Cold Readings Made Easy, Vol. 1: Basics Of Cold Reading

For the legion of actors and actresses who haven't yet reached superstar status, the so-called "cold reading" is a common part of their job. Simply put, one goes to an audition, is handed a "side" (the script excerpt) to read, and shortly thereafter must perform. Professional acting coach Noelle C. Nelson works with a group of young actors, including Richard Israel (Married With Children), Suzanne Ager (Ryan's Hope) and Sal Lopez (American Me), on the basics of cold reading. Viewers will learn how to answer the basic questions about a scene ("Where's the conflict?", "Who am I?", etc.); as well as how to motivate their lines, design their reactions, and rehearse properly. The actors demonstrate these techniques in brief skits (the readings are contained in the booklet which accompanies the tape), which Nelson later critiques. In addition to the vocal challenges of the reading, Nelson goes over some of the common physical problems involved in cold reading: dealing with the physical script (i.e., how to read without bobbing your head up and down), how to handle multi-character scenes (or where the reader should be looking), and what to do with the "business" (that is, the "physical" aspects of a scene, such as picking up a coffee cup, making a phone call, etc.). Two other volumes, Cold Reading Made Easy, Vol. 2: Personalizing Your Cold Reading and Cold Reading Made Easy, Vol. 3: Getting the Job, are also available at the same price. An excellent and very helpful tool for the aspiring thespian; highly recommended. (Available from: Video Learning Library, 15838 N. 62nd, Scottsdale, AZ 85254; 1-800-3838811.)