Heyo, it has been a WHILE since I've posted on RPrepository!
I am gonna ask, if anyone has any experience with larping (or even stage acting and improv!), if they can maybe give me a bit of advice if you please? I have my costume ready and it isn't for a few months, so that part is covered. But what I've found is while I am okay at writing RP replies, voice roleplay has been difficult. It is one thing to describe everything you need and having the time and ability to edit everything, another thing completely to make it sound believable yourself and final the moment you say it.
And now there is body language to think of too, and actually having the courage to step up to complete strangers in person, in character. It is a BIG event where we're expected to bring our own play (our own character hook), in case the NPCs miss us.
....I know this post doesn't really have a concrete question, I am just equal parts excited and terrified. Where I live doesn't even remotely have anything close to this. We only just started getting anime cons in 2014 I think, so I have saved money for the better part of almost two years to travel abroad for this. And I know I said I get stage fright, and I may never get the chance to do this a second time, BUT I really really want to do it.
Any reassurance and advice would be necessary! I do have a character concept ready too, sort of?
Also since it was one of the puzzles in Epic Week, I could really use help in understanding heraldry for messengers because like. I just know there are animals with attitudes and that is it. :'D
I am gonna ask, if anyone has any experience with larping (or even stage acting and improv!), if they can maybe give me a bit of advice if you please? I have my costume ready and it isn't for a few months, so that part is covered. But what I've found is while I am okay at writing RP replies, voice roleplay has been difficult. It is one thing to describe everything you need and having the time and ability to edit everything, another thing completely to make it sound believable yourself and final the moment you say it.
And now there is body language to think of too, and actually having the courage to step up to complete strangers in person, in character. It is a BIG event where we're expected to bring our own play (our own character hook), in case the NPCs miss us.
....I know this post doesn't really have a concrete question, I am just equal parts excited and terrified. Where I live doesn't even remotely have anything close to this. We only just started getting anime cons in 2014 I think, so I have saved money for the better part of almost two years to travel abroad for this. And I know I said I get stage fright, and I may never get the chance to do this a second time, BUT I really really want to do it.
Any reassurance and advice would be necessary! I do have a character concept ready too, sort of?
Also since it was one of the puzzles in Epic Week, I could really use help in understanding heraldry for messengers because like. I just know there are animals with attitudes and that is it. :'D
…it’s actually kind of interesting thinking of this from the writing -> acting transition. Because you’re still doing the same thing, it’s still the same process mentally, if that makes sense! There’s just people watching other parts of that same process, this time.
I’ve got some stray and very disorganized thoughts I’ll drop in here…like this is one of those things where if you REALLY want to dive deep, there are all sorts of Serious Julliard Tier Acting Methods to dissect, but every single one of those can boil back down to a ton of practice, empathy and imagination.
(I got into acting so I could understand animating more too, so I can definitely attest to the part where there’s a solid thorough line between all three practices!)
So what you’re doing is essentially bringing the character a LOT closer to yourself than many would probably admit in animating/writing. Don’t worry about stories of people crying on cue or whatever - I’d say just start from a point of understanding the circumstances, understanding your character, and understanding the relationships between all of the characters present. Draw from your own experiences when you can, it’s ultimately all a pretend game of sustained empathy. Sometimes feelings will pop up and that’s great! Ride through them when they do, but don’t depend on them popping up in the moment or get stuck on anticipating them (or get stuck on anticipating your next scripted line). Basically don’t worry about the result because then you will get hung up on the result. Sometimes there are off-days!
Also, kind of like animating and writing…there is no finish line? Like you’ll be halfway through a rehearsal or show or something and then the lightbulb will go on about a certain point of identification or a new point of clarity about understanding the character. It’s kind of why I love live theater so much - it’s never quite the same from night to night because of this! (Though the opposite can be true too, I’ve gone through plenty of nights where actors have just blown through the show on autopilot. You can tell.)
I’d say don’t worry about things like voice or cadence or more outright transformative things that you could do at this juncture; those will come in time. And you’re not doing an impression unless your game is very specifically asking you to do an impression - and that’s a whole other mindset and skill set!
“I’m this guy and how would I feel about this thing happening” It’s sort of a flow state?
Improv is both far more difficult and kind of freeing once you make peace with the part where not everything you try is going to work. There’s a reason most improv theater is comedy…but also everything else I’ve mentioned to this point still applies. If you’re going in with an extreme understanding of your character and circumstance, you can get back to that flow state and just let it happen.
Way back, there was one extremely low key acting/improv exercise I was assigned when I first started in high school and that was: you’re this character now, for the whole day until classes are dismissed. You just are. You’re still going to classes and going to lunch like you would every day - but you’re this character doing it. And the result was that flow state - Even if you’re not materially changing much about how you’re responding to teachers or what have you, you’re still thinking about it.
I’ve got some stray and very disorganized thoughts I’ll drop in here…like this is one of those things where if you REALLY want to dive deep, there are all sorts of Serious Julliard Tier Acting Methods to dissect, but every single one of those can boil back down to a ton of practice, empathy and imagination.
(I got into acting so I could understand animating more too, so I can definitely attest to the part where there’s a solid thorough line between all three practices!)
So what you’re doing is essentially bringing the character a LOT closer to yourself than many would probably admit in animating/writing. Don’t worry about stories of people crying on cue or whatever - I’d say just start from a point of understanding the circumstances, understanding your character, and understanding the relationships between all of the characters present. Draw from your own experiences when you can, it’s ultimately all a pretend game of sustained empathy. Sometimes feelings will pop up and that’s great! Ride through them when they do, but don’t depend on them popping up in the moment or get stuck on anticipating them (or get stuck on anticipating your next scripted line). Basically don’t worry about the result because then you will get hung up on the result. Sometimes there are off-days!
Also, kind of like animating and writing…there is no finish line? Like you’ll be halfway through a rehearsal or show or something and then the lightbulb will go on about a certain point of identification or a new point of clarity about understanding the character. It’s kind of why I love live theater so much - it’s never quite the same from night to night because of this! (Though the opposite can be true too, I’ve gone through plenty of nights where actors have just blown through the show on autopilot. You can tell.)
I’d say don’t worry about things like voice or cadence or more outright transformative things that you could do at this juncture; those will come in time. And you’re not doing an impression unless your game is very specifically asking you to do an impression - and that’s a whole other mindset and skill set!
“I’m this guy and how would I feel about this thing happening” It’s sort of a flow state?
Improv is both far more difficult and kind of freeing once you make peace with the part where not everything you try is going to work. There’s a reason most improv theater is comedy…but also everything else I’ve mentioned to this point still applies. If you’re going in with an extreme understanding of your character and circumstance, you can get back to that flow state and just let it happen.
Way back, there was one extremely low key acting/improv exercise I was assigned when I first started in high school and that was: you’re this character now, for the whole day until classes are dismissed. You just are. You’re still going to classes and going to lunch like you would every day - but you’re this character doing it. And the result was that flow state - Even if you’re not materially changing much about how you’re responding to teachers or what have you, you’re still thinking about it.
Rigby wrote:
…it’s actually kind of interesting thinking of this from the writing -> acting transition. Because you’re still doing the same thing, it’s still the same process mentally, if that makes sense! There’s just people watching other parts of that same process, this time.
I’ve got some stray and very disorganized thoughts I’ll drop in here…like this is one of those things where if you REALLY want to dive deep, there are all sorts of Serious Julliard Tier Acting Methods to dissect, but every single one of those can boil back down to a ton of practice, empathy and imagination.
(I got into acting so I could understand animating more too, so I can definitely attest to the part where there’s a solid thorough line between all three practices!)
So what you’re doing is essentially bringing the character a LOT closer to yourself than many would probably admit in animating/writing. Don’t worry about stories of people crying on cue or whatever - I’d say just start from a point of understanding the circumstances, understanding your character, and understanding the relationships between all of the characters present. Draw from your own experiences when you can, it’s ultimately all a pretend game of sustained empathy. Sometimes feelings will pop up and that’s great! Ride through them when they do, but don’t depend on them popping up in the moment or get stuck on anticipating them (or get stuck on anticipating your next scripted line). Basically don’t worry about the result because then you will get hung up on the result. Sometimes there are off-days!
Also, kind of like animating and writing…there is no finish line? Like you’ll be halfway through a rehearsal or show or something and then the lightbulb will go on about a certain point of identification or a new point of clarity about understanding the character. It’s kind of why I love live theater so much - it’s never quite the same from night to night because of this! (Though the opposite can be true too, I’ve gone through plenty of nights where actors have just blown through the show on autopilot. You can tell.) […]
I’ve got some stray and very disorganized thoughts I’ll drop in here…like this is one of those things where if you REALLY want to dive deep, there are all sorts of Serious Julliard Tier Acting Methods to dissect, but every single one of those can boil back down to a ton of practice, empathy and imagination.
(I got into acting so I could understand animating more too, so I can definitely attest to the part where there’s a solid thorough line between all three practices!)
So what you’re doing is essentially bringing the character a LOT closer to yourself than many would probably admit in animating/writing. Don’t worry about stories of people crying on cue or whatever - I’d say just start from a point of understanding the circumstances, understanding your character, and understanding the relationships between all of the characters present. Draw from your own experiences when you can, it’s ultimately all a pretend game of sustained empathy. Sometimes feelings will pop up and that’s great! Ride through them when they do, but don’t depend on them popping up in the moment or get stuck on anticipating them (or get stuck on anticipating your next scripted line). Basically don’t worry about the result because then you will get hung up on the result. Sometimes there are off-days!
Also, kind of like animating and writing…there is no finish line? Like you’ll be halfway through a rehearsal or show or something and then the lightbulb will go on about a certain point of identification or a new point of clarity about understanding the character. It’s kind of why I love live theater so much - it’s never quite the same from night to night because of this! (Though the opposite can be true too, I’ve gone through plenty of nights where actors have just blown through the show on autopilot. You can tell.) […]
Thank you so much for answering Rigby!!
And I think that’s the thing, I do need to keep in mind because, there should be room for the character to develop further, so it doesn’t make sense to have the character developed start to finish
I know I will definitely want to try at the very least getting into the mindset of the character while doing everyday things because like. That’s the thing; I’m going to be in-time for the majority of the event. So even things like asking for water or buying food will have to be done in character.
I’m going for a character who is easily intimidated and a bit scatterbrained because ghose tend to be easiest for me to slip into character 😆
I think also trying to engage with other people’s characters is what scares me a little as well; I know functionally it’s not much different than here; you can even plot out rp scenes in time out!
But it’s still scary doing the actual approach, and in character!
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