Result Acting

i might address things like this as a "technical note". things like those you mentioned often interfere with continuity or sound (tapping). but i usually would ask them why or where it's coming from first because that energy is coming from somewhere. foot tapping is an expression of nervousness, moving an object is placing their attention on something irrelevant to the scene. if that's not what you want, correct them. say "stand up for yourself here" or "focus your attention on her 100%".
 
2007... you may not even be here anymore but I wanted to thank you. Had a very hard time directing a couple of high school boys last week and that last adjustment you mentioned, I've actually written it on the script, it's exactly what they can use. I hope. Thanks!
 
Don't be dull

Don't be dull

brianluce said:
Rehearsals are great, but when you deal with amatuer actors it seems like every take is different--they can never do it twice the same way. Pro actors? it's like hitting the "rewind" button. Impresses the hell out of me actually...
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I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to clear up something regarding this post, and I've only just joined, so... Couldn't really do it before.

The whole doing it twice the same way thing? Actually, not good. 'Consistency is the heart of dull acting.' Good actors are always evolving and changing. Yes, it can be good to have things 'set' once it's shooting day, but up until that point, it's better not to do so. It's actually a difference between someone good and someone not, the consistency thing. The pros you worked with, either you skipped over them doing it differently for a long time, you never saw them do it outside of rehearsals, or they weren't actually any good. Life is varied, and using that in performing makes it more real.
 
Well, everyone else has chimed in.

"I think I just had an epitome reading this thread."

Epiphany?

As long as others are laying down the rules...

Rule 0.1: There are no rules.

Rule 0.2: The director is also acting, and the set is his/her stage.

Rule 0.3: Less is more.

The director, in my never humble opinion, has to be a Zen master observing everything in the moment. No two actors will respond to the same direction the same, and so it is required to study them as individuals. The alleged "terrible" advice to one actor may be just what the other needs. Sometimes you just want to mess with their heads, if you feel their heads need messing with on that take.

People may have heard of this British director from the old days named Alfred Hitchcock. What did he say about directing actors?

"If an actor comes to me and asks 'what's my motivation?' I say, 'It's in the script.' If he persists, I say: 'Your paycheck.'" He was known for treating actors like "cattle."

Personally I like rehearsal and repetition with very little input. I like to see actors get more comfortable and secure in their roles and begin to riff on what's there. Granted I have no Oscars on my mantle. I would, however, reject any dogmatic formulaic approach to human emotion, on principle.
 
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