Production - First Read Through

With the script as close to finalized as it had been throughout this entire process, the next step for Nicole and I was to actually test it with our actors. Having a script that reads well is one thing, but hearing it performed out loud is a completely different experience, and it's the only real way to know whether the dialogue lands the way you intended it to. That's what this week was about; getting everyone in the same space, going through the script together, and figuring out what was working and what needed to change before we got anywhere near a camera.

 Script Ready to Share

Before the read-through, Nicole and I did one more pass on the script to get it to a place where we felt comfortable sharing it with Nadia and Evan. We're treating this version as our final rough draft, though we knew going in that a read-through almost always surfaces things you didn't catch on paper, so we stayed open to changes.

One thing worth mentioning is that we didn't print physical copies, which was a purposeful decision. There was a weather warning for rain on the day we were meeting, and we didn't want to risk printed scripts getting damaged or wet. Instead, we kept everything digital and shared the script through our media studies project group chat so everyone could access it ahead of time on their own phones. It ended up working just as well, and it meant our actors could read through it in advance and come into the session already familiar with the material rather than seeing it cold.

Sharing it early also just made the read-through more productive. Everyone showed up having already read it at least once, so we weren't spending time on basic comprehension and could get straight into actually discussing the scenes and how they should feel.

How We Ran the Read-Through

For the actual format of the read-through, we sat in a circle and went through the script together as a group. That might sound like an obvious choice, but we are all in the drama program, and a circle read-through is exactly how we do it in theater whenever a new cast list gets released. It's a format all four of us are already comfortable with, which meant it felt natural and collaborative rather than stiff or formal.

Because we were all used to this kind of exercise, the session moved well. Everyone stayed focused, and sitting in a circle made it easy to look at each other while reading, which actually helps with the conversational scenes more than you'd expect. It also created an environment where people felt comfortable stopping to ask questions or share thoughts as we went, which is exactly what we needed.

After finishing the full read-through, we went back through certain parts of the script that needed more explanation, specifically the moments where the stage directions describe something visual or physical that doesn't fully translate just from reading the words. One example was the soccer ball moment. In the scene, a random kid kicks the ball toward Audrey and Mattias, and it ends up stopping in front of them during their encounter. We talked through how that should look physically, how the ball would interact with both of them, and how it would leave the frame and cause Audrey to trip onto Mattias. Making sure Nadia and Evan understood the intention behind that moment meant they could perform it confidently instead of just guessing at what we were going for.

  

 

          

Feedback and Script Critiques

After the read-through, we opened it up for honest feedback, and I'm really glad we did. Even though this was our final rough draft, having Nadia and Evan respond to the material as performers gave us a perspective on the script that Nicole and I couldn't get from just reading it ourselves. I also took my own notes during the session on things that stood out to me, and between everyone's input we came away with a really clear picture of what needed refining.

The biggest area of feedback was around the voiceover in the opening section. What came up during the read-through was that some of Audrey's lines were explaining things the audience could already see happening on screen. The specific example that stood out was the line about making a green smoothie; if we're already filming her making a green smoothie, she doesn't need to tell us she made a green smoothie. The voiceover should be adding something the visuals can't show on their own, not just narrating what's already visible. We also felt that some of the voiceover lines came across as overly personal and self-explanatory, so we're planning to trim it down significantly and let Audrey's actions in the montage do more of the storytelling.

Notes I took down from their feedback

The other main piece of feedback was around Mattias's energy in the first part of the argument. The general feeling was that he could be more cocky, specifically in a way that contrasts more sharply with Audrey's frustration and makes the rivalry dynamic land harder right from the start. The line "You're doing that thing where you're mad at me for something I didn't do on purpose" felt too personal and familiar for two people who are supposed to have more of a tense rivalry than a close friendship, so we're taking that out. Instead, something closer to "You're always so focused on me and I didn't even do anything" captures the same beat but with the confident, slightly dismissive energy that Mattias needs in that moment.

We also found a few other lines to revisit, including the "We're both competing for the same award" exchange which needs to be reworded so it flows more naturally out loud, and the "Okay yeah, fine, it kind of is" moment which we want to expand slightly so Mattias has a little more to work with before the scene moves on. The workout section of the intro montage also came up as something we wanted to make sure it moves fast, since some of those visual moments are self-explanatory.  And for the collision itself, we talked about blocking the reaction in three clear beats, first shock, then recognition, then the anger setting in, rather than having it all happen at once.

Taking all of this in was actually a really good reminder that refining a script isn't about adding more to it, it's about deciding what to cut and what to trust the audience to understand on their own. Every note we got pushed the script in the direction of being more visual and more character-driven, which is exactly where it needs to be.

Reflection

Getting through this read-through felt like a real step forward in the production process. Before this, the script existed mostly in Nicole's and my heads, and now it's something that four people have sat with, tested out loud, and given genuine feedback on. That changes the relationship you have with the material in a way that's hard to describe but very noticeable.

What I found most useful about the whole session was that the critiques weren't discouraging at all. Every note pointed toward something specific and fixable, and most of them were things that would have been much harder to catch if we hadn't done this step. The voiceover issue especially, since that's exactly the kind of thing that looks fine on paper and only becomes obvious when someone actually has to say it out loud in context. That's why the read-through matters.

From here, Nicole and I are going to make the targeted changes that came out of the session and lock the script for real. Any adjustments after this point will only be the kind that make the lines easier for Nadia and Evan to deliver, not changes to the story itself. We're close, and after this week I feel ready to move into filming.