04 Feb Throwing Words Away
Words are important. Very important. Often, people think they are too important or the most important.
There is a reason the saying “actions speak louder than words” exists. While there are many different contexts to that phrase, it can work for an actor as well.
Acting is not just about saying lines or speaking in conversation to a scene partner. There are a lot of intricacies and emotions involved in creating the perfect scene. In this case, the term perfect is the operative word as human beings are not perfect, and in fact, err on the side of caution.
In any case, a great scene takes the words and throws them away. Not for good, but for the purpose of identifying what else is in the scene. Is the scene complete with dialogue and without words? Most likely it is not if the dialogue is already written.
However, when the dialogue is taken out, when words are thrown away, does the scene still exist? The answer is yes. Therefore, when words are thrown away, the scene still holds weight.
The words can of course co-exist with the rest of the scene, but the scene cannot exist without both the words and everything else not written in black ink on the script. Every blocking move, every emotion, every breath in the scene – it all matters. Words are important, and they speak volumes, but the entire piece as a whole speaks the most volume.
Take a moment to recognize each beat in the scene, to acknowledge each pause, to identify camera angles, how to move, how to respond, how to create emotion, and everything else that goes into making a good scene great or even just to make a scene a well-rounded experience for the audience. Take each moment and give it equal weight to create an apt scene.
More on Brad’s thoughts here, an acting coach to the stars: When it’s OK to be Flexible with the Script? How to stick to the Script if you have to? | Zoom Class