How to bypass your usual word filters. Sometimes when you get asked to word associate or do verbal exercises, your brain freezes and starts to edit out words, you lose the flow and nothing comes out.
Word vomiting is a way to discover words, without having to 'think' of anything. The process is simple. Make a noise, then turn that noise into a word. You can just create random words or put it into a sentence.
This video is a pretty good introduction if you want to see it in action.
Word vomiting is really fun to do on it's own, but you can also use it if you ever feel like you have run out of words. We never run out of noises to make. Try it now and see what comes out.
You will find it sssssluice over your ffffffreak.
And that I cannot deny.
Friday, 15 April 2011
Saturday, 9 April 2011
FNI 4: Reading a Poem
This is a classic Keith Johnstone exercise, and here is how you do it.
Reach out and take a book from the shelf, an imaginary book. Hold it, turn it over and look at it, feel the cover. What colour is it? How large and heavy is it? Then flip to a page number and open it. Look at the imaginary page- there is a poem at the top. Read out the title, let the words appear letter by letter as you look at it.
Then once you have the title, read out the poem in the same way. Look at it letter by letter until a word appears. Skip to the next line when one has finished.
You will know when you have got to the end of the poem, because you won't see any more words on the page. You can read as many poems as you like, just flip to another page, read another title and let the rest of the poem.
Tips
Don't think. If you are thinking then you are not seeing. Turn off the clever part of the brain and attend to the imaginary page until you see a letter appear, then see the rest of the word.
Reach out and take a book from the shelf, an imaginary book. Hold it, turn it over and look at it, feel the cover. What colour is it? How large and heavy is it? Then flip to a page number and open it. Look at the imaginary page- there is a poem at the top. Read out the title, let the words appear letter by letter as you look at it.
Then once you have the title, read out the poem in the same way. Look at it letter by letter until a word appears. Skip to the next line when one has finished.
You will know when you have got to the end of the poem, because you won't see any more words on the page. You can read as many poems as you like, just flip to another page, read another title and let the rest of the poem.
Tips
Don't think. If you are thinking then you are not seeing. Turn off the clever part of the brain and attend to the imaginary page until you see a letter appear, then see the rest of the word.
Sunday, 3 April 2011
FNI 3: Catching Things
This is a nice little brain shakeup exercise, a bit like word association, except you are using imaginary physical and visual cues in order to find things in your brain. You can do it sitting at your desk or walking around the room. Walking around the room is probably better because it will free up your movement.
So just move around and then open your hand and catch something in it, feel it, see it and then say what it is. Keep walking around and catching new things in your hand and telling yourself what they are.
Tips
Don’t stare at your hand and struggle, just say something. If you keep catching birds, then keep catching birds until something new comes up. Relaxing and repeating yourself is actually a great way to get your brain to provide you with something else. Staring in vain at your hand and beating yourself up is the perfect way to shut off any ideas. The more you do, the less you think. And the less you think the more you can so. So stop thinking, just catch.
So just move around and then open your hand and catch something in it, feel it, see it and then say what it is. Keep walking around and catching new things in your hand and telling yourself what they are.
Tips
Don’t stare at your hand and struggle, just say something. If you keep catching birds, then keep catching birds until something new comes up. Relaxing and repeating yourself is actually a great way to get your brain to provide you with something else. Staring in vain at your hand and beating yourself up is the perfect way to shut off any ideas. The more you do, the less you think. And the less you think the more you can so. So stop thinking, just catch.
Friday, 25 March 2011
Friday Night Improv 2 - Going Through a Door
Here is a physical exercise you can do solo. You can use an empty door frame or just imagine a doorway. Stand in front of the door then mime opening and walking through it. See how many different ways you can walk through the door. The secret to this exercise, Status and Tempo. Once you have experimented with those, check out the shift section.
Status
Go through the door, but imagine you are high status to the door. What does that mean as you walk through? How many different ways are there to show a high status as you come through? Then do the same with low status, see what that feels like as you go through. Experiment with going up to the doorway, picking a status and then finding a new way to go through.
Tempo
Fast or slow my friend, pick one and then do the same thing as above. Go through as fast as you can, go through slower than you ever move. Go through slightly faster than you walk to work. Open the door slower than you get out of bed.
How many different tempos can you find and how does that affect going through a door?
Shifts
A status shift in improv is like a see-saw, one character goes down as another one goes up. You can do the same with the door, pick a status, then as you come through shift to the other one. For example you might stand confidently, throw open the door then trip over something on the floor and end up on your face. That’s going from high to low. Do the same with tempo. Use coming across the door as a signal to shift speeds. Race up to the door and then come through really slowly, or whatever.
Tips
Think also about emotion. Sometimes we act really happy when we are high status, and really afraid and fearful as low status. Mix up your emotions, come through as the undeniable Top Dog who is also terrified of something. Come through as the happiest and lowliest servant you can imagine.
Surprise yourself. Use combinations of speeds, status and emotions that you never use in everyday life, and keep changing them.
Experiment with shifts. Slice up the action into discrete moments and give them different tempos. Walk to the door with a speed, turn the handle with another speed, walk through with another one and close it with yet another shift in your speed. Be high status to the door but low status to the handle. Are some combinations even possible?
Feel it. Don’t just think low status, feel it in your whole body. Make your knees low status, make your toes low status, make your goddamned hair low status.
Ask yourself questions afterward. Do this after you are done playing, because analysing and creating use two different areas in the brain. Try not to analyse as you go, it sends a signal for your creative areas to be quiet so you can focus on something else. You’ve done this during a show/workshop and wondered where all the ideas went, yes? I know I have.
There will be ones you enjoyed doing more than others, ones that really struck you. Ask yourself why that may be. Was it because you suddenly found a character in it, and wanted to do some more with him or her? Was it because you enjoyed doing something really different? Was it because you enjoyed doing a status you feel really comfortable with? Is it because it seemed to tell a story, or the opposite, you loved doing something which didn’t have to make sense. Or was it because you enjoyed tiptoeing up to an imaginary door and then hurling yourself through like a maniac? How do you recognise yourself in doing this?
Using it in Improv
Doing physical stuff can help you find character but it is also a catalyst for thought. Status and tempo are things you can use in scenes if you ever feel like you don’t know what to do. Whenever the other actor does something, react to it like you’ve gone through that door. Let them shift your speeds with their words, then start talking and justify why that has happened. Always move then think. If you found hidden ideas through doing this exercise then imagine how you can use that with other people in scenes.
If you give up on trying to be funny or clever and instead let the scene or your partners play you like an instrument then you will start finding yourself in scenes that are beautiful and engrossing for the audience. Plus it’s fucking funny seeing somebody walk through a door and trip over an imaginary draught-excluder. Get through that door!
Status
Go through the door, but imagine you are high status to the door. What does that mean as you walk through? How many different ways are there to show a high status as you come through? Then do the same with low status, see what that feels like as you go through. Experiment with going up to the doorway, picking a status and then finding a new way to go through.
Tempo
Fast or slow my friend, pick one and then do the same thing as above. Go through as fast as you can, go through slower than you ever move. Go through slightly faster than you walk to work. Open the door slower than you get out of bed.
How many different tempos can you find and how does that affect going through a door?
Shifts
A status shift in improv is like a see-saw, one character goes down as another one goes up. You can do the same with the door, pick a status, then as you come through shift to the other one. For example you might stand confidently, throw open the door then trip over something on the floor and end up on your face. That’s going from high to low. Do the same with tempo. Use coming across the door as a signal to shift speeds. Race up to the door and then come through really slowly, or whatever.
Tips
Think also about emotion. Sometimes we act really happy when we are high status, and really afraid and fearful as low status. Mix up your emotions, come through as the undeniable Top Dog who is also terrified of something. Come through as the happiest and lowliest servant you can imagine.
Surprise yourself. Use combinations of speeds, status and emotions that you never use in everyday life, and keep changing them.
Experiment with shifts. Slice up the action into discrete moments and give them different tempos. Walk to the door with a speed, turn the handle with another speed, walk through with another one and close it with yet another shift in your speed. Be high status to the door but low status to the handle. Are some combinations even possible?
Feel it. Don’t just think low status, feel it in your whole body. Make your knees low status, make your toes low status, make your goddamned hair low status.
Ask yourself questions afterward. Do this after you are done playing, because analysing and creating use two different areas in the brain. Try not to analyse as you go, it sends a signal for your creative areas to be quiet so you can focus on something else. You’ve done this during a show/workshop and wondered where all the ideas went, yes? I know I have.
There will be ones you enjoyed doing more than others, ones that really struck you. Ask yourself why that may be. Was it because you suddenly found a character in it, and wanted to do some more with him or her? Was it because you enjoyed doing something really different? Was it because you enjoyed doing a status you feel really comfortable with? Is it because it seemed to tell a story, or the opposite, you loved doing something which didn’t have to make sense. Or was it because you enjoyed tiptoeing up to an imaginary door and then hurling yourself through like a maniac? How do you recognise yourself in doing this?
Using it in Improv
Doing physical stuff can help you find character but it is also a catalyst for thought. Status and tempo are things you can use in scenes if you ever feel like you don’t know what to do. Whenever the other actor does something, react to it like you’ve gone through that door. Let them shift your speeds with their words, then start talking and justify why that has happened. Always move then think. If you found hidden ideas through doing this exercise then imagine how you can use that with other people in scenes.
If you give up on trying to be funny or clever and instead let the scene or your partners play you like an instrument then you will start finding yourself in scenes that are beautiful and engrossing for the audience. Plus it’s fucking funny seeing somebody walk through a door and trip over an imaginary draught-excluder. Get through that door!
Friday, 18 March 2011
Friday Night Improv: Part One - This is Good Because...
It's friday! And what better day to practice some solo improvisation?
This is the start of a weekly series where I post a solo exercise you can do to keep those mental muscles whirring and expand your creative consciousness just in time for the weekend. Some you might be able to do at your desk, others might be physical and require more space. All are guaranteed to raise stares from your co-workers should you attempt to plumb the depths of your psyche in the office. I will put some tips in as well, just ideas about how I think you can get the best out of each exercise. You might want to try the exercise a few times then read the tips to see if they give you a new angle on it.
Please add any feedback you might have in the comments. Sharing your creative process and learning from other people's processes has always been interesting to me. What is hard for you, what is easy for you? Any variations you might know would be interesting as well.
Without further ado: Exercise 1 - This is Good Because
Grab something you can use to time 60 seconds, grab another item. Then spend 60 seconds saying excitedly saying out loud why this object is good, using the formula X is good because...
For example, I just grabbed the mug in front of me.
"A mug is good because you can look inside it and read your future, a mug is good because you can balance it on your head to improve your balance, a mug is good because it's red and that's my favourite colour, a mug is good because I can shout into it and it sounds funny, a mug is good because I can smash it into pieces to show my anger..."
The point is to keep talking and not worry about whether the uses you are saying make sense, and to keep saying 'yes and' to whatever you notice. Red isn't my favourite colour, I just said the first thing I could think of.
Do this a few times with the objects you have lying around.
Tips: Pick up the object and move it around, interact with it and use that to trigger off ideas. Don't stop talking, keep saying 'this is good because...' and let your subconscious fill in the rest. Sniff it, stick it in your armpit, hold it upside down and look at it through one eye. Imagine you are the most excited kid in school showing off this cool new toy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)