Silent moments can make or break your

performance.

And today we're going to explore how to

master them.

The silent performance on today's

episode of casting actor's cast.

Well, hello, and welcome back to

another episode of casting actor's

cast.

I'm Jeffrey Dreisbach.

And I'm so glad that you're here today.

We're going to dig into something that

doesn't always get the attention it

deserves.

I think

silent acting,

those moments when the lines stop,

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00:01:02,95 --> 00:01:02,595

but the performance

keeps going.

Whether you're working on a self tape

that ends with a reaction shot, playing

a stage role with long pauses, or

shooting a scene where the camera

lingers on you while another actor

talks,

silence is not empty.

It's full of choices.

And here's the truth.

Some of the most memorable performances

in film and television,

well, they come from silent beats.

They can communicate emotion, they can

shift the story, and they can connect

with the audience in a way words never

could.

In today's episode, I'm going to give

you some practical tools to help you

use silence as a superpower

in your work.

But first, this is that moment of the

conversation, where I simply get to say

thank you so much for tuning into

casting actorcast.

It's been a real pleasure bringing

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They come out once a week.

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And there's a course, that's available

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That's something I've been around for a

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But I have to tell you, I'm probably

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is called booktit the actor's playbook

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You're going to want to check that out

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I think.

Anyway, enough of the promotional.

Who ha's

my shoutout to my good friends at

actor's connection, actress, connection

dotcom, slash, New York.

They're doing really awesome work

there, and I love working with them.

All right.

So now let's talk a little bit and give

you a little bit of an outline

about understanding

the value of silence.

Those beats those moments

see, silence isn't the absence of acting

that's really important.

It really is the presence

of everything else, what you're

thinking, what you're feeling, how

you're manipulating this scene or the

situation,

how you're feeling about what's taking

place.

You see, writers use pauses,

and they oftentimes will write unspoken

beats to add tension.

Sometimes you add humor, or even

intimacy.

Those silent moments,

they can be extraordinarily powerful.

But you should also know that directors

will often cut to a silent reaction

shot because it tells the audience

exactly what they need to feel.

So here's an example.

Think of the classic

of many, many classic film moments.

But one I like is Jim helper'n's

silent.

Look to the camera in the office,

yeah,

or those long close ups in those endie

drama that you've seen,

those moments, they stay with us.

They have a very profound

impact.

When we see, call me by your name.

And you take the last

four minutes of that movie,

you can see Timothy Chalemet

having an emotional experience.

That's a very powerful moment in that

film.

So here's my takeaway about that.

You need to treat silence as an active

part of the script.

It's not just a moment.

It's a moment where something is

continuing.

Now, the next suggestion I have for you

in terms of understanding those

silences is to focus on listening.

You see, I think silence works best

when it's rooted in genuine listening.

So I also think that actors, they just

think too much about what they look

like when silent

that's a moment when you're not

speaking to sort of take your own temperature.

And that is, honestly, that's not very

helpful.

My suggestion is.

And the key is to place your full

attention on your scene partner, or the

circumstance that you find yourself in.

So the silence is not an opportunity to

take your temperature or to check

yourself out mentally, it really is to

stay actively involved in what you're

thinking and feeling and doing with

your seen partner.

See, I know this to be true when you're

truly listening,

your body naturally reacts in ways

that the audience can understand, the

audience can trust,

especially if it's a sympathetic

character.

Empathy is developed

when you have a soul solid foundation

with your silences.

So here's an exercise.

I want you to partner up and do a scene

where you can only listen, absolutely

no speaking.

So we want you to just react.

You

feel how alive silence becomes when you

do that.

There's also something really

interesting about the class work that I

do.

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Sometimes i'll have an actor who might

be working on a monologue.

They're

doing the monologue to a specific

person, standing just off camera, for example.

And I tell the actor that standing off

camera, that has no lines, that they

need to be in the scene with that

partner that has the monologue.

And it's really extraordinary.

Sometimes if I have a two camera set

up, which is something that I love to

do, I just keep the camera on the

person listening.

And you can really tell when they're

actively involved or when they're not

quite sure how to look or feel.

And that is a really healthy exercise,

because you know what you're telling

yourself in those moments

to keep you from

absolute committed concentration and

focus.

Another thing I think is useful to talk

about our micro expressions.

Subtlety is really important, and that

does speak, volumes

the camera picks up tiny shifts in the

eyes when the eyes widen, for example,

or when they get more intense,

a small breath,

or,

oh, I don't know, the tightening of the

jaw.

These small signals

tell the audience everything about

what's going on inside you.

Overly broad gestures

that happens sometimes in auditions

that I see.

They just absolutely feel false,

especially on camera.

The way I would have you think of it is

it's the difference between stage

silence and on camera silence is like

the difference between a billboard

and a whisper,

right?

Both work.

But you need to know which one you are

in.

So going from stage to screen,

sometimes in your auditions, or even in

your actual career,

it can really be disconcerting.

But I've got a practice tip for you,

and I'm going to give you that practice

tip right after this.

So here's a practice tip welcome back.

The practice tip is really about the

understanding and being able to flip

that switch between stage acting and

camera acting.

I want you to fold yourself,

holding a silent reaction

for ten seconds.

That's all, that's the assignment.

Then I want you to watch it back and

notice what reads,

what feels fake,

and where you naturally express truth.

Understanding the differences and also

understanding where your mind was that

at the time can really help you

understand how to flip that switch.

Now, this next point is something that

I might seem kind of basic, and I

apologize for those of you who are

in a more advanced level of your

career, that listens to the podcast.

But I have to say it,

I want you to avoid mugging

a common trap

in performing silences

overacting.

You know, the big eyes, the exaggerated

size, dramatic looks away.

See that kind of overreacting?

It feels very staged.

And it really does take the audience

out of the story.

It literally steals focus.

Especially in the scene where the other

actor has to express their emotional track.

The audience doesn't need you to show

them the feeling.

They need you to live in it.

Ok?

Somebody write that down?

That was really really good.

It's not about showing you the feeling,

it's how you are experiencing the feeling.

So let's move on from there.

The best way to avoid it, the best way

to avoid overacting is just simply is a

simple answer.

Stay present in the moment.

See if you don't think about how you

look, or how it's coming across, or how

you're doing,

you will naturally fall into, here's

that big word again?

Authenticity.

Now I've got some practical

applications and tools to share with you

when it comes to this silent acting

moments.

So here are some self tape tips,

regarding that if a scene ends with

silence, don't cut yourself off too

quickly.

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00:11:16,9 --> 00:11:19,946

I've seen that happens in the hundreds

and hundreds and hundreds of auditions

I get with self tapes is that you

decide that the cutting off is

right where the line ends,

and that nothing could be further from

the truth.

Really allow the beat at the very end

to breathe.

Sometimes it can last two to three

seconds at least.

And those are the moments that stick

with us.

And the added advantage of that is that

it comes at the very end.

So if we're watching that audition all

the way to the end, which I can't say

we always do, but

that's the truth of it.

But if you give me an impactful,

meaningful moment on that end beat, and

then maybe fade out on a three or a

five count oo,

you're doing a really, really wonderful

thing for yourself.

Now, when we apply that kind of silence

to stage work, for example, see,

onstage silent needs silence, needs

shape,

using your body

being still

and connect with your partner to hold

the audience's attention.

See, you need to do that without

drifting away in your mind.

You need to do that,

not sitting back, but be forward,

footing beyond.

You need to be on forward footing.

Gosh easy for you to say, when you are

working with a partner and there is

silence that is needed from you,

stay present.

That's the best advice that I think I

could give you.

Now, listen.

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When you're on the set.

Directors may keep rolling past your

last line.

I see it happen all the time.

It certainly happened frequently, in my

experience

with acting, is staying present.

Those unscripted silences are often the

ones that end up in the final cut.

It's the reaction moment

that propels the scene forward.

So here are some practice tools.

Take a film or TV scene.

I want you to remove your lines

and only play your reactions.

In other words, take the lines and act

the lines silently.

It's so cool, because you'll learn how

much story you can tell without ever speaking.

It's pretty amazing.

So I hope that there's some

helpful tips there for you.

And I've got the big takeaway.

The big takeaway is this

silence isn't a void,

it's an opportunity.

It's a chance to let the audience in,

to create intimacy

and to let the truth of the moment

speak louder than dialogue ever could.

You're actor homework.

Choose a film or a TV scene with a

powerful silent moment built into it.

First mute the sound and just watch the

actor's faces on that movie or

television, show,

what do you understand about the story

just from their silences.

Then I want you to recreate those beats

in front of a camera.

Compare the playback.

Did your silence feel real or performed?

Listen to me.

Master this, and you'll discover that

silence is not just golden.

It might just be your most powerful

audition weapon.

Thank you so much for tuning in to

casting actor's cas I'm Jeffrey dries

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back.

We'll see you next time on casting

actor's cast.

Thanks so.