How to Build a Character for Actors

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Acting requires getting to know a fictional character and becoming him or her, including motivation, status, desires, habits, and more. Learn to act in character from a performer in this free acting video series.

There are 19 videos in this series:

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1.

Acting Tips for Character Development & Growth
Well acted and written characters grow or develop through the play, film, or other narrative. Learn to act in character with realistic growth or development from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 253
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2.

Acting Tips for Character Economic Environment
Taking into account economic status helps actors find their characters motivations. Learn to act in character based on economic status from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 204
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3.

Acting Tips for Character Political Environment
Actors must often find their characters' political leanings and motivations to capture the characters. Learn to act in character politically from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 237
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4.

Acting Tips for Character Religious Environment
Learn to act in character from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 210
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5.

Acting Tips for Character Social Environment
As an actor or actress ask questions about your character's social surroundings and friends. Learn to act a character from a particular social climate from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 226
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6.

Acting Tips for Character Tactics
Motivation and tactics are keys to acting a well developed character. Learn to act in character from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 210
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7.

Acting Tips for Character Time Period
Period films or plays are set in a particular era or historical time, and many actors flourish in these roles. Learn to act in character from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 207
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8.

Acting Tips for Identifying Character Obstacles
As an actor, how does your character handle obstacles? What gets in his or her way? Learn to act in character with realistic obstacles from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 201
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9.

Acting Tips for Location & Climate
Actors must act characters from a variety of places, knowing how walk, talk, and attitude change from place to place. Learn to act a character from a specific location from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 201
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10.

Acting Tips on Character Appearance
How a character appears helps the actor communicate in ways voice and action cannot. Learn appearance tips to act in character from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 240
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11.

Acting Tips on Character Personality
Capturing the personality of a character is an actor's or actress's central role. Learn personality tips to act in character from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 431
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12.

Acting Tips to Identify Character Motivation
What's my motivation? Actors often try tuning in to a character's central motivations. Learn to act in character with the right desires from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 278
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13.

Acting Tips to Include Location
Bring location to bear on characters you act by learning about their environs. Learn to act a character with location in mind from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 205
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14.

Acting Tips to Include Personality
Acting means knowing how your character acts. Is he or she introverted or extroverted? Learn to act in character from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 225
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15.

Acting Tips to Include Social Status
Social status is a key motivation for people and so for characters, and actors should tune in. Learn to act in character with social concerns from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 205
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16.

Acting Tips to Include Time Period
Try period acting and bringing the historical climate into your characters. Learn to act a character from a particular time period from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 204
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17.

How to Act in Character
Create a realistic character for acting or directing with these tips. Learn to act in character from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 259
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18.

Questions to Ask When Acting
Ask questions about your character to bring to light motivations and concerns below the surface. Learn to act in character by asking questions from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 222
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19.

Research a Character for Acting
Actors often research their roles and characters to learn all they can for a performance. Learn to research a character from a performer in this free acting video.

Views: 239
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Views: 4,444 Videos in Series: 19

Tags: acting, characters, character, development, actors

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Summary: When we think of the theater, one image before all others comes to mind: two iconic masks side by side, one happy and the other sad. These masks represent the facade of acting, the range of human emotion, the masks we all where, and/or a host of other interpretations. Masks are found in most cultures around the globe, usually tied to magic or the arts (the dividing line between the two thinner than we might imagine). In ancient Greece and Rome, masks were traditionally said to help communicate emotion to people in the "cheap seats," but recent scholarly work finds masks much more interesting. A culture gives away its opinion of human subjectivity in the way it constructs its masks. Japanese Kabuki theater depended on masks. Many Hopi and other Uto-Aztecan Amerindian groups use masks in various kinds of rituals. The masks of Carnival are also complicated social constructions that both celebrate and reinforce boundaries at the same time.

In this free acting video series, professional performer and communicator Tracy Goodwin teaches you the questions to ask about your character to prepare for successful acting. Tracy goes over the larger picture of a character, including social status, economic group, religious feelings, political leanings, climate and location, and historical setting. These elements all have questions that help direct an actor or actress toward the essence of a character.

About the Expert

Expert: Tracy Goodwin has a master’s in corporate communication and 10 years experience in professional speaking. Recipient of numerous public speaking awards and is a college professor of public speaking, interpersonal communications, voice and diction, and business speech. Goodwin is the author of "Be Delicious: The Art of Voice & Movement Integration."