The director and the actor. In Mackendrick, A. On film-making : an introduction to the craft of the director, (p. 179-194). London : Faber and Faber, 2004.

The author speaks of the controversial issue in the film industry on how much the actor should know of the director’s intent and technique. The author notes that as a general rule “The director is an interpretive artist and is often called upon (by the actor, no less) to be critical and self consciously analytical in his approach, full of verbal explanations and deep rooted thought” (179). Interestingly, the author speaks of the argument based around the actor’s awareness of the director’s intent and the actor loosing some of his/ her original thought, creatively and acting abilities because of this awareness.  I do believe that an actor has the right to have some insight into the director’s vision, however I also believe that the actor should focus on their acting and not be overly concerned with director’s focus. This is notable in many roles in the production process; for instance, the sound guy should not be too concerned with what the camera man is doing to a certain extent.

Developing a crew. In Rabiger, M. Directing : film techniques and aesthetics, (p. 385-400). 3rd ed. Boston : Focal Press, 2003.

I stumbled across this article when perusing for something completely different, however it provided insight into what some of our roles and responsibilities may be on the day of shooting. The article spoke of the importance of allocating crew members responsibilities as to the functionality of shooting. Additionally, the article advised that the PM and 1AD should manage queries before the director does to allow the director to focus entirely on the craftsmanship of the shot. This makes perfect sense however, I was unaware of some of the predetermined responsibilities for various crew members. For example, my role within my crew is 1AD and the article notes that I will be speaking with actors when the director is busy as a means on contingency.