Tips for working with actors
The table read is an exciting time when actors who will be working together get to meet each other for the first time. Directors lead this event, which is both a first rehearsal and the first all-team production meeting with both crew and cast. In this blog, author Aaliyah Pope talks about practical advice for first-time directors from Judith Weston’s book, aptly titled Directing Actors.
Tips for First-Time Directors
by Aaliyah Pope
Directing Actors by Judith Weston (1996) was a very informative reading that could be especially useful to first-time directors. The reading focused on a few main points that I think are worth discussing. First, Weston suggests avoiding “result-oriented direction” (Weston, 1996, p. 14). In essence, this implies that the sort of direction you provide your actors should not just focus on articulating what you want to ultimately see on screen but rather on helping the actor truly feel the inner life of the character. Weston suggests avoiding direction that is “general” and instead providing “specific, playable” direction (Weston, 1996, p. 14). As a director, you want to give out meaningful information and help your actor truly connect with the character.
Another piece of advice Weston gives is that sometimes direction may be a bit overwhelming if the actor is trying to play the role as such but is receiving an extensive amount of direction. Yes, it is to help the actor but if the information comes off as unclear then it is not helpful. Providing an adjustment which can be said as an “as if” may help (Weston, 1996, p.15). That way, the actor still has the creative ability to act how they think the character would act.
This actually came up in a scene we were filming with Daniel, our main character. The actor told us that the direction we gave him was not clear enough for him to understand. So, he then gave us his way of how he thought the character would act and it was exactly what we were looking for. This collaboration between actors and directors helped us work together to achieve a short film with powerful performances. We allowed him to be in the moment and it was a success. This collaboration allows for fewer takes and leads to more of what the director is ultimately looking for.
Also, as a director you want to stay away from adjectives when describing a character (Weston, 1996). If the director uses adjectives, then you can assume that is how they view the character which gives more information on what the director thinks and not how the actor feels. In place of adjectives, Weston recommends verbs because they are actionable and may help the actor embody the character.
The few but important points listed here really helped us out during filming. We were working with actors who had never acted and some who had acted plenty of times, and using these tips helped us effectively guide them into being the characters that we needed them to be. This article resonates with the Dad Named Donor crew because most of us were first-time directors, so it really gave us guidance and actionable advice.
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References:
Weston, J. (1996). Directing Actors. (pp.13-47). Michael Wiese Productions.
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