Your Enemy the Script

"Good morning, girls."

"Good morning, teacher."

The girls of the class sit quietly attentive. One girl gets out her notebook for the day's lesson.

"Settle down now, girls."

...

Wha?

I blinked at the screen. Why did the character just say that? The girls weren't saying anything. They weren't doing anything. In fact, they were behaving incredibly well. So why did their teacher suddenly feel the need to tell them to "settle down"?

Because that was her line. The script told her to. And rather than think about it, she just said it.


Yep, makes me want to throw stuff too

The Lesson: Just because it's in the script does not mean it should be in the scene. Engage your brain while filming, even if you're an actor with a bit part. The script can be your enemy because it was written far away from the set by a person not there now. Perhaps the writer envisioned a boisterous classroom. That's great. But that's not what happened when you got to set.

So change it. The script is your enemy if you feel tied to it instead of what's happening around you.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Your Media Production Mentor