How to Speak to Actors in a Film
While directing a movie, something that seems to give most amateurs trouble is figuring out exactly how to talk to an actor. What type of direction will help them? What type will hurt them?
Read this tutorial and you will understand how to get the best out of your actors.
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Instructions
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How to Speak to Actors in a Film
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1
Everyone is different. There will never be one solid solution on how to deal with every single person. Get to know the actors well before the shoot so you learn about their sensitivity levels and how their psyches work.
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2
Never use the words "more" or "less." Actors hate hearing lines like "Be more upset" or "Be less enthusiastic." That does not tell them how much or little to do something.
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3
Be specific. If you need a specific emotion, tell the actor what you specifically need. Time is money when it comes to movies and the more you waste trying to be nice, the less producers will like you.
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4
Always be honest. Saying things like "That was good, BUT I want ______ instead" does nothing but show a lack of respect. It tells the actors that you are smarter than them and need to baby them rather than work with them.
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5
Make sure an actor understands the meaning of each line and each word in that line. If he cannot nail it, it is very likely he does not understand the meaning.
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6
If an actor wants to try something differently, compromise with her. Do a take of it her way and a take of it your way. Collaboration is the key.
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7
ALWAYS COMMUNICATE. Communication is not only the key to good working relationships but bad usage of it can also be the downfall of one.
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Comments
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Eric J. Seidman
Feb 20, 2008
Yep, that's what #3 meant - specificity = action words. Regardless of using action words or using another means of being specific, the key is, as I said, to be specific. You want them to know exactly what you mean, however you can get it across. -
Eric20
Feb 20, 2008
Here's the most important tip though. Always use Action words when talking to Actors. If you tell an actor to be angry, they won't know how to "DO" that. If instead you say, "avoid" her, "punish" him, "ignore" them, these are "do-able" things which can be applied to there lines of dialogue and stage blocking. Plus it's more specific for them. Also, look for their most important "emotional turn" in the scene. And "emotional turn" is when an actor's emotions are greatly altered in a scene. Every scene has one, just like every scene has some form of conflict, rather light or heavey. If you let the actor know that most important "emotional turn" in the scene, they will eventually fill in the gaps, getting them from point A to point B.
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Eric20
Feb 20, 2008
Here's the most important tip though. Always use Action words when talking to Actors. If you tell an actor to be angry, they won't know how to "DO" that. If instead you say, "avoid" her, "punish" him, "ignore" them, these are "do-able" things which can be applied to there lines of dialogue and stage blocking. Plus it's more specific for them. Also, look for their most important "emotional turn" in the scene. And "emotional turn" is when an actor's emotions are greatly altered in a scene. Every scene has one, just like every scene has some form of conflict, rather light or heavey. If you let the actor know that most important "emotional turn" in the scene, they will eventually fill in the gaps, getting them from point A to point B.
