Tool or Rule

I suppose that if the information in the linked Facebook article isn't done skillfully enough the outcome looks mechanical.  I noticed that most folks in conversation don't stare intensively at each other throughout the conversation.  Rather, they look from side to side, look at their phone, scratch their nose, or maybe nod.  Actors are taught to look intensely at each other like that.  Focused or engaged looking into someone else's face or eyes doesn't feel natural to me especially when the other person doesn't respond to me in the same manner.  Although in some scenes it works depending on environment.  Love and emotional scenes, or two people in a quiet room for example.  But, clearly not workable in a driven car or interactive environment where it would be unnatural or safe to focus so much eye contact on each other.  It seems to work well in afternoon television soap operas.  But, the actors are facing each other and using the same technique.

On numerous occasions I practiced active listening with random strangers in stores with the expectation of getting a desired reaction to what I was saying and always sensed that the other person became uncomfortable with me looking uninterruptedly into their face for an extended period of time.  I can easily tell when I meet actors who do that to me because it becomes uncomfortable standing there in the mall looking at each other like one of us needs to initiate the kiss.  A filmed scene isn't usually about the actions of one character but the relationship between both. If only one character practices engaged listening the scene doesn't work quiet like some acting teachers want us to believe that it will.  Which is probably why my attempts to use it in in real life did not fair well.

There are acting schools out there who appear to make this approach the foundation of their teaching.  But, read around and it's not difficult to find dissension among studios and teachers as to what looks most realistic on screen.  An actors goal in a scene is to be present and believable on the screen.  So, conduct your own experiments and draw your own conclusions about what makes you comfortable on screen. Because if you are not present and realistic in the scene the audience is going to see it.

Rather than raining on any ones parade with this blog I use it to encourage you to conduct social experiments and approach it like you are preparing for an audition.  Expect anything and be prepared to react to the other actor who makes you look slow and out of the scene because they are all over the place and you are not keeping up.  This Facebook article appears to make the case for one of many tools, but not a rule.

https://www.facebook.com/RobinDaleMeyersActingCoach/posts/792496320831907