1. Rehearsal allows the actors to gain extra experience that will help them build the character while shooting. 2. During the rehearsal process, you get actors to ask the questions and give them specific experiences — ‘as if’ situations, scenarios to work with. Try not to give answers to their questions directly. 3. Get questions…
working with actors
How Mira Nair Auditions Actors?
Mira Nair is a film director and producer, her best-known films include: “Salaam Bombay”, “Monsoon Wedding”, “Mississippi Masala”, “Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love”. Her recent films include: “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” and “Queen of Katwe”. 1. Make sure actors feel comfortable and relaxed during the casting process. If actors feel pressured or judged, they will…
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 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 3
TERMS AND DEFINITIONS FOR FILM DIRECTORS/ACTORS (The terms come from Mark Travis’s workshops “The Directors Journey”) OBJECTIVE: the objective the character is trying to achieve throughout the film SUPER OBJECTIVE: The overall OBJECTIVE that carries the character through the entire story. b. ACT OBJECTIVE: The OBJECTIVE that carries the character through a single act of the story….
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…