\n<\/p>\n
Where on earth does time go? I\u2019m typing this in 2025, and yet it feels like mere moments ago I was spiralling into existential dread during a script analysis class in 2020. How times have changed: how far we\u2019ve all come, how little I remember from that session\u2026 Fortunately, (and I cannot believe I\u2019m typing this) it was a Zoom class\u2013which meant I had the pleasure of rewatching the dissociative expressions of my classmates whilst simultaneously refreshing my memory on different ways we can approach text. Let\u2019s talk about the first thing to do with your script.<\/span><\/p>\n The way you approach your script can have a huge impact on your performance. If you apply too many different methods, you\u2019ll likely overthink the material and the performance will be blurry. If you succumb to choice paralysis and don\u2019t do anything at all with your script, then you\u2019ll be about as engaging to watch as a plank of wood. The first thing to do with your script is read it. Then work to a plan catered to your acting process that allows you to work through the material and discover the character. Don\u2019t start acting until you know it inside and out.<\/strong><\/p>\n When I dusted off the recording of that haunting little COVID relic, it occurred to me just how much is out there in the way of techniques and theories and approaches to script work. <\/span>Should we drop in the images<\/a> first? Intone all the vowels or exercise the consonants? Mark out the beats<\/a> or play with some specific actions<\/a> or brush our hair or buy more milk? Should we be doing all of this? What if we don\u2019t have time? Where the heck are we supposed to start?<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been given a script, there are two* main possibilities as to why this has happened:<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s walk through each of these scenarios and why they\u2019re different when it comes to what we do with our script.<\/span><\/p>\n *Okay, so maybe a third option here is that you\u2019ve been given a script as part of an acting class<\/a>. We\u2019re not going to make that our focus today, simply because the resources of time and information aren\u2019t as scarce. In that context, the first thing you should do with the script is script analsyis<\/a>, using either our handy guide (linked) or however you\u2019re directed by your teacher.<\/em><\/p>\n It looks a little something like this: you\u2019ve just finished a ten-hour workday at your muggle job, and you get an email from your agent<\/a> with a self-tape request that\u2019s due in 24 hours. You\u2019re working another long day tomorrow so the only window you have to submit is that night. Thankfully, your housemate is nocturnal and the script is only half a page and a couple of lines. Time to burn some midnight oil.<\/span><\/p>\n When you\u2019re auditioning for a job, time and information are your two limiting factors. It\u2019s likely, especially with screen industry, that you won\u2019t have much time to prepare and the script you\u2019ll be given might have a project synopsis, a scene or two and, if you\u2019re<\/span> lucky, a character brief. Not a lot to work with but enough to make do.<\/span><\/p>\n In order to set a good foundation for your work, I\u2019d recommend skipping over the synopsis and the character brief and going straight to the scenes. Sometimes I find reading the project synopsis and the character brief beforehand can tempt me into making choices about the delivery before I\u2019ve even seen the script, so these days I like to go in as blind as possible. <\/span><\/p>\n The first thing we want to do is <\/span>read the script thoroughly without preconception. <\/b>Read it like you\u2019re reading this article: with interest and without bias.<\/span><\/p>\n After your first read, write down in very simple terms what the story is about. Even if it\u2019s an excessively cinematic car advert, there\u2019s a story being told: \u201cEvery day man escapes the city to behold the majesty of nature in his brand-new Ford Titan.\u201d<\/em> You should also make a few notes about what stands out without making any choices about the performance. Are there any actions that are very specific or complex? Any notes about the tone of a line? It\u2019s all useful information.<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, if there are any terms or words you aren\u2019t familiar with or don\u2019t know how to pronounce, look them up. This is the quickest way for your tape to be \u201cnoped\u201d, no matter how much work you\u2019ve put in around the error.<\/span><\/p>\n Now that you\u2019ve got an initial read for comprehension, break out that project synopsis and character brief you\u2019ve been dying to read. Along with the script, these will help you get a gauge of the genre and the tone of the project. Again, don\u2019t make any big choices about acting just yet; instead consider some broad performance elements typical to the given genre.<\/span><\/p>\n For example, if it\u2019s a comedy<\/a>, the timing of your delivery and the tone of any pauses will differ significantly to, say, horror<\/a>. This is why you should be watching lots of film, television<\/a> and theatre: so you can identify common elements of different genres. <\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019re not trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to auditioning for a project, you\u2019re giving your unique take on the role. So trust that by understanding the conventions of that genre, and where your character might fit.<\/span><\/p>\n From here, you\u2019ll need to make your own decision about what to do with the script, keeping in mind the timeframe you have to work with. <\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re auditioning for a car commercial with a dramatic, cinematic edge and not a lot of spoken lines, I would recommend beating out the script. Develop imaginative images for each part so that your eyes light up with the awe of seeing a vast canyon and a beautiful coastline rather than your bedroom wall. <\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re auditioning for a drama, be it for screen or theatre, spend time with the character relationships<\/a>. Mine the script for any information about who the other characters are and how they relate to your character.<\/span><\/p>\n Whenever you\u2019re completely stumped, I\u2019d always recommend going back to your imagination. What does the script remind you of? What images or thoughts come up? Play with what your mind conjures up and deliver the lines from an honest place: if you\u2019re confused as heck, then play your character as confused as heck and see what happens!<\/span><\/p>\n Let me be the first to say it: congratulations. You analysed that script so good, you nailed the audition and now the job is yours! This is where it gets fun. Time is still limited but not as<\/em> limited\u2014and now you have the full script. So many words to play with\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s dig in\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n When you get the full script, forget (almost) everything you did in the audition and start from scratch. Keep in mind what you already know about the character, but prepare to change and add things. The full script may have undergone a lot of editing since you last read it, so for all intents and purposes you\u2019re working with a fresh manuscript. <\/span><\/p>\n Read it for sense, get an idea of the full story, the genre and tone. Make notes about any major differences between now and what you learned in the audition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Once again, consider the project. If it\u2019s a commercial, there isn\u2019t a whole lot to be done with the script. Generally, in commercials, they\u2019re wanting the lines said clearly and plainly with a touch of imagination. If it\u2019s a feature length performance, though, you get to have some real fun.<\/span><\/p>\n The first thing to do with your script is to read it. Again, and again and again. <\/span><\/p>\n Trust me: the more you read a script, the more you have to play with. I like to apply Earl Gister\u2019s method<\/a> at this stage: combing through the script, taking note of opinions and facts about my character. It\u2019s <\/span>very scientific and objective. <\/span><\/p>\n The main thing you\u2019re doing by re-reading the script is mining it for information about the world, the people who inhabit it and how your character fits in. Read it as many times as you can in as many different states of mind as you can. Read it when you\u2019re tired, happy, sad, angry, frustrated and so on. <\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019re not making any major decisions about delivery here, you\u2019re just using the advantage of the human brain as a malleable, changeable anomaly that gives you a variety of perspectives on the same thing depending on what chemicals are in high supply.<\/span><\/p>\n This is how we examine our characters and start to form an idea about their personal context within the world of the play or film.<\/span><\/p>\n From here, you can start to break down the script into smaller sections or beats<\/a>\u00a0and doing some wider research into the context of the script.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While some actors have differing views on beats and objectives<\/a> (myself included), they are invaluable tools for detail. You already have a broad understanding of the script. By breaking it down further, you can start to identify the individual journey of your character<\/a> throughout the story. <\/span><\/p>\n Identify the climax or turning point in each scene they appear in: what happens that changes the stakes<\/a> of the scene? It doesn\u2019t have to be huge, but a good script will always have a moment in each scene that alters its trajectory in some way. <\/span><\/p>\nScript Acquired<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
The Audition<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Skip to the Script<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Genre and Tone<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The Path Diverges<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The Job<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Rinse and Repeat<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Read it Again. And Again.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Get Technical<\/strong><\/h4>\n