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Acting - Cold
Reading
By
Michael Russell
In this article we're going
to discuss the very difficult art of cold reading a script
you have never seen for a part. Not as easy as you think.
In regular theater an actor
may prepare a monologue that he has spent many hours
memorizing, for a part that he will also perform at every
audition. He's spent a lot of time on this and has
perfected his art and delivery. When going for an audition
he is quite comfortable with his prepared lines. However,
in a film or commercial audition the actor is expected to
perform a script given to him that he has never seen
before. This is when the art of cold reading is very
important and can be a life saver.
The technical definition of
cold reading is the auditioning for a part with a script
in hand, one the actor has never seen. The profession says
that the actor is supposed to be given the script at least
24 hours before the audition but all too often this just
doesn't happen. This is why cold reading is so important
to actors who work in film or commercials.
So, how do you learn to cold
read? Brute force. Pick up a script, read the first line,
commit it to memory and then say the line without looking
at the script. You've just done your first cold reading.
At first you may only be able to memorize a few words at a
time, but with a little practice you'll soon be memorizing
several lines at a time. Being an actor is kind of like
being an athlete. The more you work at it the better
you'll get. After you feel comfortable doing cold reading
by yourself try it with another actor. This is when it
gets fun.
When you're at your audition
it's very tempting to try to sneak a peak at your next
line while the other actor is doing his lines. Don't do
this. How you listen to your fellow actor is just as
important as speaking your lines. Wait until it's time for
you to respond and then look at your next line. Memorize
as much of your line as you can in a few seconds. Then
make eye contact with your partner and say your next line.
If you've got more to
memorize than you can with just a glance, repeat the
process until you have the line memorized. But keep your
face out of your script. Never read your lines while
looking at your script. This is a sure way to blow the
audition. Make sure you stay in character while reading
your lines.
When you're actually at your
audition even if you don't get the script until you get
there, try to read the script in its entirety at once and
remember as much of it as you can. This way you'll at
least have some idea what the scene is about, who the
characters are and how the conversation should go. If you
have more time try to memorize the first and last lines.
This will give you a strong start and finish, which is
what the person auditioning you will remember the most.
When holding your script,
hold with your left hand if right handed and at chest
level. Never have your head buried in the script. Don't
wave the script around like it is a prop. Make believe it
is just a natural extension of your body. The less
attention you draw to the script itself the better.
A cold reading goes much
slower and feels a lot more awkward than a normal reading.
This is normal and there is no need to worry about it. The
casting director knows this is the first time you've seen
the script. He is more interested in what kind of
personality you have as the character.
Sadly, you may be the
greatest actor in the world, but without being able to
cold read well you aren't going to get many parts as
you'll never get past the first audition. So include cold
reading in your training. You'll find you'll get more
parts because of it.
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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to
Acting
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Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell
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