Actors .. how to get more screen time!

ZetKey said:
So... if actor speaks 2x slower he gets 2x more screen time?
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Unless the actor is a proven name brand actor... no. A 'slow' actor, will get 1) directed to speed it up. 2) edited out to the e-cutting room floor.

That 'gap' will allow the editor to cutaway, close the gap, and even eliminate either half of such a line, if the result keeps up the pace better.

The way to get more screen time, is to have something going on that's called 'acting'... not standing there with lips flapping, or mouth gaping...
 
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Egg Born Son said:
For more screentime go Christopher Walken: "What a...great i...dea......I'll use...it...next time"
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If you look at Christopher Walken's physical actions, there is more going on that just the vocal pauses. His 'style' has developed over the years, and has eventually solidified in to his current presentation...

Unless the director is going for a specific 'quirky' look... gaps in dialog are death, in that they allow for cutaways, or even the whole line to be dropped if the result plays better.

In some of the 'deleted scenes' sequences, one sees this sort of thing frequently... a scene may have been written with 2 minutes of dialog... chopped for the final movie to 30 seconds...
 
To get more screen time, improve your chops, and get cast in a bigger part. Don't insert pauses gratuitously. It's your job. You will be directed to stop doing that, especially if you have a non-transformational role.
 
hscully said:
To get more screen time, improve your chops, and get cast in a bigger part. Don't insert pauses gratuitously. It's your job. You will be directed to stop doing that, especially if you have a non-transformational role.
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I participated in a 48 hour fest a week ago. I was not part of the 'editing' group. But I've made a couple of trailers from original footage, using the final edited film as a guide...

One of the constant 'complaints' was that the short was close to 7 minutes... yet when I looked at the final edit... there was at least 2 minutes worth of fat.. and quite a bit in 'slow dialog' that had no significance... that is, it was clear the actors where in trouble with lines... (and the original script lines were pretty verbose at that...).
 
What hscully said. Stay in character and do an outstanding job of acting. You'll be in demand because you're good. . . and dependably so. Screen time doesn't equate to success. Good acting does.
 
... actors, to get more screen time - just be f*cking good ... because then I'll write a new part for you, extend your scene or write a whole new scene for you. I might even write my next movie around you.

A good example – actor Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad). He was supposed to be killed off three seasons ago.
 
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