AI: Should Actors Be Worried?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is popping up everywhere, from our smart home gadgets to personal assistants and ChatGPT is leading the pack. Yep, that famous AI model that can chat like a human based on what you tell it. But can AI step into the acting world and be a coach?
I decided to find out by having ChatGPT critique two takes of a scene I performed. Spoiler alert: the results were pretty surprising—ChatGPT might just have some drama coach potential!
Initial Impressions
I started off with mixed feelings. The tech side was frustrating—uploading scenes took forever, and sometimes it didn’t work at all. Plus, ChatGPT struggled with PDFs. These issues might improve, but right now, they’re a bit of a drag.
But, once I got past the tech glitches, I found that ChatGPT also had its strengths.
ChatGPT’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Despite the tech troubles, ChatGPT did offer some useful feedback. It was good at recognizing emotions, facial expressions, and voice tones. However, it didn’t quite get the subtext and physical nuances, which are super important in acting (obviously).
With that in mind, I decided to dive deeper into my experiment.
On to ChatGPT: My Experiment
I uploaded two takes of an audition scene I did recently. The scene involved a woman who was extremely distraught, possibly drunk or high. She's also experiencing intense emotions, likely confused and erratic. And, Dorothy is interacting with her daughter (that’s the extent of what I knew for this particular scene).
In my first take, I focused on showing Dorothy's emotional chaos and instability. Here’s what ChatGPT had to say:
Analysis of Take One
Take One: Strengths
Emotional Intensity: Nailed Dorothy's distress, showing her raw emotions.
Authenticity: Felt genuine, especially when my voice broke to show vulnerability.
Areas for Improvement
Physicality: Could use more physical cues to hint at her drunken or high state.
Pacing: Some parts felt rushed. Adding slight pauses can give depth and realism.
Voice Modulation: While the emotional intensity was there, varying the tone and volume could add more layers to her character.
Analysis of Take Two
Take Two: Strengths
Controlled Chaos: Balanced emotional intensity and control better.
Subtlety: Improved facial expressions, effectively showing confusion and pain.
Areas for Improvement
Consistency: Make sure the physical portrayal of being high or drunk stays consistent.
Engagement: Interact more with the imaginary environment.
Variation: Add more vocal and physical variations.
Overall, ChatGPT gave me some pretty interesting feedback that got me thinking differently about my performance. It pointed out both strengths and areas to work on, which has made me reconsider using ChatGPT for feedback on self tape auditions.
Both takes had their strengths and weaknesses highlighted effectively by ChatGPT. On multiple uploads, ChatGPT consistently favored Take Two, which was interesting because I initially thought Take One was stronger.
ChatGPT's Limitations
Even though ChatGPT offered some valuable insights, it had its quirks. For example, it gave feedback on things like authenticity and emotional resonance, but sometimes the advice felt a bit repetitive or even contradictory, which made it tricky to know what to follow. There were also moments when the suggestions seemed more like filler than actual helpful tips.
And once it gave feedback even though it couldn’t watch the scene… yeah, that happened.
That means its advice on specific improvements should definitely be taken with a grain of salt. It’s a great reminder that there's no substitute for a human coach’s nuanced understanding and personalized guidance.
The Role of Human Judgment
While ChatGPT is an exciting tool with a lot of potential, it's not quite ready to replace human acting coaches just yet. For those detailed, nuanced critiques, you still need the human touch.
Using AI like ChatGPT for acting insights is a glimpse into the future of performance arts. For now, though, it's best used as an extra tool rather than your main coach.
Trust your instincts and keep leaning with human feedback to get the best results.
And by the way, if you’re a trained actor, serious about your career but struggling to get to the next level, then book an appointment with me. It’s free, and together we can figure out if you’re a good fit for my program, and if you’re not, we’ll figure out the next best steps for your journey together.
Interested in giving AI a spin as your acting coach (and other ways you can use AI as an actor - like helping you define your brand based on your headshot)? Download my curated ChatGPT prompts for actors.
Until next time, you stay your bold and beautiful self.
Anne
