ASSIGNMENT 001 – ACTING 104

Hi everyone,

This week’s assignment is to memorize both characters’ lines in the script excerpt below. You’ll be able to figure out the key elements of the backstory from the script.

This is a longer and more complex script then we’ve done in some of the classes. To get the most benefit out of the exercise, give some thought to it, remembering the elements that we talked about in earlier acting classes such as:

• characters – who are the people in the scene and what is their relationship to each other? What clues do we have as to their personalities?
• objectives – what does each character want? Which characters once or it needs our driving the scene most strongly? Remember that objectives are scene specific. The objective is something that it’s important for the character to achieve “now”, at this moment, in this scene. It’s not just a random feeling about something they might want in the future.
• motivations – what is each characters motivation for forgetting their objective? One character is trying to get some money, for example, why is it urgent, from their perspective, that they get it?
• backstory – we don’t know a lot about the back stories for these characters, but we do know that their mother has been in a coma. Play around with backstory ideas that could raise the stakes for the characters. Why is she in a coma? Could it be because of the actions of one of the characters? Could that be why the situation matters so much to that character?
• obstacles – if character A has an objective, what is in their way of their getting their objective? If character B has an objective, what is in the way of there achieving their objective?
• situation – what situation are the characters in? What are they grappling with and trying to resolve?
• tactics – how does character A try to achieve their objective? How does character B try to achieve his objective?
• actions or atmosphere – actions and atmosphere are both elements of script analysis; usually, actions are more meaningful. But atmosphere of matters too. For example, if the atmosphere of the scene was a playful situation comedy, it would obviously be a very different scene scene. But… It isn’t. What is the energy or atmosphere of the scene, as far as you can tell?
• relationships – we’ve already touched on this, because it’s really inseparable from the characters; but remember that it’s key that you understand with the characters are to each other, and why their opinions even matter to each other.
• memorization: as always,I would do your best to memorise it. It’s also fine of course. to bring a printed copy and perform it script in hand. But try to have the lines all memorised if you can.

Memorization reminder

The easiest way I’ve found to memorize dialogue is to use this method:

1. Read over the lines a few times (reading them aloud)
2. Write down the first letter of each word, with punctuation.
3. Read the words from the letters
4. Say it from memory

Some recent movies

We were talking in class about the Let’s Make a Movie class which starts on Saturdays in February. Here are some recent movies we’ve made in the class.

Another Let’s Make a Movie class project:

Emus and Elephants

48 Hour class movie

The one below was made as Rekindle’s entry in a 48 hour film project movie, in which we made a film in just two days: