Education

Beijing actors learn to get angry on US trip

By Wang Wei (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-11-30 08:17

A US professor gives acting tips to a class of Chinese students from Kede College of Beijing's Capital Normal University. [Photo Provided to China Daily]

Two Chinese students take part in Zip Zap Zop, a popular warm-up exercise for impromptu acting. [Photo Provided to China Daily]

Beijing acting students return home with stars in their eyes from a training course in Hollywood

There was a time when acting major Liu Lanxuan didn't know how to get angry on stage. After studying her field of expertise for one year, the closest she could get was to blush a little and look sad.

The student, 20, had not impressed her classmates and was a long way from thrilling her teacher. She was embarrassed and lacked confidence.

All this changed when Liu, born in Shanxi province, took part in an overseas program between her academic department, Kede College of Capital Normal University, and the New York Film Academy in Universal Studios, Los Angeles.

Acting class in the LA studio started in a very different way to her Chinese school.

Zip Zap Zop, a popular theater warm-up game, typically took the lead to garner the attention of students while also relaxing them. It works to stimulate improvisation by passing control between players by using unexpected movements and countless rules.

The game was over and immediately after, a resident professor encouraged all class members to offer up exaggerated performances in turn.

Soon the moment was passed to Liu and she was once again faced with the challenge to appear angry in front of her classmates.

Slowly, her face screwed itself up tightly and her lips pulled back over her teeth. There was fire in her eyes and she took a deep breath before her voice exploded.

This performance won a round of applause from her professor and her classmates were stunned.

"I was so angry I scared myself," she said. "I didn't realize I had the ability to act like this in front of others."

Liu's dramatic change occurred during the overseas program, which ran from Nov 6 to 20. In all, 66 acting students from Kede College flew to the US to undertake a course on acting techniques.

Upon arrival, they were split into three groups. The course was quite diverse, offering topics in film craft, voice and movement, scene study and audition techniques.

When it was over, the Chinese students were unanimous in believing the trip had provided valuable experiences they would be able to draw from.

At the farewell party in the LA academy, Wang Lin, 20, from Sichuan province, gave a performance of a cowboy, getting ready to face the final showdown with his archenemy. It was Wang's first time to act in front of a camera, not to mention the audience, and cost him several nights of sleep beforehand.

"It was very difficult to change my performance to match the camera's position and angle," he said.

"Thanks to the US professors' patient explanation and encouragement, I made it."

Wang said he liked how most of his US professors gave the students a lot of space and encouraged them to be imaginative.

Chen Gang, vice-president of the Institute of Acting at Kede College, said it was the first time that the college had organized an overseas program for an art major. He was pleased with the outcome.

He said their US counterparts utilize heuristic and interactive methods in their teaching, which are effective ways to nurture innovative and active thought processes in the students.

Moreover, Chen said the college wants to give students as many chances as possible to practice and enrich themselves.

"These 15 days in Hollywood, which is the most advanced film empire in the world, have taught them a lot," he said.

There are many universities in Beijing offering acting majors, the more famous of which include the Central Academy of Drama, the Beijing Dance Academy and the Communication University of China. This year, a total of 819 universities provided the option, 30 more than the year before.

The students perform a play about traditional marriage. [Photo/China Daily]