize.

when I acting the crazy old man, my eyes are rolling and my hands are waving in different orientations.

the crazy old man’s emotional change process is scared-angry-scared-clam-angry-extremely angry. doctor’s emotional change process is happy-happy-curious-confused-shock

we can see the crazy old man’s mood is unpredictable, he just like a crazy man, and the doctor’s mood is predictable.

even the doctor is been shocked, he just leans back his back and his eyes wide open.

comparing to the crazy old man the changes on his face are subtle.