There’s a lot that goes into the preparatory work that’s demanded from an actor. Scene study is such an effective part of rehearsals that drama schools like the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) dedicate entire courses to learning the practice. It’s the cornerstone of the world of acting, and you will find it useful regardless of your career level. From school productions to major blockbusters, this is a technique that most professional actors use regularly.
But what exactly is scene study and how does it work? Our practical guide breaks down each step and gives you the most efficient exercises to work on your scenes.
Scene study is the analysis of a scene from a play or a film with the aim of learning it for a performance. It’s an essential part of an actor’s prep work and starts the moment you receive your script. Once you’ve read it as a whole, it’s time to single out your lines and start excavating the dialogue to identify the emotions you’ll be conveying. Scene study allows you to explore the writing in depth to find the nuances in your character’s intentions and, ultimately, build the foundations of your performance.
Once you have chosen the scene you want to focus on, divide it into smaller sections. Narrowing it down to micro-scenes will allow your acting choices to be more specific, as well as make the project more manageable to digest. Remember that the work goes beyond learning your lines; you are creating a character. Finding the subtext will stoke your creativity and encourage you to come up with your own backstory, but it will also inform the motives behind your actions.
Studying a scene doesn’t only involve reading and rereading it to pull apart its inner meaning. Ask yourself questions and take notes. The script will answer a few of them, but the others will be up to you to figure out. The key things you need to establish are:
- Setting: Where and when is your scene taking place? Try to look at the bigger picture and determine the time period, but also the time of day. Is the location somewhere public, or does the scene unfold in a private space? Is this the first time your character has been to this place, or are they familiar with their surroundings? Are they cold or warm? What is their comfort level as the scene plays out? Do they have any reason to be uneasy or worried? Have they been there for long?
- Themes: What is the scene trying to achieve? Is the theme of the scene the same as the wider film or play’s? What is your character trying to convey? How do they relate to the story’s overarching theme? Are they a vehicle for the plot or an assistant to it? Do they reflect or reject the themes and messages of the story? Are there any aspects of their personality that you may need to exacerbate in order to better convey the message of the scene?
- Connection: Is your character alone in the scene? If they are not alone, what’s their relationship with the other characters? Do they know each other, or are they strangers? How do they feel about the others? Are they at ease with them, or are there any reasons they shouldn’t be? Is their relationship affected by anything, including other characters who may not appear in the scene? Is everyone present, or are they waiting for someone else to arrive? Is there anything they would like to speak about or ask, but can’t? And why?
- Motive: This is the big question. Why is this scene happening? Why is your character involved? Are they seeking an answer, or are they the answer? What are they trying to do? What led them to this scene? What’s their motivation to act and speak in a specific manner? Are they confident in their motives? Is there any reason they should be behaving differently? Are they hiding anything? How genuine are their motives?
As you explore and break down your character’s words and the stage directions, your character will mutate. Don’t be afraid to change your mind; there’s beauty in the process of a performance evolving. Everything you discover – regardless of its importance and size – will inform your portrayal. Even what may seem like an unnecessary remark has a role in your journey.
By asking yourself seemingly random questions, you are actively establishing the idiosyncratic responses of your character. As humans, our emotions are layered and messy. We often feel multiple feelings at once, so by examining the scene from different angles and branching out beyond its written constraints, we can project complexities onto our characters and bring in nuance. The key is to understand that they are a person whose actions and thoughts are affected by every little thing that happens to them.
Scene study doesn’t necessarily need to be a solo experience. Teaming up with a fellow actor will unlock another layer to your practice, as you can bounce off ideas and combine your expertise. Acting is a collaborative and reactive art, after all, so working on a scene study with another performer will push you to listen instead of simply waiting for your turn to speak your lines.
- It grants you a more profound approach to your character.
- It gives you a better grasp of script analysis.
- It engages your critical-thinking skills.
- Learning how to interpret a script will improve your wider acting skills.
- When carried out with scene partners, it builds strong teamwork skills.
- It flexes your improv muscles.
Unlike many other techniques that may not work for you, scene study is a safe bet. It won’t guarantee that you’ll learn your lines more quickly, but it will allow you to absorb your character and work on them from the inside out. All you need is a scene, pen, and paper.