We did some acting classes at film school today and I have a burning question... I've noticed that many actors/directors seem to say this overly vague term called "motivation" -- what is my motivation for my character etc etc. I've never understood "motivation", yet everyone talks about character in terms of this. Motivation sounds like a cookie cutter approach, almost a cheap shortcut to intellectualize why a character does a certain thing. Whenever I hear "motivation" I just turn off. If I was an actor, I couldn't explain what mine was, even if I knew every plot point.
It seems motivation is purely related to past events (which works, at least in theory). If Bob kills Sam because Sam slept with his wife, you could say "Bob's motivation for killing Sam is because Sam slept with his wife."
But a good director may say that the real reason Bob kills Sam (or flips out) may have more to do with something random Sam says to Bob that sets him off (insults his intelligence etc), rather then the murder being directly related to something earlier that happened in the plot. So this is why I disagree using motivation. It assumes a flawed 'event C happens just because of event B and event A' theory, and I think it's a cop out of getting what you want from an actor.
I could be wrong. I just use objectives/goals and 'action verbs' instead. Am I barking up the wrong tree or the right tree? Interesting to see what you all think...
It seems motivation is purely related to past events (which works, at least in theory). If Bob kills Sam because Sam slept with his wife, you could say "Bob's motivation for killing Sam is because Sam slept with his wife."
But a good director may say that the real reason Bob kills Sam (or flips out) may have more to do with something random Sam says to Bob that sets him off (insults his intelligence etc), rather then the murder being directly related to something earlier that happened in the plot. So this is why I disagree using motivation. It assumes a flawed 'event C happens just because of event B and event A' theory, and I think it's a cop out of getting what you want from an actor.
I could be wrong. I just use objectives/goals and 'action verbs' instead. Am I barking up the wrong tree or the right tree? Interesting to see what you all think...
Comment