%50 Perfect!

My acting coach use to always say, "You are %50 perfect every time if you can just simply talk and listen."  Well, guess what?  Majority of people are not listening to you when you speak with them.  Majority of people are else where in their mind, or thinking about what they would like to say when you are finished yammering on.  Here is a read about Mindful Listening..

MINDFUL LISTENING

A great time to practice mindfulness is when listening to others.  By remaining completely present to what they are saying and avoiding the tendency to be distracted by our anticipated responses or judgements we can notice subtle cues we would normally miss.  Paying full attention to the person you’re talking with allows the best quality of communication to happen and also avoids what’s known as ‘communication anxiety’. The practice requires ‘on the go’ introspection to ascertain whether you have become distracted or preoccupied with thoughts and judgements.Similar to formal mindfulness training, simply bring your attention back to mindfully listening as soon as you discover you’ve been distracted, without any further internal dialogue about your distraction.As Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh suggests, “The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like FLOWERS.

“When your attention moves into the Now, there is an alertness.It is as if you were waking up from a dream, the dream of thought, the dream of PAST and future.
Such clarity, such simplicity. No ROOM for problem-making. Just this moment as it is.”
~ Eckhart Tolle

Intentions go a long way.

Actors- It is our intent that can make a scene great. It is our intent that can cause us to radiate energy to the other actor.. The content is only there to guide you, not confine you.

More on Character.

A human being takes a lifetime to create.  How do you expect to understand everything about them and their choices in a week?  Furthermore, during that week, you worked on the script, etc. for 3 days out of the 7, and 2 1/2 of those days were spent learning the lines. Those lines may not mean anything to you;  but you were able to memorize all of them perfectly.  Then you get to the audition or get up in class to show a "worked on" project, and all you know is the lines...

Does most of that sound perfect?  Does knowing the right lines mean that you did enough work?  If so, then let me ask you what you would do if the director said, "Now lets throw away the lines and just improv the scene freely" or  "Tell me a little bit about your character".  Would you know what the human being living in these circumstances would actually do?  If you do know what that human being would do, then you are half way there.  Would you be able to live in the moment not thinking of lines, the camera, or the actor/actress across from you that may royally suck as an actor?  We have to create "real life" in imaginary circumstances.

Actors tend to take this the wrong way when you first hear it - "It's not all about the lines".  No, I do not mean you don't need to know your lines.  I am just saying those lines mean something; and a human being usually says something for a purpose.  Real human beings live the way they do because of the way they grew up, and the way their previous choices have made their lives.  Figure out who the human being is whom you are playing, and "HOW" they became who they are.  Then, put yourself (character) in those circumstances.

When you finish with a great scene, you will not know what happened; nor will you probably think you did it right?  The words that come out of your mouth will be - "I feel like I did nothing".  That is when you know you are starting to truly live in the moment.  CONTINUE STUDYING BECAUSE THAT'S JUST THE TIP OF THE PENIS.  I mean iceberg.

Character, emotions, and a booger.

Scene work. After you have truly let go of the character to live fully in their shoes and circumstances are you then forced to forget all of the work you have just done. If you are thinking about what your next line is then you have already taken yourself out of the moment. In life we never think about our next line. All we do is live and go after things we want. We all do things for specific reasons. We as human beings never do anything with out a meaning behind it. As an actor we must have meaning. If we move, or pick our nose, we must have meaning! For example, if we pick our nose because the director said to, then it is a technical move. That move needs to be natural. It has to be because you have a booger. As goofy as it may sound to use something that simple, this goes for something that is even as heavy as crying. Do not cry because the script says to cry. Find the understanding of the scene so that you do not have to choose an emotion. You should never choose an emotion, you should only choose your objective. Let the objective, and relationships, and circumstances create a natural emotion in the moment. You could cry, laugh, or get angry. None of which would be wrong if you are truly living in the moment and the circumstances.