'Speed Charactersations'
We are all accustomed to the ‘Feast-or-Famine’ aspect of the industry if we have spent much time in it. Why it should be that way is still a mystery, but this is happening to me in the last half of October, and we all know that we have to take advantage of the 'Feasys'. In fact, this week alone, I have three different characters to come to terms with in a very short time. Starting yesterday, I will be portraying a Doctor, a ‘blocked’ Composer, and an ‘Old Rocker’ being held up in a robbery.
It is a first for me to have to be able to create wholly rounded characters in such a short time and, thankfully, although they are being shot and completed in total (in theory) before the next one begins, I still have a week to come where I have to get my head around three different people, and learn scripts prior to the shoots: Sunday, Doctor, Tuesday and Wednesday Evening, Composer and Saturday and Sunday ‘Old Rocker’. The work I have been able to complete so far in these characterisations are due in part to luck, but I have always been very detail focused, so I have a firm grounding in all three characterisations before filming dates, and I would recommend that anyone facing this situation to be as ‘ready’ as possible with what is going to be required from me during the shooting times. There is no such thing as a dumb question, so ask as many as possible. Of course, the answers you get back may be: “Well, we are working on that”, or “We can tell you that in a few days, but we don’t actually know right now.”, but even outside these ‘TBA’s’, you can get as many details as you can.
Luckily, my Doctor character, filmed for a Training Video last weekend was a non-speaking role. It is simply ‘B’ Roll material that will be Voiced Over in the final project. However, I asked before I got to the set what the general idea was, and what we were going to be ‘acting’. Even though the Producer wasn’t going to be on set and wanted to ‘leave these decisions to the Director’, I ws in a position to come up with a list of hooks to hang my character on, that I could bounce off the other actors in the scene with me, and we all traded notes on what we were thinking, believing, and going to do when ‘Action’ was called. It led to a tight, fun shoot that everyone – including th Director – was comfortable with.
My Composer character will be shot over two evenings. Of course, I got a finalized script as early as possible, but it was also me that suggested a Production meeting prior to the shoot date so that I could meet my fellow actor, check out the location, and ask directorial and Lighting questions of everyone that was there. It took an hour, and I‘m much happier now to show up for the shoot with about 5 points that the Director and I want the character to be like before we start. Considering the DP and Director had never seen the set, it was a positive hour for everyone. I also asked about the music that will be in the final product, which I received today, so it gives me a thought process about the character’s outlook on life.
Knowing I had these two projects happening back-to-back, perhaps I shouldn’t have accepted the third one, shooting three days after the Composer role is over, but I was asked, accepted with auditioning, and it pays, so I didn’t want to stare at that Gift Horse’s tonsils! We had our meeting and read through yesterday after my Doctor shoot: I don’t have much time to flesh out the ‘Old Rocker’ before I arrive on set, so I deliberately put my own thoughts on one side and wrote down four or five points that the Director wanted covered so that I could arrive at the shoot as ready as I could, then cover other points with my own palette of ideas. We also took the time to hear everyone’s input and read the script in different ways to ensure that everyone was happy.
If we are lucky, we all will get the opportunity to work on multiple projects simultaneously. There are things you can do to ensure that your ‘speed characterisations’ are as fleshed out as possible. The entire Production team want you there, so take their input and they will take yours. Now…I have to get two sets of costume ideas to Wardrobe!
