Martin Scorsese Shot By Shot
How Does Mahershala Ali Get Into Character?
As Ali has spoken out before, one way he gets into character — especially while working on multiple projects at once — is that he makes music playlists for each individual character. He points out that he makes lists based on “Music that he would respond to, music that reflects the world he’s living in, things he would have listened to growing up or whatnot. They help focus me very quickly, almost like a meditation. It especially helps if you’re working on a couple of things.”
In addition to making playlists, Ali also focused on getting to know his Moonlight character on a deeper level in order to make the most of the character’s limited screentime. He explains, “I found myself thinking of him as a spirit first, strange as that might sound, and engaging in conversations with him. Finding out what it was I needed to know about, what he needed to say… Alone in my office, walking around just talking with him, and even going for walks. I haven’t approached it in that way before, and I wasn’t sure if it was OK to do that! But then at the end of the day, I never know what I’m doing.”
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The Killing Flower
The Killing Flower is an opera by Salvatore Sciarrino. Both Italian and English versions exist and it was the latter that was given, in semistaged form, at Walter Hall as part of the Toronto New Music Festival last night. It’s a very distinctive work and not easy to form a full appreciation of on a single hearing. The plot is straightforward enough. There’s a duke and duchess. She falls in love with a guest. They are betrayed by a servant. He kills the guest and then her. But all this happens in a highly abstracted way (made even more abstract by not being fully staged). As the composer puts it:
My theatre is ‘post cinema’ theatre, beginning with the way the scenes are laid out – they proceed by dry blocks that ‘subtract’ in order to get the point across.
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Five Ways to Build your Brand as a Musician
- Focus on what you do. It’s important to be clear on what the core of your personal brand is. A strong personal brand is strengthened when you enable people to narrow their focus of what you do.
- Build a tribe. Don’t focus on generating sales. First, focus on building your community, or building your tribe.
- Showcase your brand. It is essential that you showcase your personal brand. You need to FEED your community. The best way to do this is through the power of social media.
- Video brings your brand to life. Remember, most of your tribe cannot get up close and personal with you.
- Get media coverage. When the local TV affiliate, radio station, magazine or other media [covers you], it gives you credibility and amplifies your brand.
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Swan Lake Port De Bras
“Swan lake port de bras are one of the hardest techniques to learn, but it’s amazing for toning your back and arms. Whenever I take a break from swan lake and come back to it, my arms and back get so sore!” – Isabella Boylston
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Sutton Foster on the Importance of Being Prepared
Sutton Foster: “Sometimes I won’t even find a character until I put on the costume”
Foster went on to win the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, and she’s especially proud that she seized the opportunity when it was presented to her. She says, “One of the things that I’m most proud of is that the opportunity came, and I was ready, meaning I was prepared, I knew my stuff, I worked really hard, and I stepped in.”
Of all the skills that Foster displays on Broadway, she points as acting as the most important. She explains, “A lot of people say, ‘What’s more important: acting, singing or dancing?’ And I say, always acting. ‘Cause singing without acting is just noise. Dancing without acting is just arm movement. I don’t feel like I’m just moving around and doing, like, fancy footwork. Same thing can go with singing; someone can sing super-high notes, but if it’s not based in any reality or any purpose, then it’s just showboating.”
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Willie Nelson and His Famous Guitar: The Tale of Trigger