In our weekly video that we released Monday, I talk about the metaphor of being a thermometer vs. a thermostat. Waaaaay too often, actors fall into the trap of being the thermometer. That is, taking the temperature of the room. Trying to figure what is the accurate answer to how to play the role. Owning a taping service for over 15 years, I see this EVERY DAY.
A much more powerful approach is to be the thermostat. SET the temperature of the room. And the room can be your self-tape studio, a Zoom callback, in-person audition, or being on set.
If you don't take ownership over the role and confidently bring your signature performance, then you risk becoming a carbon copy of the other 80% of actors who are all being thermometers, trying to gauge "what Casting wants."
SET the temperature.
Now, the rub is that it takes years of training and experience to get to a place of understanding this concept (specifically what your signature performance is), because blind arrogance is just as bad as being completely passive. I guess in the metaphor that arrogance is like being a broken thermostat? The metaphor isn't perfect ;)
Here's the video from our YouTube channel:
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"Are you a thermometer or a thermostat?" That's great dialogue for a script, Matthew Cornwell! And great video! Screenwriters, directors, etc. should watch it too.
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Maurice Vaughan yes, all disciplines can learn from the metaphor. Actors are unique in that we all feel like there's a secret answer to booking the role, and we fall into the trap of waiting for more information, waiting to be directed, waiting to have our choices validated. Paradoxically, all the decisions makers are the ones WAITING for actors to show up and show out!
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I love this and thanks for posting Matthew Cornwell thermometer or a thermostat? Wowsers!!
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Matthew Cornwell, thank you for sharing this with the community! That mindset shift from being reactive to taking ownership of your performance is so important, especially in self-tapes and auditions where confidence and individuality can make all the difference. I also love that you highlight the nuance; it’s not just about being bold for the sake of standing out but about knowing who you are as a performer and bringing a grounded, intentional take to the role.
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Ashley Renee Smith yes! Actors can also get so caught up in "standing out" or making "bold choices", that they lose themselves in the process by getting gimmicky. In an effort to be seen, you actually lose your authenticity, which is the only thing that WILL make you stand out. It's not an easy concept, because it feels so elusive.
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Matthew Cornwell thanks for this great advice! Especially from someone who runs a taping business. You must see a lot of performances: good and bad. You rightly say it takes years of experience and training to know what your signature performance is. Any advice to less experienced actors about additional ways ti figure out their signature?
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Alexandra Stevens Hmm. I'm afraid that it's not very simple. Because when you're new, if someone were to simply tell you, you'd either (a) reject them because you don't like what they said, or (b) not question them at all based on their perceived importance.
It's a question of how to be authentic. In full disclosure, part of our business is offering a 4-day process that DOES answer this for you. But it's rigorous. You must collect lots of data on how you perceive yourself, and then hold that up against LOTS of data from the surrounding world on how you are perceived by them. "Them" can mean friends, strangers, and most importantly, CASTING.
How does a casting director perceive you the INSTANT you show up on a self-tape? How is it they they've made most of their decision about you within 10 seconds of the start of your tape (sometimes within 4 sec)?
You can't solve this riddle simply. You CAN send out questionnaires to your social network to get some of this data, but if you don't know how to process it, you won't get to the answer as easily.
Case in point: I had a student once who came up to me after class, and she was lamenting because when she would submit for certain roles in indie films, they instead would always request her to read for the seductress, the less savory females, the villains, etc. She HATED it. She point blank said "I don't want to be a hooker." But ANYONE who saw her headshot would immediately make the same assessment of where she fits amongst a cast of characters that included one of these "darker" females.
So, she was running from what the world perceived about her, because she felt like it was an attack on her personal character. So many of us are fighting against some sort of unfair perception, but if the whole world is going to continue to make this perception about you, you MUST figure out a way to reconcile it.
Sorry for the novel. This is a topic I'm extremely passionate about. Like I said, this is part of the work I do. My wife and I own the Sam Christensen Image Process, which was created over 30 years ago to address this problem.
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Matthew Cornwell thanks for this very informative answer in which I learned something new. I had never hear of the Sam Christensen Image Process and now I do. I also agree that a good way to find out how I as an actor come across is to get 360 degree feedback. I also agree that we need to find a way to reconcile how we are perceived, even if that perception/vibe is very different from who we experience ourselves. I’m curious: what if the image that others see (the one that gets reflected back through casting, for example) doesn’t feel authentic to us? Is part of the process learning to see that perception as also true — true to many others' subjective experience?