At the Stella Adler Studio in New York, where I did a lot of my acting training, words were given a position of huge importance. By the way, did you know that the word huge also means limitless? Stella Adler alumni will get this inside joke, since we were commanded to bring a dictionary to class with us every day. When working with text, we would often get challenged on the meaning of words, and it was amazing how often our understanding of a particular word was wrong, or at least off-base. We also got to learn more about the history of a word, how it evolved over time, and what it meant at the time the text was written. This process of verifying our understanding of text led to some positive enduring habits that still serve us today.

In script interpretation class, we were trained to not just consider the words of a script or play, but also the whole social, political and historical context of the work. We also worked line by line through the text, to check our understanding of each of the characters and what was going on in a scene. This was amazing, because when you begin to develop that level of relationship with the words, you can suddenly see a vastness and richness that can be built upon as a performer, in service of the audience. Unfortunately, the work of modern film and TV can make us a bit sloppy as actors, a bit content to do the minimum and just memorize lines. It's not entirely our fault, because we often only get "sides" rather than context, and frequently have little time to do more than memorize. But memorization is only entry-level performing. If all you have done is focus on your own lines, then you are likely to be too worried about getting your lines right and waiting to hear cues from your partner. That's not really being there, for your partner or for the audience.

One of my favorite exercises, that I have adapted for use in my own teaching, is one that Stella Adler herself used. Fellow Stella Adler alumni will recognize this as the "Gibran exercise." This work involves developing a deep understanding of a piece of text, and then freeing yourself up from its constraints. The text in question is the book "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran. This is a beautiful collection of essays that considers the important aspects of life, deep topics such as love, marriage, reason and passion, crime and punishment, joy and sorrow, and so on.  The ideas in "The Prophet" are timeless and universal, even to a non-religious type like me. I've done this exercise several times myself over the years. Here's how it works, and how it can make you a better actor.

1. Get a copy of "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran from your library or find a rights-cleared PDF copy online at a site like Project Gutenberg.
2. Read the entire collection of essays (it's not a lengthy book), absorb the content and let it reach you. Do your research homework on the book, the author, the period it was written, reactions to the book. Gain a wider context on the text.
3. Pick an essay that really resonates for you, conjures strong feelings, perhaps even moves you to tears. Don't over think your choice. Interestingly, I have done this exercise as a student several times over the years, and different essays will resonate for you at different life stages or in periods of change or crisis.
   
4. Read your chosen essay over and over until it becomes a part of your DNA. Reflect on it, and let its messages sink in. Use your dictionary! :)
   
5. Paraphrase your chosen essay in writing. I prefer pen or pencil and paper, so I can scratch at it, make changes and refine my paraphrasing. Remember, you are summarizing your understanding of Gibran's words at this point, not relating your own. Keep working at this until you feel you could deliver it out loud in front of people.
   
6.  Deliver your paraphrased version of your essay, "script" in hand, to a group of people (fellow acting classmates or people you trust).  Then drop your script. Seriously, DROP it!
   
7. Now speak on the topic of the essay from your own heart, without having rehearsed or prepared what you will say. Feel free to ramble on at will, and don't self-censor.
   

As an audience member, the change that happens in the unscripted rendering is often completely riveting. There is a palpable transformation from an actor doing a good job with a script, into a deeply affected and connected performer  working from the heart and soul. If you think like a cinematographer, you will want to move right in on the eyes, the lips, the silences, the breathing. So why is this? What has happened? Perhaps it is the intertwining of a well-worked text with the actor’s genuine heart and soul. And this is where you want to be for the audience! Once you have experienced this difference first-hand, you will want to work to find ways of relating very deeply to the text, but also bring your heart and soul to the words. I really hope you have the chance to work with this exercise in a class, or with people you trust. It is a great experience that will make you a better actor. Enjoy!

Whenever there are two actors having a chat, you can be certain that the subject of IMDb credits will come up. The most frequent complaint I hear from people who worked on indie or student films is that they never got the IMDb credits they were promised. In fact, the films themselves never even ended up on IMDb. Why is this? Why don't producers get IMDb title pages for their projects, when it only requires a half-hour or so of focused effort, some tenacity and some patience? Having an IMDb title page for your film is the gold standard of recognition and legitimacy around the world. By getting a title page, people everywhere can find out about your film, who worked on it, and all kinds of other helpful information that helps market the film, even while you sleep. More importantly, it lets you bestow well-deserved IMDb credits on the people who helped you as cast and crew. If you want to be a professional, you need to understand how the IMDb title page process works, and how to use it effectively. You don't have to spend a penny if you don't want to. Here's how:

1. Google is your friend. Search for "how to get an IMDb title page for your film" or similar search term. This will lead you to the IMDb page called "Submitting a new title to IMDb" or something similar. On this page is a link called "New Title Form" which is for completed or in-production films. Click on this link. Remember that sites like IMDb evolve constantly, and you may need to dig around to find these links - use Google.
   
2. Start filling out the required information on the New Title Form. You will soon realize that there is an advantage to having an original title for your film. There's nothing technically wrong with being "Scary Movie (VII)" but there is nothing right about it either. Confusing your audience does not help you or the marketing of your film. Next time, search IMDb before you pick a name for your film, and be unique.
3. Fill out all the information asked for on the New Title Form to the best of your abilities. There is a lot of information, and it takes a while to get the formatting right. Also, you need to be a senior person attached to the film (like producer, director, lead actor) and you need to be a known quantity to IMDb through having your own IMDb name page already. 
   
4. Understand that IMDb is just trying to make sure you have a real film in your hands that they can verify the existence of. With that in mind, the key pieces of information are the title, country of filming, budget, key people attached to the project, production status, external weblinks (Facebook page and external website for the film) and a link that leads to a viewable copy of the film. The more info you can provide, the smoother the process goes.
5. Be prepared to be patient and tenacious. The form asks for more and more information, and you can periodically check how you are doing by clicking the button to check your submission. It almost always gets turned back (until you get really good at the process anyway) with warnings and errors. Check each of these, and make the necessary changes and additions. In the end, you will get green-lit and invited to hit the submit button.
   
6. Once you have successfully submitted your page, be prepared to wait. It's quite cool how your new title page comes into being. Keep searching for your title, and sometime over the next several days, it will appear! At first it will be bare bones, but will fill in with more details over time.
   
7. Once your page is fully there, you can make changes and additions, by clicking the edit links scattered throughout different sections of the page. Forgot a crew or cast member? No problem, just follow the edit process to add or change people. For people who didn't have an IMDb page already, you just created one for them! Be sure to let them know so they can take ownership of it and promote it and your film.
8. I recommend you pay the fee to add a poster graphic to your page (~$35 at time of writing this). It makes the page look great and helps market your film. Click on the "add a poster" link on your title page. Finally,  share the page with everybody you know, including cast and crew, and encourage them to share it widely.
9. Congratulations! You just became a more professional filmmaker. Actors? You should know how to do this too, and don't be afraid to offer your skills to a film crew you have worked with - it beats waiting and being disappointed when your credits don't appear.
10. BONUS SHORTCUT: If you have a bit more money to spend, you can also upload your films and project data to Withoutabox, which is affiliated with IMDb. This lets you submit to festivals that are "IMDb qualifying" and you will get a title page as part of the process when you submit to certain festivals. Keep in mind that festival submission fees are often $25 and up (way up).

Well done! You now have an essential skill that lets you be a more professional filmmaker. People will want to work with you again. Being IMDb-savvy lets you give people the credits they deserve and need for their careers, and also helps market you and your film to the world.  Have fun with it! :)