Answering these questions can help you make good choices, be specific in your acting and respond based on the circumstances in the scene.
Once I receive the script for the scene to audition, I answer the following questions:
Who am I?
What do I want?
Why do I do that?
Who am I talking to?
How am I going to get it? (what do you do to get it)
What is my emotional state and energy at that moment?
Does my mood or emotional state change during the scene?
Where am I coming from? (before the scene)
Where am I ?
What are the obstacles to get what you want?
Answering this questions will help you create your character. You will have a sense of solidity. You won’t feel lost or confused about what you are doing. It will be YOUR version of this character 🙂 You are the creator.
Who am I?
Are you an FBI agent, are you Teacher, a Business woman, an Artisan?
Why to ask this question: Your body language communicates. If you were to play a policeman on duty, how would you stand? walk? talk? communicate with your colleagues or the people you have arrested?
What do I want?
One of the most important questions to ask. WHAT DO I WANT?
Certainly you went there to get something, do something. What is it?
Are you convincing a judge of your innocence, are you punishing someone?
It’s a verb. What do you want? To change you, to give me something, to get help, to escape.
Simple objective. Don’t overcomplicate it.
Why do I do that?
Why to ask this question: It is the reason you are there. Your motivation.
For example «Why do you study this degree? Because it is your dream to become a doctor and help people»
…Because you want to get this job , that if you don’t , your family won’t eat.
Find your motivation, a strong one. Make it personal. Go for it!
Who am I talking to?
Why to ask this question: Because you don’t talk the same way you talk with mother, to your friend, to your boss, to an employee, to a stranger. Therefore, the way you talk with each person, will be different. And that’s what makes it interesting and unique.
How am I going to get it? (what do you do to get it)
Why to ask this question: This is your opportunity to create. How will you stand up and tell someone you love them to not go. How will you talk to students and motivate them to keep studying. Sometimes the «how» is stated in the script, and sometimes you can create, invent. You are the creator, the artist. Put your signature there.
What is my emotional state and energy in that moment?
Why to ask this question: to understand in what place mentally and emotionally are you in that moment.
Are you happy and having a great day… or are you gasping and moving slowly because you just came back from a run. Is your head somewhere else because you just into a fight at work? Is it first thing in the morning or 19:00pm at night after work and you are exhausted…. What level of energy do you have at that moment?
Does your mood or emotional state change during the scene?
Why to ask this question: Our emotions or behaviour change after finding out a new piece of information relevant to us. For example, throughout a conversation you discover someone lied to you, or, you read a text message from a friend telling you something went wrong and needs you urgently… Would you walk out of the door running or slowly walking after hearing the news?
Find out if during the scene your character goes through a change and why, what is the reason. Is it relevant? How important? life or death type of situation?
It is important to understand the meaning of that new piece of information for your character, and then act (respond) accordingly.
Where am I coming from? (before the scene)
Why to ask this question: Here is important to know what happened in the previous scene before this one. To know what happened before. Sometimes you can find this peace of information in the script. Sometimes you have to invent.
Where you already in the room talking to your partner or are you entering the room for the first time happy and excited after celebrating your friend’s birthday?
Where am I ?
Why to ask this question: body language. Your behaviour. Are you seated at a fancy restaurant having a romantic dinner? Maybe whispering…
Are you at a bus stop (public place) and you need to shout so your colleague can hear you, because is super noisy outside.
Are you in the kitchen of your apartment (private place) talking on the phone?
Remember: This circumstances will inform you how to respond and react. Avoid exaggerating, or telling. It is more about being conscious of your surroundings. For example , script says , you are seated in a church at a mass. And you need to ask your mother where the toilets are so you can go…Will you talk at a normally volume or would you perhaps , get closer to her and whisper perhaps? So others can’t hear you.
It’s about that 🙂
What are the obstacles to get what you want?
Why to ask this question: Identify what is stopping you from getting what you want in the scene. Let’s say you need to ask your boss for a raise (what you want is to convince your boss), but he tells you that the company is going through some phases and can’t afford your request. Process that answer… and then come up with your strategy (the how are you going to get what you want) in order to achieve your goal.
Strategies: for example, seduce your boss, threaten your boss, manipulate your boss, beg to your boss? Will your tone change when implementing your strategy? the way you look at him? How? Will the distance remain the same between you and him? Will you get closer or further away…?
These are your CHOICES. They need to make sense within the story, with your character’s personality, and make sense in the scene.
I hope you find these questions useful.
REMEMBER
Keep it simple for the audition.
Don’t overthink it 😉
Written by Ivana Consolani. Actress. 31st March 2022.
