Scene evaluation is hard. Understanding the phrases of a scene is straightforward, however figuring out what’s occurring dramatically – below the floor is robust. Most actors gained’t admit it however scenes scare the shit out of them. They may improvise a break up scene, however once they have to make use of another person’s phrases, it will get considerably harder as a result of we don’t share the intention behind the phrases, and we’re left paddling round in the 7% of human communication that’s verbal, as an alternative of completely inhabiting it.
We’ve analysed plenty of scenes. Hundreds. For ourselves, for colleagues, for purchasers and with hundreds of scholars. we achieve this many analyses today that we frequently don’t take into consideration what we’re doing once we’re doing it. It’s turn into unconscious.
The difficulty with that’s that it might make educating it troublesome. The extra unconscious the method, the extra ‘magic’ it feels. And it isn’t straightforward to show magic.
Just lately we stumbled upon a secret that you simply gained’t actually imagine, however we guarantee you that comes out of watching tons of of purchasers wrestle.
The easiest way to analyse a scene, is to not learn it an excessive amount of. Once we learn a scene lots, we get misplaced within the phrases. We begin to think about the significance and symbolisation of the phrases, and we turn into distracted from what’s actually occurring. Our minds hold on to the unintentional, changing into fascinated by references with private join, and never the dramatic underpinning of the scene.
So, don’t learn the scene an excessive amount of. Folks studying the scene lots had been second guessing themselves. Folks studying the scene lots had been getting it improper. So don’t learn the scene an excessive amount of.
To be sincere, this time final yr, if somebody would say that, we’d be prepared to present them an ear-bashing. However it works.
So, that is what we do now:
Learn the primary line or traces of the primary beat of the scene to set up the start level. Then learn the final traces of the beat. Then get curious. Ask your self ‘so what do I have to know.’
As an example. The primary line of the beat is RAY: Can I borrow a tenner. The final line of the scene is RAY: I do know I might rely on you buddy. Okay. So we go from needing a tenner to perhaps getting it. What am I lacking? What do I have to know?
I have to understand how we from needing the cash to praising the individual (doubtlessly for giving them the cash).
Now scan the beat solely searching for the place the author has instructed us how we get from A to B. Don’t get caught up in particulars, solely search for the place you’ll be able to study that journey.
While you perceive how the journey is made you perceive the dramatic journey of the scene’s beat. Now you’ll be able to ask extra particular scene evaluation questions.
If this story is about borrowing cash on the floor… what’s it about beneath? What’s the essential human battle on the coronary heart of the scene?
You can even return to studying the script somewhat extra if that helped, however actually, attempt to learn a scene as few occasions as doable.
From there we will ask extra particular questions nonetheless. What are they doing within the scene? Why are they doing it? What’s stopping them and what do they do to beat that? Why not? What in the event that they don’t?
However the secret is to learn it as few occasions as doable.
