Directing first time actors

T

tine

New member
Hello!

I need some help regarding a certain issue. I'm just coming out of film school and am looking forward to start a career as a director. My country of origin is Lebanon and my goal is to direct films there. Only what little good actors we have there are immigrating (just like anyone who's good at their profession actually), and to say the truth our level of acting in general isn't that good given that we don't have the best means and facilities to train our actors.

But that is not exactly why I'm considering first time actors, I've noticed in general that working with those, when done right, gives your film a sponteneity and a human dimension that you can hardly achieve with a proffesional actor. Take Tarantino's last film for example, Death Proof. In the second part of the film, there's a scene in a diner where 4 women are having a discussion, one of whom is played by Rosario Dawson. The other 3 are none-professional actors, one of whom is a stunt-woman that Quentin absolutely wanted in his film to build a story around her personality. If you watch closely you can tell there's a gap between Rosario's acting and the others'. Rosario looks like she's struggling to be more natural or at least as natural as the others.

Other examples that can really paint a good picture would be Cidade de Deus for example, Entre les Murs which won the Palme d'Or last year, This is England, Cousous etc...All of those were filmed with first time actors.

My question is, what's the best method to direct first time actors, and what would be a good acting course or a good method to learn how to get into their shoes so as to guide them in a more effective way? Any schools that offer this specific course?

In City of God for example, the actors were trained for a period of 6 months prior to scheduled shooting on how to improvise a scene. 70% of their lines were improvised.

Abdel Kechiche on the other hand is a controle freak, he over rehearses with his actors to get nail it right how he wants it. When asked why he rehearses so hard and weather or not there was a risk of squeezing every ounce of energy/emotion out of the actors by over-rehearsing, he said that this was the case but after that exhaustion, something would spring out in the actors that would open new views to the scene. His latest film is Couscous(la graine et le mulet) but I would suggest L'Esquive, teenage actors at their best.

Let me know what you think, and thanks for taking the time to read this.
 
tine

i think a lot will depend on what you are going to need the actors to do for you. will they need to do improv? is the script fixed? without giving the story away can you tell me a little more? i coach actors and wonder if i might be able to help a little but right now your question seems so broad that it would take hours to address the way it stands now.

michele
 
Michele Seidman said:
tine

i think a lot will depend on what you are going to need the actors to do for you. will they need to do improv? is the script fixed? without giving the story away can you tell me a little more? i coach actors and wonder if i might be able to help a little but right now your question seems so broad that it would take hours to address the way it stands now.

michele
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hey michele

sorry for the delay. ok the way I usually write, I'm very picky about the structure of the scenes and sequences and i put alot of thought in the dialogue, especially when it comes to writing monologues or arguements, i tend to think a word here or a word there will do alot for the tension. i havnt worked with untrained actors yet but i presume telling them exactly what they have to say might take away from their sponteneity. i also think that about Abdel Kechiche's method of over-rehearsing but of course I wouldnt know for sure. If I were to write a film and cast actors whose personalities fit best those of the characters in my script, whats the best method to maintain their energy but to focalise it into the closest thing possible to what I envisionned initially? thank you:)

-tine
 
I always tell my actors not to act; behave as they really would in that given situation. I write my scripts with particular actors in mind, so that helps as well.

-Andy
 
Just help them relax first and foremost and don't TELL THEM how they feel. Help them find how they should feel in about a particular moment.
 
Well, I think Carmen Lebbos is a great Lebanese actress :)

However, I completely understand your situation. My advice would be that you shouldn't stick to how the great names do their work, because it varies. As you may already have noticed one claims that the best way is to meet up unprepared at the set and improvise your acting, another says that you have to over-rehearse etc. All of them probably work but it doesn't necessarily have to work for you as well. Remember that these people are so experienced in directing that they know exactly about the how, when and where, and have built up a method that fits only their method of working. Find your own middle way.
First and foremost you have to get the casting well done. It'll save you a lot of difficulties later on! Take your time while auditioning, try different scenes, moods, parts, combinations etc.
Then, once you have casted, go rehearsing! Not necessarily the scenes from the script, but rehearse acting in general, as they are first time actors they are probably very inexperienced and have to figure techniques out that suit them.

I found it useful to spend a lot of time with the actors. Once you have them casted and sent them the script, invite them all (and the crew if possible) an evening and introduce everybody in an interesting way (games or something). This should be informal and only for the purpose of building up a trustful and relaxed set further on. Get to know each and every one of them, what kind of person are they, and let them get to know each other. Move on to the rehearsals with the actors only a couple of days later. Go in details with every one of the actors about their characters. Improvise some scenes, built it up from the easy, not demanding scenes, and go more advanced onto the emotional ones. Give them a problem, and let them improvise a solution or a dealing with it. Throughout it you have to notice how the actors work. Some are best at acting when using private memories and experiences, some can't etc. etc. Work hard at what suits the actor best.
Finally, once people know each other and aren't afraid of making mistakes, and everybody has a bit of experience, knows their characters well etc., move on to the rehearsing of the script itself. Not all the whole of it, you probably don't have the time for that, but you as a director should be knowing what fits well by now. Pick out half a dozen of scenes or something and rehearse them a couple of times. I don't find over-rehearsing useful, but then again that is my subjective opinion. It always ends up with the actors being a bit to robot-behaving, not very convincing! But rehearse so the actors can get a grasp of what they are to expect.

The above is time consuming though. If you are an indie, not-supported director you probably can't afford the money and time spent on all this. That's a pity, but I can assure you that it eventually pays well off on the screen!

Wishing you luck
 
drewb50 said:
I always tell my actors not to act; behave as they really would in that given situation. I write my scripts with particular actors in mind, so that helps as well.
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I'm in a similar position. I'm about to start production on a short crime/thriller using friends as the main characters. Your advice, Drew, really clicked with me. Acting to them, I'm sure, is a daunting task but putting that personal touch into it is a great idea. Rehearse the scenes with them as if it is actually them in the situation.

This post also makes me think of the film "Once" by John Carney. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are non-actors and pulled off great performances. Stories like this give me hope that a filmmaker using non-actors isn't destined to fail.

I read somewhere that in Once, John Carney set the cameras far away from the main characters (in the exterior shots) to reduce the pressure of the camera being right in their face. I thought this was a great idea to make it feel as though they are having a normal conversation and not acting.

Either way, I think rehearsal and having a clear vision of what you want from the actors are the key points. Tine, your explanation of how Rosario Dawson seemed like she had to try to act natural around the non-actors is very true. There's something you get from non-actors that can't be achieved with actors. As in "Clerks".

Good luck! And I look forward to what other's have to say on the topic as well, as I can benefit from the same advice.
 
directing first time actors

directing first time actors

You might try looking at a book by Tony Barr called ACTING FOR THE CAMERA. One of my students, Gavin Hood, used the techniques and exercises in it to direct first time actors in his film, "Tsotsi", and found it extremely useful.
 
I agree with WatchOut's generous comments. First, CASTing is everything, especially with non-pros. Your non-pro actors must be as close alike to their characters as possible. If you think about it, that makes total sense. I find non-pro actors come in two varieties: 1-Those that become subdued, afraid to make a fool of themselves; and 2-Those that become Hams and go over the top. As the director, you must attain their trust that you won't let them make a fool of themselves as you gently push them to become authentic. A great acting coach once said, "If the actor can discover "The Why" a character does what they do... then "The How" takes care of itself. Best of Luck!
 
I am not sure I agree at all that non-actors are spontaneous, I mean when I've worked with actors who have limited experience, the level of nervousness (when it's not supposed to be there) is immediately apparent, and so are various hand gestures or nervous ticks that distract a lot from anything seeming natural. I just shot a short with some great actors, a few names and everyone was really good in general, and we got some hilarious improv scenes after the dialogue I had written, just waiting to say cut for 6-7 seconds after, if they said nothing, and kept rolling if they were coming up with new stuff, and they were really spontaneous. I was surprised just how good consummate actors are at that, just pulling hilarious stuff out of thin air, and selling it, it's beautiful to watch and just hilarious to see. It's a lot of fun.

Coming from corporate work and music videos, my focus has really been a LOT more technical than on anything story related or performance related, so I wasn't sure how much I'd actually like working with actors when it comes down to it. I know a lot of people have a negative view of actors, but as a director you really shouldn't, or you're in the WRONG profession! Haha. So I was a bit nervous about that, but I have to say that was the most fun for me, I love working with actors, it can be a blast, just seeing what they do is so great.
 
i am with drewb on this....tell them not to act...if they have no background at all the worst thing they can and will do, is try to act...get them to go as natural as possible and tell them no big gestures. save that for stage. if they are new they may not understand how the camera magnifies things, so make sure and tell them.

plus...eye line will get you in trouble...when need be....give them a fixed point off camera so they don't look near the camera and come off like they are looking in it.
 
Do not try to think that you are going to "know" more about working with these actors without practise, with only books... The most important is they have to have "freedom"; next, you need to have test shooting - some scene from your script where you can see the change of emotiones in the actors (love to hate, f.ex.). Do not try to explane to much to them, give them some instuctions from distance, like "try to say these lines slower" "try to speak louder" "give yourself, few seconds after - action" and so on. Let them feel that they are under your control, but with freedom; like "we are searching, we do not know what we want, but we know what we do not want". Its great to have first time actors, they are not spoiled, and good luck to you!
 
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