Fake Love?

Dillon Novak

Dillon Novak

Well-known member
I have one actor and one actress that have never seen each other in person that need to be very intimate, in our music video.
There is a scene where they are holding hand laying in the sand and the guy rolls on top of the girl and they are looking very intimately at one another.

Also there is a kiss, where one is laying on top of the other.

Any one have any tips on coaching love? Should i get them to watch some real tender loving chick flicks and observe the connection shown in the face.

How does one describe that connection to an actor?


Any help would be great, how have other people dealed with making sure the love looks real?


thanks!
 
I don't exactly know how to explain it, but I'll try.

I've played it before, actually with another guy. (I'm not gay, just a dedicated actor)

The trick is to pretend that it's real. Act as if you are truly in love. If you can't pretend or act as if it is real, then go off of a memory. Remember the first time that you truly felt you were in love with someone and then project that feeling through your body, and you expressions.

That's the best I can do to explain it. Plus, I'm sure it would help if the actors knew which kind of love they had. New, fresh, passionate, timid, etc.
 
djbobbyrhodes said:
I don't exactly know how to explain it, but I'll try.

I've played it before, actually with another guy. (I'm not gay, just a dedicated actor)

The trick is to pretend that it's real. Act as if you are truly in love. If you can't pretend or act as if it is real, then go off of a memory. Remember the first time that you truly felt you were in love with someone and then project that feeling through your body, and you expressions.

That's the best I can do to explain it. Plus, I'm sure it would help if the actors knew which kind of love they had. New, fresh, passionate, timid, etc.
Click to expand...

that's some great advice! I'll defiantly be using that. thanks
 
You need to be able to explain what you want in terms of context rather than 'now'. Why they are in that situation, what's going on in their minds... and the actors should be able to take it from there. If you're not sure they can do so effectively you might want to talk to them about it to be as clear as you can before the shooting day. Keep in mind that what you described is one of the most difficult things for most people to channel on cue.
 
Have the actors discuss amongst themselves what they feel comfortable with and "how far" they can push it. Both actors need to be on the same page so there aren't any surprises. I just went though this in my last video, you can see it in my sig below.
 
Get them together before the shoot so they have at least a little familiarity with each other.
 
Since the scene is (evidently) all action and no dialog, you've got a relative pure acting scenario. That would make it doubly important that you avoid giving them any kind of "result oriented" direction. What that means is to avoid saying things to them like "look more in love", "give me more passion" or the like. What will work far better (if they're not already getting it on their own) is to suggest context. Things like "you've just realized for the first time how much you really love each other" or "you're finally back together again after weeks apart". Something that creates an automatic response - not a planned, calculated one. Asking for exactly what you want to see (the "result"), will be much more likely to look fake since they'll be "doing behavior" (aka "Acting" with a capital A) instead of having an authentic (although imagined) experience.

The above applies to all actor/director interactions, but may be particularly important in this situation.
 
Remember too that since it's for a music video, you can talk to the actors while you're rolling, which can be really helpful - instead of expecting them to put the scene together in their own minds, talk them through it with the cameras rolling. Try to keep it active - like, "look into her eyes and try to see if she loves you" or "try to read her mind" instead of, "look like you're in love". The simpler the moment, the better - it isn't about acting in love so much, as being really open to each other and to the camera so the audience can read things into the actors' expressions. Timing is important - how long they look at each other before they kiss, how slowly the kiss develops, etc. - try describing things as happening for the first time - "it's the first time you've really seen her"; "it's the first time you've been alone together" - that will help your actors get that sense of how special the moment is supposed to be.
 
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