Imagine you have a nine-page script with 18 chunks of dialogue that all have to be memorized in the next three days.
That is a very common occurrence in the acting world and not something every actor can do successfully. And when memorization isn’t done thoroughly, it can spell disaster on set for the production team, the client and the other actors.
Recently we had an actress on set who had a lead role with multiple blocks of dialogue. She prepared by listening to her lines at home and again on the six-hour drive to the set. Upon arrival, the actress could barely remember the name of her character. The director had to rework shoot angles and the scene to allow her to cheat the script. Though listening can be one memorization technique, it isn’t nearly enough on its own to ensure success for most people.
Yet another actor, also a lead role, knew his lines backwards and forwards while he was in the makeup chair. I was a happy producer and thought he would sail through his technically challenging medical dialogue. Unfortunately, once we incorporated movement and props, he became a fumbling disaster – losing his words and his focus. His “homework” after day one was to go back to his hotel room and work on the dialogue for the next day while pacing, washing his hands, doing jumping jacks, folding laundry – anything to keep him moving. The next day went much better, and he had no trouble remembering his lines.
So how do you ensure you’re completely off book and not the actor that throws a production into stress and overtime?
Experienced actor and acting coach, Tim Ross, recommends starting with a focused reading of the script so that you know what the purpose of your scenes are and who your character is.
“If you don’t really know the scene, you’ll have a much tougher time learning the lines,” Ross says. “Actors constantly get caught up in words and not intent. Clear focus on intent leads to memorization.”
Once you’ve wrapped your head around the content, there are some specific memorization techniques that are useful.
Reading Out Loud helps trigger our visual pathways to form memory links. Relying on visual memory alone may leave us with many gaps. Auditory links can aid us because not only do we form the visual link from reading the script, but we remember ourselves saying it out loud. The words you are reading are now translated into speech. Your brain has the knowledge of producing the dialogue as well as a memory of hearing it.
Repetition is key. There really are no shortcuts to memorization except repetition. Unless you have a photographic memory, repeat, repeat, repeat. Work on a few lines at a time, then start over. Visualize where the lines are on the page and do it again.
Divide and Conquer by breaking your role into small, bite-sized chunks. You don’t have to tackle it all at once. Some actors put their dialogue onto individual index or flash cards. These are easy to take with you anywhere you go, and you can start putting cards aside as soon as you are comfortable with the material.
Listen and react to the other characters in your scenes at all times. You’d be surprised how many actors vacantly sit and stare, waiting for a break in dialogue to insert their next big line. They are thinking ahead instead of being in the moment. Listening attentively to what the other actors are saying and reacting appropriately will help you absorb the context of what is going on around you. The other person’s lines then act as memory triggers or cues. If you’re consistently struggling to recall your lines in a scene, you probably aren’t being as attentive as you should be to the other actors. Simply talk to the other person and forget everything and everyone around you. It’s all about the connecting to the other people in your scene.
Record your lines and use your iPod or other device to listen to your scenes while going about your workout, doing household chores or driving a car. Reinforcement is good.
Get up and move while memorizing your script. Movement, combined with speech, enhances your ability to recall the next line. Next, join the words with movements and gestures. Take a walk, do laundry, ride a bike; all while saying your lines and acting out your scene. This helps occupy the parts of your brain that you don’t need for memorizing and leaves space for that pesky dialogue.
Stay in character even if you have a long pause or a slight brain lapse. Think it through and get used to working through the fear of forgetting your lines. Don’t immediately give up and peek at your script. Even the most experienced actors will forget dialogue or jumble words, and it’s a good idea to know how to handle that situation as professionally as possible. Often we can edit around your stumble, but not if you’ve inserted a bunch of four letter words!
And what if you’re still struggling?
Tim says there is also value in just walking away. “I like to leave a scene alone for a while after I’ve worked on it intensely. Walking away from it, at the right time, can be useful.”
Once on set, an actor often has to fight for his own space to think amidst the sensory overload of voices, equipment and lights. Tim recommends that an actor find his own time and space on set and balance that with not slowing down the production. “I’ve seen hours wasted because an actor didn’t have the fortitude to ask for three minutes to gather their thoughts,” he says.
But even the best actors can have that moment of panic on set where their mind goes blank. “We are all human on set,” says Tim. “Simply say ‘oops, went blank. Can we start again?'” And…..action!