What Is Method Writing? - Jack Grapes
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- Опубликовано: 15 май 2024
- Jack Grapes is an award-winning poet, playwright, actor, teacher, and the editor and publisher of ONTHEBUS, one of the top literary journals in the country. He has won several publishing grants and Fellowships in Literature from the National Endowment for the Arts. He's also received nine Artist-in- Residence Grants from the California Arts Council to teach writing in various schools throughout Los Angeles. He is the author of 13 books of poetry, including TREES, COFFEE, AND THE EYES OF DEER, and BREAKING DOWN THE SURFACE OF THE WORLD. A spoken-word CD, Pretend, was recently issued by DePaul University. He is also author of a chapbook of poems and paintings titled AND THE RUNNING FORM, NAKED, BLAKE. His most recent publication is LUCKY FINDS, a boxed set of 50 cards that extend and parody the dynamic artistic productions of high-modernist poets such as Ezra Pound and Charles Olson. For more information on Jack's classes, please visit: jackgrapes.com/classesgeneral...
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“People who are successful in life with ANYTHING… they interpret failure differently than people who tend to be unsuccessful ”- Jack Grape…… that’s so true .. I wish I learned that failing was okay in the earlier part of my life
Jack Grapes teaches an overall approach to writing that focuses on process, not product, and on continually becoming a better writer. It's a system that provides a way to approach the craft of writing with a series of interconnected skills that include both aspects of the creative process--control and availability to chance and randomness. Product inevitably ensues.
I studied method acting, too, attended Lee Strasberg's and then Stella Adler's. It was Stella Adler's technique that made me a method writer. It was a game-changer for sure and opened my imagination up to a level I wasn't expecting. It helped me write a script within less than three weeks as I truly embodied the characters and spoke in their own voices. If you put yourself into their world and circumstances, the words just come out naturally. You basically just transcribe what you say and experience. Sometimes, I got surprised by myself or characters actually, saying or seeing things I didn't see coming that truly either pushed the story forward or into a new, unexpected direction that was just more engaging. Or they said words so deeply from their sorrow I would not have come up with these words had I just dryly thought and written about them and not acted them out at home. I cried real tears and laughed real laughs while writing. They say no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. I think this is the best approach to guarantee it. My best friend read the script, who's never read any of my scripts before nor didn't know what this one was about before I sent it, and she went through all the emotions I was intending to provoke. I think it's a good sign.
I love his way of thinking. I prefer his process far over others.
You have to find your own process. Tje same method doesnt work in everybody
There's no such thing as a failure. There's just learning.
I love this! 😭
Technically, you fail constantly to learn to do something. Try learning a musical instrument. Constant wrong notes, poor pacing, et cetera.
Well, obviously, if you fail to survive a situation, only others can learn from your failure.
I’m a long time student. Jack’s teaching helped me find my deep authentic voice. It’s worth the digging.
I wish they interviewed more people like this.
Screenwriter here Enrolling in Columbia College Hollywood. Love these videos!
So great to hear Jack's words again, just like 40 years ago, when I first encountered him...Words that help me as much now as an oil painter and gallery owner as the did all those years ago when I started writing. He's a gem and I can never hear those words too many times.
11:40 "The way to prevent failure is to always aim for good. To be great means you have to risk failing."
My favorite part was his description of failure and how people deal with it. It's not about getting knocked down, it's about getting back up and staying in the ring.
Method acting mainly applies to the genre of realism. Its often the perfect screwdriver for that particular screw. In the world of storytelling, there are many different screws and many different screwdrivers.
Inspires me to fail. Thank you. More please.
Loved the explanation of importance of failing in writing a great story.
Beautifully said. This man understands what it takes to be real. That's sucess.
This 100%!!! The best approach I ever found to creating something is to tell yourself that you are going to create crap (can I say crap on RUclips? lol). "I'm going to write a bad screenplay, I'm going to create a stupid short film." This both disintegrates any anxiety to starting it, and also opens you up to creativity. If it's gonna be crap, might as well experiment with it!!!
4:19 that's a great point. As a semiotician who writes and acts, I find there us an idea or symbol of what a writer is. From the affectation shown through clothes or environment to the subtle attitudes which all make their way into the script. My motto is "filmmaking is editing". The whole thing is one major edit job and so I'd say great writing is edited. And I think it's in the editing where you remove all your personal semiotic influences and focus more on those of the specific characters. For example I'm editing something now which I wrote in my usual, over explained, wordy, kinda obnoxious way...kinda like this comment...I think its linked to my autism and because I grew up in debating and we had to cover every single angle of an argument or else...and then I went to film school and you had to cover every single beat or else...so...back to editing...as I'm editing, the characters are becoming more and more individuated and discussions like the one presented in this video are awesome because nobody really talks about this stuff and it's sooooo important.
Iris van Herpen said in an interview that she would hate to know what the final design of a dress will look like beforehand. One more reason her designs are genius.
My fav part of this video was the last 6 seconds.
12:44
I'm remninded of a time when I participated in a "Murder Mystery' themed dinner, where we all had characters and played out a story together. I was only a teenager then and after all was said and done many of the adults praised me for my acting. But the thing was I didn't think I was acting. I was just doing what made sense for the character I was given. So I shrugged off the praise as misjudgment, now maybe I think they may have been right.
I have loved all of your interviews, but none have spoken to me as a creative as much as Mr Grapes’ interviews have. Thank you so very much
Love to hear it, cheers!
Screen writer here can't afford college so I love the videos
You don't need college to learn how to write. Shakespeare didn't take a single college class.
Great stuff, thank you!
Great video - Jack Grapes is brilliant!
amazing video..nothing short of great .
He’s my favorite. I know now. This man is the greatest there is.
Fabulous!
Make me feel so excited like I just had a big cup of nice coffee!
The zen concept seems originally came form Asia. I grow up with it, but don’t have the confidence to apply it like him.
heard the "fail better quote" for the first time from Peter Dinklage's speech who referenced it
Great interview with a very proficient and accomplished instructor! Jack has influenced my writing in a profound way. I hope there are more videos to come!
Much more to come!
Excellent Excellent Excellent!
This was gold. Thank you for this.
Whenever you do a form.of writing that endures the natural breifing to your acting ability. You do your writing and acting simultaneously. You right it's a form of natural movements when you read the script and act. It's all in a nutshell.
So awesome! Loved every bit of this!
That was great. Thanks a lot!
Thanks Alonso! Here is our second video with Jack Grapes - ruclips.net/video/Vpd9DJLz7hA/видео.html More on the way...
@@filmcourage awesome! 🙂
Woooow !!! Great!!
So basically it's creating our own style, being carefull of not absorb too much others styles, letting your soul express things the way that speaks you the most, like if you wanted to create something that if someone esle did and you would watch (the final product, can be a movie or.. ) it would speak to yourself so much that you would immediatly think "even me coulnd do it because I'ld need to know my self perfectly..
Maybe I go too far.. 🤣 but I don't know why I felt that it's like the "pure" child in ourself that would speak.. so by listenning we were feeling like having an illumination.
I am since around 4-5 years, trying to let myself be who I really am.. because I feel that society (and judgements that comes with it) makes us being the one that control ourself instead of BEING ourself.. and become TWO and then we CAN NOT let the free mind take the control because it would be like dying, living our body to someone else..
It can make us mad.. drives us crazy.. this is because of the control of our image.. just this.. nothing else..
It is horrible.. and fot people who struggles with it, I guess everybody in a way or another, I'll say that tje best way to do it without losing ourself is to let go of control.. of always having to control everything..
Just let go..
But be patient with yourself ! I lost my mind but I can not say if it's for this or that or stopping alcohol too fast, being too exigent with myself.. I guess I'll never know..
But when I list my mind I was in this self development, and sometimes I was a bit too harsh, too hard with my self, saying to myself : "LET IT GO !!"
It was a very strict discipline, I finished 3 times in psychiatric hospital.. for each times 1 month.. was very difficult..
So never forget one thing, if you want to find yourself, TAKE IT EASY ! Oh and be coherent.. you cannot self inflict yourself to.. ("TAKE IT EASY !!") So if you arrive at saying yourself this in a harsh way.. ask yourself if you are coherent..
And see people, I was alone.. worse of all ... !
I wish this guy was my acting teacher when I was in college thinking about becoming an actor.
Jesús christ, I took notes!!! Thank you. 🔥
Cheers! This is just the beginning. Much more to come with Jack Grapes.
Excellent! I needed this inspiration today.
One of the few writing teachers out here who's quite good.
What was your favorite part of this video?
My favorite part was when Mister Grapes was talking about allowing yourself to sit down and write, even when you don’t have a plan or even a mere idea on what will end up on the page. I truly believe that we all have thoughts and feelings that are ready to burst out of us at any given moment, but it’s not until we let our subconscious mind take control when our true selves are finally unmasked.
Really loved his explanation of how successful people interpret failure differently than unsuccessful people. Very true! I also enjoyed his take on how "actors don't just start acting on opening night."
4:30 "that takes focus..." focus, and practice, like he says... that's my favorite part.
I have taken Jack's classes a few times and they are incredibly helpful and inspiring, I will always think of Jack as a wonderful and beloved mentor.
Excellent, thank you for posting Georgina. Glad you discovered this video.
@@filmcourage I watch all your videos! They are all gold.
Highly kind of you Georgina. We had a great interview with Jack so that will hopefully give you more to look forward to.
I liked everything. No piece without the other. But it was too short!
These Rock!
Wisdom.
This thing works. If you want to be a better writer - poetry, screenplays, novels, blogs, memoirs, Xmas cards - take Jack's class. You'll thank me.
This was great. Really insightful, especially in the end about interpretation of failure.
Have you guys done any interviews with writers who incorporate meditation into the creative process?
We love that part at the end. Meditation may have come up in our interview with screenwriter Mark Sanderson. Our best one on the topic may be our conversation with teacher Cecilia Najar - ruclips.net/video/_Yc8BVoCHIs/видео.html
@@filmcourage awesome. Thank you!
Cheers!
@@filmcourage Sanderson is a great interview.
Genuine artistic expression is such a paradox.
Do I sound aspiring [writer] enough?
LOVE JACK GRAPES! Thank you so much for this! Is there a full interview I'd love see it. :)
Hi David, love to see your enthusiasm. This is the first segment with Jack Grapes we have posted and this is literally the opening of the interview. Much more to come!
I'd love to see the whole interview as well! This was really helpful. Thank you!
Would it be possible to get Mr Grapes' analysis of George Kennedy's acting in the very fine movie 'Cool Hand Luke'. I am not an actor and was never in the arts when I first saw the movie, but as convincing as George Kennedy was, his booming voice which bellowed out across the cinema audience dwarfed all the other characters and I thought it was a pity; I thought it was over-the-top but I didn't even know what over-acting was at that time.
Be honest. Be true to your own voice.. Good stuff
❤❤❤
This guys voice sounds so close to Robert Deniro.
Hello everyone! I’m hoping someone out there might have a recommendation on a good book on short story writing. There’s so much on three act structure and the heroes journey etc. I’m looking for something specific to short films. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance! I hope everyone is having an excellent week! Happy Friday! Almost there!
Crafting short screenplays that connect by Claudia Johnson.
@@bluepill878 Dave! Thanks so much for the suggestion! Time to order a copy!
Anyone know, does his Method Writing book apply to fiction or is it more for script writers? Thanks.
We believe it is meant for fiction, not for script writing.
@@filmcourage Ah, great. That was the answer I wanted. Thanks for the reply.
All I want to know is how do you pick out books or writing that isn't garbage so that way you can see what good the voice is select books are writing to read that isn't garbage
Art is always subjective... But I'd recommend you choose books by renowned authors and that you'd also enjoy reading. Russian literature has a good reputation. The Gambler is a short novel. It also depends on which style you're aiming for. Biographies can be bland and boring. Heart of Darkness is bitter medicine. Naked Lunch is madness. And if you've read 10-20% of a book and you're not feeling it, know when to quit the wrong path.
@@juandager5220 thanks for the feedback I will try that. I have gotten myself in to game streaming lately I am consumed with garbage lol.
Transformation line. Where is the video in which Master Grapes teaches us what that is? Please.
Hi Daniel, it is this one - What The Audience Wants More Than Anything Else - Jack Grapes
ruclips.net/video/V7yTb-k1ju4/видео.html our full interview with Jack goes up this Saturday at 5pm pst.
@@filmcourage Thank you. I love this sequence and have been using it in what I'm working on. I just need to see it again (and again)--Well, Okay, I don't NEED; but...
Failure Is Your Greatest Teacher!!!!!!!!
Only if you realize you have failed. And others are honest about it to you as well. Otherwise you just get better at sucking. If you're really lucky you might become Will Smith. A BS salesperson. But not someone who ever makes something of value.
It's hard being natural when a audience is watching. Don't break the 4th wall.😂😩
That comes with practice, as Jack said. The first time you're on a bike, you're not going to win the Tour de France, lol.
I disagree with some key points here.
First, acting naturally on stage is difficult primarily because acting naturally doesn't translate to stage. Subtlety doesn't work on stage -- YOU MUST OVERACT! The trick is not to look like you're overacting.
Second, I disagree that writers plot their novels out of fear. I think many writers have a story they want to tell, and if they begin with no end in mind, then there's a good chance the story they end up with isn't the one they wanted to tell.
Also, it's very difficult to have an intricate plot or suspenseful foreshadowing if you don't know where the plot is going. If you read Holes as a kid and it inspired you to become a writer, then you probably don't want to just see where the characters take you; that isn't the kind of story you're going for.
Good post!
So just like an heteronym?
Fail better. I like that.
You know what screws up my guitar playing? Lessons.
Not true. You have to know the rules first, before you can break them.
While most of the advice Jack gives in this video is sound, I find it really pretentious & an odd contradiction when he says that if you know what you're going to write about beforehand then you're guaranteed to have a bad story. like.... not only is that a really weird elitist angle and self-evidently wrong, it kind of goes against everything else he says here? Was there a point that I missed somewhere in there? Why did he make that point?
He's saying, let the characters speak your truth. Let them be who they are
I'll never forget the first time I wrote a story, maybe eight or nine years old, I couldn't believe these characters I was writing were so stubborn, they wanted to go in a different direction than I wanted them to. What the hell? Who are these people??? Lol.
He just comes off as patronizing this entire interview. And his hygiene yuck
@@Xman3456 hmm... wonder about many of the greats hygiene...
You can't really tell you start a story from zero, from nothing, because intuitive writers have characters, they start from there. it's not really nothing. It's half the story already.
For a concept writer it's the plot. We don't have characters nor dialog. For me personally bringing characters to life is a real struggle and it may take me months just to ruminate on them, so it's the plot that gets me moving from the get-go. If I had no plot either I wouldn't be writing anything.
So we all have something native (instinctive) we start with and it comes easy and then we do the other half we miss.
Often the two teams don't really understand each other because you can't be strong at both. One half will come naturally where the other will be your struggle, your weakness you'll have to work at.
Not many teachers understand this functioning of the mind.
I actually disagree with the method approach, regardless of whether you’re referring to acting or writing. When appropriate, some naturalism can be a good thing, but if an artist’s technique is too naturalistic, it can come off as dull and boring. Art is supposed to be larger than life, after all. Some of my favorite performances come from the horror movies of the 30s, 40s, and 50s. For example, you certainly wouldn’t call a performance from Vincent Price naturalistic, but he was a good actor, nonetheless. Sometimes, melodramatic performances can stir the emotions of the audience, while naturalistic performances can come off as stale and bland. The same could also be said of writing. Edgar Allan Poe is my favorite writer, but he certainly wasn’t a naturalistic writer. He often used hyperbolic language in his writing, a technique that might not be naturalistic, but is nonetheless impactful. Overall, there’s no one way to act or write. Very often, it depends on the genre you’re working in.
do you think its about taste too?
There's another part of naturalism where the mannerisms are "inefficient" for telling a story. If we kept all the "uh's, so's, anywho's, hmm's" and other stutters, the story wouldn't be captivating and all the characters wouldn't seem confident in what they were saying (granted, some documentaries and stories where naturalistic actors are the focus would be an exception to that rule, but I digress).
Screenplays are an ideal blueprint for the performances on screen and ultimately an idealized version of how people would speak in certain situations. What the producers/actors/directors do with that blueprint is up to them.
We can inject "naturalism" in pivotal moments of a story where it makes sense, but like any spice/technique, too much of it can dull your senses.
There's a sweet spot between naturalism and over-the-top dialogue. Aaron Sorkin talks about it, where if your dialogue is too natural it's no longer drama, but journalism. When you can find that sweet spot, that's really something.
That was the first 13 minutes of a 4 hour interview, so unfortunately, you're responding to the tip of the iceberg and thus there's a loss of context. Method Writing, like Method Acting, or like any method for making art, playing music, or learning to play tennis or golf, you learn a fundamental process FIRST, which as you progress to a higher level, can be modified or extended. I learned to box in which the first few weeks I never got to throw a punch, it was all about footwork. Imagine if I criticized my trainer because I assumed he expected me to go into the ring with my hands up or without throwing a punch. But proper footwork effected everything i did after that. Same with basketball, when professional players will often have to go back to their footwork in order to perfect certain shots. Stanislavski had three books on acting, and where the first was about naturalistic acting and coming from the authentic emotion, the last two books were about "Creating a Character" and "Perfecting a Role." Actors who are successful at larger than life characters are successful not only because they've added behavoir and gestures and facial expression that might be larger than life, but because those acting behaviors are still "supported" (a Stanislavksi term) by authentic emotion. Vincent Price was great in his larger than life roles because his affect was always supported from within, they were not just physicalities without foundation. Jack Nicolson's crazy "Here's Johnny" scene in The Shining was wonderfully effective, but still supported from within. Footwork first, then the rest. In 13 minutes, I couldn't cover the entire program of Method Writing, just the basic core of it, as I said twice in those first 13 minutes. But you're simplifying things when you say "naturalistic acting" or 'authentic writing" can be dull after a while. Duh? Of course it can be dull. That's why the 2nd Level of Method Writing -- "The Art of Tonal Dynamics" -- elucidated in my second book ADVANCED METHOD WRITING, is so important. But we didn't get to that in the first 13 minutes. Hopefully, when the other segments are released, pending FBI and CIA approval, those issues will be resolved and your objections might be alleviated. Maybe not. I'm not saying my Method is the only method, just as Stanislavski never claimed that his method was the only method. The techniques I teach can help writers and artists create and write better. As Roy Scheider, playing the part of Bob Fosse said in the movie "All That Jazz" to the struggling dancer, "Look, I can't make you great; but I can make you better."
Failure: see Thomas Edison. How many failed incandescent filaments did he create before inventing filaments that worked? Furthermore, how steadily did he continue working? There's a guy who had, sincerely, with a really great work ethic back in the day when a good work ethic meant something on a personal level.
"Method acting is the acting that Marlon Brando studied under Marilyn Monroe"
So we can just make stuff up now and nobody is going to interrupt?
You misheard him. He was saying that both Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando studied Method Acting, which they did. Perhaps you should check your own response before you make a fool of yourself online like this again.
…
Great Writers outline all the time though .... Sometimes they work for a project that wants a certain ending. This doesn't make sense.
he doesn't discount these types of things. organization is of course crucial. He's not trying to teach people how to write a story. He is teaching how to find the deep voice... The focus is not on narrative. Jack Grapes talks a lot about product vs process... both are fine - he is working with the latter. Although, his teachers do have other workshops that help you with the first.
Fail, Fail, Fail.... until your name is upon the silver screen.
Method acting is not breaking character
gees, talking so long when he could just say "writers imitate writing."
so missed the point
Fail better.
I disagree. It's not that easy to write even a good story, lol.
Red Bull & weed. I am a methhead writer.
I disagree whole heartedly with the explanation of writing in a real manner. Such an explanation means absolutely nothing to me, because it obscures what you should plainly have in mind as a writer.
If you're going to write you need to have an idea of what you're going to be writing about.
You need to have an idea of the characters that you are going to have in your story as well.
And every character in your story is going to have a different level of voice as they communicate with others.
I write about fantasy. There will be lords, kings, gentry, religious figures, and rabble.
When you write the voice of these characters it will be different for each one. How do you make it real; By remembering that the gentry, and the lords, kings, and clergy have a higher level of sophistication due to their education, as opposed to those who are peasant and rabble who have had a harsher upbringing, and lower level of education.
Every cast level has a particular habit of expression.
The voice must match their personna.
Likewise you must explain to the reader the meaning of any obscure word or expression, so the reader can easily follow the story.
You have to balance the narrative in a manner that reflects each character appropriately.
That is why Shakespeare is so difficult for many. The prose is from a different time, as are the meanings and intentions.
You would not write as Shakespeare did. But likewise you must basically paint your prose with oratory that is clear, and genuine to the character you are using at the time.
That to me is a more relevant and helpful explanation than saying "keeping it real".
And as far as failing. If you fail; too bad. Find out why. But I believe it often hinges on the lack of ability to maintain an interesting story; well written, in a clear voice and logical manner of events and sequences, as opposed to a boring story enlivened with flowery prose and boring characters, which often loses the readers attention.
He is not talking about all the other story stuff just Prose - how you are using it as an instrument (tonal dynamics, 5 voices, etc) and how to make it second nature to you so your braincapacity can go to all the other elements you need in storytelling - neither is he talking about Plotting/Pantsing - he says that he thinks its better not to know where to go but that is not a rule.
Nowhere does he mention "writing in a real manner".
@@aliti9315 .....🤔....mmmmm
@@Wateringman Is something unclear? Your commend sounded confused with what was said so where does you mmmm come from?
@@aliti9315 weighing in the value of your words. Your iron is strong!
@@Wateringman You should watch the whole 3 hour interview with him if you got the time for it. Some good stuff is talked about :D At least imho
bad advices.