A great actor is someone who can make the story they are telling believable. Use the acronym C.R.A.F.T to set yourself up for success in your career by breaking down your script, connecting to your character and mastering your storytelling skill.

C: Character 

The script you receive will have hints throughout, so make sure you’re utilizing all of them to inform how your character thinks, responds, and behaves in each situation they face.

R: Reality 

Periodically, you should ask yourself, “Is my performance real and believable? Am I living in my character's reality, experiencing their thoughts and feelings?” If the answer to either of those questions is “no”, revisit this list to see what needs improvement to execute your characters’ vision.

A: Alternatives 

In life, we have no idea how people are going to respond or react to our actions - make sure that element exists in your work. Don’t anticipate your character's reaction because you have already read the script! This leads to a stiff, unrealistic performance. If tension is building, and your character doesn't know what is going to happen next, neither should the actor!

F: Fight 

We are all constantly fighting for something. It could be a love interest, acceptance, a goal, or something else entirely. Know what your character is fighting for. This is a critical element to understanding all of your character's actions, reactions, and behaviors. 

T: Time

Every story has a beginning, middle, and an end. Therefore, every scene in the script has a purpose to move the story forward. Answer the question, “Why does this scene exist?”.  If you’re doing a scene and it seems that nothing has developed or changed by the end of it, I guarantee it’s worth taking another look.

Honing your C.R.A.F.T is essential to believable story telling, which is the primary goal of an actor. You must excel at breaking down a script, finding the truth, and executing the vision. Then, it is possible for you to tell your character's story for the director to capture and the audience to witness.