Lines are all the words spoken by characters in a play. An actor's lines have a clear purpose: conveying the story, director's intentions, and the actor's own intentions to an audience. To do this, learning the basics such as pronunciation, vocalization, and breathing is important. The more solid these basics, the better their so-called 'communication power'.
'His communication skills are truly good.'
While watching from behind as Im Hyuk acted, I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. His solid fundamentals were so strong, they made one feel deeply impressed. Regardless of his age (17), there were still a lot of great kids at this school. In contrast, Han Do-jae himself still had a long way to go to master the basics fully. Upon returning at age seventeen, my body had grown soft, and the basic skills I had originally developed had largely become useless. Still, I decided to console myself by thinking it had only been two days since I returned, and just one day since I had entered school.
'It was the same script.'
Jo Won-ho gave the same script to both students. It was clear that the difference would be evident in their fundamentals. Im Hyuk's acting soon concluded, and Han Do-jae stepped forward. As I lacked the basics anyway, I had no intention of forcing myself to perform. There was a risk that if I forced myself to speak in a way that ill-suited my body, I would end up sounding quite unsophisticated. Just like during the first monologue, I decided to abandon all thoughts about pronunciation or enunciation. I took a deep breath and said my first line.
"So, what is 'evidence'? Did you gather any?"
Certainly, a voice came out that was not as strong as Im Hyuk's. The difference in vocal projection was obvious, but I didn't care. Now was the time to consult the script and focus on the words I had marked.
"Are you bringing this 'thing' up now to 'brag'? Are you 'sincere'?"
I looked back at today's class. Expression. Expression, a most important element for an actor, meant he could not do it half-heartedly when he first acted before Jo Won-ho.
"I'll say it again. Bring ALL the evidence you can find. Got it?"
Likewise, Han Do-jae's acting also ended quickly.
'I need to build up my body first. And I also need to practice my pronunciation urgently.'
It didn't matter, as I planned to slowly and surely improve my basic skills. I was just curious about how Jo Won-ho would view my best acting at that time.
Clap clap.
"Good job, both of you."
After the two people finished acting, Jo Won-ho came forward again. Han Do-jae and Im Hyeok followed his gesture and stood next to Jo Won-ho.
"Okay, what do you think after watching the two of you act so far? Anything is fine." "Im Hyuk's vocalization was amazing!" "Pronunciation too! I sat in the very back and I didn't miss a single word of the lines."
After that, students continued to praise Im Hyuk's acting.
"Everyone talks a lot about Im Hyuk's voice. Is there no comment about Han Do-jae?" "I couldn't concentrate because I couldn't see!"
One student's words caused all the students to burst into laughter. Jo Won-ho also glanced at Han Do-jae after hearing that.
'If I cut my hair, those guys' words would change right away.'
Han Do-jae observed the student who had mocked him, through eyes that were hidden by his bangs. And then he quickly shook his head. I was wondering what I should do with the kids, as I was planning on getting my hair cut this weekend anyway. At that moment, someone raised his hand proudly. The noisy classroom became quiet for a moment. Everyone kept quiet and looked at the person who raised their hand.
"Okay, Yoon Se-ri. What do you think?"
The top star of the first year of Sky High School, who usually says little today or even on regular days. Yoon Se-ri raised her hand. When she raised her hand, Im Hyuk, who had been calm until that point, looked at Yoon Se-ri with slightly widened eyes. She lowered her slender arms and looked at Jo Won-ho for a moment with her pitch-black eyes that seemed unreadable. Although only one day has passed, Yoon Se-ri's image as a haughty and cold person solidified among the kids. It was unimaginable to even think about talking to her. As a celebrity, there were always gossips following her, yet Yoon Se-ri's noble expression never wavered. I don't know what you're thinking inside. When Yoon Se-ri opened her mouth, everyone paid attention.
"I liked Han Do-jae's acting. He conveyed clearly what he wanted to say."
As soon as Yoon Se-ri's words rang out clearly, a small ripple occurred among the children.
"There were some lines that I couldn't hear very well...?" "Compared to Im Hyuk, didn't the sound of an ant sound like that?" "You two know each other? No?"
Jo Won-ho quieted the children.
"Why did you think so?"
When Jo Won-ho asked why, Yoon Se-ri looked down for a moment, thought about it, and then answered.
"Han Do-jae's acting was so catchy that it felt like it was piercing into my ears."
In response, Han Do-jae clenched his fist without anyone knowing. At least one person seemed to have heard the line as he intended. The children's whispers that were still flowing out were all absorbed into Jo Won-ho's subsequent words.
"Good point."
The children, now a confused group, looked at Jo Won-ho as if they didn't understand English. Jo Won-ho, who saw that gaze, smiled and pointed to the students standing on either side.
"First, Im Hyuk. As you all can see, this guy has solid fundamentals. His pronunciation is good, and his voice is powerful. Even if he were on stage right now, his voice would easily reach the end of the audience. His ability to deliver lines wasn't bad either. In particular, his explosive power in the part where he talks about handling things was really great."
The children nodded as if they understood Jo Won-ho's explanation.
"Then next: Han Do-jae delivers lines that stick in your ears. What's his secret?"
This time, he didn't wait long for an answer and continued his explanation right away.
"It was important to distinguish the lines and articulate them. Han Do-jae chose words to emphasize in advance and accented them when he articulated the lines. He didn't just say them. Like this."
When the students said they couldn't get the hang of it, Jo Won-ho demonstrated it himself.
"First: 'So, what is the evidence? What have you collected?' If this is normal pronunciation, then: 'What is the 'evidence'? What have you collected?' This is the accent, so the evidence sticks. Han Do-jae organized these keywords well and acted within a short period."
'As expected, the teacher understood correctly.'
Handojae inwardly sighed in relief, clutching at his chest. Originally, Han Do-jae was the type of actor who had to meticulously study the script from beginning to end and spend a long time analyzing it before acting. I came up with a plan to show some decent acting in a short period of time, and luckily Jo Won-ho caught it well. Finding keywords within the dialogue. This was an acting technique that Han Do-jae used to give power to his lines, especially when filming scenes like speeches.
"Then who did better?"
One student, unable to contain his curiosity, raised his hand.
"It's not about who is good or bad. They just acted differently."
Despite Jo Won-ho's concise words, the classroom was noisy. Everyone seemed to think that Im Hyuk's acting was better because he showed strong energy based on solid fundamentals. At the sight of the children, who seemed not to understand properly, Jo Won-ho wrote two words on the blackboard.
[Stage acting], [Video acting].
"Well, if you look at this, you can see that Im Hyuk's acting is closer to 'stage acting' and Han Do Jae's acting is closer to 'video acting'."
Jo Won-ho's comment that it is close to 'video acting'. Han Do-jae felt a little stung inside and lowered his head slightly. I was acting without any basic skills, so I just used techniques that were commonly used on set; however, I didn't know that it would be seen through so quickly.
"This year's class will spend time learning the differences between these two acting styles."
'This looks fun.'
It was probably something I had learned in a past life, but the memories that remained were vague. Han Do-jae was very excited at the thought that he would have the opportunity to learn properly.
"Is there much to think about after watching the two students' performances today?"
Some students who still didn't quite understand nodded their heads vigorously. Among them were many of Im Hyuk's friends. Then, Jo Won-ho looked at those children and smiled meaningfully.
"Then, until next class, think about the difference between stage acting and video acting."
By the time I had a bad feeling, it was already too late. Students slumped over the suddenly added homework.
"Quiet! Then I'll wrap things up and finish up. You two worked hard. Go inside. I'll give you the paper back."
First, Im Hyeok returned to his seat, his face still frowning; Han Do-jae followed him as Jo Won-ho's closing remarks were heard.
"The two students' acting was good. However, for an actor, the basics are literally the basics. Regardless of the genre, you should learn them properly from a young age. See you next time."
Those words were clearly intended for me. Because it was true no matter how many times I heard it, I returned to my seat in silence. Although Yoon Se-ri and Jo Won-ho caught onto his intentions, his acting clearly showed his shortcomings. In a corner of the teachers' office, Jo Won-ho was deep in thought, his arms crossed over a piece of paper. Handojae's script. The slightly crumpled paper was the same one Handojae had returned to him in class just now. Jo Won-ho, who was looking through the messy paper here and there, kept tilting his head as if he found something strange. Im Hyuk's paper was relatively clean. At most, it's just underlined. On the other hand, Han Do-jae's paper was not so clean.
'You pointed it out pretty well.'
Each line of dialogue was underlined multiple times, and some words were circled multiple times. 'Evidence', 'pride', 'again'. These were the words that Han Do-jae emphasized when he acted during class. It wasn't by chance. It was true that Han Do-jae changed his accent just as it was written on the script.
'In just three minutes.'
On his computer screen, Han Do-jae's profile was displayed. He came from an ordinary middle school and came in last on the entrance exam. No matter how you look at it, Han Do-jae's profile is not only ordinary, but almost pathetic. But the acting he showed today. It was a confident response that showed the best he could do despite his lack of basic skills.
'Where did you learn that?'
If you are from a normal middle school, then go to an academy? No, even if you learned it at an academy, the basics would have come first. And if I had gone to a prep school, I would have shown bland acting. But strangely, Han Do-jae's basic skills were at the level of someone who was just starting out in acting. Jo Won-ho smiled as if he found it interesting and recalled Han Do-jae's monologue from the last inauguration ceremony.
'It was the same then and it is the same today... I find it amusing that a kid is so poor at the basics.'
There was no hesitation in the way he spat out strong lines with relish. To the point where I wonder what kind of expression he makes and what kind of lines he actually delivers. No, even though I couldn't see the expression properly, I felt it strongly. While I was wondering what the identity was, another teacher, Park So-yul from acting, approached me.
"What are you looking at so intently? Aren't you going to eat dinner?"
As Jo Won-ho was about to get up at those words, Park So-yul became interested in Jo Won-ho's monitor.
"Oh, this guy. His name is... yeah, Han Do-jae."
In the Sky acting program, there was no one with such thick glasses and messy hair. Maybe it was because of his somewhat unique appearance; I could recognize him right away when I saw his profile picture.
"Why are you looking at this guy's profile?" "I'm the student in charge of this homeroom, so I can pay some attention to you."
Jo Won-ho, with a strange smile on his face, turned off the monitor and got up from his seat.
"Huh? When did you say you didn't want to be the homeroom teacher?" "Okay. Let's go eat."
Jo Won-ho silently took the lead in response to Park So-yul's words, which seemed to be floating around. Park So-yul glanced at Jo Won-ho's desk. Park So-yul saw the script that he had circled diligently, pursed her lips slightly, and nodded her head slightly.
'Handojae... Did that guy do that too?' "Aren't you coming?" "Yes, yes. I'll go."
Park So-yul followed Jo Won-ho out of the teachers' office late.
'What do you know about this?'