\n<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve probably heard the old saying that good acting is all about reacting. And it\u2019s not untrue: you are at your best as a performer when you communicate with others in a scene. However, this idea of \u201creacting not acting\u201d can be anxiety-inducing for some actors. It can feel like just another thing to have to think about\u2014along with memorising lines and blocking and how your character walks and talks. This is why we recommend a technique called \u201cchecking in\u201d, which not only enables you to better communicate in a scene, but helps your character achieve their all-important objective<\/a>.<\/p>\n Checking in is a technique designed to help actors communicate, and plot their way through a scene based on the reactions of their scene partner. To check in, you must constantly read the actor opposite you to see how they\u2019re receiving the information being relayed. This may manifest in their tone of delivery, their blocking and their facial expressions. Sometimes, it is the absence of speech or movement\u2014necessitating a new tactic to get them reacting and responding to your stimulus.<\/strong><\/p>\n The trick with checking in is to constantly modify your approach in a scene based on what the other actor gives you. If you tell a person a joke and they don\u2019t laugh, you\u2019re likely not to tell them another joke straight away. You\u00a0certainly wouldn\u2019t tell them the exact same joke, else you\u2019d sound like a serial killer! So why would your acting technique be any different?<\/p>\n Checking in is simple: look for the ways in which your scene partner reacts to what you say and do. Based on that information, react\u00a0back<\/em> to them accordingly. And finally, repeat this process until one of you achieves your objective and the scene ends.<\/p>\n Sounds simple, right? That\u2019s because it is! But it\u2019s one of those fundamental ideas in acting that actors often skip over. They become too caught up in how\u00a0they\u00a0<\/em>react, rather than the other person. And that\u2019s where the gold is\u2014all the wonderful nuggets of meaning and emotion that your character can, let\u2019s face it, lean on or exploit to get what they want.<\/p>\n Some actors find themselves on autopilot because of the script: \u201cI already know how the scene is going to end, all the dialogue is written down beforehand!\u201d\u00a0<\/em>This kind of thinking leaves no room for individual interpretation or tactics.<\/p>\n If your character bursts into a scene full of charm\u2014intending to flirt their way into the scene partner\u2019s heart\u2014they\u2019re going to look fairly ridiculous if the other actor has decided to mock and belittle their every advance.<\/p>\n Such situations call for a speedy rethink and regroup. And not to do so is going to make\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>look like a bad actor<\/a>, not them.<\/p>\n In order to check in properly, you\u2019ll want to spend some time getting to know your scene partner. Who are they to your character? What opinion does your character harbour about them? Consider completing a character relationship map<\/a> to discover wants, needs and the objective dynamics that exist between the two of you.<\/p>\n Status<\/a> is an important factor to bear in mind, as the power dynamic between characters speaks volumes as to how they might act\/react towards one another.<\/p>\n At all times, keep your goal in the scene in mind. Your objective is the most important thing at any time for an actor.<\/strong> Without it, there is no reason for your character to exist within a given scene, let alone purpose to drive them forward.<\/p>\n While you\u2019re at it, consider the objective of this person opposite you. They\u2019ve shown up with a conflicting goal, and they\u2019re going to come at you just as hard to get what they want.<\/p>\n And remember: while the \u2018winner\u2019 of the scene is written by the writer beforehand, and therefore known to you both, neither of your characters knows this.\u00a0<\/em>Never play a scene as if you\u2019ve lost.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve got a handle on your scene partner and objective, it\u2019s time to do the \u201cchecking\u201d part of checking in. What are the \u2018tells\u2019 of your scene partner? What can you observe that reveals their attitude towards you and what you\u2019re saying or doing?<\/p>\n Sometimes the tells are straightforward. You throw a chair across the stage to get your scene partner\u2019s attention, it\u2019s likely to make them look at you. You tell somebody you betrayed them, you\u2019re likely to see the effects of that play out on their face as they put the pieces together. If your character shoots somebody, you\u2019re very likely to see them fall down bleeding.<\/p>\n Other times, your character has to look for the reaction they\u2019ve gotten. In times of heightened tension and conflict, which encompasses most good drama, people tend to hide their true feelings\u2014because that way lies vulnerability<\/a> and potential hurt.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re acting, imagine you\u2019re playing poker. Look for the \u2018micro\u2019 tells that betray the true feelings of a character that otherwise looks impenetrable. Look into their eyes, look for any hint of facial expression or body language that might hint to how their character is\u00a0really<\/em> feeling. When you find it, you can play to their weakness. This is what reveals your path forward through the scene.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve followed our instructions on checking in to the letter: you know your character as well as your scene partner, you understand the objectives and what is at stake. You\u2019ve kicked things off with a bold choice and the other character reveals their feelings towards this with startling clarity.<\/p>\n All of this good work has gone to waste unless you respond, in turn, to this reaction. Now it is\u00a0your<\/em> turn to react, and to do so in a way that either exploits the weakness you\u2019ve discovered or tries a different approach.<\/p>\n This is why our tactics (or actions<\/a>, as we often call them) need to constantly change in a scene. They need to respond to what the scene partner is doing, to how the scene is playing out, otherwise your character is going to look stilted and unresponsive.<\/p>\n If you try to \u201cask\u201d<\/strong> a character for a favour and they refuse, it\u2019s going to look weaksauce if you simply ask again. (In fact,\u00a0\u201cask\u201d is a famously boring action and should be avoided at all costs.) Put a spin on your character\u2019s action and amp things up from \u201cask\u201d to\u00a0\u201cbeg\u201d.\u00a0<\/strong>Any change in reaction in them? Nothing? Heartless \u2026 try\u00a0\u201cbargain\u201d<\/strong> instead. Or\u00a0\u201cflirt\u201d<\/strong>. These are all variations on the theme of \u201cask\u201d\u2014but they reflect that your character is trying different ways of getting their objective rather than simply spraying and praying.<\/p>\n And if this scene partner gives you nothing, it might be time to pivot entirely to a new line of action. \u201cThreaten\u201d, \u201cintimidate\u201d, \u201cblackmail\u201d, \u201cgaslight\u201d. Get dark. And if you\u2019re lucky, you might just throw the other actor off their intended approach. They\u2019d shown up to confront a pushover, not somebody with some fight in them yet!<\/p>\n Well, it\u2019s probably more accurate to say \u201cnever rely on the script\u201d. While the writer has given you all the words in the story world for you to analyse<\/a>, what is done with them in performance belongs to the actors and, to some degree, the director. Don\u2019t assume you know what a character\u2019s reaction might be because of how the story is written.<\/p>\n For example: if your line is \u201cI\u2019m leaving you.\u201d<\/em> and your co-star\u2019s response is \u201cPlease! Don\u2019t!\u201d<\/em> then it\u2019s safe to say that you\u2019ve upset your scene partner. You may need to work at calming them down and listening to you before you can achieve your objective of breaking off the relationship.<\/p>\n However, your co-star might hit back at you with sarcasm. Suddenly \u201cPlease! Don\u2019t!\u201d\u00a0<\/em>requires a little less comforting, and a little more scrambling for some status in the scene. Your opposite number might even choose something juicier:\u00a0\u201cPlease! Don\u2019t!\u201d <\/em>might be delivered as the start of bargaining, an apology, a warning\u2014even a threat.<\/p>\n Making assumptions on how a script will play out based on its words alone leaves no room for subtext<\/a>. It also ignores an actor\u2019s ability to interpret dialogue and to make it their own.<\/p>\n One final point before we wrap things up. How do you go about checking in when you\u2019re the only person in a scene? It\u2019s all very well to work with a great scene partner<\/a>, what happens when it\u2019s just you and an audience?<\/p>\n You need to imagine who you\u2019re speaking to. Visualise them, put them right there in your eyeline and picture them listening to your every word. And once they\u2019re there and they are so real to you that you can count their eyelashes: start checking in.<\/p>\nChecking In<\/h2>\n
Character Relationship<\/h2>\n
Look for the Tells<\/h2>\n
React Accordingly<\/h2>\n
Never Trust the Script<\/h2>\n
Checking In During a Monologue\/Soliloquy<\/h2>\n