Rehearsal Schedule

[IslandFilmmaker]

So often for Hollywood blockbusters the media reports on the casting and shooting. But question, during that process Actors have to rehearse their lines right? When exactly is the right stage of production for this to happen and how often does it happen and how long does it lasts?

 

[craigbowman]

So often for Hollywood blockbusters the media reports on the casting and shooting. But question, during that process Actors have to rehearse their lines right? When exactly is the right stage of production for this to happen and how often does it happen and how long does it lasts?

How many pages is the script?
When you did your first table read and were timing things out, what was the actual duration?

By the way, what's the title (working is ok), genre and logline of this project?

(I realize my questions seem to have nothing to do with the length of time to schedule an individual rehearsal but there is method to the madness.)

 

[gonzo_entertainment]

It varies wildly. Some directors don't rehearse at all. Maybe a table read and nothing else, maybe not even that. Some director's rehearse intensively.

I generally only do table reads. I can't afford to pay actors for rehearsal time.

 

[IslandFilmmaker]

How many pages is the script?

When you did your first table read and were timing things out, what was the actual duration?

By the way, what's the title (working is ok), genre and logline of this project?

(I realize my questions seem to have nothing to do with the length of time to schedule an individual rehearsal but there is method to the madness.)

Genre: Drama
Logline: The perfect parents discover their daughter has a dark secret
Pages: 30

Not sure about the table read part

 

[paulears]

Rehearsal time depends on the actors. Some will be off book as they walk in the door, and all you need to do is direct them in terms of the scene. Others will be much less secure with the lines and even a short scene could take a long time if they are not receptive to direction. In general, the more experienced the less time is needed.

 

[craigbowman]

A table read is literally a bunch of actors sitting around at a table and going through the script reading the lines out loud. Tables reads commonly occur after a project has been cast and the entire cast (and often key members of the crew, sometimes most of the crew) meet for the first time. However, when developing a script, at some point like after the third or fourth major rewrite, table reads are an invaluable sounding board for the writer to get feedback on their dialogue. Dialogue is one of the most difficult things to write and often the thing that most new writers are the most sensitive about.

So what about rehearsal time? paulears is correct when he talks about dependence on your actors. Thats certainly a major part of it and since you weren't aware of table reads before this I won't go into a lot of detail. Rather than try and sound like I'm going to hand out lots of sage advice, I think you really need to establish your own points of reference. Use your best judgement and try stuff out. There's tons of time to see what works for you and what doesn't. Try a table read and see how it works for you.

I still learn stuff from people which goes against the grain of established ways of doing things. Faith Granger shot her "Deuce of Spades" feature on weekends and was able to review and edit footage during the week while she held down her day job. That ability to see what was working and if she needed to reshoot something do so on some other weekend. What an absolutely brilliant way to let the one thing she had working for her overcome her minimal budget, "time". A commodity most people don't have and she made it work for her.

So get out there and have fun making your project.