Hello Everyone,

It’s Josh here from Loveridge Digital, this week on “Getting into it with Loveridge Digital” we are going to cover what a table-read is!

Often times when working on a project that has a large scope you may find it necessary in the pre-production phase to include something called a table-read or script read. This is when the key members and cast of a project all come together, typically at a large table hence the name and do a read-through of the script together. Often times this can be the first time all members meet each other and can be vital to spot any problems early on in the pre-production phase.

Now you may ask, “Why would someone want to do a table read if everyone has a script to read from? Wouldn’t that be a waste of time?” This is the most common opposition that is faced when a table read is suggested during the pre-production phase but it turns out the table read can be vital. Have you ever written something down and then read it out loud only to discover that it sounds off or incorrect? This is called wooden dialogue and it can hamper any performance. Table-reads are a great way to eliminate this wooden dialogue and find pieces of replacement text that flow better and are more suitable. During a Table-read occasionally the Director will spot a chemistry mismatch between talent, depending on the severity of the mismatch it may require a re-cast of certain roles. This can save productions as it is extremely hard to replace talent or key members once production has begun.

As many of the greats have said ” Fail to prepare, prepare to fail” and that holds true when it comes to productions of all sizes, the little extra time spent in pre-production is vital.

Thank you very much for taking the time to watch the video, I hope you found it informative and engaging, until next time.