Hello all,
As you know Ian was a master of all accents, he had put together a brief synopsis for a two week workshop on Accents. Have a look below.
WORKSHOP I – Accents, imitation, and the art of listening for the actor.
-MAP
-Powerpoint
-Chalk Board
-Computer
-Welcome
-Why it can be so hard to learn accents!!!! – Immensely complicated.
-Goal for a student to try and workshop 2 accents within a week.
-Some of this may sound racist, but….
-Correct me if I’m wrong, this is also a discussion, and a learning opportunity as well.
-Recognizing Accents – Veronika/Erica(manchester)/
-Celebration of the uniqueness
-Comes from somebody who knows a different language that has its own written language with its own sounds pacing and rules, sign of intelligence and status
-Accents – Imitation/Exaggeration/Mockery
-Definition of accents – not real – No such thing as an accent – 2 exceptions in the English language – Parents/Other kids
-Lines on the map – Windsor/Michigan (Tony n Tinas), Windsor/Vancouver
-Broadcast media – BBC/American News/Annunciation
-I will research an accent
-Listening – A good performer has 3 things he has to listen to. The fellow actor, themself, and the audience. There are priorities in those three things based upon the genre all are relavant. Drama (Fellow actor 45%, Yourself 45%, Audience 10%), Comedy (Fellow Actor 33%, Audience 33%, Yourself 34%)
-Mel Blanc
-Deaf
-Show off –
ENGLAND
London RP – Longer roll of the r for very upscale
Kent/Surrey
Liverpool – The Beatles (Bathroom Window/Norwegian Wood)
Western Burr – Monty Python Flying Sheep Sketch
Birmingham – Talk abou’ r’ it…. Vanessa ‘r and Adam…. Emma ‘r and Richard, Summat
Manchester
Nottingham –
Yorkshire – Original 4 Yorkshiremen Sketch
Scottish – Edinborough/Glasgow/Aberdeen – Rolling the r at the end of the tongue
Irish (Belfast/Dublin),
Welsh?? (Intonation, quick roll of the “R”, Long vowels)
Germany (Berlin/Bavaria – Loewenbraeu, Hofbraeuhaus)
Austria (Salzburg Nachricht – Bischofshoven, Carinthian, osterreich)
Polish – Dr. Kedzierski
Romanian/Eastern European (Bela Lugosi-Race of Atomic Superman/Peter Lorre)
Italy (Rhythm and Music of an accent)
French (France,Canadian, G->J)
Spain (cinco, Castilian sinco -> thinko) – Antonio Banderas. kinda Ricardo Montalban
Scandanavian (Danish, oe, aa, Ao) – Rhythm of a language
Russian (Moscow, Chechnya (Defence/Mice Story), Ukraine, (sketchy on Belarus)
American (Deep South, Michigan, Minnesota, Massachussetts (Ben Affleck, NKOTB, Matt Damon, JFK), Louisiana-Cajun, New York)
Japan(Syllables, not letters, L/R shift, Fainaru Fantajī Sebun, Katekana, Hirigana, Kanji, Latin)
Chinese (Easy to turn into mockery, L/R shift, English-Chinese written language is impossible, Gong Fu, Intonation, Wu Li, Crouching Tiger, Ziyi Zhang Jang Dzee-yee)
Filipino (b/ NO v, No f/p – Spanish influence, Th -> D,T) – Filipino Accent Tutorial by Mikey Bustos, STATUS
India – Shouldn’t be collectively collaborated into one accent, but we do.
South African – British/Affrikaans – District 9
Australian – Common, Bushman, Kiwi New Zealand
South American (Mexican, Guatemalan)
Jamaican
Canadian – Newfoundland (Stephen Haarper, Paul Maartin, Caar, Darren story), Alberta, Big Question…. (about, aboot, abewt, aboat, abowt)
-Rhythms of a language – drum beat
Beta Test for a Two-Week Workshop in Accent Study for Actors
This workshop is geared to the study and development of the imitation and understanding of accents from all over the world. A skill for the professional development of the actor. Week One of the workshop begins with a demonstration and a lecture-style discussion of world accents and how accents come to be on a Geographical basis and its role in Global Communication. Questions during the workshop are encouraged at all times.
The workshop is presented by Ian Bruno, an actor who has studied accents for more than 15 years. Acting in plays that require British, Scottish, German, Russian, New York, Michigan, and Irish accents. Ian has also performed improv comedy for more than 7 years with the same troupe, some games requiring world accents and celebrity imitation upon an audience’s request.