"Daniel Day Lewis"Academy What makes an Award Winning Face?

How fascinating to watch a master artist with the subtleties of emotion. Can you tell by this photo what he is feeling? If you say anger, you are in the ballpark.

Academy Award winner Daniel Day Lewis from the movie Lincoln

 There are 3 things going on with Daniel's face That are very telling about his emotional state. Can you tell what they are?

1. There's tension is the lower lids creating a more intense stare (anger family).

2. Jaw slightly jutting forward and Tension in the ridge of the upper lip (again anger family)

3.  Slight raising of the upper lip (levator labi superious) . In other words slight disgust.

If you look at my book cover below. The center photo in the bottom row, you see the slight disgust. You can tell this by the more intense fold on the side of my nose.
Combine these muscle groups together - the anger and disgust and you'll get scorned, which can appear when you feel you are being betrayed.

Let me hear your thoughts and comments. You can also check out my Fan Page as well faceboook.com/languageoftheface

To learn more about the Language of the Face, check out my website www.languageoftheface.com

If would like to come to one of my seminars "Understanding how your face communicates emotion". You can find out dates and times by going to http://languageoftheface.com/LOF/The_need_to_know.html

"Anne Hathaway" What makes an Academy Award Winning Face?

Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway Les Miserables

What's interesting about this photo is how Director Tom Hooper captured this moving moment. If you look at the actors surrounding Anne Hathaway you'll notice the fear on everyone's face. You can identify the fear by the widening of the eyes and how the brow is lifted and pulled together. It's pretty apparent.

On the other hand, if you look at Anne Hathaway's face, you see her managing it. There is only a slight pulling back of the corners of her mouth. Knowing how much emotion to reveal is critical to making the moment work or getting the job in the first place. It's also the difference between being the star and those who are supporting. Because of everyone else's fear being revealed and Hathaway managing it, her character comes across as strong.

If you get a moment, check out my video " Why as on-camera actors you need to know how YOUR face communicates emotion". 

To get dates and times of the next seminar, go to my website.
http://languageoftheface.com/LOF/The_need_to_know.html

Shift #4 Consistency and Follow-through

So far in our quest to be in alignment to book consistently, we have taken a deeper look at ourselves and begun to bring awareness to our level of self-esteem and our goals. With our goals in mind, we looked to increasing our knowledge of the business to determine what actions are needed achieve those goals. With the shift to being more proactive, we started creating and putting our plan in action. We also started to do some housekeeping to make sure that our time and energy is focused on the things we have influence over. Now is the time to see just how reliable our word is and if there needs to be shift in our consistency and follow through. 

Being consistent and following through has a tremendous effect on alignment.  Without it, you neither see the effects of your actions nor have an accurate assessment of what’s working and what isn’t. Whereas being proactive defines your intentions, being consistent and following through is the constant attention you give to achieving those goals.

Getting and staying in alignment to relies on consistency.  And both require a commitment to keep your word with yourself and others. If you’re being consistent, you won’t let six months pass by without taking action.  

To give this area more focus, take a good look at things you may have started but didn’t finish. Examine the steps you’ve taken toward achieving your goals and where you may have stopped taking action.  Where have you dropped the ball?  This is not an easy exercise – it forces you to confront some of your demons.  But it will ultimately lead you to the consciousness needed to get and stay in alignment. 

Take a moment today to think about the contract you made with yourself to be proactive.  To fully execute that contract, you must be vigilant with your word and take the matter of your integrity seriously.  If you don’t stay consistent with your commitment, areas in which you began to make progress will break down and you’ll find yourself having to start all over again.

When you stay consistent and follow through,  you reinforce your commitment to yourself and your goals...

Take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences.   If you like what I have to say don't forget to share it...

www.languageoftheface.com

I just received the video below from a student of mine, which is all about the genuine happy smile vs other types of smiles. This video is a good example of why a lot of actor’s smiling headshots comes across as either disingenuous, hesitant, fearful or sad. If your smile isn’t genuine at best it won’t have the impact on the viewer you would like, at worst, it could be costing you an audition. 

SHIFT #3 "Being Proactive"

In my last two blogs on being in alignment to book consistently, we laid the foundation with the shift in self-esteem. Which meant that you were to bring more consciousness into how you see yourself in relationship to your goals, taking responsibility for those goals. We also talked about increasing your knowledge of the business you are in. To get all necessary information needed as it pertains to your current goal(s), whether you’re starting out and needing to find the best acting coach or building your fan base and body of work. With a plan in hand we now need to bring our awareness to the shift of pro-activity. What exactly does this mean to the actor? 

According to Steven Covey, author, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, being proactive means “taking action and responsibility, based on your values and goals, on those things over which you have influence over”.  Although this is a great goal, as actors, we often find ourselves in a reactive state. 

When in a reactive state, you tend to empower things you have no influence over, leaving you feeling frustrated, tired and powerless about your life and career. 

To determine if you’re living a proactive or reactive lifestyle, look at how you’re spending the majority of your time and what your thoughts are focused on.  If you spend more time doing the same things over and over, getting the same unwanted result or feeling frustrated and helpless because of what is or isn’t, then you’re more than likely trapped in a reactive state. 

I highly recommend Steven Convey's book, but until you get around to reading it, I have a few suggestions. To start the shift to a proactive state, for most, you will need to raise your level of energy (reactive living is very energy draining), start living more consciously and take responsibility for your own happiness and success.  In other words, if you don’t have a sufficient amount of energy to combat the feelings of frustration, helplessness, and negative thoughts about yourself or the business, you will not have the willpower or even the desire to change. If you’re not conscious of your state of mind or your actions, how can you change anything about yourself?  If you don’t take responsibility for your own happiness and success, who will?  When you stop denying and start taking responsibility, you move from a reactive state to a proactive one. 

Determine your goals.  Make a list of your main frustrations with respect to those goals. 

Then determine which of those frustrations you have influence over and which ones you don’t. 

The ones you have influence over are the ones that need your focus. 

Defining what is actually in your realm of influence will help you better define what actions you need to take. By focusing energy and thoughts on what we have influence over, we move from a place of helplessness and frustration to a place of empowerment.

www.languageoftheface.com

Andy Serkis is Fluent in the Language of the Face

Learning to speak and interpret the Language of the Face is one of the most important skills in an actor's tool bag. Without the ability to express the internal state of your character in a recognizable and accurate way, there is no performance. This is important for every style of performance and motion capture is the next frontier where actors with mastery of the Language of the Face are in high demand.

You may not know him by name, but there is a good chance that you have seen Andy Serkis perform in the last ten years. With lead roles in many hit movies of the last decade, he is one actor you may know and love without ever seeing his face.

Andy Serkis gives life to computer generated creatures and characters through the use of motion capture technology. He specializes in delivering subtle and recognizable facial expressions, a skill that he has put to great use while playing characters like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings and Ceasar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Let's take a look at how he works and hear his own words on the subject of acting and motion capture.

Not only is he a motion capture specialist, but he is also a well respected actor with an impressive body of work on both stage and film. Andy Serkis is a perfect example of how important understanding the Language of the Face is to us as actors and performers of all kinds. Andy Serkis is fluent in the Language of the Face and it has made his career.

I would love to hear your comments - so feel free to leave some, as well as don't forget to click the Facebook "like" button or the Google+. Help pass the word.

Want to work in a Spielberg Film?

Of course you do, who wouldn't…

To do so, you'll absolutely need to know how to create and reveal, awe, wonderment, excitement and fear on various levels.

Why?

Because Spielberg definitely likes to work with these four emotions a lot and they are what make the "Spielberg Face".

Watch the video below, one of my students shared with me and you'll see what I mean. Spielberg uses these emotions from the most subtle reveal to the more extreme. He skillfully intensifies them with his classic slow or fast push in of the camera. Each one of these four emotions are similar, yet have distinct subtle differences which make them not only look but feel differently. Although he uses these same emotions fairly consistently, we don't notice them being repeated, because of the actor's unique look and context in which they appear. To spot their unique differences, pay close attention to the eyebrows, eyes and mouth. Post your thoughts on what and where you see these slight variations of the now famous "Spielberg Face", or just post your favorite Spielberg moment.

091. The Spielberg Face from Kevin B. Lee on Vimeo.

What Makes an Academy Award Winning Face?

An Academy Award Winning Face always conveys the character's inner thoughts and feelings in a way that is recognizable to the audience. As an actor, there must not be any distortions between what you are feeling and what you are revealing. The first step is to be in EMOTIONAL ALIGNMENT!

Actors are in the emotional communication business. To communicate effectively, you must know how you personally reveal emotion. If there is a difference between what you feel and what your face is revealing, the communicates become unclear and booking is very difficult. The farther you are out of alignment, it becomes almost impossible. There are many reasons why many of us are not in alignment with what we feel and what we reveal. The 3 biggest reasons for this lack of alignment most people can identify with are one or a combination of the following:

1. How you are wired
2. The culture in which you were raised
3. Your family's own personal idiosyncrasies

Most actors don't realize that the biggest problem they have with non-verbal emotional communication is they are out of alignment. The worst part of this problem is that it doesn't go away. The reason for this is, you can’t change what you are not aware of. How you express right now feels appropriate to you. To communicate non-verbally you must be in alignment with what you feel and what you reveal.

To better understand and bring to light any distortions you may have, join me for my one-day Emotional Evaluation Intensive. To learn more, please click HERE to visit my website.

SHIFT #2 Knowing the Business

Being in alignment with success isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing the right thing.

Your level of self-esteem lays the foundation for success and maintaining that success, whereas knowledge of the business you are in reveals the path to it. So many actors arrive in LA every day and the only knowledge they have of the business is that they have to get headshots.

Knowing the Business

Saying that you need to know about the business you’re in seems like a fairly obvious statement. Yet many actors fail to do the necessary research to understand what tools are needed to help them achieve their goals – and the business remains a mystery to them. A small shift in thinking in this area can make all the difference in the world. The actor who expands his knowledge of the business and acts on this knowledge creates opportunities to grow. The confidence to take full advantage of these opportunities puts you more in alignment to book.

Expanding your knowledge means finding information about what is expected of you as an actor. Your agent or manager, casting and personnel on the set will all have different expectations. You need to know what they are as well as what you can expect of them. It also involves finding the tools you need to be successful.

Knowledge is based on information. There are many resources and tools available to you: Some of the following is common sense, but sometimes we all need to be reminded.

1. Talk to friends and acquaintances. Who do you know that’s in the business and who might they know? Remember, you’re not asking for a job, you’re asking for information.

2. Get a mentor. If you haven’t gotten one yet, now may be the time. Find someone who is knowledgeable about the business, understands your goals and who is willing to guide you. You may be surprised at how much someone you know and respect is willing to help.

3. Network with other actors. Keep in mind that what worked for them might not work for you, but you can still use the information as a springboard to your own unique way of doing things.

4. Join an actor support group. There are many of these, particularly online, where actors share information on just about everything in the business. One support group I recommend highly is Hollywood Happy Hour. It’s a yahoo group, headed by Bonnie Gillespie who watches over the group like a loving but stern mother making sure that information is current and valid. I also highly recommend The Actors Network for information and support. If you don’t belong to one of those groups you’re putting yourself at a terrible disadvantage. Although Judy Kerr’s, “Acting is Everything” isn’t a support group, it is filled with tons of valuable information as is her website.

5. Attend seminars and workshops. Now a days most seminars are free or have a small fee. They are filled with industry people that offer networking opportunities. Often, at my own seminars, I will offer new as well as seasoned actors specific advice pertaining to their specific career goals. You can find out when I have this free seminars by going to
my website. Do some research and get onto mailing lists that post these events. One mailing list to be on is Jeff Gund’s mailing list

6. Do an internship. If you want to learn more about how casting or production works, apply for an internship at some of these types of companies.

7. Read biographies. Though times change quickly, there’s a lot that can be learned from the experience of those who came before you.

Formulate a plan of action based on information you need to further your career and understand the business. If you’re just getting started, you may want to know the best place to study. It may be time to look for an agent. Perhaps you need to better understand the casting process or production. You might not even know where to start. Don’t worry. Just start somewhere. The more you learn, the more you’ll see other areas that you’ll also want to explore. Keep in mind, at every step along the way to booking consistently you will return to this shift.

www.languageoftheface.com

Our Upcoming Seminars

For those who have yet to attend one of my free Nail That Reaction! Seminars, here's your chance! I have the next round of seminars coming up next week...

Dates with Open Seats:
Tuesday, February 21: 7pm-8:30pm or
Wednesday, February 22: 11am-12:30pm or
Thursday, February 23: 11am-12:30pm or
Saturday, February 25: 12pm-1:30pm or
Tuesday, February 28: 7pm-8:30pm or
Wednesday, February 29: 11am-12:30pm or
Thursday, March 1: 11am-12:30pm


This completely free seminar introduces you to the techniques and concepts you will learn in our Nail That Reaction Shot! program.

I will be going over what it takes to Nail The Reaction and book the job. I will also be getting into how we express or often don't express what we are feeling and what we can do to gain balance between what we feel and what we reveal. Come learn about the Language of the Face and see what kind of change a greater understanding of emotions and emotional facial expressions can make in your work and in your life.

To attend one of these seminars, email me at info@nailthatreactionshot.com with your First and Alternate choice as well as a contact number.

Look forward to seeing you there-

Part 2: 3 Devastating Myths of On-Camera Acting

Here's part 2 of the interview. In this clip I go over the 3 beliefs a lot of actors have about on-camera acting.

Interview on The Language of the Face PART ONE

This is an interview I did a few months back on the Language of the Face. I also give a quick demonstration of how subtle emotions can appear on your face.

A little something for fun.

More than likely you've seen this spot. I've been meaning to post this for a while now. This is a very funny spot filled with specific reactions. In fact, all the young driver does is react to his environment. For all those who have worked with me and those who haven't- watch the subtleties of excited interest as his eyes widen, then worriment (sad/fear) throughout. Especially watch the other two kids towards the end of the spot and pay attention to their anger brows. They make the moment work. Both of the other two kids have the same reaction. Very funny. Happy Holidays to All!

More on the Actor's Self-Esteem

Here's a clip of an interview I did not too long ago. I was asked, "What advice would I give to actors who wanted to be successful?" Curious?

Is Your Self-Esteem Keeping You From Being Successful?

Shift #1 - The Power of Self-Esteem

As I posted last time, there are 7 major areas of your life that you may want to bring more consciousness to if you want to book consistently. As you look closer at these 7 areas, you might discover that you never were quite in alignment or have fallen out of alignment with one or more of them. I am going to start with the internal shifts; the power of self-esteem, the need for Consistency and follow through, being proactive and maintaining your level of creativity and then continue on with the outer shifts; what you project, level of skill and knowledge of the business.

Today, Self-Esteem...

The shift in self - esteem is the shift in how we view ourselves, others and what we want or desire. When your self-esteem is high, you have a constant supply of inspiration and motivation: You're confident that you can handle the challenges of this business, and you can!

It’s no secret that actors with a higher level of self-esteem tend to be more successful. They are not necessarily more talented, but research has shown, they are more successful at accomplishing their goals and fulfilling their dreams. That’s why Self-Esteem is the foundation that all the other shifts rest on. To look at it another way, your self-esteem is what holds you in alignment.

When I mention self-esteem, most people think of it as being cocky or full of yourself. That’s just not the case. In it’s most simplest definition, self-esteem is about trusting your mind, which means that you are capable of handling whatever comes at you and the knowing you are worthy of attaining your goals and desires. Think about those two sides of self-esteem for a moment.

Trusting you mind - If you don’t trust your mind, how do you make choices? Acting is about making choices. The actor who is not in conflict with their choices has a greater advantage over those who are. Everything in our business involves not just making a choice, but a creative choice; what you bring to your acting, your headshots, choosing an agent, the workshops you take and on and on. There’s no easy way around it, you have to make a choice. Your success depends on you making a choice that serves your highest good. If you don’t trust you are capable of handling what comes at you in an audition, it will trigger fear and ultimately disable you.

Feeling worthy and deserving - If you don’t feel worthy, it’s hard to maintain any consistency towards your goals, you devalue yourself and your work, you seek inspiration and often avoid perspiration. Let’s face it, you’re constantly in and out of the game. When our self-esteem is low, we devalue what we create and find little joy in the creation. One of the beautiful things about being human is our desire for self-expression.

Here is were I plug one of the 2 books I recommend for all actors; The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden. He is the leading expert in the field of self-esteem. According to him, self-esteem is “the confirmed belief in your right to be successful and happy, in being worthy and deserving”. Understanding the connection between your level of self-esteem and your capacity to achieve success as an actor is absolutely critical to you.

In this business, you must be your own best fan and motivator, so you can’t be in an adversarial relation with yourself. In other words, you can’t be in conflict with yourself. The conflict will stop you in your tracks. Through your ups and downs, you must maintain confidence and trust in your ability. When your self-esteem is high, you still suffer setbacks, the pay off is that you are more apt to recover quicker than those with low self-esteem. When your self-esteem is elevated you will look to yourself for validation. Looking to yourself for validation instead of relying on others will keep you strong and capable. You alone determine your worth and the value of your contribution. And only you have the power to raise your opinion of yourself. No one else.

So, how do we do that?

In Nathaniel Branden's book The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, he explores the importance of self-esteem in various aspects of personal achievement. He prescribes living consciously and purposefully, practicing self-acceptance, self-responsibility, self-assertiveness, and personal integrity. The hardest thing for most of us to do is to explore our self-esteem and make the necessary shifts to get in alignment?


Here’s a question to ask yourself:
If you were to raise your self-esteem just slightly, how would it change your outlook and/or approach to the business?

If exploring this shift further rings important to you, post your comments and start your discussion here. 

www.languageoftheface.com
Info@nailthatreactionshot.com 

Are you in Alignment to Book?

Although this blog is primarily about sharing my work with you on the Language of the Face, I also want to address something else I find very important to your overall success: this work I call the “7 Shifts to Being in Alignment to Book.”

In future blogs, in addition to the Language of the Face, I’ll also be discussing some key elements that, if given greater awareness or consciousness, will help get you into alignment to book.

Here’s my thought for you: You just can’t depend on your lucky shirt for a good audition. Yeah, sometimes it works; most often it doesn’t. I know everyone wants to know the secret to booking and is always looking for clues or the last thing that may have worked. The truth is that superstitious rituals have nothing to do with it. Booking consistently requires a more calculated, holistic approach than wearing a lucky shirt or copping an “I don’t care” attitude, when you know darn well that you do.

So let’s start with the definition of alignment. If alignment is defined as the act of adjusting parts so they work in relation to one another, then being in alignment to book means that every action required for your success as an actor is working together to help you achieve your goals. When all factors are in alignment, booking is the easiest thing you’ll ever do.

There are 7 major shifts to which we need to bring consciousness if we want success. Self-Esteem, Being Pro-Active, Consistency and Follow Through, Knowledge of the Business, Level of Skill, What You Project, and Creativity. If you are out of alignment in any one of these areas, booking and success become very difficult.

In my many lectures, I have discovered that this process is not limited to new actors. At different phases in your career, whatever that career is, you may feel stalled in some way. As I post on each of the 7 Shifts, you may want to examine each one for yourself and see where you may want to bring more consciousness or awareness to. Success is not about doing everything but is about being in alignment for success to occur. Small shifts can reap great rewards.

info@nailthatreactionshot.com

languageoftheface.com

Something For Fun

Halloween is in just a few days and that means frights fill the nights. While most people spend their lives avoiding scream inducing situations there are a few of us that actually pay money to be terrified.

In steps The Nightmare Fear Factory in Niagara Falls to offer that service with a smile. The kind of smile you might expect to see at the front desk of the Bates Motel but a smile none the less.

Take a look at The Nightmare Fear Factory Flickr feed and get a rare glimpse of the different reactions people have to surprise and fear. Some people naturally give over to the feeling and are fully expressive while others are obviously experiencing the fear but don't show very much of it at all. There are even some great examples of people trying to mask the fear with another emotion. Look through some of the photos and leave a comment about what you see.

I think that this is a great opportunity to study the different ways that people can show fear and surprise on their faces. It's also worth a few laughs.

Don't Miss Our Free Seminar Saturday (10/29)

This a short announcement for those who have not attended one of my free Nail That Reaction Seminar. This Saturday (10/29) at 12- 1:30pm we are going to be holding a completely free seminar to introduce you to the techniques and concepts you can learn from our Nail That Reaction Shot course.

I will be going to go into what it takes to Nail The Reaction and book the job. I will also be going over how we express and often not express what we are feeling and what we can do to gain balance between what you feel and what you reveal. Some of what I talk about in the blog and a lot more. Come learn about the language of the face and see what a greater understanding of emotions and emotional facial expressions can do for your life.

Please confirm if you are attending and we look forward to seeing you Saturday. Email us to reserve a spot at info@nailthatreactionshot.com

What I have been up to…

It’s been a short while since my last posting. I’ve been busy with the reorganizing of the studio, classes, building a new website and getting ready to announce the release of my first two books and videos on the Language of the Face - emotional expressiveness for actors; The two books are Emotional Alignment and Nail That Reaction! and here’s what you have to look forward to in each book and the accompanying videos:

Emotional Alignment guides you through a process to determine where you are in the creating and revealing of emotion. It will also give you the tools to deal with any distortion there might be. It also covers the 7 universal emotions, the triggers, sensation and impulses and what they look and feel like on your face from the subtle to most extreme.

Nail that Reaction! teaches you how to interpret directions, sides or copy in such a way as to come up with a real, appropriate, recognizable reaction each time on demand. Using resonators and sounds you will locate, isolate and activate, each of the individual muscle groups distinct to each emotion so as to discover the various meanings of each group, the different levels of intensity of each emotion as well as what they look and feel like on your face. It’s filled with drills and reactions spots for you to work on. Nailing the Reaction Shot is a must for any actor who wants to work on-camera. Especially the commercial actor since the majority of auditions you go on demand some kind of reaction.

In the next couple of weeks I will be posting my release date for the books and videos, some samples and discounts for those who get on my mailing list.

Also, if you sign-up for our mailing list you will not only get notified with the newest posting but you will also get my video on the ‘4 things you must do to nail that reaction and book the job.’

Moving on. For the past several months I have been blogging about why so many actors have a distortion between what they feel and what they reveal and how these distortions may be preventing them from getting a callback or booking the job. This, in short, has been all about emotional alignment. In my next few blogs I will be moving on to the revealing of emotions and opinions in the form of a reaction shot, reacting and the emotional condition.

In order to keep this blog more interactive, post a comment, or send me an email to john@nailthatreactionshot.com - ask your question or share your reaction audition experience with us.

Something for Fun

Casting Salt and Pepper Shakers - looking for good actors, must be good with facial expressions.



Happy Friday, everyone!