Laura arranged this after the break and came up with a schedule explaining what we will be doing and how the day will pan out. She sent that to the actors and then to us, so we were all aware as to what would be going on. When the group of three met together, we adjusted the schedule slightly so we were all happy with what we were planning on doing, and so we were effectively using the time we have with the actors.
We decided we would do the script read through a few times to get everyone used to the script and follow the tips that Simon gave us in an earlier lecture. We also decided to take some photos for the posters and the title sequence, meaning we will need to set up the green screen before the actors arrive. This means we won't need to arrange another day to get the actors in for pictures and we can kill two birds with one stone. Laura made sure the actors bought in some costumes for us to look at and to wear for the pictures.
At this point, Laura managed to find a make-up artist who is actually a relative to one of the actors, and we all agreed that she would be a good addition to our production.
To prepare for the day, I made a plan that I could follow on the day so we're not wasting time and we're using our time effectively.
On the day, myself and Nisserin arrived relatively early to set up the room, the green screen and the camera. However, due to having to wait to collect our equipment we only managed to set up the room; moving the chairs into a circle, bringing a table into the room for food placement, and prepping scripts and other bits of paperwork for all crew and cast.
We decided we would need to set up the green screen once the script table read was complete as we didn't have enough time to collect equipment, set it up and do lighting placement before everyone arrived.
Once crew and cast had arrived, we layed out the food on the table along with drinks and plates, etc. We also offered the cast any hot drinks before we started, so they could get comfortable and chat with one another. Having this time for actors to converse, it meant they could create their own bonds and friendships with one another, and in turn that would create good chemistry on screen. It also means, when it comes to shoot days they can get on with one another during takes and camera resets, and we won't need to worry too much about the actors being bored.
The first thing we did was introduce ourselves and one another to make sure we knew who everyone was & what their part of the production is. I then went through what I wanted the tone of the show to be and how I wanted their performances as characters to be like. This gave the actors a solid and clear idea as to what I wanted from them and what the tone of the show is. This will hopefully help when it comes to shoot days as they will have a clear idea as to what I want their characters to be like and what their acting technique should be.
Laura then went over what the shoot weeks will be like, and how things will work in terms of timings, lunches, travel, etc.
We then started on the script read through. The first time round, using Simon's tip, I read the actions along with the actors dialogues. This helped as the actors were able to hear the actions which would give them an idea as to how the scene will play out when it comes to shooting all the way through. However, one downside to doing this, which was mentioned after the read through, was that the reading of the actions constricted the flow of the dialogue and the actors acting. This made the read through quite stagnated and distorted in the way the actors performed with one another.
Once the first read through was over, I asked everyone in the room if they had any suggestions for adjustments in both the dialogue and the action. Throughout the read through, I made notes as to how the actors said certain lines and what words they changed, but I also asked them if there were any lines of dialogue that had the wrong syntax. They all gave their opinions, and gave good suggestions to add to the comedy of the show and the way words were worded. We went through any lines that didn't make sense, and if anyone had any questions we answered them and discussed them with everyone. By having this open discussion with all the actors, it allowed us all to understand the script and show a little more, and also help us see how the actors all work.
I really enjoyed this part of the script read through as we were able to listen to the actors opinions and make some changes in order to make the script the best it can be. I also thought it gave us some time to get to know our actors in terms of working ethics and how their dialogue would sound like within the show.
After the open discussion, we did another read through - this time without me reading the action in the script. This gave us a really good idea as to how the scenes would flow and how fast each scene would be in terms of when the actors are speaking their lines. I also mentioned, that during this read through if the actors had any concerns with the lines they were speaking we would discuss it there and then. I would also give them a hint as to how I was thinking the line could be said in terms of emphasis and other factors. We spent a good amount of time on this, just to ensure that everyone was happy with the script, and it was very effective. We then moved on to the contracts and the taking of pictures.
As Laura was getting the actors to sign contracts, myself and Nisserin put together the green screen and lights. Once it was set up we took the pictures for the title sequence, the posters and extra ones that could be used for props and potential BTS pictures. Nisserin made sure to get as many photos as possible so we wouldn't have the problem of getting actors into the studios again for extra photoshoots. When we took all of the pictures we wanted, we were done with the day and the actors, so they were able to go home whilst we cleared up and sorted out the importing of the photos.
Overall, this table read was very successful and effective when determining how the actors worked together and how they sounded reading the script. It was really rewarding to hear how the script sounded out loud and it was useful to hear the actors opinions on it. I am very happy with how it went, and I think we all bonded really well as a team. We could've been a little more prepared at the beginning with having the food already set up, etc, but it wasn't too much of a problem.
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