Acting : Actors, I'm curious. How do you analyze performances you watch? by Amanda Toney

Amanda Toney

Actors, I'm curious. How do you analyze performances you watch?

The best way to hone your craft is to learn from other actors. I'm curious from our acting community - when you are watching TV or film for the first time are you able to watch the story as is, or are you analyzing the acting performances throughout?

Brandon Evans

Both. It depends on how the person looks and then the genre and the aesthetic of the genre. You can get away with some bad acting in younger films but I feel like in any film with older people in it it has to be on point or else it's just gonna look amateur for a fact. No what you think looks good. No. What is good? Are you convincing for real? Do you really look like and act like the person you're portraying? But really, I watch TV and film to enjoy the story for the most part. I've watched movies with people who dissect it and say this looks fake, this looks like this, but I rather enjoy the art. I be dissecting it in my head already automatically but I rather enjoy the art because that's what it's meant for you to do.

Brigitte Millar

As an actress I only watch stories I am interested in and also that I can realistically get cast in... I always allow myself to be drawn into the story and when that happens I know the acting is good. Once you feel that you're so absorbed in the story and the characters, you care and are curious to find out what happens next, then you know it's great acting, a great storyline and great characters.

Suzanne Bronson

If it's a role I can see myself playing, I think, how would I do play that? Would I make the same choice? Do I find these people in this situation believable?

Oluwatobiloba "Tobiloba Wonders" Adeola

It's been really tough to watch movies specifically to be entertained but I don't feel bad about it. I relish it. I saw a movie recently and the male lead actor heard a bad news. He swallowed the words and subtly revealed the emotion of a bad news, switched to his personality as a chief before speaking. I rewatched it again and again and for me, it was just for the acting that stood out.

For every scene that I find a character's delivery done well, I take note. I'm good with watching all movies firstly because I'm both a screenwriter and actor. I have to take note of dialogues too. But I can also take notes of how to act different roles from someone's Oscar performance. My intention is just never to watch but it's not always planned.

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