![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.wixstatic.com\/media\/2a87af_43291242905d4448bf70c3dc79571d28~mv2.jpg\/v1\/fill\/w_147,h_221,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_avif,quality_auto\/2a87af_43291242905d4448bf70c3dc79571d28~mv2.jpg\")
<\/wow-image><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIn <\/span>Method Acting<\/span><\/u> we do what\u2019s called<\/span> Sensory Work<\/span><\/strong> that deals with <\/span>physical sensations connected to a particular memory event.<\/span><\/span><\/em> Among actors, the shorthand term for this is called \u201c<\/span>sense memory<\/span><\/em>\u201d. When acting students begin their training, they are <\/span>sometimes confused <\/span><\/u>by the actual <\/span>steps needed to achieve the sense memory.<\/span><\/u> In my own training, years ago, I also experienced a certain amount of uncertainty about the actual procedure when approaching these exercises for the first time, so it’s worth clarifying. <\/span> I like to use the analogy of a <\/span>key<\/span><\/strong>, a <\/span>locked door<\/span><\/strong> and a <\/span>secret room<\/span><\/strong> beyond the door. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n You should think of the <\/span>sensory element as the key<\/span><\/em>, which <\/span>unlocks the door<\/span><\/u> of the sense memory, which gives you access to the <\/span>past event and the emotion <\/span><\/strong>associated with it. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/span> Key (Sensory) => Door (Memory) => Room (Event) => Past Emotion<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Acting teachers of this Method from <\/span>Strasberg<\/span><\/strong>, to<\/span> Schreiber<\/span><\/em>, to myself, will tell you <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n that our <\/span>every life experience is recorded<\/span><\/u> on our <\/span>personal hard drives<\/span><\/u> (i.e. our brains) and <\/span>access<\/span><\/em> to these memories is<\/span> <\/span><\/em>fully within our grasp<\/span><\/span><\/em> <\/span><\/span>and not merely in some vague way but in<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n full <\/span>color, sound, taste, touch<\/span><\/span><\/em> & <\/span><\/span>smell<\/span><\/span><\/em>. <\/span><\/span>In the past, access to these memories was largely denied to most of us except under very specific conditions, such as<\/span> hypnosis<\/span><\/strong>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n However, actors who are fully trained in sense memory technique can also achieve these results via the procedure I\u2019ve diagramed above. Strasberg liked to refer to these archived feelings as \u201c<\/span>remembered emotions<\/span><\/strong>\u201d, as opposed to <\/span>emotions that we are actively<\/span><\/u> in the midst of. I personally like to think of <\/span>remembered emotion as running a slightly lower current than active emotion, <\/span><\/em>which has a higher charge and is, therefore, more difficult to control. When working with sense memories, the general rule is to <\/span>work with nothing newer than seven years old<\/span><\/span><\/em>, <\/span><\/span>as those emotions tend to be too volatile.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s important to understand that the goal is not just to achieve genuine emotion but to achieve <\/span>a degree of emotion that can be controlled by the actor in a scene.<\/span><\/strong> <\/span>Nothing is really gained<\/span><\/u> by the actor if they <\/span>bring themselves to an emotional state that is beyond their ability to manipulate and use for practical purposes<\/span><\/em>. You\u2019re doing yourself no favor by turning into an emotional puddle that can\u2019t handle lines or blocking or other actors. Now, this isn\u2019t something that actors learn how to do their first time around, it takes time, experimentation and <\/span>practice.<\/span><\/strong> You start with <\/span>one sensory exercise <\/span><\/u>and <\/span>proceed through a series<\/span><\/u> until you\u2019ve <\/span>mastered<\/span><\/strong> them all and the Method itself. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Earlier in this blog, we discussed working with a Sensory Object, so I\u2019d like to move to the next, which is <\/span>working with a Sensory Place.<\/span><\/strong> So what exactly does this do for you? Well, it gives the actor <\/span>a detailed, specific place<\/span><\/u> in which to play out the action of the scene for starters. For the truth of the matter is that <\/span>actors are usually working in physical spaces that have little or <\/span><\/em>nothing<\/span><\/u><\/em> to do with the emotional reality of their characters <\/span><\/em>or what\u2019s happening to them in the scene. You\u2019re in some theater or location, you\u2019re surrounded by tech, all of this tends to be wildly distracting to an actor. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n By substituting a sensory place for a black box, the Method actor has solved half their problems in one, succinct move. The <\/span>Sensory Place<\/span><\/em> has loads of <\/span>associated experiences, <\/span><\/em>emotions linked with <\/span>remembered memory<\/span><\/em>, all of which they can use as emotional fuel. <\/span>This gives the Method actor one hell of an advantage over another, who is stuck merely pretending to be somewhere and feeling something that they’re not. <\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n All well and good but how do you do it? The first time out, I recommend working with <\/span>a place from childhood,<\/span><\/strong> as we tend to pack a lot of emotion into these locations. It\u2019s ideal if you <\/span>start working from a photograph<\/span><\/span> because that gives you a <\/span>treasure map<\/span><\/strong> of sorts, that you can follow in terms of landmarks, which also have their own emotional payout. You start by sitting in a chair and study the photo, look at the details and see what associations come up from it. You take your time and<\/span> don’t rush anything<\/span><\/em> because<\/span> it\u2019s all for you<\/span><\/em>. It\u2019s important to remember that there is no performance involved in doing this exercise, only what comes up for you. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n While you\u2019re studying the picture, you\u2019ll want to <\/span>pick one spot in it that really jumps out<\/span><\/span> at you. It can be anything really – a tree, a car, a table, a person, it doesn\u2019t matter. You want to look at this thing carefully because that\u2019s going to be your starting point. Then you put the picture aside and start to begin <\/span>recreating that thing as carefully as you can in <\/span><\/em>sensory detail<\/span><\/u><\/em>, right out of thin air. <\/span><\/em>What does it look like? What does it <\/span>feel like to the <\/span><\/em>touch?<\/span><\/em><\/strong> What does it <\/span>smell<\/span><\/em><\/strong> like? <\/span>Sound<\/span><\/em><\/strong> like? <\/span>Taste<\/span><\/em><\/strong> like? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/span><\/span>
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.wixstatic.com\/media\/2a87af_a47e1792cf3b4cd09d0a2b724402e8d5~mv2.jpg\/v1\/fill\/w_115,h_77,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_avif,quality_auto\/2a87af_a47e1792cf3b4cd09d0a2b724402e8d5~mv2.jpg\")
<\/wow-image><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n