tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post2286793842921034204..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: How to memorize scripts -- part 2By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-58074982884487550362018-01-09T10:52:15.031-08:002018-01-09T10:52:15.031-08:00To Wendy Grossman
I expect that the actors probabl...To Wendy Grossman<br />I expect that the actors probably did appreciate Sorkin's dialogue better plus, as a generic comment on action films/scifi, it must be a special talent to perform realistically (acting not action) in front of a green screen.<br />My comment about the A team ( an 80's TV series of limited dialogue and extranous explosions) is that those scripts/ dialogue were more along the line of "i'm gonna get you sucka" (Mr T) and the infamous George Peppard line of "I love it when a plan comes together" is with greatly more limited dialogue ( such as it was) that oft times consistd of schoolyard taunts ( like demented donnies tweets) that memorization would be easier.<br />Coupled with famaliarity of characters over 2 or 3 seasons and sprinkled with repeitive catch phrases that memorizing speechs was not a major concern basically because of the lack of any speeches.<br />But I do take your point.Kennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69588840046257947902018-01-08T15:43:26.763-08:002018-01-08T15:43:26.763-08:00Yes. Thank you.
thank you for admitting not everyo...Yes. Thank you.<br />thank you for admitting not everyone memorizes easily and for a few it is indeed agony.<br />ChipOnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80405753106865531732018-01-08T10:32:00.466-08:002018-01-08T10:32:00.466-08:00Fascinating.
My brother-in-law is an actor who wo...Fascinating.<br /><br />My brother-in-law is an actor who works in TV constantly ... turn on the tube and wait five minutes, he's probably in a commercial, or on a detective drama playing "Cop #2" or "Electrical Repairman" or "Guy Who Gives The Vital Clue To Our Hero When He Says Something Seemingly Innocuous". <br /><br />His method involves memorizing lines in the shower! At any given time, he'll have a dozen script pages in plastic coating lining his shower. His shower is finished only when he can rhyme off all the lines. <br /><br />He's a VERY hygienic guy! Arthur Meenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28269287927006003642018-01-08T04:47:22.400-08:002018-01-08T04:47:22.400-08:00Ken-the-commenter: I think the reverse. As annoyin...Ken-the-commenter: I think the reverse. As annoying as his work can be, Sorkin's dialogue has a rhythm and cadence that carries you along. I would bet actors just *love* learning his lines because they do have logic and construction patterns that help you. I'm not too familiar with the A TEAM, but shorter and action-packed is not always easier.<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29892761926792947242018-01-07T17:17:54.212-08:002018-01-07T17:17:54.212-08:00I assume that memorizing lines for something like ...I assume that memorizing lines for something like the "West Wing" would be more challengeing then say the dialogue from say the "A Team"<br />Kennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81863520071598309932018-01-07T12:48:21.526-08:002018-01-07T12:48:21.526-08:00"Au debut de faire cela, j'ai besoin de c..."Au debut de faire cela, j'ai besoin de comprendre le motivarion de charactere!"<br /><br />No you don't, Marcel.<br /><br />"Parfait! Vrai mot entiere!"Dr Loserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12717234136006844887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42065468525760574682018-01-07T11:24:15.132-08:002018-01-07T11:24:15.132-08:00Hardly a random shot of Alec Baldwin, since his pr...Hardly a random shot of Alec Baldwin, since his prowess was quoted by one of the anonymous actors. And I don't suppose it helps, but the A-B-C ... H progression is, in musical terms, actually a regression to B-flat. (Stupid musical quibble.)<br /><br />I really liked the reference to the Meisner technique, which seems to broadly cover what a lot of the other actors said. Counter-intuitively, it might be easier to memorize your lines if you also memorize what the other actors are doing. Or maybe it's not so counter-intuitive -- you have to memorize your cues, too, don't you?<br /><br />I wonder how long it took Marcel Marceau to memorize his line in "Silent Movie?"Dr Loserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12717234136006844887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2852226214874807072018-01-07T11:06:03.727-08:002018-01-07T11:06:03.727-08:00Well, the first one was in Cheers, and if there...Well, the first one was in Cheers, and if there's a random shot of Alec Baldwin, hmmmm?jenmoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02647726303564119010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85032467368924134682018-01-07T11:05:25.711-08:002018-01-07T11:05:25.711-08:00I guess the first one was in Cheers...and if there...I guess the first one was in Cheers...and if there's a shot of Alec Baldwin randomly there, hmmmm?jenmoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02647726303564119010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31253651932382540852018-01-07T09:58:02.808-08:002018-01-07T09:58:02.808-08:00It reminds me of singing. Once you've learned ...It reminds me of singing. Once you've learned the words to a song, they seem to "remember" all by themselves -- even when you can't remember them if you just try to speak them. <br /><br />I'd've loved to know who each actor was. <br /><br />-KateStubblejumpers Cafehttp://stubblejumperscafe.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35800051252452573042018-01-07T09:10:31.204-08:002018-01-07T09:10:31.204-08:00Thanks for collecting these insights. I'm gla...Thanks for collecting these insights. I'm glad you didn't use the names of the actors involved, because the general response would probably devolve into backstage gossip instead of a general understanding of craft. <br /><br />Back when I was working with tyro scripters, I would definitely have shown them these posts over and over again. While you may think understanding these techniques applies strictly to acting, it's every bit as important for WRITERS to understand how to write material for the benefit of the actors expected to deliver it. Your sources rightfully complained about the misery of having to memorize poorly written scripts, and I was always on their side when preparing them. Sloppy writers always assumed that actors were machines who could easily absorb anything put if front of them. They would hit the same notes over and over, or have the characters randomly shift from one personality to the next.<br /><br />The fact is that drama involves a steady progression of logic on both the macro and micro level. Consider this; Hamlet kills Polonius, whose daughter Ophelia then goes crazy and kills herself, leading to her brother Laertes confronting Hamlet at the funeral, resulting in the climactic duel. None of these events can be taken out of sequence, and once you understand the progression you can't leave any of them out. In the same way, a scene between three characters deciding where to go for lunch has to have the same sense of momentum, the same landmarks and pivots, albeit on a smaller scale.<br /><br />It's easy to regard dialogue as plastic, but the best scripts are as carefully assembled as the notes of a symphony. You wouldn't expect the musicians to approximate the notes of a Beethoven piece without the harmony of the whole to collapse. Billy Wilder is an example of a director who meticulously indicated each word and bit of business on the page and refused to let his actors deviate a hair from the script, which then flowed seamlessly on screen when the audience finally saw it. While that may seem dictatorial, it's also practical when you consider that the actual time to FILM such stuff seems to flicker by in an eye blink compared to the space a writer has to make sure the screenplay is solid. Most projects don't have time to experiment on set. <br /><br />There should be a REASON for each word the character says, as well as a consistent A,B,C,D progression for the progress of dialogue. If a character does something unexpected, it's not because you're jumping to A,B,C... H, but because you hid where A,B and C were leading. Good actors will pick up on the logic and find their own way to internalize it when interpreting the character, just as some musicians will be able to play classical pieces without needing to resort to reading the score on stage. In both cases the performer has absorbed the structure the composer created. <br /><br />Sorry to be long-winded here, but the point I'm trying to make is that a good writer tries to help the actor memorize the part by making the material follow a clear path. If you slap in random one-liners or weave around too much, it'll be harder for them to see where they're going. In the end, it'll be harder for the AUDIENCE to follow as well.E. Yarbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77067231678491834502018-01-07T09:09:44.854-08:002018-01-07T09:09:44.854-08:00The most interesting part was left out: who the ac...The most interesting part was left out: who the actors are. Why wouldn't they want their name given. It seems very academic and innocent. blinkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04284135060900752329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73695588336135467242018-01-07T07:41:48.128-08:002018-01-07T07:41:48.128-08:00Ken, I'd like to propose a follow-up question:...Ken, I'd like to propose a follow-up question: how do you *forget* those lines, once learned, so they don't interfere with your next part? (Journalists are highly skilled at forgetting most of what they learn for each article.) I'm thinking of languages, where for a while the latest language you've learned pops out when you're trying to speak one you learned earlier (not your native language, though). Is that sort of bleed-through common among actors?<br /><br />Musicians have an advantage in learning song lyrics, in that the action of playing the song (guitar, banjo, autoharp, whatever) helps cue the lyrics, particularly if you're good enough to be able to vary the arrangement as the song progresses. That said, there are songs - such as traditional folk ballads - where the story carries the lyrics along and makes them easy to remember, while others, usually contemporary composed songs with lots of imagery, can be very difficult to remember because the sequence doesn't follow an obvious logic.<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3499434955761413802018-01-07T06:11:04.476-08:002018-01-07T06:11:04.476-08:00Yes, thanks actors. Your craft is so fascinating, ...Yes, thanks actors. Your craft is so fascinating, it makes us want to know every aspect of your work in excruciating detail.Lenoranoreply@blogger.com