Advanced Acting Technique – Externalizing Your Super-Objective

Within every play or film/TV production, you as an actor will have a super-objective in which your character must reach. It is this super-objective that drives your character to perform his actions, and it is the undertow that pushes and pulls all characters to speak and perform their actions.

As an actor, you must not only understand and acknowledge your super-objective, but also how to externalize this super-objective in order to energize the story plot.

According to the great acting coach Stanislavski, every action and word within a script should carry out the super-objective. It is only when an actor accomplishes this goal that the story may be properly told and audience members gracefully guided throughout this world.

Understanding Your Part in the Super-Objective

In all scripts, there is a primary super-objective that all actors are involved in accomplishing. It is within this primary super-objective that each actor takes his own part in meeting the objective. When it comes time to externalize the super-objective, you must have a solid understanding of your own individual role in the super-objective and how your character aids in the entire plot. It is with this understanding that you may be able to accurately express the super-objective.

Why the Writer Wrote the Story

This may seem like a strange section to add within this article; however, in order to truly externalize the super-objective, you must understand exactly why the screenwriter or playwright took the time to cultivate the story. What was the message he wished to portray and what is the emotional print he wishes make on audience members? While this may not seem like it belongs within the story analysis of discovering the super-objective, by answering these questions you will have a solid understanding of how to approach certain scenes and how to portray the personality and emotional level of your character.

Portraying a character in a play or film/TV production is like an onion with many different layers. Each layer, no matter how small, is vital and without it the size and scope of the production will be diminished and its intended effectiveness will be diluted.


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