Performing the Real: An Analysis of Improvisation in Film - Essay Example

 Improvisation…..1 Performing the real: An analysis of improvisation in film. Abstract Improvisation in films has been and is still now a highly contested topic that conjures up mixed feelings among giants in the film industry. This widely contested and debated topic has evolved from the ancient era right through to these modern times. The central thesis of this dissertation is based on whether improvisation enriches a film or impoverishes it. While some of the greats are attracted to this concept of film making, others favour the more traditional and conventional style of making films. Thoughts and ideas pertaining to these issues on improvisation are going to be examined in this thesis to find out about the intricacies of improvisation which would give us some insight to judge the right and wrong side of this highly criticised art. An in-depth study is going to be carried out on a few chosen films which would help put our thoughts in the right perspective. Improvisation…3 Introduction: From time immemorial the topic of improvisation has been highly discussed and debated at various levels in the film industry. The function of question is to derive or arrive at an answer either directly or else by analysing past experiences. The planet we live in has evolved from its primitiveness right through to becoming a highly advanced globalized village. It has traversed far from a hunter gather society to an egalitarian society as of today through what we term as evolution. Or to put it differently it can be called as improvisation. Therefore improvisation adds up to the advancement of human beings, through immeasurable and intangible ways which has taken us a long way paving the path of civilization. In a broader sense improvisation helps to improve or enhance what is already there or present. It is very evident that modern society has reached where it is solely through research and experimentation in the field of Science and technology and the improvisation carried out in various fields. In other words we could say that improvisation has evidently contributed towards great improvement in the modern society. One such area of improvement can be seen in the realm of film making where improvisation has played a major role in bringing about radical changes in the film industry. This research study is going to take us through the rigors Of How Improvisation Has Catered To The Film Industry and it is going to analyse the different angles or aspects to find out whether improvisation has helped to enhance the beauty and dynamics of film or has it catered to Improvisation…4 impoverishing it. The central point of this study is find out whether the different techniques used in improvisation help to improve the quality of the film/video/drama or does it bring down the standard by impoverishing it. Over the course of time the concept of improvisation has stepped and made its presence felt in many ways. This study proposes to answer the question that time and again rears its head - Does improvising really help in improvising the piece of art that is film or impoverishes the art itself. Contemporary film makers used various methods and revolutionary ideas in the film making process out of which improvisation is one such. Most film makers made use of the concept of improvisation by making use of actors without any professional background to act in the films. Many strong and valid arguments have been raised in using the technique of improvisation which resulted in coming up with questions and reasons for using improvisation as technique to enhance their films. The primary aim of this thesis is to analyse the concept of improvisation and make an assessment on how this concept helps in improving different aspects of film making or on the other hand go into the nitty - gritties of finding out if it impoverishes different aspects of a film. The film Cliff, relates to the central thesis of the dissertation in many ways. Firstly the story is about two individuals on the verge of life; one is committed to die and the other to save the life. The theme contemplates life and death. The film is about the old man travelling to the cliffs of Improvisation…5 Dover accompanied by his daughter to end his life. He undergoes emotional trauma and confused as his daughter takes him with eyes blinded and says final goodbye. For unknown reasons he retracts from his motive, breaks down removes his blind fold to realises that he is not on the cliff but on an open field. The characters were played by non-professional actors aged early 20’s and late 50’s.They were initially briefed about the story line. To have a realistic approach to the film, the actors were asked to play their part with their imaginative dialogue and naive acting. The actors were called in and asked to act out a small scene that was briefed on the spot. They used the available furniture and clothing was a casual one, they spoke the dialogue and improvised it. For e.g. there was this scene the old man annoys her without eating food and repeatedly expresses to die on the cliff, for this, the girl retaliates telling even she shall accompany in his death, shall end her life along with him. The father is shocked and vents his anger pouring the water on the daughter’s face. This seems to be realistic and naturalist approach, as he is old, is not capable to hit her back, and uses the available property to show his anger. This was improvised on the set while rehearsing for the particular scene. The father character was to vent out his anger by slapping or rebuking her, but it was his own idea to splash the water on her face. Had the above scene been filmed in a normal studio film the scene would have heavily dramatised with orchestra music and strong lengthy dialogue delivery. She could have recalled the past of his father, might even have flashback story, proving to look very traditional and Improvisation…6 normal motion film. However in this film the dialogue was short and unnecessary back story information was cut down. Mostly the dialogues were the improvised by group activity among the actors, group experience helped them share and improve the dialogue. It helped to build the story with strong dialogue and naturalistic way of using them added flair to the film. Normally this type of dramatic films would have dramatic or sentimental dialogues to sympathise with audience. Group experience lead to characterisation and emotion of the character, as they practised and rehearsed together it enable to greater understanding of each other. The rapport among the actors was brilliant they turned to real life father-daughter, emotions were strong. She had the spontaneity and was able to cry on the cliffs without any artificial method. Location used was an ill maintained house to project their status; it reflects their mood and living condition. The furniture’s used was a single cot that lay unused in the house and the cot was removed and mattress was placed on the floor .And the cliff represents the loneliness, hollowness in their life. Minimum use of set properties and story told in non linear way influences the audience strongly. Camera aspects, mostly the film used hand held technique which gave the actor his freedom and liberty. Available source light was used so that it does not interrupt the actor’s flow of acting. Due to the low level of lighting the scenes looked bit grainy added effect to the story. Hand held camera movement helped the actor to have own territory to move around. Improvisation…7 It also deals general outward concerns and issues of ordinary human, consequences that lead their life. It also attempts to explore the attitude of small town man living out life in a cosmopolitan city. It tries to figure the naked truth behind his death wish; its mixture of a politics, social and economic reason. In this film it is much more inclined to social reasons, the old man does not have peer group, socially in active, for which the society could be indirectly involved. Had he been involved with society or social circle, chances are really meek of taking a terrible decision. This is reflected in the film as the old man lives a lonely life which society indirectly attributes and issues of old age behaviour, past life and attitudes towards circumstance. Background of the study: This study is going to determine whether the improvisation technique really and actually improves the quality of the film, in actual film making or on the other hand does it pull down the quality in various aspects. Utilizing the technique of improvisation may look to be very simple but how well and aptly it is used would be left to be seen until the film releases. If the technique of improvisation is used sensibly, then the film could be a sensational success, but unfortunately Improvisation…8 if the technique is not applied rightly, the film would undoubtedly be written off as a poorly made film. The background study of this thesis would be to examine many different films who have made use of the technique of improvisation and conclude whether these films were successful or not. This study would also look at all the different areas of film and make an assessment of the different techniques of improvisation used in films that are chosen for scrutiny and find out why or why not were they successful or not. Out of the numerous films that used the techniques of improvisation, a few of them were short-listed to be used for the background study in order to make the study more feasible when analysing each of these film. The study would examine the various improvisation techniques used in each of these films and it would make an analysis whether these techniques were used in such a way as to enhance the film or were they used poorly so as to impoverish the film. In making use of improvisation techniques, the film cannot make use of the conventional or standard system of film making that is generally used. On the other hand it has its own style and pattern that is not systematic but changes according to what is really needed. The background of the study would also include examining the various techniques in improvisation like using non – professional actors, using a thin story line that does not have a script, different camera techniques and angles used and lighting used in these films. The study would also resolve to make comparisons between techniques in improvisation and the techniques Improvisation…9 used in contemporary film making where bound scripts and method actors are made use of. The study proposes to analyse these contrasts and see if these techniques benefit the films chosen or does it spoil and tear it apart. Choice of films There are few short -listed films useful for the above thesis that has made use of improvisation techniques while shooting for the film. In scrutinizing these films the study tends to come up with some facts to prove that these techniques enhance the overall package of the film or if it impoverishes it. The following are the films chosen for the study – Shadows Faces A Room for Romeo Brass Pickpocket Improvisation…10 Vera Drake Chennai 600028 Areas of Study Achieving Naturalistic Acting Styles within a Group: Working in a group parallelly using a very simple story line can be very useful when using the technique of improvisation. When working in groups the actors could use the comments from their colleagues thereby improving their capabilities during practice and rehearsals. This kind of sharing and helping would lead one to imagine the sequence of logical moments and build the story to climax. Alison Oddey, a British educator and artist had started devising theatre from the year 1977. In her book titled, “In Devising Theatre: A Practical and Theoretical Handbook, Alison Oddey tells us that a comprehensive study on devised work helps to bring out “the uniqueness of process and product for every group concerned”. (Oddey Alison, 1994) She speaks of another devising process called ‘Forced Entertainment’ where a group uses “an almost random pile of text, images, ideas and personal experiences, out of which comes the subject matter for a piece”. (87) Improvisation…11 Oddey has dedicated one chapter in her book which is adapted from the work of Augusto Boal, an activist and director on the subject of improvisation. The exercises that are demonstrated give a wide spectrum of devising approaches which include improvisation of thematic developments, short theatrical bits pertaining to specific areas which the group develops gradually into proper cohesion and taste. Kerrigan, who is the founder of TOUCH Mime Theatre has conducted significant research on collaborative creativity and has come up with an amazing book that gives a step by step guide of how to create an original performance while working within a group. There are two separate divisions to Kerrigan’s book titled “The Performer’s Guide”.– The first section is called the “Creative Processes” which lays down the developmental stages to the reader filled with activities and exercises that project thoughts and ideas towards devised work of which strategies and methods of improvisation play a great part. The second part of Kerrigan’s book deals with helping members of a group to work together productively and without any disagreement. She says that in order to have a well organised team or group, the head of the group should have very good organisational skills which include criticizing a work constructively and without bias and how to go about resolving conflicts when they crop up. Using improvisation within a group helps the new or the not – so – good actor to learn a lot from the well experienced ones thus building up a lot of confidence. Other qualities imbibed when Improvisation…12 working in a group are cooperation, tolerance, patience, love for the art, a yearning to learn from experiences and above all constructive criticism. Working in a group on a thin script or no script at all helps all the actors to make their contribution in building a good script. Making Realistic Films Using Ordinary People who are not Actors: Making films utilising the services of people we meet in our day to day life is no laughing matter because it entails much harder work than is usually necessary than while dealing with trained actors. Mike Leigh, one of Britain’s great directors and writers, makes films dealing realistically with ordinary people in every day life. He is one director besides the American director John Sayles who has an eye for choosing typical characters to make up one of the most interesting casts that he is so famous for. Though his characters seem quite odd or queer, they are people who face problems, love and laugh like anyone of us and hence we are able to identify with Leigh’s characters. These characters do a wonderful job of improvising for an hour or so and then it becomes the director’s job to sift through and distil the right amount of feeling and emotion that goes into the characters act. (Jason Best, in an interview with Mike Leigh on BBC) Improvisation…13 Mike Leigh feels that the common man has witnessed so much of violence through films, video games and on TV that he has become “desensitized” and therefore the improvisation portrayed by his characters who are rather odd but still very human are intended to rouse them from their stupor or lethargy and make them “feel” compassion “for others” around us. (Leonard Quart, Ray Carney, “The Films of Mike Leigh”) Most of his characters are kind of repelling or unusually obnoxious- such as being extremely obese or a sadist or even a drunk but yet his improvisation through the kind of characters he chooses are able to bring out the right amount of emotions necessary to make society aware of how insensitive we are. Some of Mike Leigh’s films that cater to characterization with emotions are – “Bleak Moments”, “All or Nothing”, “Naked”, “Grown Ups”, “Secrets and Lies”, and many more. (Leonard Quart, Ray Carney. The Films of Mike Leigh) Poor Improvisation does not help to redeem an already weak script: Development of form in improvisation is a permutation combination not only of group experience but also characterisation and emotion that sets mood and atmosphere for enacting the various scenes. These factors help to develop a simple story into a complex and detailed film. Improvisation…14 Many a times, improvisation could be described as ‘a crutch for lazy filmmakers’. The film crew start out with a truly weak script and using improvisation as a crutch try to develop the plot and characters along the way. Good examples of films where improvisation fails to redeem a bad or worthless script are films like ‘Dodgeball’ ‘A True Underdog Story’. For example there is too much of taken for granted and randomness in ‘Dodgeball’ such as Rip throwing heavy wrenches at some people or assigning Jason Bateman and Gary Cole as the announcers for the ESPN8 (The Ocho) or portraying Ben Stiller as the pumped up gym proprietor who is seen wildly flailing into the air. Though there was a lot to laugh about, yet at the end of it all when you are leaving the theatre you feel disillusioned and not completely satisfied. The reason for this was because there was too much of the film left to rely on improvisation that was not handled quite well. Too much of randomness used in comedy or otherwise is a dangerous thing because it creates many pitfalls and vagueness that leaves the viewers wondering as to the authenticity of the film. But looking on the brighter side of things improvisation could spell a mega hit at the box – office provided these techniques are handled deftly and sensibly. In such a case, the script should be strong and make good use of the technique of improvisation through out the film, which in turn may turn out to be phenomenal. Improvisation…15 The Valuable Aspects of Improvisation: The study also covered the area of looking at the very useful and valuable aspects of improvisation. Using improvisation within a group could be very beneficial to all those who are in the group because the group can rehearse mock film making right in front of the camera while whilst in the presence of the their other colleagues who get to have a first hand view of the shot and movement of camera and they can pass on constructive and valuable comments and suggestions to the one who is acting. In turn the actor can make use of these suggestions and thereby better his performance. The study also made another valid observation while looking at the time factor involved in the actual film making. In using the technique of improvisation, a lot of time was spent on rehearsals and getting their act together. The good thing about these rehearsals was that it helped a lot during the actual film-making by not letting it to be time consuming. In fact, once the rehearsals were completed, the rest of the procedure needed very minimal time in order to execute it. Constant rehearsals and the camera movement actually help to speed up the process while the actual filming is taking place. This is a valuable aspect of improvisation because it saves a lot of time, money and energy. During the course of the study it was also observed that the actors shed a lot of their inhibition because in using the technique of improvisation they had the freedom to execute their act in any way they wanted. In other words, they did not have to stick strictly to a planned script. Improvisation…16 Putting Improvisation to good use could spell a mega hit at the box – office if handled deftly and sensibly. In this case, the script should be strong and the director should make use of the technique of improvisation through out the film that would turn out to be phenomenal in the end. The actors, director and the rest of the crew have to work much harder to give their best in order to make the film a success because if any of these areas prove weak, the film would be a disaster. Analysis and its impact This study is based on an analysis conducted on Improvisation and its techniques and how far these techniques are both viable and useful in either enhancing a film or tearing it down. The above mentioned factors would be examined and analysed by referring to films that have used the technique of improvisation, exhaustive study on improvisation, and a practical experiment of using the technique of improvisation. I had applied the technique in producing a short film involving two non professional actors and a story without abound script. The scenes and dialogues used are improvised and the camera was handheld with a very basic available source of light. By making a study of the various theorists and utilising a theoretical foundation, all the above mentioned areas would be studied and examined. Improvisation in films could be an exceptionally wonderful tool, but is not an end in itself. It has to be used within limitations. The modern digital age has made it quite possible to make movies very easily even with people who have very limited talent. The increasing popularity of Improvisation…17 improvisation makes every Wannabe think and feel that he could make it big with little or no effort and talent. This analysis is going to examine the efficacy of improvisation and look at those films that have proved it to bee a boon and those films that have proved it to be a bane. Objectives and ideological importance Aims and values of improvisation “Necessity is the mother of all invention.” As the word invention strikes, a degree of improvisation is accompanied by imagination. An imaginative world always aims at making good use of improvisation but as we grow older along with age grows our inhibitions and embarrassments. It is hard to make people think in an imaginative world and fantasise things as they are not accustomed to such things after a point of time in life. As life starts everyone begins to think and imagine life as if in a fantasy world that gradually saturates as time passes by various degrees, like primary, secondary or tertiary saturation. When life becomes totally saturated it tends to lose the zest and power of imagination. This proves to be an obstacle in the learning process in all aspects of life. Improvisation…18 Every development may come to a stand still and progress can be very slow, negative and sometimes stagnant. Development is always sought in every branch of life, mind, body and soul. To enrich the body and mind it is necessary to have a creative and imaginative mind. So one of the main aims or objectives of Improvisation is to always keep ones imagination fresh and alive, because imagination enriches the spiritual experience, while acting aids imaginative growth. The usage of Improvisation is necessary and perennial for people to utilize their grey cells. It helps the thought pattern in an orderly way and kindles and enhances all thought processes. It helps people analyse and understand real human situations and respond to it because the feeling and expressions used during improvisation are always honest and realistic. Another important objective of improvisation is to help us cope or deal realistically in real life situations. Improvisation offers good scope in serving as a platform from which we could solve the everyday problems that crop up in our lives. It opens new avenues or doors for understanding and helps us to overcome fears and insecurities and conditions us to live wisely and confidently. Understanding the impact it has on us is a dual process that helps us not only to understand our relationship with others but also the similarities and difference between them. Improvisation is a group activity that encourages the feeling of cooperation, constructive criticism, patience and tolerance. It helps us to understand life experiences we come across in a better light and teaches us valuable lessons. Acting and improvisation kindles independent Improvisation…19 thought. Rehearsals play a major role in improvisation and encourage the actor to build up confidence and act confidently and this in turn replenishes his/her skills in acting. Improvisation in acting also aims at giving us a better sense of body movement in relation to everything else around us. It breaks down the barrier of inhibitions and self consciousness, because of the experience gained by repeated rehearsals or takes. It helps us to be more creative in trying out new and different angles for one situation. If either a film or story has a very feeble or thin script to work on, then the best way would be to work in a group because many heads are better than one and all of them could be instrumental in building up a good script brick by brick. In improvisation, actors are given freedom to enact scenes how they like and to build dialogues which contributes greatly to the end product. Group activity aids the weaker section to learn from others, thereby ensuring growth. Demonstration of the Argument: There are two opposing views to the argument based on Improvisation in films. While one school of thought is of the opinion that improvisation should not be allowed or it is not to be given much importance there are still others who swear that improvisation is an innovative Improvisation…20 technique that has revolutionised the making of films and has ushered in a new era by introducing various techniques of improvisation that was not possible in the traditional way of making films. To demonstrate the two sides of the same coin, I have chosen some very good films which have used the technique of improvisation. By making an analysis of these films, it is possible to draw conclusions whether the techniques of improvisation are good or bad for film making. A ROOM FOR ROMEO BRASS Directed by ace director Shane Meadows, “A Room for Romeo Brass” is a scintillating yet eccentric film that is encapsulated on a huge canvas by characters whose genuine performances prove that films could be good even though they make use of ordinary characters. Just like great directors such as Ken Loach and Les Blair, Meadows too had the Midas touch of getting right into the heart of the audience through his characters. This story is based on love and flits between significance and insignificance, from comedy into serious drama, and from heightened humour to deathly horror. Romeo Brass and Gavin Woolley also called “Knocks” are two Nottingham school children who are not only neighbours but also Improvisation…21 best buddies. Both of them share a good rapport helping each other out. Romeo’s father has left the family leaving them to fend for themselves. Gavin has a back problem that results in his limp. Morrell befriends the boys and becomes infatuated with Romeo’s sister Ladine whom he tries to seduce. An angry confrontation ensues and Morrell is thrown out. Morrell then tries to attack Knocks’ father but just in time Romeo’s father returns and gives him a good thrashing. A touching family bonding takes place and Romeo and Knocks’ are united once again. The technique used in this film by Meadows is on –camera improvisation, where the characters are permitted to flit in an out in front of the camera making the scenes more life like and natural. Another point of improvisation he makes use of is the humorous or jokey takes which helps to give the audience a good feeling about the same people. Except for a few rough edges, the technique of improvisation was handled well which proves the success of the film. SHADOWS John Cassavetes is one director who would dare to undo a plot and expose his characters by making them experience the camera. He was a director who did not go along with the traditional but on the other hand he challenged it by resolving plots with a more realistic approach. Though Improvisation…22 improvisation was frequently used in most of his films, yet they were highly critiqued and misunderstood except for his film “Shadows” which had an insightful and heavy script dealing on the subject of inter –racial conflicts that took place in New York during the Beat Generation years. This film was an improvisational film which was scripted and directed by John Cassavetes himself. In this film Cassavetes uses the technique of improvisation to the maximum. The whole film utilises the improvisation technique not only of the creative talent of his characters but also of the settings, lights, props and cameras. There was some debating and confusion during the shooting of Shadows because Cassavetes permitted all his actors to portray their own interpretations of their characters during their performances. ‘Shadows’ was improved in every possible way by giving the actors total freedom and asking them to improvise the scene from their own point of view. He made use of a rudimentary film-making technique, used a basic sound and lighting rig with 16mm Arriflex camera which was mostly hand held and moved up and down in an uneven way. According to Cassavetes “In Hollywood ...everyone is frightened to do anything that’s not traditional ... there are certain rules and regulations that I think are set specifically to destroy the actor and make him feel uncomfortable.” (Cassavetes about Shadows) Most of the crew were either volunteers or his classmates who improvised a lot on the dialogue of the film giving it a natural and raw effect. Improvisation…23 Traditionally, in regular motion pictures there are always markings for lights and the actor is expected to stay in that certain region of light to enact the scene else it would have to go for another take, but Cassavetes being the unconventional director that he is, asked his cameraman to light the scene generally so that the actor’s spontaneity was not limited. Cassavetes and many others were pioneers in this field which brought about an evolution in New York’s Avant-garde cinema. This film was shot twice – i.e. the first version was in 1957 and the second version was taken in 1959. Because of its authenticity most of the film scholars considered ‘Shadows’ as one of the great highlights of independent film making in the United States. The United States ‘Library of Congress’ deemed the film ‘Shadows’ as “culturally significant” and selected it to be preserved in the National Film Registry which is a body that selects up to 25 films each year that are either historically, culturally or aesthetically significant. Faces Another John Cassavetes’ film ‘Faces’ became more than a film; it became a way of life. Cassavetes doesn’t want you to just watch the film; he wants you to experience it, feel it and to be in the moment. It can be said it was his personal vision. It is a raw film with non professional Improvisation…24 actors rehearsed for three Weeks; Ruban is the principal director of photography. The locations used were Cassavetes home and Gena’s (another producer) home and a few scenes were shot in the adjacent Losers club. During rehearsals Ruban used to teach his crew members about the equipment he was using to shoot the film which made it all the more interesting. The film’s improvisation consisted of a naturalistic technique in many ways – It had light flaring in the lens, a hand held camera with movements being adjusted to the frame and consisted of very tight close- up shots which were quite unnerving and uncomfortable at times.. The actors’ emotion and dialogues were improvised and enacted on the spot. The film uses laughter as an improvisation technique that dominates the film throughout. The laughter used here is not one of celebration or happiness but is used as a kind of mask to hide the pain and embarrassment that is felt underneath. The shots are rough handled and rather pronounced with an unanchored feel because of improvisation. The central theme of ‘Faces’ is based on a couple who’s marriage goes on the rocks with neither of them happy anymore and look in separate directions. Maria, the protagonist searches for romance elsewhere while joining a group of her friends and visiting a bar where she meets a young hippie and has a one night stand. Her husband is no better because he uses the services of an ever willing prostitute. The improvisation techniques used in the movie alternate between the clumsy and profound. In places the shots are excellent and captivating while in others it is rather raw to give a more Improvisation…25 natural effect. It was highly acclaimed at the Venice Film festival bagging a good five awards. Cassavetes exploration of modern relationships and his improvisational, cinéma vérité style is praiseworthy. PICKPOCKET Robert Bresson’s film ‘Pickpocket’ that has the influence of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's classic novel Crime and Punishment is all about imprisoned persons. It is the sad story of a pick pocket on the streets of Paris who is a loner who lives in his room and keeps himself away from everyone else. It is a realistic art film in which the actors hardly express their feelings. Michael, the hero in the film is a loser whose only passion is indulging in the crime of pick-pocketing and playing the game of cat and mouse where he experiences feelings of fear, guilt, anxiety and excitement. He spends some time studying from a master and the rest of the time he is seen moving with a gang of pickpockets. Michael is a person devoid of any emotion. In fact he is extremely selfish and dispassionate throughout the movie. This characteristic is very evident when he decides to even give his own girlfriend Jeanne who looks after his sick mother to his friend Jacques. His therapist comes in the form of a police detective who is hell bent on capturing him. Improvisation…26 As stated by Ken Kelman “Bresson's use of acting style and his refusal to supply psychological motivation thwarts our usual expectations of character explanation; and correspondingly, if his systematic use of ellipsis (separating events and sequences from one another rather than causally linking them) cuts off our dependence on the dominance of narrative”. (Ken Kelman, 1975) The final part of the film shows how Michael comes to terms with himself when he gets captured and regains his ability to love Jeanne. The improvisation techniques used in ‘Pickpocket’ is the deft use of hands. Michael is seen stealing money, purses, watches, handbags and what not while standing very close and staring into the victims eyes. These techniques were taught to him by Kassagi a master in magic and pick-pocketing. Bresson employs minimalism throughout the film with very sparse props, scenery and dialogue. Most of the film is in documentary style and has the characteristics of an art house film which encourages the audience to reflect on human feelings and sentiments and gets them to experience what loneliness is all about. While some thought that this film did not amount to much, there were others who thought that the improvisation used in this film was brilliant. Improvisation…27 VERA DRAKE. Written and directed by Mike Leigh ‘Vera Drake’ is based on Vera who works by cleaning other people’s houses and besides being devoted to her family also helps others serving as an abortionist. She believes in her actions as an act of generosity and hence does not take any payment for it. They are a middle class family who enjoys strong family bonds that keep them all close together. Vera Drake is one film that brings out the problems faced by people in the most naturalistic way. Mike Leigh uses this technique to the fullest to bring out not only the suffering but also the compassion of Vera in helping many of the women go through the rigours of abortion which was a striking problem in those days. Mike Leigh incorporated parts of his own childhood in ‘Vera Drake’ because his life also reflected the socio- economic class. His father was a doctor and his mother had been a midwife. In Leigh’s own words, “I lived in this particular kind of working- class district with some relations living in slightly leafier districts up the road. So there was always a tension, or at least a duality: those two worlds were forever colliding. So you constantly get the one world and its relationship with the other going on in my films”. (Fuller: xi, xxi: 51) Mike Leigh is one director who used unusual methods to capture realism in his films. As Watson (1994) states, “Leigh’s actors literally have to find their characters through improvisation and Improvisation…28 research the ways people in specific communities speak and behave. Leigh and his cast immerse themselves in the local life before creating the story”. The element of surprise was given a lot of prominence in his films. To illustrate this argument we can comment on the scene that Vera was to be arrested. None of the other cast members nor even Vera know that she was going to be arrested right to the moment when the people acting as police officers knock on Vera’s door. The element of shock, confusion and surprise that was so spontaneous was beautifully captured and this served as the unpolluted material for the film. Though the subject chosen by the director was quite serious, the naturalistic acting of the actors made it humane and appealing. But a former mid-wife, Jennifer says, that though “Mike Leigh’s film about backstreet abortions, may be well acted and directed its just a shame it’s so implausible”. She said this because it was found that the film was not medically accurate in certain areas. But all said and done Leigh’s award winning film Vera Drake used a lot of improvisation that contributed a lot to the film’s success. Improvisation…29 Improvisation in Comedy: ‘Knocked Up’. Comedy films use a lot of improvisation to make the scenes more natural and alive. In the film ‘Knocked Up’, intelligent and comic improvisation played a major role throughout the film bringing out its ramshackle but cool charm. Though cute and funny at the same time, it breathed spontaneity and humaneness. Comedy, either slapstick or otherwise would be a wash out if the technique of improvisation is not handled well. Great comedy stars like Jim Carey and Robin Williams are actors who have to be tightly reined instead of asking them to improvise so much. The end result of such encouragement is a widely improvised and cheaply shot film that doesn’t get too far with an audience. ‘The Office’ is a good example of this. CHENNAI 600028 Chennai 600028 is a debut film of first time director Venkat Prabhu who also plays one of the characters in the film. It is a racy family entertainer that revolves around a group of fun loving youngsters with a real passion for playing Gully Cricket. The film is action packed alternating Improvisation…30 between love, hatred and friendship. The film is based on two opposing cricket teams who are willing to go to any extent in winning the ‘Mirchi Cup’. Most of the players have nothing much to do and lead a very carefree life and getting into trouble while trying to satisfy their passion for cricket. The improvisation used in his film is minimalism with totally non-professional actors facing the camera first time. The actors were given total freedom to portray their characters how they wished. The actors were asked to enact their scene in a more naturalistic way right in front of the camera. This movie was created on a shoestring budget making use of only what was available. There were no big sets or fancy outdoor shooting. In fact the cricket ground was the road in front of his friend’s house. Another improvisation technique used by the director was brazen slapstick comedy that was spontaneous and utilized throughout the movie. It also made use of fast and flashy visual techniques with even faster editing techniques that added a lot of vibrancy to the film. In fact the success of Chennai 600028 is solely based on the improvisation techniques used in the film because the script was too flimsy and threadbare. Improvisation…31 THEORETICAL FOUNDATION OF THE CONCEPT Life and Improvisation: Learning takes place through life experiences that we come across. Our entire life is one long eventful experience. It is analysed in a cross sectional view of past, present, and future, with little or no attempt made to view life as a whole. In order to have a better understanding of life, the whole aspect of life needs to be thoroughly observed and examined. While we make a study or an analysis of the various aspects of human life, we must not lose sight of the uniqueness of every individual. Every individual has his/her own experience in their life time, which means that every single human being is a subject of study and research. Every individual begin life with their own unique or particular heredity and personality traits which undergoes various changes due to the influence of society, environment and pressure that changes or modifies the human personality thereby contributing to ones unique life. Life experiences help us to gain a lot especially if it is shared with other individuals and we try to fit these experiences into our own lives. Appreciating Art and other subjects like Science, History and Geography or the reading or poetry and novels are some of the ways we share life and information with others and these experiences help to enrich our own lives. Improvisation…32 Film too, is one such medium where we could make a study of human life experiences and how these same humans find solutions in solving the problems they are faced with. In other words film can also be called a reflection of life. All films portray various aspects of human life – like happiness, sadness, melancholy, love, hate, greed, disgust and violence under various situations and at different stages. Actors who depict the various characters experience both the good and the bad aspects of life which in turn enriches his life and moulds his personality. Acting is one of the forms by which we can explore the experiences in life. Acting represents life in different forms by portraying problems and seeking solutions to it.. In improvisation an actor is given an opportunity to identify and rectify his own misrepresentations. Whereas in real life situations the incidents and problems are real and happen on the spur of the moment and can never be improvised or reverted. But if the same situation happens in a film the scene can be improved however many times it is needed. In other words, human response can be improvised in film unlike in real life. Stanislavsky pioneered an approach in improvisation in how an actor prepares: He stuck the pin in a fold of a curtain and asked the actor to find it, “Maria dashed on to the stage as if she had been chased .She ran to the edge of footlights and then back again, holding her head with both hands, and writhing with terror. Then she came forward again, and then again went away, this time in opposite direction. Rushing out toward the front stage seized the folds of the Improvisation…33 curtain and shook them desperately, finally burying head in them. This act she intended to represent looking for the brooch.” Though the actor felt wonderful, Stanislavsky felt the artificial in the act represented because he felt she never searched the brooch but was suffering to search for it. He warned her to search for the brooch to get saved. “Immediately her face became intense. She glued her eyes on the curtain, and went every fold of the material from top to bottom, painstakingly, systematically. This time her search was at a much slower pace, but we were all sure that she was not wasting a second of her time and that she was sincerely excited although she made no effort to seem so.” (Hodgson John and Richards Ernest, 1983, 5) From the above exercise she learnt her first search was bad, the second was good. This exercise very much reflects the importance of improvisation; the improvised search gets closer to naturalist and realistic acting. Improvisation as therapy Improvisation replaces aspects of psychoanalysis and puts the mind in a better state of consciousness to overcome feelings that have been kept pent up for a very long period. Difficult Improvisation…34 and trying situations in the life of any human being that creates an imbalance could be brought back on track by the application of improvisation therapy which has been proved to be quite useful. At The Henderson Hospital at Sutton in Surrey, as reported in The Observer, 31 January 1965, “treatment is designed through individuals to work together on their minor psychological problems”. One middle–aged woman, when asked what the hospital had done for her, said, “Well, I don’t take the tablets any more – I have learned to put human relationships in their place.” (The Observer, 31st Jan. 1965) Augusto Boal, a theatre director from Brazil who makes a brilliant statement in his book “The Rainbow of Desire” when he speaks about the therapeutic quality and ability of theatre that helps to liberate people and drastically change their lives. The book that was written by Boal in French was deftly translated by Adrian Jackson who states that these techniques help us to view the oppressions we have unknowingly internalized. Boal is famously known all over the world as the author of “Theatre of the Oppressed”. Conclusion: Based on all the above findings of this research, I would definitely say that improvisation is an art in itself. But the choice of whether or not to make use of it is something personal and reflects an individual’s own preference and taste. In fact I would say that it is partly our genes and partly our own innate tendencies together with our experiences in the environment such as our culture, Improvisation…35 memories, relationships, acquaintances, sounds and images that enable us to pronounce our tastes or preferences. As we go through life, we develop our own thoughts, ideas and feelings about things that affect us. Improvisation is just one of those things. But, never- the- less, there is no getting away from the fact that there is more truth in the acting style and the layout of the content when using the technique of improvisation. Though a properly scripted film leaves nothing to chance, it is still the element and technique of improvisation adds a sort of human flavour to it. But there is also the other side of the coin that has to be taken into consideration - Improvisation is a double – edged sword and if handled very carefully miracles could happen. But unfortunately, if it is the other way around, it could tear even the finest film to shreds. In an impeccably scripted film, the onus lies mostly on the director’s shoulders to see that he gets what he wants from the actors; but this is not so when using improvisation where every single member is responsible for the success of the film. Looking at improvisation from a creative angle, I think it is the best choice because an actor is given total freedom to give out his best without any restrictions. Besides this he also learns from actors much better than himself by learning to co-operate and take constructive criticism. In the long run, he learns to be a spontaneous and natural actor. Making use of improvisation in his acting, an actor more or less bonds with the character drawing out from his own life experiences Improvisation…36 in order to make his dialogue and action seem second nature to him and which help him bring out his style in the most naturalistic way possible. Therefore after making an analysis of all the above films, I found that there are more pro’s than cons to the subject of improvisation and definitely it is a technique that is definitely going places and would be a subject in itself to reckon with for a very long time to come. As Edward Hopper, the artist stated, “A personal vision of the world is the essential ingredient of great art”!. (Creative Film Making) Improvisation…37 References: Alison Oddey. (1994), Devising Theatre: A Practical and Theoretical Handbook. New York: Routledge, 2004; Amazon.com – review of ‘Pickpocket’. www.amazon.com/review/R36N9ZL7RCS8T8 A Room for Romeo Brass www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/297 BBC – Collective – Faces/ John Cassavetes, 1968. www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A1139762 BBC – Films – Interview – Mike Leigh (All or Nothing) www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/10/03/mike_leigh_all_or_nothing_interview.shtml Improvisation…38 Boal, Augusto (1994) The rainbow of Desire: the Boal method of theatre and therapy / Augusto Boal; translated by Adrian Jackson. London: Routledge, 1994. Carney, Raymond (2000) The films of Mike Leigh / Ray Carney with Leonard Quart. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. Crosstalk: Is Improvisation Ruining Film Comedy? www.avclub.com/content/feature/crosstalk_is_improvisation Faces/ New York Times www.movies.nytimes.com/movie/90852/Faces/overview Jed Dannenbaum, Carroll Hodge and Doe Mayer. (2003) Creative Film Making from the Inside Out: Five Keys to the Art of Making Inspired Movies and Television. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Inc. New York. Improvisation…39 Jennifer Worth (2005) “A Deadly Trade”. The Guardian. Publisher: Merton Books. UK. John Cassavetes www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cassavetes Ken Kelman: (1975) 'The Structure of Fate" in The Essential Cinema”: Essays on Films in the Collection of Anthology Film Archives, P. Adams Sitney (ed) Anthology Film Archives, New York. Sheila Kerrigan (2001) The Performer's Guide to the Collaborative Process. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2001 Quart, Ray Carney. The Films of Mike Leigh: “Real People. Real Lives” (Cambridge Film Classics) Publisher: Swell Books, Park Ridge, IL www.amazon.com/Films-Mike-Leigh-Cambridge-Classics/dp/0521485185 Improvisation…40 Weston, Judith 1946- Directing actors : creating memorable performances for film and television. / Judith Weston. Studio City, CA : Michael Wiese Productions, 1996. Read More