6 Things Actors Should Know About Memorizing Lines
Drawn from what is actually said on camera, so you can decide whether to
spend the 1:35 watching it.
Write the lines out by hand
Copying them onto paper forces you to process the words rather than let your eyes slide over them. The video cites research putting this at around 45 percent faster than reading alone. It is the least glamorous item on the list and the one most people skip.
Thinking about motivation is old advice and it is also a memory technique. Attaching the words to a reason for saying them is called active experiencing, and lines you understand the purpose of are lines that come back to you under pressure.
Saying them over and over is doing something specific: it teaches your brain which word follows which. That is why the middle of a speech falls out first, because it is the part you have run the fewest times.
The claim made here is that the hormone involved in memory is most active before you eat. It costs nothing to move a session to before breakfast rather than after lunch, so it is worth testing on yourself.
In the study cited, people who learned lines while in motion recalled them better than people who stood still. Blocking and text get stored together, which is also why a line can vanish when a director changes where you cross.
The suggestion is that the brain is at its most receptive in the minutes before sleep. Recording your own lines and listening as you drift off costs no working hours at all, which matters when the sides arrived at midnight.
How to Memorize Lines. Whether you’re a budding actor, a businessperson who has to give presentations, or a PTA mom, we all need to remember lines now and then. These tricks will help. You will need Paper and pen and a tape recorder. Step 1. Write out your lines. This helps your brain commit them to memory because the act of transferring them to paper requires you to process the material instead of just seeing it. In fact, research shows this can help you memorize things 45% faster. Step 2. If you’re memorizing lines for a play, think about the character’s motivation. Sounds clichéd, we know. But it works.
It’s called “active experiencing,” and research backs up its effectiveness. Step 3. Say the lines over and over—and over! Repetition trains the brain by prompting it to expect the words to follow in a certain way. Memorize your lines on an empty stomach; that’s when the hormone dealing with memory is most active! Step 4. When studying the lines at home, move as you would on the stage. In one study, people who memorized lines while in motion later remembered them better than those who stood still. Step 5. Record yourself saying your lines and play it at bedtime. Your brain is most programmable right before you fall asleep, when it’s most primed for suggestion and memory retention. Did you know “To be or not to be, that is the question,” is considered the most famous line in theatre history.
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