“The Art of Directing”
by Randal K. West
There is a popular T-shirt that shows up around theatres and
television studios that states in bold print, “What I really want
to do is Direct”. Who wouldn’t? The famous directors are second
only to stars. Can you name a few famous directors? Now, try to
name some screenplay writers or the composer of the last film you
saw. Directing carries a certain mystique. In reality though,
many of the most successful director’s have found ways to
communicate their suggestions and reactions in the simplest,
least intimidating fashion. Whether you are working with
polished professionals or raw beginners, the desired effect is a
performance which blends an honest connection to the material
(the dialogue) with on-camera technique that conveys comfort and
self-confidence.
Beginning directors must fight the temptation to “make a big
deal” out of the whole process and exhibit their marvelous
directing technique and their ability to shout orders and count
backwards from five. I, however, would suggest that beginning
directors refrain from intimidating people (including the actors)
on the set and I would also suggest that they refrain from
wearing those swell ride jodhpurs and return the long black boots
and beret.
Unless you are directing a ‘live’ hot shoot, (something that goes
out live to viewers, unedited), tell the actors that no one will
see anything that is not well done. The best of what you are
shooting (the raw footage) will be edited into something that
will please everyone. By the time you have gone through the time
and expense to set up a shoot, the least expensive component is
the videotape. So, reassure the talent that shooting until the
desired effect is achieved is not a big deal. Talk with the
talent about what is going to happen and how you will communicate
with them. If the talent seems particularly intimated, I
communicate with my crew and camera people in a very low-key
fashion, ask the technical director to roll tape and then begin
talking with the talent. If I can get the talent going we just
record it. I don’t count them down because that seems to scare
some people.
Delivering written script verbatim presents another set of
potential problems. If the actors sound like they are reciting
memorized lines and if that text sounds completely written and
unbelievable, you must immediately begin exploring options to
make the words sound ‘real’. Talk with the actors about the
dialogue. Make them “ad-lib” about the subject. Don’t let them
just paraphrase, make them put the material into their own
thoughts and then into their own words. After you are convinced
that they really understand what the written text means and what
they should be conveying, take them back to the written text. If
the written text still isn’t working, maybe you can shoot their
own re-wording of ad-lib and get more believable results. If
not, then try coaching them through the material and shooting
without their knowledge. You may need to ultimately shoot it in
pieces and cover the edits with B-roll (related shots that
illustrate the text).
Once you have solved the content issues, you can then address the
visual aspects. Should your actor speak directly to the camera?
Unless it significantly serves the project or the talent is a
seasoned professional, I would not have them speak direct to
camera. I find that if I build a rapport with the actor and then
move next to the camera lens, lean in and maintain strong eye
contact with them that by talking to a person they create a
stronger connection which will be captured on camera.
Coaching or directing actors through a written scene that is
dramatic or comic is much more complicated and sophisticated than
directing a ‘direct to camera’ piece or a ‘talking heads’
interview. Of the two, dramatic acting is more forgiving. You
can direct a dramatic scene that has “strong moments” and the
over-all scene can still be successful. Comedy, however, either
works or it doesn’t. Even the really funny guys don’t always get
it right. Mel Brooks’ “Men in Tights” is a case in point. So,
if you are a new director who is assigned to direct drama or
comedy what do you do? Start with the written word. Encourage
your actors to explore the verbiage of their characters. A
competent writer creates characters with unique characteristics
and features. An actor should begin dissecting a role by
determining the fashion in which the character speaks and thinks.
Encourage your actors to make a list of all of their character’s
adjectives, verbs, metaphors, similes and forms of speech.
Studying this list will detail what the writer was trying to
achieve with regards to the flavor of the defining nature of your
character.
The simple way to arrive at the “line intention” (what the
character is trying to accomplish by what they are saying) is to
have each of your actors reduce every important line of dialogue
to “I want” or “I need”. For example the line may be, “I have to
go to the bathroom” which might mean “I have to empty my bladder”
or it might mean “I need to get out of the room because you are
too close to discovering my relationship with your wife”. Making
these types of actor choices will color and empower your actors’
performances. Helping an actor to create the elements of acting
technique should ultimately help them free their performance and
allow them to create “in the moment” honesty.
More than a dramatic scene, a comedic scene is about timing,
rhythm, tempo and tone. Comedy is dependant upon listening and
reacting, not just reciting lines. In general, you should never
encourage your actors to think they are funny, tell them to
believe in their character and don’t act funny.
A perfect example is Leslie Nielsen, who is funny because he is
so committed to ‘believing’ in the characters he plays. He is so
serious and straight about the credibility of these incredible
characters that it only increases how funny it seems. If you
want your actors to be funny, eliminate the placing of their
tongues in their cheeks and the permanent wink in their eye. In
other words, play it straight.
It’s difficult to overcome a script that isn’t funny but
overacting and pandering is a surefire way to cripple what might
be a funny scene. Be sure to encourage your actors to trust the
silence in comedy. Usually silence sets up a punch line. The
silence before a punch line focuses an audience’s attention and
then a well timed punch line delivers the laugh. Television does
present an interesting challenge regarding viewer laughs. Live
theatre allows an actor to “hold for laughs” because the live
audience is part of the laughter and they expect the actors to
wait for the laughter to peak before going on. In television, if
we are working without a laugh track, a director should create
some form of business (drinking from a glass, picking up a piece
of mail) to allow an actor to have a visual reason to hold for an
anticipated laugh. If you don’t adjust your timing to allow for
laughter you will send a subconscious message to the audience
that if they laugh they will miss part of your scene.
Television and video tend to be expensive to produce. This means
that as a director you never have the time you would wish to
rehearse. You must hire actors who can accept your coaching as
opposed to a more in-depth directing.
A well-constructed scene should play like a well-constructed fast
break by the Lakers, multiple players passing a basketball back
and forth in a perfectly choreographed fashion, in the end one
player slam-dunking the basketball in a fashion that approaches
art. This same kind of instinctual give and take leading to a
payoff that delivers a poignant moment or a laugh is what a
director is trying to coordinate. Hiring the right talent is at
least 60 percent of delivering a successful end product. So,
don’t cheat the audition process, have the potential talent read
from your script and look for individuals who instinctually have
a feel for the material. Do your homework before you arrive on
the set and arrive ready to create mutual trust between you and
your talent and then, more than the interpretation of lines,
encourage your actors to “keep alive and keep thinking” because
that’s the best advice a director can every give an actor.
Side Bar
Glossary of terms used to coach actors
Ad lib – dialogue that is created by the actors and not written
out or practiced before hand.
Blocking – any movement you’re going to give actors while on
camera
Business – any action,(picking up a book, drinking from a glass),
that you ask an actor to perform.
Cheat-to-camera – asking an actor to address the camera slightly
more directly rather than facing another actor directly, in order
to “open up” the shot and achieve a better camera angle.
Continuity – asking actors to repeat gestures and movement that
they have created during each take. This will allow you to edit
the different shots together without the actor looking like they
are “jumping around”.
Marks – the marks you put on the floor to block the actors to hit
with their toes. This allows you to predict the appropriate
camera shots and focus before the actor arrives at your mark.
Motivation – the “reason” an actor performs your blocking or your
business. As a director you should have a better explanation for
the blocking you give an actor to complete than “because I said
so” or “because you want to be paid”.
Pacing – the speed that you coach an actor to say their lines.
Rhythm – the innate rhythm of the words within a phrase and the
speed and tempo that exists between two actors exchanging lines.
Reaction shot – sometimes called “noddys” because they seem to be
shots of the “interviewer” nodding understanding or approval
while the “guest” is speaking. These shots are used to cut to in
order to edit the guests comments without having the edit show.
Out of order – if a scene is to be shot out of order to
accommodate lighting and camera placement you must always be able
to assure the actors where they are in the script “now” and what
has come directly before this shot.
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Randal K. West is the Vice President/Creative Director of
Hawthorne Direct Inc. http://www.hawthornedirect.com/Default.htm
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Copyright (c) 2001 Peter D. Marshall / All Rights Reserved
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