As with any other form of acting, when you’re prepping for a role in a horror film you must properly break down your script. The purpose of this action is to help identify the emotions, motivation and objectives of your character. Throughout my years of professional work as an actor, casting director and screenwriter, I have uncovered several tips to help actors break down a horror script.
Character Dialogue
I have personally found one of the most effective ways of breaking down character dialogue is to take it sentence-by-sentence. Place a line between each sentence, and beside each line of dialogue, write the internal thought of the character. This gives you a unique opportunity to uncover the hidden meanings behind a story or a line. Every word said by your character has a purpose, and it is your job to uncover this purpose. By dissecting the dialogue line-by-line and adding internal thoughts you can get a better understanding of the character.
Character Actions
As with the dialogue, it is important to analyze every action your character performs. The action involved in a scene has a specific purpose, but when you really think about it, every action you perform in your daily life also a primary purpose. For example, when you wake up in the morning, you walk to the kitchen. The purpose of this movement is to get a cup of coffee and have some breakfast. The purpose of this purpose is to feed your body and wake up your mind. The purpose of this purpose is to stay awake throughout your morning routine.
Objectives
Every scene within a horror film has a primary objective. When you’re breaking down a scene, write out the overall objective; however, don’t stop here. Go down and break down your character’s objective within the scene. Why is he there? Why is he talking to whomever he’s talking to? What does he think their objective is? By uncovering these objectives you can help create a character that is full of purpose and understanding – above all else, it will help prevent portraying a one-dimensional character, which is boring and will remove the realism of a scene.
Reference to Other Scenes
When you’re breaking down a scene, determine if any dialogue or action in this scene is referencing another scene. Does your character mention something that was said earlier in the script? Is his actions repeating those done earlier? At this point of a scene breakdown, you should have read the entire script several times to truly understand any references, even if they are small.