Film/TV Reflection 6: Question 6

Question: 6

Consider Sandra’s lecture “Directing Actors” and describe at least a couple of points that you took away from it (even if you’re not the director).

As the director, I wanted the process to go as smoothly and professionally as possible. Right from the get go, I ensured my communication before the audition process, during production and post production was open, as I wanted the actors to feel comfortable.
Something that Sandra pointed out in the lecture, was to not “overwhelm” actors, as this could possibly leave them feeling uneasy, nervous and affect their performance. Sandra also reiterated a point which I had already established for myself; the importance of the “director actor” relationship. I tried to give the actors clear, concise instructions, but was always open for suggestions (which ended up saving a few of the shots in our film). We were very lucky to work with a very easy going, attentive and charismatic guy who was cast for our lead. He was always punctual, was willing to help out and acted very professionally, even when we had a few hiccups along the way. In turn, to “reward” this, I wanted to ensure how grateful we were, treating him as one of the crew instead of a stranger we just happened to choose to act in our film.

Sandra spoke a little bit preparation, meaning, it is invaluable to run through all necessary details with your actor, outlining their roles, the structure of each scene, what any future plans were etc…and this helps establish a level of trust and reliance between both parties.

Another important thing that was mentioned was to always give positive feedback, even if making a correction or changing something because it doesn’t work. Actors may feel it is their fault for having to re-shoot a scene if they are not told exact reasons, so especially during our shoot, end the end of every scene, I made an effort to tell our actors what a good job they were doing, or how much I loved that creative decision on their behalf. I think this is important, because as a director, I know how valuable it is to hear the same thing from fellow crew.

Although being a director is not one of my aspirations, I think Sandra’s lecture bought home the importance of good communication, something that I have drastically improved on during this process, and something I have learnt a lot about.

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