FLESHING OUT
Step 5 (of part A)
Core-belief provoking moment and Super objective
By kimon Fioretos
(inspired by great acting teachers)






So here we go, step five; this will be our final step of this series of part A.'
I will assume you did the last exercise, and probably, you've realized that what Meisner
said was true :

"With a developed imagination, there's no place you can't go."

So from now on, no more memories, at least not our own! We are going to buil "memories" for our character!

Thus we've reached the point of CBPM (core belief provoking moment)

Now for reasons of historical accuracy, if you allow me, I have to succumb momentarily
into an awful and loathed but as it seems, important, gossipy tone.

Whatever we have been doing thus far has been done before; These exercises an this way of thinking are not mine. There is no parthenogenesis; we have thes exercises in our hands since the 60's, but it recently came to my attention that a specific teacher in L.A. is claiming these exercises, including the one following as their own (the teacher took this exercise changed it — to be fair I will even say somewhat improved it— and then claimed he or she came up with it.)

It is unfortunate because they indeed "improved it.

An improvement should be more than enough for credit and applause, but No! People
have to make a name for themselves, and instead of choosing to stand on the shoulders of giants and wear the cloak of history, they prefer to leave information out!

Such a shame!

Anyway, enough with ethics, let's go back to our exercises.

This is an exercise as taught by Miriam Gordina born on march 27 1989, an amazing
actress and a great translator (she translated "Stanislavsky directs" and she translated
"Vakhtangov Stanislavsky's most brilliant pupil"). She learned this exercise from her own teacher, and in turn, now you are learning about it from me! Again no parthenogenesis.

Alterations have been made, even by me; for example, instead of "core belief' it was
initially called "life object." However, what great teachers described as "life object"
scientists later on named it "core belief," so we are following the official term from now
on.

Also, the exercise that follows was initially termed "neurosis provoking moment" (the
moment you realize your "life object"), but the term "neurosis" unless you were born in
the 1900s will not serve you anymore, so I've changed the title to CBPM (core belief
provoking moment) I've also taken the liberty of adding elements by the teacher from
L.A. mentioned above claiming the exercise as her own.


I believe that the teacher improved some elements (but complicated others), so the
features that in my good sense have been enhanced I will add in the exercise; I will not mention which is which, not because, as the aforementioned teacher, I am trying to
disclose information or trying not to give credit where credit is due, but instead because I want you to take in the exercise as one whole unit and not as patchwork.
OK, OK maybe I am a tinny bit vengeful. I am only human, after all. Fuck it.


First, before we start talking about this exercise, we have a term that we have mentione in step 4, but we haven't talked about.
Super objective!

Stanislavsky adopted the term and the tool of the super-objective from Vladimir
Nemirovich Danchenko, and he gifted us with an extra term "vague super-objective" or,
better yet (T.O.), temporary objective.
A temporary objective precedes the super-objective, and like our core belief, it is a choice made by our intellect — super-objective later on being a more visceral choice.
The t.o and the c.b should have the same "feeling-emotion" running underneath them.
But an explanation first:

By the term objective, I am not mealy talking about a want or a goal.

Oh no, this is where most theater students and actors get this wrong, an objective is not
something you just want; it is something you NEED TO DO!

It is AN ACTION!

Something you have to do, to correct the awful feeling that the core belief
ignites in you! It is a corrective action if you like that runs through the play!
For example, let's say my core belief is :
(Desperately) "I will always be alone."
You t.o. ,might be "make somebody love me" (desperately)


Another example
(with anger and jealousy)" How much everybody else gets". Your t.o might b "Make them give me what is mine." (with anger and jealousy)


See ? it is a corrective action, trying to correct the feeling provoked by the core belief! It's something you have to do!
We now have our core belief and our Temporary objective, and we have the same feeling running under them.(jealousy, anger, desperation etc)


Time to go to our exercise.

CORE BELIEF PROVOKING MOMENT and SUPER OBJECTIVE!


Rules first and explanations will follow.
1) No personal (actor's) memories / if they come, you change them immediately (as it
was shown to you in step 4)
2) No birds-eye view — you will see everything from inside your eyes, not from above,
etc.
3)Use all your senses
4)You can speak a dialog if you have too
5) Don't time yourself (for others, it takes 5 minutes and for others half an hour)
6) Don't try to see faces (faces are complicated - see something
of a body part or a piece of fabric, or hair, etc. or else you are in danger of seeing a
familiar face from your memories)
7)At all times, you have to maintain the intense emotion that underlines your C.B. and
your T.O. ex. Desperation, jealousy, etc.
8) Choose age between 3-12 (that's when core beliefs form)


Now do the following.
Bring the feeling forth; it must be ignited by your core belief(c.b) and your temporary
objective(t.o).

Close your eyes

Maintain the feeling

Start speaking an improvised story at a swift pace (start talking at a swift pace, I don't
want you to pause and consider the story, I don't need your intellect, your subconscious
will do fine, your subconscious is a better storyteller, you don't believe me? Well, you
dream better stories every night !)

Start with :

I was... (make an "age choice" from 3 years old to 12)

Example :

"So I was 12, I was in the farmer's market holding my mothers hand (you see something
of her arm, not a face, maybe you see her dress and her fingers holding your hand) we
were moving fast, colors and smells all around me (all your senses) I was happy looking
at everything around me , I felt her hand slip and she stopped in front of a bench trying to
haggle our next meal, somebody bumped on me and I made a small pirouette, I got
confused, disoriented and now my mother was not there any more, just a sea of legs and
knees, tall people, and noise, I started yelling "Mom" (you can yell) "mom" then suddenly a shadow came over me, it was a man (don't see face — ) he smelled like sweat and
something rotten coming form his mouth, he asker me if I am alone (you can start a
dialog at this point with the man) he took me by the hand around the corner "in that
moment...."


Now, let us take a pause here. Essentially as an actor, you have tremendous ability and
understanding of dramatic development. For example, you already know where I am
getting at with the story above, or at least you suspect...

So again, let me repeat the process.
Bring forth and maintain the feeling ignited by the core belief and your temporary
objective.

Start rapidly by speaking out loud, and improvised FICTITIOUS STORY,

Start by saying, "I was...."

Let your unconscious do the storytelling without pausing and considering. If you keep a
swift pace, it will provide you with all the details. It will let you know where you live,
who your uncle is, how old you are etc.
Use all your senses and let your imagination be informed by your intense feeling (held at
an intense level), and I promise you, you will never know what is coming next!

At some point, start talking about the moment that "did it" to you, you might say "then
one day" or "suddenly" or "in that moment" you get the drift.

Start talking without having any idea what you're starting to relate to yourself. Let the
incident start forming, know that this final event leads to a terrible negative
moment! Keep plunging forward with increasing detail and feeling.

Now when this terrible event has been done to you or has been said to you and it makes
you feel that the next step will be some drastic corrective action THAT YOU HAVE TO
TAKE.

STOP!

Stop the imagination!

Pull the brakes!

SUSPEND INSIDE THE FEELING OF THIS AWFUL MOMENT, LET IT GROW,

NOW TURN THE FEELING TO SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO DO!
open your mouth AND START SPEAKING BY SAYING

"I GOT TO...."

LET THE WORDS COME OUT WITHOUT EDITING

Whatever comes out that is now your emotional Super objective!
And this concludes our final step for part A
I know I am leaving you with a cliffhanger.
That is good. I want you to do the work!
It's worth it!

Stay safe, stay healthy
Part B is coming

Always with respect and love KF