An Actor's Perspective: What First-Time Directors Need to Know

Filmmaking Articles

Production

Acting and Actors

Written by Jeff Lanctot

Labels: Acting, Blocking, Production

Whether it's a drama that requires the actor to tear up regularly or a fantasy film which has them dressed in ridiculous costumes, fighting with plastic swords, acting is a great accomplishment. Directors, however, are not always well educated in the world of an actor and often times Indie Directors are afraid to really get in there and boss the actors around. So what is it that the actor has been taught that directors should know before they film?

Foo-Foo but Necessary

Actors, simply put, deal in emotions. They are literally fighting everyday through the very full sea of talent in order to show the world what they can do with their bodies and minds. Most times actors are completely underpaid and only feign to live the life of a star. It's no wonder that they often behave like spoiled children and display nothing but ego on the set. They have it rough--being taught to make themselves completely vulnerable and open like a wound but still not in high enough demand to have respectable work on a daily basis. Furthermore, actors are often the victims of very rough criticism which can kill their self esteem.

Because of the difficulty in their job, meditation, physical exercise, acting exercises and total respect are necessary for actors on a set. So remember, no matter how silly the exercises of your actors look and sound, they are very helpful and familiar. Some of these exercises may include the following:

Vocal Warm Ups: Humming, singing, bellowing and/or appearing to chew one's face.
Stretches: Physical activity on the camera feels more relaxed when they've stretched.
Meditation: Silencing an actor's mind (regardless of set noise) is important to emotion.
Emotional Preparation: For this, the actor will build a person or feeling with their imagination.
Improv Exercises: This can include throwing or playing with pretend objects or telling jokes.
Meisner Technique: To Meisner, two actors will make observations and repeat each other.
Method Acting: The actor will continue to stay in character throughout the day. Let them.

Everyone Has Nerves

Because you are in Indie films, you must understand that your actors are not seasoned. Most of the talent in your films will be raw, amateur or good, at best. This does not mean they cannot get the job done, however. So until you are ready for more experienced talent, keep in mind that they are probably nervous no matter what they say or how they appear to feel. Young, inexperienced actors will lie straight to your face and tell you that they're calm and ready while they're actually dying on the inside. Here are some ways to identify their nerves so that you can correct the behavior:

Repetition in body movement
Swaying back and forth
Constant blinking
Stuttering
Swallowing
Crossing arms
Heavy breathing
Rolling the eyes
Over exaggerating the part
Cutting off their scene partner
Forgetting the lines
Giggling inappropriately

When this type of behavior is showing up on camera, help the actor by making them comfortable. Call a half break and tell the actors to stay in places. Have your PA offer them water and wait until they become comfortable enough to talk to each other outside of the scene. Sometimes they will begin talking to one another right away and other times it will take a minute or two of being ignored by crew members. As soon as the actor appears comfortable, call places and go straight into the shot. This often times gets the scene partners to relax and feel what real conversation between them feels like.

Last but Not Least, Feed Me, Seymore

I can't tell you how many times I've seen an Indie crew forget to feed or supply water to their actors. Just like any other human, actors need food. Actually, often times actors eat more than the crew members do because of the physical and emotional activity involved. Running, biking, constantly talking, getting upset--these are just some of the things an actor is doing every second that the shoot is a reality. They rehearse before the shots, they perform them and then they criticize themselves heavily afterward. Not to mention being in the sun or under lights all day and sometimes in full, disgusting stage make up, can be irritating.

All of these reasons are why you absolutely have to keep your actors comfortable. If they feel wind burned, sun burned hungry or irritated with your crew, it will show up on camera and make the entire process unpleasant. There are, however, many things that you can do to keep your actors happy which can help you become the best director your actors work with and create yourself a reputation amongst your peers.

Be sure that you have a great Production Assistant. Your production assistant should treat cuts in between scenes as an opportunity to serve and assist everyone. Fresh water, lines, time estimates, answers to questions that the director is too busy to answer--these are the things that an Indie P.A. is responsible for.
Set aside enough budget money to have clean, cold water and food available in separate ice chests. Crackers, canned tuna, canned fruits, dried fruits, granola, bagels and other pre-packaged foods are perfect for shoots away from home.
Keep an entire plastic bin or tub full of necessities like an emergency kit, a small fire extinguisher and pampering products for everyone, especially your actors. This should include sun block, moisturizing lotion, mosquito repellent, hand sanitizer and soap, a gallon of water, gel, hair spray, cheap sunglasses, paper sacks, pain reliever and anything else you can think of that will improve your shoot.

In the end, your relationship with your actors is entirely up to you and your crew members. It can be very rewarding to learn the interesting workings of an actor and to be able to know what they need and how they can help you achieve the best in your art. Good luck and be prepared for the emotional involvement that most directors find themselves in the middle of.

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