“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” ― Martha Graham
When I first meet actors, I ask them a very unassuming question, “What are your 5 favorite films?” I listen to their answers. I then ask them, “What is your favorite childhood book?” I once again listen for the response. Why do I engage in this line of questions? I do it as a science experiment. I want to determine 2 things: what makes a performer “tick” and what “gold” the actor is carrying. I call this the “Vein of Gold” and I outline it in my acting course Awakening the Actor Within.
This simple but effective tool helps actors have self-confidence and strength at auditions and helps them with their brand!
It's fun to do this in a group setting!
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Gladiator, Serenity, The Bird Cage, Love Actually, Stardust - favorite book (knee-jerk response) is Where the Sidewalk Ends. Thank you for this, Stephen Foster!
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My mother says my favorite book may have been the Secret Garden. Since I still have both books, either works LOL!
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@Steven Many thanks for Martha Graham quote, never heard it before but really struck a cord. Difficult to say which childhood book enjoyed cos there were so many but earliest I remember is Black Beauty and Batman Comics. I switched to comics cos I found most childhood stories too “sad” or boring. Black Beauty was sad in parts but not boring. As an older child I enjoyed “The Old Curiosity Shop” by Dickens and remember my mother hiding tears when she read book in class “little Nell had died”. (She was head teacher). First five films I best enjoyed as adult Ice Cold In Alex, Double Indemnity, The Game, Pulp Fiction, LA Confidential.
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For me would be difficult to choose five films. I just love more than five and I can say I have like more than 10 favorites, but if I had to give five... mmm... The Wrestler, Lus Caution, Million Dollar Baby, Lagaan, The lord of the rings. As child my favorite book was either “The Golden Age” or “Myths and Legends from Ancient Greece”
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@Stephen Sorry my spell check over rode on my earlier post and made name Steven. Ha ha things to watch out for when typing in the dark.
Debbie Croysdale go with Black Beauty. How does that tie into your films? character, theme? AND does it relate to your own life?
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Nabilah Feh do you see a common theme in your film? and does you book theme or character relate to your film and your life? We look for common elements that resonate with you.
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Karen "Kay" Ross First thought best thought. Does Sidewalk End tie in to your movies? Characters, themes? Plot lines. You might find traces of this in your acting and writing.
Well, yes! There’s always a looser character, a pathetic being who is struggling with life and people but is great in his own world and somehow, is a hero for someone and can find people alike and together being stronger...of course, there’s the exploration and human suffering. I love that. And a death at the end. The fall of the main character. That’s probably why I adore Greek tragedy and classic tragedy so much!
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@Stephen The book I read age five has never "consciously" been put into any of my film scripts and I rarely thought about story since day I read it. Yet strangely enough, since you ask this question about long term memory and executing our art today, there does seem to be some overlap. A long term project is a Hispanic tandem narrative where one of the characters is a horse belonging to psychic whisperer Antonio. He's called Cobalt, who in one scene outwits a Crime Lord's army of big men and big guns and rescues their hostage Alehandra . Thinking back about Black Beauty, the horse was the actual narrator and basically it was about his early life through to adulthood. It was his minds eye witnessing human behavior first hand, depicting the psychological traits of each of his owners. Interestingly he developed a special bond with another horse called Ginger who had a personality flaw that proved animals own downfall, mirroring the tragic character flaw a human protagonist could have. Maybe the book still relates to my life today because I never ever judge a book by its cover, which was one of the lessons Black Beauty learned. There are many wild horses and stables on location where pulp is to be filmed and been spoiled for choice with contenders to play Cobalt.
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Memories of Black Beauty.
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To add to my Hispanic pulp, a character called Snowy seen with horse whisperer Antonio photo. I think @Stephen your thread has a point in that often what is inside our heads now as film makers, the seed was sown early on in life. Heh heh I did switch from classic novels as a child to comics, loving Joker, Penguin, Harley Quinn, Batman and Riddler. These Machiavellian characters always trigger some response inside and I try to make my characters in scripts equally loved and feared.
Debbie Croysdale & Nabilah Feh usually the stuff we write and act are buried parts of our existence. It's when we consciously know how to USE that gold where we really come alive as artists. Thank you for sharing your insight.