5 TIPS TO DIRECT ACTORS
Although there are many aspects to consider in the direction of actors, there are some basic guidelines that should be followed.
We have selected 5 basic tips not to forget:
1. Be clear about what you want to achieve
Before starting, there is nothing better for an audiovisual project than to be clear about where you want to go and what you must do to achieve it.
Having a clear direction from the beginning will help us to be more successful when communicating with both the technical team and the actors.
This is the basis for all work, otherwise we will wander and waste time, without achieving anything that is of real use to us.
2. Prior dialogue with the actor
It is true that it is not always possible to rehearse before the day of recording, either due to budget, time, availability of the actors, etc., but it must be taken into account that arriving at the shoot without having previously rehearsed or even had a dialogue with the actor , it will make interesting proposals that it could have are lost; that is to say, we would lose nothing more and nothing less than the vision of who embodies the character, the perspective of who will give him life.
If there is no prior dialogue, we would risk that, with the haste of all filming, the actor ends up just reciting the lines of the script and we don't want that, right?
3. Know the actor's method
The actors have different working methods, so knowing the method that our actor uses will give us light to be able to work better with him.
If the actor does not apply any particular method, it is good to consider a way of working and communicate it to him. In this task, let us not fall into the temptation to act to show how you want to do things. Let's keep in mind that we are directors, not actors. The actor does not need to act for him but to direct it, for that reason he has professional training.
Part of our working method as directors, in any case, should include, minimally, clear indications regarding what is to be achieved, the meaning of each scene and the action of the character in it.
4. Know how to communicate with assertiveness
There is something that a good director should never forget: Do not abruptly correct the actor, much less in front of the entire team. Shaming him in public will in no way add to the job, quite the opposite. If the actor is going to interpret a very demanding or sensitive scene, it is possible that it is best to keep a minimum of people during the recording of said scene, in order to generate an atmosphere of trust, where instructions can be given without “public ”.
The director must be clear and communicate things promptly, but wisely, with assertiveness.
There are novice actors that requires us to generate much more confidence, but even if it were the most experienced actor, if we did not communicate assertively, we would run the risk of demotivating them and emotionally distancing them from the project.
Assertiveness always adds up.
5. Order not to subtract
One of the bases of working together is knowing that there is a time and place for everything. Each member of the team must, as a basis, respect each other's position. It is common that, during the recording, other opinions are had regarding the direction of actors, and other members of the team want to intervene immediately.
If other members of the team intervene, giving instructions directly to the actors, going over the director's instructions (even if their contributions have something to do with the director's proposal), it shows disorganization and disunity of the group, which may generate distrust and confusion in the directors. actors.
There will always (or sometimes) be a place to listen to other points of view, but you have to trust the director's vision; after all, it is he who invested time and effort analyzing and interpreting the script and, therefore, he is the one who should set the tone in the realization.
