What does a director do at a table reading?

A

Angelshare1

Well-known member
I'm directing my first feature length film and one of my actors asked when we would do a table reading. I've never done this on any of my shorts. I know what it is, but what is it for? Is it like rehearsal lite? What is expected of a director for a table read?
 
You will see if some dialogue if awkward or if some scenes drag for too long.

After the table reading you might want to try to play out some scenes with the actors to see what works and what doesn't - much cheaper to do it now then when the $$$ of production are evaporating by the minute.
 
the table read helps me get everyone's head in the world we're creating. some actors, when given the script, only read their character's scenes. most of the crew never reads the script. so it's a good time to help everyone absorb the story and for general questions. i also do a separate table read with dept heads and crew, casting them in the roles, so everyone understands the context of each scene. so when we're 20 days in on scene 72, the crew still understands where it fits in the chronology of the story because they've already experienced it in a small way. helps lessen the number of questions and mistakes made due to ignorance of or a misunderstanding of how the scene at hand fits within the narrative.

not essential. but useful. i mean, that's what i use it for.
 
Zak Forsman said:
the table read helps me get everyone's head in the world we're creating. some actors, when given the script, only read their character's scenes. most of the crew never reads the script. so it's a good time to help everyone absorb the story and for general questions. i also do a separate table read with dept heads and crew, casting them in the roles, so everyone understands the context of each scene. so when we're 20 days in on scene 72, the crew still understands where it fits in the chronology of the story because they've already experienced it in a small way. helps lessen the number of questions and mistakes made due to ignorance of or a misunderstanding of how the scene at hand fits within the narrative.

not essential. but useful. i mean, that's what i use it for.
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How far down in the crew do you invite to this? Just wondering.
 
David G. Smith said:
How far down in the crew do you invite to this? Just wondering.
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my preference is for everyone to be there. many just listen, but I think there is value in making sure everyone has digested the story. it’s often the first time we assemble everyone we’ve hired in the same room together so we buy lunch and make a little party out of it at the Sabi studio.
 
Barry_Green said:
For the table read? Actors and director.
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I was wondering about Zak's separate table read he described for dept. heads and crew. I have never seen that, but sounds like a great idea. The logistics of that could be a nightmare though, on a low budget flick.
 
The table read is where the actual directing of actors takes place. Once you get to the set very minimal direction should be needed. Physical blocking will need to be addressed of course but there shouldn't be any "playing with the role" on set. Hopefully just arrive and shoot.
 
Thanks guys.

How long should they last? My screenplay has 5 main characters and lots of smaller roles. Would I just have one person play all the smaller roles? Would this be a 3 hour evening or an all day Saturday kind of thing?
 
David G. Smith said:
I was wondering about Zak's separate table read he described for dept. heads and crew. I have never seen that, but sounds like a great idea. The logistics of that could be a nightmare though, on a low budget flick.
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That's always how it's done -- a table read is for the actors and the director, not the crew. As for timing, it should be read straight through, and yes you'll have some people do a ton of the smaller roles. That's what we did, it was kind of funny too. Then at the end, people bring up concerns or notes or you can talk about it a bit. For us it was a 2 to 2.5 hour thing, not too long.

A page turn is for the crew, specifically just department heads. That usually comes after the table read and is a good way to iron out last-minute questions and issues that may arise. Maybe wardrobe has a question about a few scenes and characters, like what style you have in mind, or maybe production design wants to know more about how you see a location being dressed, whatever. There are a lot of questions that can arise even if communication has been great to that point.

Ideally a table read should include as many of the main actors as possible. We had our three leads at the table read, but not our 4th and 5th biggest actors, our two main supporting players. That was ok though, it wasn't a big deal and they were both experienced actors who knew exactly what they were doing.

During the table read I was able to figure out the tone the actors imagined for their characters and work out some kinks, like as far as how I saw a scene playing out versus how they did. There are often several good ways to play a scene, and an actor makes a choice how they think it works, but I have the whole picture in mind and I wrote the script in this case too, so I know what I want out of the scene and the tone I want to strike to make the film successful. Working out those kinks required knowing what they were first, and the table read helped a bunch with that, so afterwards I had rehearsals and really nailed down a lot of the other performance details. Then the final adjustments I could make during production. Usually they are of a more minor nature but sometimes a scene isn't working as well and requires more work on the day of shooting, which is always stressful.

When you have the time, as much as possible try to work out this stuff with the actors before you shoot. I just wrapped my first feature and it was only a 12-day shoot, so it was intense, grueling, and very stressful, but the reason we were highly successful is because of the preparation that went into the film and having a veteran crew. If I hadn't rehearsed and discussed the characters extensively with the actors, I don't think it would have turned out well.
 
I find it helpful to do two readthroughs. The first being a page turner where we can read along and get a "LENGTH" of the film. Then we'll take a break and eat/talk about the roles and then read through once more with the intensity up 60%. Actually get into the characters and ACT the film out.

It's pretty smooth because people have just read the lines and know whats coming and when.
 
zak forsman said:
the table read helps me get everyone's head in the world we're creating. Some actors, when given the script, only read their character's scenes. Most of the crew never reads the script. So it's a good time to help everyone absorb the story and for general questions. I also do a separate table read with dept heads and crew, casting them in the roles, so everyone understands the context of each scene. So when we're 20 days in on scene 72, the crew still understands where it fits in the chronology of the story because they've already experienced it in a small way. Helps lessen the number of questions and mistakes made due to ignorance of or a misunderstanding of how the scene at hand fits within the narrative.

Not essential. But useful. I mean, that's what i use it for.
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+2
 
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