CINEMORPHICS GROUPS

Since I began publishing this blog in mid October of last year, I have gotten a lot of questions about the availability of private or group sessions and workshop/seminars in Cinemorphics. If you are new to Cinemorphics I recommend that you read the Cinemorphics FAQ (click on CINEMORPHICS FAQ link or go to October Archives of blog…Saturday, October 15, 2005 posting.) as well as the entire blog to better understand the rationale behind the approach described below, how the "actor" designation fits in, and what the result for the "actor" is likely to be. In short, we are all "actors" and as Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage…".

In response to this interest in Cinemorphics consulting, I am currently in the process of forming several small "actors coaching" groups (4-8 "actors" each). I am working with small groups rather than individuals because I have found that, much like in a play or ensemble film, this approach creates a dynamic that reinforces and enhances effective character development.



The method that I am using in the beginning stages of group formation relies as much upon the form of the actor-coach interaction as the content. The "sessions" do not occur on a set schedule in a particular place (office, stage, etc.) but, rather, occur in the "real" world (coffee house, park, hotel lobby, etc.) on a variable schedule of "odd" times. These "sessions" can almost feel like cloak and dagger meetings among operatives in a spy movie or a band of international jewel thieves planning their next caper. This procedure results in a "breaking of the mold"…the typical method of arranging a series of appointments at a common location, and a new "re-casting"…acting "out of character" from the very beginning. This primes the pump for the re-writing and re-performing of the personas of the actors (in any given small group) that will follow, as well as creating an atmosphere of real life game-like intrigue…a zone outside of, ordinary, day to day, habituated reality.



If you would like to become a part of one of these groups, email me at
cinemorphics@yahoo.com. Describe your interest and ask questions. I will reply via email and suggest a time and place for a first meeting, if appropriate.

YOUR LIFE IS A MOVIE

Below is the opening paragraph of a piece by Nichloas Rombes entitled
YOUR LIFE IS A MOVIE, The Surveillance Culture as Entertainment which has interesting implications for the practice of Cinemorphics.



Today, a second-order reality threatens not to replace the Real, but to expose it as a threat. The final threat. We have been prepared for this by movies like eXinstenZ and The Matrix and Minority Report, which have helped to transform fear into desire. "Big Brother" is no longer a source of anxiety, but of fascination. The Department of Defense's central research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) maintains a web site that speaks of "truth maintenance" and "story telling." In an older version of the website, there was this sentence: "Total information awareness of transnational threats requires keeping track of individuals and understanding how they fit into models."

JOHN BARRYMORE QUOTATIONS

John Barrymore is reported to have said the following:



A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.

America is the country where you can buy a lifetime supply of aspirin For one dollar and use it up in two weeks.

Die? I should say not, dear fellow. No Barrymore would allow such a conventional thing to happen to him.

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open.

I am thinking of taking a fifth wife. Why not? Solomon had a thousand wives and he is a synonym for wisdom.



I would like to find a stew that will give me heartburn immediately, instead of at three o clock in the morning.

In Genesis, it says that it is not good for a man to be alone; but sometimes it is a great relief.

Hollywood is like the seven headed sea monster from the Bible. Or maybe it’s the actors. Each has at least seven personalities. I know I do.

Love is the delightful interval between meeting a beautiful girl and discovering that she looks like a haddock.

My wife is the kind of girl who will not go anywhere without her mother, and her mother will go anywhere.



Why is there so much month left at the end of the money?

ANOTHER CLUE

The HISTORY of acting…

The first recorded case of an actor performing took place in 534 B.C. (probably on 23 November, though the changes in calendar over the years make it hard to determine exactly) when the Greek performer Thespis stepped on to the stage at the Theatre Dionysus and became the first person to speak words as a character in a play. The machinations of storytelling were immediately revolutionized. Prior to Thespis' act, stories were told in song and dance and in third person narrative, but no one had assumed the role of a character in a story. In honour of Thespis, actors are commonly called Thespians.

Theatrical myth to this day maintains that Thespis exists as a mischievous spirit, and disasters in the theatre are sometimes blamed on his ghostly intervention.

A HINT

JOHN BARRYMORE

A PUZZLE

What do these images have in common?

EXTREME PERSONALITY MAKEOVER

Below is an excerpt from a
WIRED article that somebody turned me on to. This stuff is way beyond Cinemorphics and the "Method"…edging into Nano Vogue, only not as changeable.



"Sick of your lazy, cheating spouse? Ready to dump your nagging girlfriend? Don't give up - they can be changed. A growing list of personality traits has been linked to individual genes, and scientists are finding ways to tweak them. Yes, this stuff is largely experimental, but someday DNA could save your relationship. So, young lovers, are you ready to skip couples counseling and go straight to gene therapy? Here are some behaviors ripe for reengineering…"

Check out the article via link, above…

NANO VOGUE

An associate of mine reminded me of a futuristic TV series proposal that I wrote a number of years ago that included an episode summary entitled NANO VOGUE which hints at what a Cinemorphic technology might be like a hundred years from now (or maybe sooner). Here's the summary:

"A Parisian designer debuts his new collection. By using his cutting edge neurochemical/nano-shapeshifting technology, fashionistas can select from his new generation of persona/body/sex design configurations, which enable physical and psychological malleability, changing these configurations as they would clothes. The world military and covert operations coalition attempts to suppress and commandeer the designer's innovation, but since, by this time, the fashion industry is more powerful than any government or military group, they loose."



Here are some excerpts from an ARTICLE that appeared last year:

Frederic Zenhausern, director of the Applied NanoBioscience Center at ASU, has joined with Ghassan Jabbour, a professor at the University of Arizona, to develop two prototypes of "biometric bodysuits" that contain embedded sensors, power sources, microfluidic devices and other gadgets not normally associated with the latest Paris fashions…



…The civilian one can monitor your heart or blood pressure, deliver interactive games or simply work as a wearable computer. You will even be able to download new colors and patterns from the Web to change your appearance…

…And it could all be made to look stylish by blending the electronics with high-fashion designs, he said.

Persona as fashion…

CHARACTER ADDICTION

Notes:
Someone emailed asking if I have ever encountered what might be termed "character addiction", i.e. someone who either "falls in love" (love an addiction?) with a character they are playing in a movie or play or creating a new persona for themselves which may be addictive in an unhealthy way. I addressed this very briefly in an early post, CINEMORPHICS - Observations 1, in the October Archives. To elaborate a bit...

I know some actors REALLY like to play certain types of characters because of the attributes of these types. An example would be a powerful character, e.g. a king or a mob boss or cop. The power of the character being acted feels good to the actor and becomes very seductive. I "real" life, I can see how this could create problems. (This is not the same thing as creating a persona who drinks becoming addicted to alcohol. The addiction is probably to the alcohol, not the persona.)



If you create a persona that really "works", really "plays" it makes you feel good…in the groove. If this groove habituates and you find that you have to exaggerate the aspects of this persona to continue to make it "work", the persona could be creating a dependency. We are probably all "addicted" to our egos to begin with. The ego can be very demanding. It kicks and screams if not attended to properly. This is what could be considered one of the "subtle" or invisible addictions referred to in the excerpt below from the article DRUG ADDICTION VERSUS DRUG WAR ADDICTION. Interesting stuff…addiction to "reality"?

"Addiction comes in many forms, shapes and sizes. The major ones include: alcohol addiction, tobacco addiction, caffeine addiction, drug addiction, pornography addiction, sex addiction, gambling addiction, and computer addiction (including on-line gaming addiction). Then, there are the so-called "subtle" or invisible addictions, which include addiction to work (workaholics), addiction to power (megalomania), addiction to money (miserliness), addiction to approval ("people pleasing"), addiction to reading (bibioholics), addiction to spirituality (the "silent" or taboo addiction), addiction to beauty ("attraction"), addiction to obsessive thinking (rumination), addiction to emotion (anger or tears), and addiction to certain foods (chocoholics)."

HIATUS

I will not be posting on as regular a basis until after the first of the year. I look forward to receiving questions, comments, criticisms, inspirations, etc. at cinemorphics@yahoo.com.

ART DIRECT YOURSELF

NOTES:
As in planning and shooting a movie…locations…SETS…where you live and work…what bars and restaurants you hang out in. Your car. "Props"…cell phone, eyepod, briefcase…a cane? How you decorate and light your house/apartment...



All of these are extensions/expressions of character/persona/self, and should be taken into consideration…changed around as you re-write and re-act yourself.

In Cinemorphic seminars, groups or sessions skilled professionals in these areas collaborate with you in accomplishing these changes.

COLLABORATION

Motion picture production is a collaborative effort.

There is great power in collaboration, between and among producer/writer/director/actor/cameraman/editor, etc.

This is not movie making by committee.

At its best, it can foster a potent alchemy of creativity and imagination…and the synergistic power of a "third mind" emerges. The movie just finds the groove…like jazz improvisation…and plays itself.

The same is true of the practice/play of Cinemorphics.

WILD TALENTS

At this point we should probably ask an important question. How is it that human beings are even capable of using procedures like Cinemorphics? What "wild talents" do we possess that afford us this option? Too often these attributes may be taken for granted…until someone gives us a Zen-like whack on the head and wakes us up.

Indeed, cosmographer and speculative scientist Charles Fort (1874-1932) published a book entitled WILD TALENTS in which he does discuss the extravagant natural abilities of human beings, but, as enlightening and amusing as Fort can sometimes be as he whacks us, it is probably wise not to travel down that road in this discussion.



Instead, I suggest we take a long look at THE CREATED SELF, REINVENTING BODY, PERSONA AND SPIRIT by psychologist Robert J. Weber, who reminds us that we are now at a stage in our evolution where our self-awareness, imagination, intelligence and "wild talent" are developed to such an extent that we can go about consciously re-constructing ourselves.



Kenneth Gergen says of THE CREATED SELF:
"In today's culture, the self is considered largely a work in progress. Our bodies can now be altered and extended in ways previously undreamed of; our personas are constantly assuming multiple roles in the course of our daily lives; and we seek spiritual fulfillment in myriad traditional and nontraditional cultures, both sacred and secular. Yet as we constantly reinvent ourselves, how do we balance freedom and flexibility with integrity and unity? Using the insights of William James and evolutionary psychology as a springboard, the innovative psychologist Robert J. Weber explores the new, shifting self."

THE CREATED SELF (and other theoretical readings mentioned in this blog) opens the discussion about contemporary humans becoming equipped to self-consciously manipulate their bodies, personas and spirituality.

How this is accomplished operationally, as we have begun to sketch and will continue to explore, is another matter.

ROBERTA BREITMORE

Check out the Sunday, November 27 issue of the NEW YORK TIMES for an article about artist Lynn Hershman Leeson, part of which deals with her notorious Roberta Breitmore project. I have included a brief excerpt from the article below:



"…she conjured up Roberta Breitmore, her most sustained character study. From 1974 to 1978, while Ms. Hershman Leeson was a wife and mother trying to make it in San Francisco as an artist, Roberta was a divorced woman new to town, trying to make it on her own. The artist brought her to life by wearing a blond wig, applying heavy makeup and adopting a set of rather depressive tendencies.

Other performance artists in the 1970's were also creating characters to untangle the knots of identity and gender, but Roberta was no one-act wonder. She had her own slumped posture, slow gait, colorful outfit, loopy handwriting, odd jobs and romantic encounters. In time, Roberta acquired a driver's license, two credit cards and her own apartment.

"Everyone thought I was crazy," the artist said. "But I rented Roberta an apartment across the street from my house. I just didn't feel her life would be complete without her own space."

Interesting take on bringing a fictitious character…or a new persona…to "life".

ACT NOW!

Here's another very useful and practical BOOK, about which Talia Shire says,
"Destined to become the classic handbook for using acting techniques in everyday life."

DREAMING IN CHARACTER, cont.

If you Google "dreaming in character" all sorts of interesting stuff turns up…lots of situations where actors start "dreaming in character" while doing a part, or gamesters start dreaming from the POV of their game character. Here's one example from an ARTICLE about the actor Peter Krause:



That Krause's work bleeds into his personal life is no surprise given how deeply he immerses himself in his roles. In the past he's been so preoccupied with Nate's plight in Six Feet Under that he's found himself dreaming in character. The strain of portraying these troubled souls has even manifested itself physically. "My lowest point was probably right before We Don't Live Here Anymore," Krause says. "I had this really bad case of hives all over my body from the stress."

DREAMING IN CHARACTER

As part of the process of creating a new character for yourself try to dream as if you are that character. Meditate on this for a few minutes before going to sleep and see what happens. This is like learning a foreign language and dreaming in that language.



Here are some of the responses to the question "Have you ever dreamed you were someone else?" asked in a discussion group on BELIEFNET.COM:

"Many years ago, I had a dream that I was someone else...it has always intrigued me and I've wondered if it is a possible vision of a past life. Has anyone else dreamt of being someone other than yourself?"

"All the time. I am rarely myself in a dream. Usually it's completely made up dream-characters I identify with, sometimes I also change identification during the dream. It also happens that I dream I am a character from a movie or book, even non-human ones."



"Interesting...I have also dreamed that I was a character in a cartoon, but I was still me. The other dream was very bizarre because I knew it wasn't me physically, but I knew all the thoughts and emotions of this old woman. And I saw things through her eyes...like tunnel vision almost. Glad to know, though, that others have had similar dreams."

…etc. Check out the site for more and remember, as Willie Nelson said, "Be careful what you're dreaming…soon your dream'll be dreaming you."

UNIFORMS EXPOSED

A significant piece of the puzzle when "trying on" a new character can be the way this new character dresses. What kind of "costume" should they wear to enhance and reinforce the presentation. Most people adopt some kind of habitual uniform whether they identify it as such or not.

UNIFORMS EXPOSED by Jennifer Craik explores the phenomenon of the uniform very effectively.



Book Description
There is nothing uniform about wearing a uniform. This one article of clothing has arguably had a greater impact on the world than any other. From fascists to fashionistas, Uniforms Exposed looks at this most extraordinary of ordinary garments and its cultural meaning in our everyday lives. Tracing the troubling connections amongst religious orders, the military, schools and fetish clubs, Craik shows how uniforms alternately control bodies and enable subversion. What does it mean to wear one? Why do certain professions require them? Do they really tell wearers how to act and others how to respond? Answering these intriguing questions and many more, Craik shows how the uniform inspires fear and love, conformity and subversion, and why it has continued to fascinate across cultures and throughout history.

TWO EXPERIMENTS

1. Drop personal history and self-importance. Costume yourself in some beat-up old clothes and become a homeless person/panhandler for a day. Take notes on how this makes you feel. Don't just think about it…write it down.

2. Un-occupied and un-employed. Stand in a relatively busy place and do nothing. Be un-occupied and un-employed for ten minutes. Don't pretend to be waiting for someone, relaxing, "people watching", or the like, if someone asks what you are doing. That would be "doing waiting", "doing relaxing" or "doing people watching". You have no job and you are doing nothing. Take notes on how this makes you feel.



These two exercises yield very different results, but both begin to expose who "you" are. The first, although not exclusively so, is discussed extensively by CARLOS CASTANEDA in his books about his apprenticeship to the (interestingly enough, fictitious) Yaqui shaman Don Juan.



The second is included in Bernard McGrane's THE UN-TV AND THE 10 MPH CAR which I highly recommend.

ZEN PHYSICS

When you create a new character for yourself and you begin to work with it, you will find that your old, habitual character/construct has a life of its own…does not want to be "killed off". Do not kill it. Set it aside. Use it.

But there can be sadness. You have "lost" a loved one…your old persona. There can be periods of grief the more the old you fades away. An intriguing meditation: Think of Cinemorphic change as death and reincarnation.

To take this one step further, check out ZEN PHYSICS by David Darling. Here's a description of the book from Publishers Weekly:



"With the catapult of logic, astrophysicist Darling (Equations of Eternity) lobs a barrage of scientific data against death's door. But he-and we-never quite gain access to the ultimate mystery. The title notwithstanding, Darling's prime ammo is psychology, not physics, and Zen enters his plan only in the endgame. His main thrust involves presenting cases of amnesia, multiple personality disorder and other afflictions, as well as facts of the brain-mind connection, to demonstrate that our sense of self is not steady, as is generally supposed, but fluid, even temporally discrete. Darling then announces a not quite convincing and emotionally unsatisfying theory of "reincarnation" based on this ever-changing self, in which successive incarnations of "me" retain no personal link from one to the next. With great elegance, he next uses findings of quantum physics to show that consciousness is primary to matter. This contradicts Western scientific orthodoxy, but Darling makes a strong case. Both the fluid self and the primacy of matter accord with Buddhist principles, which is where Zen comes in. Oddly, though, Darling's idea of reincarnation seems to veer from Zen basics, as it eliminates the possibility of conscious reincarnation. Likely, readers will finish this bold brief sensing they've peeked through death's keyhole, but have not opened the door."