Acting Techniques - Utilizing Your Power of Observation to Become a Well-Rounded Actor

I remember talking with my last boyfriend, and throughout our conversation he brought an interesting point - I am able to observe the lives of others and adapt my own personality and agenda based on what I observe. At first, I didn't take this as a compliment as I thought he was trying to tell me that I didn't have my own unique point-of-view and I was simply copying everyone around me; however, upon further discussion, it became evident that this ability of mine was cultivated throughout years of acting.

As actors, we must be able to clearly observe the world around us. We must not only observe, but adapt ourselves according to our surroundings in order to truly understand the inner workings of people around us.

The power of observation, for the actor, will be your strongest asset. The reason for this is as an actor you must have a chameleon-like ability to adapt your own body and personality in order to fit the character in which you're portraying. While some of this may be done through your own imagination, this process can become more detailed and realistic by calling upon images stored throughout your years of observation.

Recording Your Observations

I personally find that by recording my daily observations of people into a notebook helps when I am called upon to portray a certain character. Now, I'm not talking about walking around the city and jotting down every last detail from every person you see, but rather after I have an interesting encounter with an individual or a witness a person that is interesting, I go home and write down what I felt about that person. What made him interesting? What were his quirks? What was it about him that made him stand out from the crowd? I have used this observation notebook countless times when developing a character. Feel free to do this every day or every-so-often, but realize that by doing so you will be strengthening your arsenal as an actor.

Adapting Your Observations

Let's say that you have a character that has a cocaine problem, and throughout your life you've come across people who have also had cocaine addictions. While this character will not adopt all of the same qualities and characteristics as the "real-life" people you've observed, you may adapt your observations into your own creation of the character in order to make a three-dimensional character that is interesting and unique. The process of adapting your observations for a specific character can be challenging, but over time, you will learn your own unique steps of doing so.