Acquaint yourself with death to improve your acting skills.
Stage and film actors are usually required to portray the spectrum of human emotions, from the joy of finding a lost friend or lover to the evaporation of death. Dying well on camera can add gravitas and sincerity to a film, whereas a poorly executed death can ruin the ambiance and quality of the scene. Death scenes can not be experienced through "method acting," where actors live through the experiences they are required to render. However, your dying scenes can be improved by a combination of research and application.
Instructions
1. Read the script thoroughly to identify the journey of your character and the reasons for his death. The emotion that you express at the moment of your death will differ depending on the character's life. A character may die bitterly and in anger if his children resent him or he may die contently if all his family affairs are in order.
2. Practice your dying scene in front of family or friends. Listen to any feedback they have regarding your acting skills and how you can improve your death scene. Ask if they believed you had truly died or whether it seemed fake.
3. Watch death scenes from classic movies such as "The Godfather" or "Hamlet." Examine the actors' speech, body language as well as the portrayal of the final moments leading up to their deaths.
4. Determine the type of death that your character is experiencing. Being unexpectedly poisoned will provoke a very different set of facial emotions and physical reactions than merely passing away after a terminal illness. You are likely to be confused and anxious rather than weary and weak.
5. Identify the tone of the film in which you are appearing. Some movies play death scenes for comic value or as visual spectacles, such as dark comedies or horror movies. Historical films, in contrast, tend to have a more philosophical tone of pathos and sadness, when conveying the passing of a noble king or historical hero.
6. Read scientific journals to study the symptoms of each type of death. Heart attacks, for instance, are characterized by tight pains to the chest, whereas a substantial loss of blood can lead to confusion and dizziness. Knowing the symptoms of each cause of death can greatly improve the realism of your death scene.
