‘Just the facts, ma’am’.

This is what Sergeant Joe Friday, played by Jack Webb on the TV series Dragnet, used to say to witness’s when they strayed from the facts.

Getting the facts clear in a scene is half the battle.

Learn the plot line, sequence of events, key characters, location, time of day, good guy/bad guy, who’s lying – who’s telling the truth. 

This is the foundation to knowing what you’re doing in a scene. Know the facts before you start Acting. 

Then add the TV acting basics of being still, not blinking and speaking on your voice.

Knowing your position or point of view is a different part of the work and is more sophisticated than knowing the facts. 

Long before you get to anything remotely emotional in TV acting you must know the facts.

That’ll keep your feet on the ground. 

A great place to have them when you’re acting.