In the first place, imagination is one of the reasons why people select acting as a career. They like to utilize their objectification, those who like to create many worlds. But what is happening to the new generation? Consumerism!! We became a consumer generation that doesn’t feel the need for imagination.
If you consider yourself an actor, you should do more than just reproducing and transferring information. You have to show the world in a new way, to the audience. This is the same for painters, writers, and actors. Remember that the richest place for creating an artwork is in an artist’s mind.
The imagination skill is important in acting tests. The people in the test room expect you to come up with an innovative way of playing, which makes them wondered and excited.
Imagination is a bridge that links the actor to the character. However, because we are used to seeking all the answers for our questions through the Internet, our imagination ability has been damaged and frozen due to the lack of use. Therefore, actors are often given a script that is challenging for them to understand.
The problem is that the character in the script has different behaviors which the actor lacks the experience to replay. Note that the problem is not that you don’t have the same behavior but you can’t have that behavior, and as an actor, you must be able to act that behavior.
The simplest way to improve your imagination skill in acting, is to combine it with observations. Next time when you go out, assign a time to watch people. Choose people who are interesting to you (their style or body gestures for example). Watch them and objectify their life as much as possible.
Where do they live? Apartment or house? How do they make up? Do they have pets? What names do they have? Are they single, married, or divorced? What is their favorite movie, song, and color? What is their occupation? What are their wishes? Which actor do they like? What portraits and photos do they have in their dining room? Are they comfortable with being alone?
In this imagination practice for acting, the more questions you ask, the more well-versed you get. Let your imagination soar and build that person’s life in your mind. Note that, the more you utilize and train your imagination, the more powerful it gets.
Pejvak Imani’s short biography
Pejvak Imani, born on the 25th of June in 1990 in Tehran city. He was the only child in the family. When he finished primary school, he immigrated to Canada with his family. He pursued higher education in MBA at Ryerson University and then started participating in acting and stand-up classes at the YUK YUK’s club. Gaining two years of experience in those classes encourages him to start playing stand-ups and free theater in Toronto. After having some experience in theater, he returned to Iran and started learning under the supervision of great masters of Iranian directors, such as Vahid Jalilvand. Then in 2016, he played a small role in a TV series and after playing several minor and major roles he appeared on the silver screen of the cinema.
He has a famous quote: “Histrionics means becoming, once you start playing you fail.”