Preparation

I know I have learned a lot about directing from talking with actors. After all, we are teammates trying to achieve the same goal. I thought it might be useful to express a few acting tips based on what I have experienced as a director.

This is by far the most important advice I can give an actor. If you are an actor, I can not emphasize the importance of preparation. I have never struggled with an actor who was prepared. Every bad experience I have had with an actor was with an unprepared actor. This means knowing your lines and knowing as much about the character as you can based on what’s given to you beforehand(it may simply be the script, or a director may give you other things that can help you with your character). The more prepared you are, the easier it is for you to make adjustments because you are comfortable with the material. If you don’t know the material well, you may only be comfortable playing the scene one way and unable to successfully take re-direction. Every actor flubs a line, but showing up completely unprepared is unprofessional and disrespectful.

Another important piece of advice is in regards to an actor’s role amongst the whole film. If the director asks something of you that you don’t agree with, it is perfectly reasonable and healthy to ask why or suggest an alternative. A good director will help discover alternatives to make their actor’s choices more natural and easier. However, sometimes there is not always going to be an alternative. For example, say I design the blocking for a shot a certain way and an actor doesn’t like it. They might ask if there is a way to adjust the blocking. Let’s say in this particular circumstance, changing the blocking of that one shot has a domino effect on the next three shots and affects how the pieces are going to be edited. Let’s say we have already shot those other shots. In that scenario, there is no other option. We have a whole sequence that requires that particular blocking in that one shot for that sequence to make sense. We also have already spent the time(and money) on set to already shoot the other shots of the sequence. In this scenario, the actor should acknowledge the big picture and realize there are a lot of other moving parts in the film that require that specific blocking for that particular shot. The actor should perform the requested blocking to the best of their ability.

A lot of this comes down to trusting the director because, often times, the actor is not going to know the big picture of how everything fits together. If a director politely declines a suggestion or alternative, the actor must trust that that particular suggestion or alternative doesn’t fit into the tapestry of the whole film. I realize there are a lot of directors out there who never take any suggestions or alternatives and it often hurts the final product, but one should not automatically assume every director is this way. I also realize that the actor’s primary goal is their character and they should defend that when they feel needed to. Be willing to speak your mind, but if the director politely declines, trust them and move on from the subject. The good directors WILL ALWAYS listen to you and will accommodate your suggestions when possible.

Often after a take, a director will give notes to an actor on the last take and how to approach the next take. However, sometimes the director doesn’t say anything to an actor between takes. I have had many actors tell me that that is one of the scariest thing for an actor. Everyone likes to get a pat on the back, right? The truth is, the director is focused on the camera, the lighting etc along with the actors. If the director likes what an actor is doing, often times the director won’t spend the time to say “good job” because they are focused on other aspects of the take. There is only so much time in the day and time is money on a film set, so a director often doesn’t want to spend time on something that’s not broken. If a director doesn’t give an actor a note after a take, they liked what the actor did that take. Obviously, directors try to pat actors on the back and let them know they are doing a good job, but sometimes that’s not always possible. However, if a director doesn’t like what an actor is doing, they will ALWAYS say something, so there is no need to feel self conscious. If they don’t like something, they’ll be sure to make the actor aware.

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