WHAT'S THE FIRST FEW STEPS YOU TAKE WHEN YOU LOOK AT A FILM SCRIPT?

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Your film script arrives with your audition scenes to prepare. What are the first few steps you take to prepare for the audition? Say... you're not required to learn the lines completely, just be familiar enough with them.

Just interested to know how each of you approach the script and prepare for the audition itself. Any favourite ways of working with a script to give yourself the best chance.

OKAY....

GO!......


  • 17 years ago
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Kenny Richards-Preston
Actor, Singer

Sally?
That's basically what I said!!!
Meeks? Although I understand what you're saying and read what you believe I wrote I think you missunderstood the fundemental part of what I wrote. I don't go by the directors or the editors decision, though in fulfillment it is up to those that make us look good. whether we're good or not!
Point being, we're not always asked to portray an emotion we've never had before! So we build on what we know and what knowledge we have, but even then. Thats ain't even close to what we bring to the role, they can only second guess, as can we.
What I was giving was basically? Try and bring yourself to the role, regardless of the script, if that's what they want, then you've shown a side of you and the character they would never have seen before.
Anyway surmon over
Kenny


  • 17 years ago
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Goblin Films Ltd
Employer

I'm going to have to disagree with you Kenny. The director's job is to tell the story. An actor who refused to take direction and goes out of his way to make himself shine makes that job diffcult. The director's job is not to make you look good, but to gt a good performance out of you. To use your talent to best effect.

Often actors are chosen because they have the right 'look'. Expressions and mannerisms will come into it on audition. If these don't quite fit the character, a director may think to himself that he can work with what is there to create the character. Resistance to this direction will make him regret the choice.

Telling the story is the end goal. Even a good actor making too much of their own performance can interfere with the flow of this. If you can co-operate with the director and the story flows as a result, your talent will show in the believability of the film. Apart from Michael Caine, actors who always play themselves are usually identified derisively for doing so.

Those who are msot admired for the talent can make me believe they are different people in their different films. Johnny Depp, Dustin Hoffman, even Jack Nicholson with his recognisable style, all transform into different characters in different films. Some of their core personality may show through, but their real acting talent is shown in the different personalities of the characters.

Tell me that Rochester in The Libertine is the same person as Sam in Benny and Joon and I just won't believe you.


  • 17 years ago
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Goblin Films Ltd
Employer

Apologies to all for typos in the above, I'm up too early...


  • 17 years ago
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Kenny Richards-Preston
Actor, Singer

Ok!
Humble pie eating time kind of. For me.
I don't think I wrote the thing I meant to say. I was referring to meeks's comment that the editor and director can make the actor look like he's about to kill someone. Which is completely right, never piss off an editor! They can make you look complete crap onscreen, no matter how good the performance.
I never meant to imply that it's an actors job to direct himself, because without direction you merely feel about blindly in the dark.
And I wasn't also implying that the approach I take to a role is the best either, just that it works for me. I just like to know what character I am playing, what emotions I need and bring a part of me to it that suits is all.
Kenny


  • 17 years ago
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Goblin Films Ltd
Employer

No humble pie required Kenny, people are entitled to have different views. And if what you meant to say wasn't what I read, then perhaps our opinions aren't completely in opposition.

One thing I'll definitely agree with though, never piss off an editor. ;)

Although any editor working for me twice would be able to put aside any personal gripes he had about an actor. Ideally, everyone works best if singing from the same hymn sheet.

And the bottom line is, what will make the film the best it can be.


  • 17 years ago
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I've been reading the posts on this thread with interest.

I would not normally post on a technique thread, but I just wanted to respond to DC's because I think that meeks's and kenny's posts have been understood.

If I'm right, when they talk about bringing yourself to a character, it does not mean playing yourself. It means attempting to fuse the character and the actor so as to produce a truthful and believable performance.

I personally am method trained and the key to Stanislavski method is the magic "if" - what would I do if I were Hamlet in that situation for example.

Dustin Hoffman is a method actor and uses technique similar to that. Some of our greatest actors use that exact technique (De Niro, Brando) yet you wouldn't really accuse them of playing themselves. Provided you adopt appropriate actions and motivations for that particular character, doing what you would do if you were them in that situation will not see you play yourself.

Hope I haven't interpreted your posts wrongly lads?!


  • 17 years ago
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Oops. That should be mis-understood, not understood.


  • 17 years ago
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I'm trained in the "just read the damned script and try to do what the director wants" method.


It's unfortunately true that unless you as the actor actually wrote the script, 99% of the time you'd better just try to be that part as the director wants you to be it no matter what you think you can read into it. The last thing a director needs after getting this far is for some actor to start rewriting the character in front of the camers. An actor is about the only single person on a set who can actually screw up the whole day and waste everybody's time, and that's not a nice thing to do to the rest of the crew who are working hard to pull this thing off.

So basically YOU as the actor shouldn't come into something and try to stamp your signature all over it. The director is boss. But that's not really a bad thing if you know and communicate with the director and really discuss the part. I'm doing a part pretty soon that I wouldn't have actually cast me for but the director was adamant that he wants me for it. At first I just thought he was nuts, but as it turns out after we've sat around discussing things (usually in a pub) it has really grown into something I'm totally excited about doing now.

It will be a challanging part for me and that makes it fun whether I nail it or not, but it needs to be done RIGHT for the movie to work and no matter how I might see myself portraying the character and reading my own things into it I now totally understand that I will need to vacate my own personality from my body (send it down the pub while we're filming, I'll catch up with it later...) before it will work.

But the real deal is that the director is also the writer. Maybe that makes a big difference.


  • 17 years ago
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Goblin Films Ltd
Employer

Yes Timo, the writer has an idea in their mind about what the character is like and being in the director's chair as well challenges objectivity.

That's one of the reasons I wont direct my own projects, apart from having zero directing experience. I need someone who both knows what he's doing as a director and is objective where I cannot be as writer/producer.

Fortunately I found just he right director for the project at hand, and hopefully for some of the others on the slate.

So what's your project? And when are we likely to be seeing it?

DC


  • 17 years ago
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Well that's it isn't it. That's the whole reason why there are so many different techniques - to suit the individual actor.

Provided that the performance is truthful and the director happy, it doesn't matter how that performance is arrived at.

I always feel a compulsion to speak up about 'the method' because it is so often mis-understood and mis-interpreted, both in principle and in practice.


  • 17 years ago
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Well! This has snowballed into a giant snowman with a heart and a pulse and a prizewinning carrot for a nose!! All very interesting.

Everyones views and methods hold validity if it helps them to create the world that is written on the page. Being able to make someone believe and empathise with your character is something that I, and most people in this funny old game, strive for I should think. I was taught that you and your character are of course different people to begin with. As you work with your character and come to know them and build their life from your imagination (using the writer's indicators as your guide), eventually the happy end product will see you mesh with the character, hopefully. End result being that you are someone else with your essence thrown in as well.

We are all our own person at the end of the day and we all have our life experiences ("all the world's a stage" and all that!). My hope, coming back to the beginning of this thread, is that I am able to and have the correct tools etc. for me to be able to give myself a chance at the outset.

Incidentally, thank you to everyone for your ideas and sharing the way you work. I landed the part in the film I went up for (which had prompted me to initiate this thread in the first instance). Get in!! :0)

Take care all.
xx Shannon


  • 17 years ago
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