ABSTRACT
Plays grow out of rigorous rehearsal, but fiction films are usually denied it. Producers argue that rehearsal damages spontaneity, that it wastes money since actors can learn their lines just before shooting. Richard Linklater films are often mistaken for improvised cinema; however, their naturalistic and utterly believable performances result from an extended process of script analysis and rehearsal. Rehearsal also gives the director specific ideas for blocking, that is, for visualizing drama through the movement of characters and camera in relation to their environment—especially true when rehearsals are recorded with a mobile, handheld camera. Rehearsal scheduling will probably follow the table reading which helps confirm which scenes the most need work. Likewise actions can lapse into meaninglessness through the repetition involved in rehearsal, and when the actors start to cut a habitual groove, exploration ceases, and staleness sets in. To keep the process dynamic and actors experimenting, it’s important to try different actions and movements.
