Samuel walks up the stage and stands in the middle. It is a small stage meant to hold ten to fifteen people but has enough room for what he wants to do.
He closed his eyes and visualized the scene, where he needed to look and different pauses during the line. He put his mind on overload, planning every frame and emotion, which created a perfect timeline he must follow.
He opened his eyes, looked to the left with a slight hunch posture, and started the scene.
" Remember how we helped to build the runway?" he jerked to the side toward the empty space looking slightly up, delivering his line. He paused for a certain duration that would have perfectly coincided with 'the man' lines and continued--
" In a way, it's our runway," he said with a frustrated expression and waited for the virtual man to finish his lines. Within a few seconds, Samuel changed his expression from frustration and anger to a little sad; his eyes started to form little tears, which was his cue to deliver the rest of the line.
" I can't remember what my parents look like.
I used to play bridge with my mother in her bedroom.
She used to comb her hair. I'd watch her.
She had dark hair." Samuel held empty air grabbing onto his shoulders, symbolizing a virtual hug, and started crying. He held that position for a few seconds before standing up and composing his emotions.
*Clap* Clap* Clap* Clap* Clap*
Clapping resounded from the room entrance, making Samuel and Melanie look toward the intruder. Christoper is giving a standing ovation, rigorously hitting his palms together.
" What the hell are you doing here? Don't you have a morning class today? " Melanie said in an annoying tone while Samuel just stood there observing the guest.
" Can't I come to see my future pupil? or are you planning to hog him for yourself?" Christopher teased, fully knowing what his actions would entail.
" Come back some other time. I will call for you if we need you. Let me teach in peace. " Melanie said.
" ok, ok, I will not disturb you. I promise. I will sit in the very back and observe. Just take it as research. " Christoper insisted but seeing how serious he was, Melanie had to give in and gave her consent.
" Now, Samuel, How do you feel after your first performance? You can come down here, sit in front of me. " Melanie called Samuel and asked an unexpected question. Samuel thought she would give her two cents about it, but she was asking him, which is a little strange, but he complied.
" It is definitely very different than seeing someone act than to do it yourself. I had to calculate different scenarios with matching expressions. Especially the sudden change of expression is difficult even after knowing when you have to switch it. But I think I did average." Samuel gave a detailed explanation of his whole process during the scene.
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" I am glad that you think that way. If I had to sum up your whole performance, I would say it is average at best." Melanie said with a serious tone.
" Don't you think that you are being a little hard with your evaluation? I will say that it was a great performance Samuel. " Christoper asked from the back.
" And that is why you are sitting on the back and I am teaching Samuel. If you cann't see error with his performance, how can you correct it? How can you successfully guide him if you yourself not understand the problem? " Melanie retorted.
" Teacher, Please elaborate! " Samuel said respectively. He came here to learn, and his mindset is always on consuming as much as possible about the things he wants to learn.
" Firstly, You yourself answered your question earlier when I asked about your performance. You have to understand that Acting is not always about recreating things, It is about the feeling that you go through during the process. "
" The scene that you renacted is from the movie 'Empire of the Sun' which came out thirteen years ago. The boy you witnessed is Christian Wale, he was only thirteen years old at that time and to this day it is his best performance. He is still prominent in the industry." Melanie said.
" We don't need history lesson, tell us about the flaw in Samuel's acting." Christoper said begrudgingly.
" I am getting to it. It is important to explain the context before the actual reasoning. Simply put, what you did on the stage is not necessarily acting." Melanie said with a smile, teasing her audience.
" Not Acting?" Samuel is also confused with the roundabout answer.
" Yes, you simply moved your body without any emotions; You did what highly advanced robot would do given the power to move its body freely. There was no emotion or interpretation to what you witness; You simply followed all the guidelines ignoring the context. " Melanie explained her point. Samuel nodded along her whole explanation, which made him understand his flaws.
His approach was too straightforward. He mistakingly thought of acting as something defined by rules and regulations to which he had to adhere. He thought for a few seconds while Melanie observed him curiously.
She is honestly shocked by his performance. She has never seen someone which such potential in the entire industry. Honestly, most professionals would say the same thing as Christoper said earlier, but the audience will pick up on it and feel strange about the performance without knowing what is wrong.
" What a monster! to re inact the whole scene perfectly with a single look and without basic emotions. If he continue learning, no one will be able to hold a candle to him in few years. " She thought.
" So, basically, my performance didn't have any valid emotions behind it because I was not displaying it within myself. I understand. Acting is hard. " Samuel said after zeroing in on his problem.
" Smart boy! You are correct. The act first and formost you have to understand the character. What he must be feeling on the inside? How would he react in the given situation? Acting is not as tangable as you think. You can consider it as a feeling like love. You know you cann't see it but you can still feel it." Melanie explained further.
Christoper also apologized for his rudeness and sat down with the two. Melanie introduced Samuel to Christoper and they begin discussing and reenacting the whole scene, again, slightly improving Samuel's performance.
The class continued for a few more hours in which they discussed more nuances and scenarios. Melanie and Christoper guided Samuel on more intricate details to display emotion and specific lines as they watched varing other clips.
" I think it should be enough for today. We should not rush and take it one step of a time." Melanie said.
" Ok, I will see you both tomorrow. Thank you for your guidance. I learned so much today. " Samuel said his farewell to both the teacher and headed outside.
He froze when he found a small crowd of people gathering at the entrance.