Cold Reading and How to Be Good at It: An Authoritative Book Vital to the Career of Every Actor (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This book is necessary because cold reading is the process by which most professional acting jobs are filled, and it is in every actor's best interest to know as much as they can about it. To succeed in the business of acting, most actors will need to master a cold reading technique so that it becomes reliable and natural. Some actors will develop an effective technique of their own. Many will not. For the actor who is not comfortable with the cold reading process, there are only two options: get lucky, or get help.

About the Author

Basil Hoffman

Product Details

• Paperback: 54 pages
• Publisher: Dramaline Publications (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940669420
• ISBN-13: 978-0940669420
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #534,917 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

236 of 268 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not What I thought It was, August 9, 2000

By A Customer

I have carefully given this book a neutral review. I purchased this book while researching a paper on how psychics and mediums perform their art. This method is often called "cold reading." This book was recommended by Amazon when I purchased other similar books. However, this book is an instructional for actors who are going to auditions. If you are an actor, this book may be wonderful, please use your own judgement. If you are looking for a book relating to mind-reading, mentalism, Tarot, etc. this book is not for you.

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NOT a cold reading book!, December 24, 2006

By	Thirst4Knowledge "In Training" (The Meadows, NV USA) - See all my reviews

Just FYI to everybody, this is about cold reading movie scripts for actors. That is, reading them for the first time, while still being a good actor. For all you "game" people, this is NOT a book on mental/psychology stuff. I gave it four stars because that was the average and I don't want to add to, or take from, the rating.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For newbies only, September 11, 2007

By	Dancing Maiden (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I think this book would have been really helpful if I had read it when I first moved to LA to pursue acting. The entire first section is almost a glossary of words and phrases that are helpful to know when starting out and the cold reading info is great if you're new to auditioning. Overall, if you've been in LA for a bit and have done casting workshops or have gone on auditions, this book will be too basic for you.