A Writer's Guide to Acting: Conflict and Motivation

After you determine where you are both geographically and emotionally in a scene and determine how you relate to the other characters, the next thing you must figure out is where the conflict is between you and them. Sometimes this will be painfully obvious. For instance, in a scene involving an argument between you and another character, the conflict is usually explained in the disagreement. The conflict is usually explained, but not always. One thing you will learn is that sometimes the most important idea in a scene isn't expressed in the words that are heard, but in the emotions that are behind the words. Sometimes these emotions are in conflict with the words in the script. Let's take this situation and build our components.

Let's say you've determined your relationship to the other character and, in this case, the conflict is made apparent during an argument. Simple enough scene to play, right? You just say the words and feel the emotions being expressed. But don't forget that first component. Remember how setting is the first brick in the foundation? Here's a good example. Even if your relationship to the other character is obvious and the conflict is expressed in the argument, is that all you need to know? How would you play the scene if it took place in your home? How would you play the scene differently if it took place inside a fancy and expensive restaurant? What if it took place during work? Think about it. Do you argue the same way in private as you do in public? Would you be as likely to lose control of your emotions if you were arguing in front of people you knew as if you were arguing in front of strangers? This is another easy example of how something seemingly as simple and unimportant as setting can define how you build a scene. Always remember, building one component upon another will deepen your characterization and enrich every scene.

It's become something of a joke now. The actor asks what his motivation is and the director replies that it's his paycheck. But motivation is at the heart of every scene. Remember how you asked yourself why am I here when looking at relationships? It's a great question to ask througout the process. In this case, asking why am I here means figuring out what you want. What you need. What are you after in the bigger picture that has led you to be in this particular scene? How will the events of this scene help you get what you're after.

At any given moment in your life, you want something. You may not necessarily be thinking about it in a conscious way, but you do. Even if you're just lying on the couch watching television, you still want something. To be entertained. To relax. For your headache to quit. For your girlfriend to call. For there to be something worth watching just once. There isn't a moment in our lives when we can honestly say we don't want something. It's important to figure out what your character wants in the bigger scheme of the story, but even more importantly you must determine what your character wants in each particular scene. Maybe your big picture desire is to win the love of the girl of your dreams. Many a successful movie has been built around this simple story. But how many times have you ever learned why a character wants that particular girl? What makes her so special? Why is she different?

Even if the play or movie never explains why, you as an actor should know why. Why? Because conflict is the heart of drama and if you don't know why you want what you want, how can there be any conflict? If everything we ever wanted was easy, everybody would be happy. But life is full of difficult choices. And these choices are really example of conflict. Let me explain. You want the love of this girl more than anything. But she's in love with someone else. Now ask yourself this question and be honest. Is this girl so desirable because she's like no one else on earth, or because she's unattainable? See the conflict there? Even if the story never delves into that question, your performance will improve if you delve into it. The audience will sense the conflict within you even if it's never actually shown.

Knowing what you want is only half the story. Sometimes it can be difficult in itself. Do you want to go to school or do you want to bum around the country? Do you want to be rich or do you want to be happy? As I said, sometimes it's hard knowing just knowing what you want. But no matter how hard that is, it's still not enough. Because you have to know why you want it. And even if your character isn't honest with himself about why he desires something, as an actor you have to be brutally honest. You have to nail down exactly why it is you want what you want. Usually, the big picture ultimate desire has already been created for you. Sometimes not.

Once you've figured out the big picture desire, you can stir up all kinds of conflict within individual scenes. In each scene, you must always keep in mind what you're after. Not just what you are after in the big picture scheme of things, but what you are after in each individual scene. And that way, each scene becomes a little mini-drama in which you figure out how to go about getting it. You size up what stands in your way and how you're going to get around it. This allows for multiple conflicts. For instance, you want nothing more than to win the love of this girl. But she belongs to someone else. This particular scene is when the audience first sees you, your girl and her boyfriend together. The conflict there is obvious. He's your obstacle to getting the girl. So you crank up the charm. You're funnier than he is, you're smarter than he is, you're cooler than he is. We've seen it a thousand a times. And it's kind of flat and predictable as written.

This is where the actor can change the script without changing a word. All you have to do is question deep down inside whether you've cranked up the charm because you really love this girl or because you just want to prove you can take her away from this jerk. One word of caution, however. Don't show that conflict. Don't make it obvious. Just think about it while you're being funnier and smarter and cooler. It will show through in ways you won't even be aware of. Don't telegraph the inner conflict, just feel it and it will flow out of you.

Conflict doesn't mean argument. And when building a character, conflict isn't about obstacles in the story. Conflict is about what's going on inside you. We all want things. And many times we all want things that are in opposition to each other. We want to go to school to learn what we need to know in order to get a job, but we also want to see a little of the world while we're young. Or it can something as innocuous as wanting Mexican food but not wanting to get out. It's often hard to know exactly what we want the most and it's usually even harder to figure out why we want it. Think how much deeper and richer your performance will be if you know not only that you want two conflicting things, but you know exactly why you want them both. If you know those things, you won't have to worry about telegraphing the conflict, it will flow naturally from you.