1. You have the script, actors, and the camera at your disposal to tell the story. 2. Try to always set up the scene as real events as may be seen through the eyes of the characters. 3. Think about what the character sees, feels and decides to do with what they see and feel…
working on the film set
What Does the Director Need to Do on the Film Set?
Once on the set director’s job is pretty straightforward. No, no I’m joking; it’s far from that. As a director on the film set you need to: 1. Make decisions and often fast, usually, your choice will have serious implications for the whole film (no pressure). You need to be decisive; the crew members, as…
Working with Children Actors
I do have to say I was pretty nervous when I decided to work with a child actor. A lot of my scripts have children characters written in, but since it always takes such a long time to go from the script idea into production, I never gave a second thought about do’s and don’t’s…
The Film Director’s Journey With Mark W. Travis.
During the Munich Short Film Festival Mark W. Travis, the film director, ran one of his workshops called “The Director’s Journey”. I attended the workshops and found it useful. Below are some pointers, thoughts and ideas from the workshops which I thought I would share with you. WHY AM I MAKING THIS MOVIE? – This is a vital question…
Director Actor Relationship Seen By The Actor
A subjective attempt to describe the relationship between a director and an actor during their creative work on a film or a theatre play based on my own experience. FIRST MEETING OR HOW NOT TO LOSE FACE IN FRONT OF AN ACTOR I’ve been an actor for over eight years. Doing what I do I…
How to Work With the Film Crew?
Regardless of whether you work on a small set or a large one, you need to communicate well with all the members of the crew. By that, I mean explaining very clearly to the head of departments what you want and need from them (Head of the department will be dealing with the rest of…
How to Work with Actors?
There are many good books written on working with actors, so try to have a look at the library and your local bookshop. You can also try to find workshops for yourself in your area. However, the best experience you always get is by working with actors and learning from them and from your own mistakes…
How to Rehearse With Actors? Part 2
How to choose OBJECTIVES? Objectives should be active. The objective is not the final result of the actor’s action. The objective should be more of the inner actor’s adjustment. Try to find the sense of intention behind the objective. Avoid saying “he is trying to get her to…”; use “he wants her to…” instead. Don’t…
How to Rehearse With Actors? Part 1
Rehearsal is an essential and integral part of any film production. I, personally, like to give myself as much time to work with the actors as possible so once in production, I can concentrate on shooting the film. Below is the list of rehearsal techniques you may find useful. Stay loose. This is the time…