Progress Isn’t Linear | Second City Improv for Actors 2 Week 5

DJI 20261021101252 0392 D G10: What is going on, you beautiful blueberries? As you can tell, we are not in my room like normal. I always felt like this is one of those moments when you're in class as a kid and the teacher says, you know what? Why don't we have class outside today? Or let's go on a field trip, or there's something that you do outside of the classroom. Maybe it's the exact same lesson that you're learning, but you're in a different environment and it just makes it more. It just makes it more more interesting, more exciting, more novel. And I mean just take a look at this view. That is gorgeous. For Actor's' notes, are you kidding me? Let me know down in the comments below if this is how I should do every single video. But the lesson will be the same. This is Actor's Notes. This is a podcast. This is a channel where I talk about my notes. That I take an acting class, an improv class, whether I'm on set, Or I just finished a self-tape and these are thoughts, opinions, and just my personal takes on the TV and film industry or what I'm going through. And I have been fortunate enough to do my first ever feature film with Alex Wolff in a movie with Jim Gaffigan, co-star in a TV series, commercials here in the Midwest. And I'm four and a half years in, but I Stella feel like there's so much to learn. I mean everyone's story on how they got into the industry, the success or the setbacks or maybe just the stagnation they've had in this industry is all different. Some people, you know, have their big break six months in. Some people have to wait ten, twenty years before they see anything of value when it comes to maybe financial stability or getting your name well known to more casting directors or or agencies and managers and just everything that comes with it in this industry I'm Stella learning, and this is just my journey, and this is Actor's notes. We have been reflecting on the past, what? 21 days or so of my time at the second city in Chicago taking improv classes that last three hours. It takes me five hours to get there, five hours back, so it's a 10-hour round trip. It's well worth it. right now we are in improv for Actor's two, week number five. So we have two more classes to go and then we are done. We are done with with all of improv, improv for Actor's one, improv for Actor's two. We had The opportunity to go to conservatory or apply for it, I decided not to because my goals were just to add improv to the tool belt. It wasn't to make it solely, you know, a career, even though you can make that into a career. It's very fun. If you are part of a improv ensemble, it's very interesting career pathway that I might just think about going back to. Who knows? Who knows where the journey will go. But this is the fifth week of improv for Actor's too, and This class in this seven weeks is little different because all we did, all we did was get physical, all we did was play games. Alright, we're saying yes and we're always supporting. Don't ask questions. We're doing three-line scenes, we're playing long form improv, LaRonde, montages, scene tag, freeze tag, different games, short form improv. A lot. I don't have time to sit down and write down in my notes like I like to do or usually have done in Improv for Actor's 1. Which is a separate class with a different instructor, and then improv one, which is a separate class. and so I would write down my notes after class. I would go through the whole three hours and we'd get about a 10-15 minute break halfway through. But I would go through the whole three hours and then write down my notes. And these are the three b biggest takeaways that I learned. How to accept an ad. I wrote down the question: what if you have nothing to say? This happens a lot to me so much. You have no idea because. After driving five hours, you think I, you know, I'm well rested. Sometimes I'm not well rested. I get like s five, maybe six hours of sleep. And then I'll drive five hours, three hour improv class, I'll take some energy drinks to just keep me awake. Lucky Energy, use my code Giovanni Axable if you wanna save. I don't have one. I should have brought one. I should have just like set it there and just be like, what's that can? it's actually Lucky Energy. Use my code Giovanni Axel. But I'll take some energy drinks just to keep me awake but throughout this improv class, I'm very tired. And when I'm tired I blank. And so during these improv scenes I thought to myself, what if what do you do when you have nothing to say? When you blank? And so I said There'll be tons of moments in my in my case there were tons of moments where I think, what am I even doing? How am I supposed to how am I w w wh how do I establish the relationship again? My who I am I? Where am I? What I want? And then just in real time, this person, the scene partner, the group that I'm with is giving me all these details and being specific and just improvising and giving me, you know, just left field suggestions, offers, and gifts that I can support. But I'm just like going over my head. I don't even hurt, I didn't even hear what you just said. What did you just say? And the biggest thing that found I found helpful when I blank is just to go back to listening. It's so simple because what it just you're you're you're taking yourself Uta of the moment. You gotta catch yourself, if you catch yourself blanking, put yourself back in the moment. And then just listen to the next thing that they say. Even if it's just one word, or maybe it's their body language. Maybe everything that they said has made them in a stand in a certain position. And then you can just comment on their body position. If they're standing like this, you can be like, look at you. You think after all that, sh y you're so powerful, huh? No, I'm not gonna take this from you. Just comment the on the the very next thing that you hear, that you see, that you can listen to. Because listening isn't just about what you hear, it's also about what you can see. That's the body language. How do you read the body language? How do you read the last thing that they say? Take that last word, that last concept and add on top of it. That's the best thing that I noticed. Just listen. Put yourself back in that moment. Accept it, add on top of it. Progress isn't linear. This is the second key takeaway. I noticed that since I was already about, I think 20 weeks in so far, 20, 21 weeks into my improv journey, I've already taken so many different classes, I've done improv so many different ways and been in different types of groups and just stretched my ability as an Actor's, playing with accents, understanding the subtext, just Going throughout the improv scene, I found myself thinking, Well, I'm not really making as much progress as I was in the beginning. And that's totally okay. That's that is probably exactly what should happen. And it isn't that you should be learning something new every single time you come to class. Because you'll have classes where you feel like you just didn't learn anything, but that doesn't mean You're not progressing as an Actor's, you're not progressing as an improviser. It's about the repetition. It's about just showing up to class, practicing that skill of saying yes and and staying open-minded and hearing this unique, spontaneous, weird suggestion that this improviser or the group gives you. And you're like in your practicing how to justify that. It's the repetition that's the purpose. You take somebody who works Uta like me. shout Uta, I can plug this one. Where is it? You see the logo? TLF? Shout Uta TLF. It's stands for Take Life Further. And we're definitely taking life further. We took life far farther from my home here. and so this is a gym apparel. And going back to what you know, repetition in the gym. People who work Uta, we don't just it's not you don't just work Uta for six months, lose the weights, or gain the muscle, or achieve the goals in the gym that you want. You can you have to Do this for the rest of your life. You have to exercise for the rest of your life. And it's not like we're new we're learning a new technique or learning how to squat in a different way. Yeah, there are different variations, but there'll be a point where you're like, I know how to do a push-up, I know how to do a squat with good form, I know how to do all of this. It's not like I'm learning something new. And then there'll be a point, and I think that's a that's a milestone. You should be proud of that. If you got to a point where you feel like I'm not learning anything new, that's That means you've already learned so much. Now you have to hone that in. Now have to repeat that just to get better at it. To continue exercising that improv muscle. I'll be honest with you, I've been Uta of the I've been Uta of the game for about eight months. Ooh, I cracked my back. I've been Uta of the game for about eight months, but Stella practicing improv into my life about saying yes and staying open-minded, truly actively listening to whoever I talk to on a daily basis and That's something you can always practice every single day. Third key takeaway, I'ma get close. Hey, I'ma get close. How you doing? Don't be too hard on yourself. Don't be too hard on yourself. I've seen amazing performances since my first ever improv class, an improv one, and the improvisers felt like they got lost and it doesn't read the way. That they intended, meaning that you'll see some performances and improvisers no matter what stage or level they're at, and you're like, dang, that was smart. What he just said, that was some good improv. You'll just be amazed and awe how well they make connections on how j how how well they justify other gifts, and you're like, I don't know how I would have justified that if I were up there. And it's funny because I'll I'll compliment them. on that. You know, after their improv, see and I'll be like, dude, that was such a that was such an amazing way you justified that that weird line that they said. Or dude, how do you make connections so fast or how quick? Or your jokes are amazing and punchy. They're like, dude, I did not know, I I did not know what I was doing up there. Or I was like, I didn't even know I was justifying that correctly. I thought I made a mistake. The last thing I said didn't even make sense. So when you're performing it's so much It reads differently than when you're just watching it. And I think the ones that I found most engaging is when I've I've noticed that they're just in that moment. And that's that's the thing too, because they they come Uta of that scene, I compliment them and they're like, I don't even remember what just happened. If you don't remember what happened in an improv scene, that means you were so in the moment. You weren't focused about what you were wanting to say. You were just reacting truthfully. Under imaginary circumstances, shout Uta Sanford Meisner, but you were just in that moment. You weren't focused on the future, in the past, on how you look, and how you smell, and you know, if you said what you said was correct, you were just true to improv. You were true to reacting, listening, justifying all the rules. You were you were true to them. That's when I found the scenes the most engaging. And that's the scenes that I never remember because I'm just like, I don't remember what just happened. But that just shows you how in the moment you were. Damn, it's beautiful Uta here. I should I should do these more often. I should do let me know in the comments down below you would just wanna see me outdoors giving you guys his Actor's' notes. And this could be, you know, my whole channel just Uta in nature talking about this stuff because Actor's' notes, like I said, my improv journey, I was in Chicago at the second city. After these next two weeks, and then we're done with improv, I'm gonna show you guys the full raw footage of my time at the at the second city. And it's funny because I was on like a a bulk and then a cut so you can actually see some facial definition. and you're like, dang, Gio got Gio got sexy. Or he was always sexy, but I can't wait to show you guys that. Cause you'll just see in real time how I'm processing everything that I'm telling you right now and in terms of How I've really taken that into future bookings after my time at the Second City. and and how I've implemented just being able to feel free and have fun and stay in touch with my inner child and just enjoy improv at the soul of listening, staying open-minded, justifying, saying yes to somebody. You know, that was really it. We played a lot of games, a lot of long form improv. and that was for Improv for Actor's 2 week five. I appreciate you guys for watching and in case no one has told you yet today. I love you. You matter. You have value. And let me say something I haven't said before. This is something I think you guys should practice too as well. Trying to get Uta of the house, you know, I I I did these Actor's' notes in my room because it was more convenient. but when you put yourself Uta of your comfort zone when you stretch yourself as an Actor's, whether it's in an improv class or a class you're not familiar with, when you're in a new environment learning something new, i it's definitely scary. It takes a lot of courage. But I just wanna say that wanna say that if you do do that hmm you do if you do do that I'm I'm very proud of you. I'm very proud of you for putting yourself Uta there. Not a lot of people can do that so and not a lot of people would appreciate you doing you for doing that. So I wanna say I appreciate you and I'm proud of you. I love you. I'll see you in the next one.