A Clear Mind + 11 Tips for Memorization

It's been quite a summer. So many changes haven taken place in the sphere of Hellbent for Hollywood. There's also much I'm excited to share but you'll have to wait. Our editors are working feverishly to finish sorting the incredible footage shot over the past few months.

Just as active cultures contribute to smooth intestinal fortitude during that do or die moment in front of the lens, there's no room for the nervous inept meanderings actors deliver when they're lost in the heat of battle. Only excellence entrenched in an unshakable spirit and a clear mind will carry you through the blood bath that transpires during the toughest auditions.

One area that most actors, seem to have a weakness in, especially prevalent in a high pressure situation is remembering lines exactly as written. I've put together a list of 11 techniques often used to assist with memorization of lines. Try them all and find the methods that work best for you. There is no silver bullet and whatever method works best for you you'll still need to put in plenty of hard work.

Best of luck
On Fire

Memorization;
1) Cue Cards (one for each scene which also can be used to keep track of blocking)
2) Tape recording (make a tape of only the other character's lines then use it to rehearse. This is great if you do a lot of driving).
3) Rehearse with a friend of relative
4) Read the line above yours, covering your next line with a sheet of paper. Say the line, lower the paper to check for accuracy. Repeat as you work your way through the scene.
5) Cover the script with another sheet of paper except the line you are saying. Glance down at that line and pick up as much as the eye allows you. Look up and say the line aloud slowly. Repeat this pattern through the entire page.
6) Use a computer to retype the scenes you are in, putting them in larger print
and using colored ink for the major words or perhaps for the major stumbling block words or phrases.
7) Write out your lines on a sheet of paper writing down only the first letter of each word. You can then either write out the other persons lines in their entirety between your lines or you can just write a snippet of them to job your memory.
8) Visualize scenes and and give physicality to to words you're having trouble memorizing by associating a visual with each of those words or phrases.
9) Memorize your lines with emotion behind them. The emotion will reinforce learning the lines.
10) Get to know your character and attempt to understand why your character speaks as he or she does and why they would say the dialogue that is written.
11) Try memorizing backward, from end to start. This separates the emotion from the words.

SPREAD THEM OVER HOT COALS

As the sun came up over a bleeding western sky, nine valiant film professionals arrived at their beachside locale with coffees in hand. It was a seemingly non eventful July morning. The stages were quiet as the trucks rolled in to the loading dock. Steadfast in their convictions and striving to make their mark they worked as few against the many laying preparations for the legions of Hollywood hopefuls that would follow.

On that cavernous soundstage in the sleepy southern California enclave of El Segundo the crew hoisted lights, painted flats, nailed and drilled set facades. By the second day nine men working as one were testing their lighting with a Director at the helm. Build it and they will come and soon the casting began.

Actors answering the call arrived from across California and beyond. Many were from out of the country. For eight grueling days under searing lights the crew endured and actors kept coming... All came with one goal in mind, to show that they are HELLBENT FOR HOLLYWOOD!

Actors are tough. Sometimes I wonder if you have to have a penchant for punishment to join their ranks. The wide-eyed innocence of new arrivals in the city of angels is all too often blurred by the smoggy landscape. Some loose their way and leave, some discover other fulfilling meanings to their life outside the craft. Unfortunately, some just keep making the same mistakes and repeating a vicious cycle. They never leave acting but they also never really accomplish anything of substance either.

Jamming with “Doors” guitarist Robby Krieger in his home studio is a fond memory of my late 20s. I was young and hungry and HELLBENT FOR HOLLYWOOD myself, riding high on an adrenaline rush of dreams untainted by age and the prolonged struggle to reach the top in tinsel town. Living my life I’ve discovered it doesn’t matter whether you make it or not. It’s the skills and relationships you develop along the way that have a life-long effect in defining who you are both as a performer and a person. It’s those same skills and the work ethic you build that decide where you fit into the industry hierarchy and how…

Here in sunny southern California, often there are glimpses of paradise on a clear day when the palm trees sway to the rhythm of a sweet ocean breeze. That could be a direct correlation to the careers of so many actors who by accident or not hit on a golden moment practicing their craft untainted by outside forces but those without substance are all too often soon to fade.

We’re at a turning point in the industry, a paradigm shift in how business gets done in Hollywood, who’s producing product and the distribution of that product… The music industry has already been decimated from the inside out, not due to illegal downloads as many would have you believe, but because technology has changed, distribution has changed and the old business models no longer apply.

The film and television industry is right behind the music industry in this paradigm shift. The television industry is being hit hard with change right now as viewing numbers slip and it’s becoming evident the old business models are crumbling. Their business is in transformation. However, many in the industry saw it coming years ago. The television industry is embracing digital technology. The networks realize they must adapt if they are to survive. What does this mean to the actor? To some it spells disaster and to others opportunity. It can mean a job for all who are ready to work and maybe there will be less megastars but there will be a solid stable of working utility actors that can tell a story and keep the public entertained.

Think about the 100 actors cast in HELLBENTFORHOLLYWOOD, their battle is about to get bloody as they stand on the steps of Hollywood. Some will bandage themselves and get back into the fray. Others won’t. Sit back and sip your favorite drink and get ready to watch to see who’s building a career and who’ll be going down in flames. It’s gonna be trial by fire. I say turn up the heat and let the games begin…
ON FIRE