Breaks for actors?

thefilmgeek

thefilmgeek

As most of you know, as I love to shout it out, I'm shooting my first feature this summer! :)

Now, I have a few questions that I never considered, because they never came up on small shoots that really didn't take much time.

During a day of shooting, whether it's outdoor or indoor, how many takes per scene should I run my actors through before I give them a break? Also, what constitutes a good break? 10 minutes? 20 minutes? I don't want to waste a lot of time just sitting around not getting anything done, but at the same time I recognize they'll be working hard for me and need a break from their 'job' just like anyone else on the crew. I won't be working with paid professional actors, but they are people who take their craft very seriously (just not professional, yet), so I want to provide them with a professional atmosphere.

As well, how about resting quarters? Should I be providing them a quiet place to rest in between scene setups or other things, so as to keep their focus, or just let them wander and chit-chat or do whatever they want? I don't want to be controlling, but at the same time I want them to stay focused on the task at hand and not get distracted to the point where it's going to impact their performance.
 
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There's plenty of "breaks" as the shot is being set up. There's no need to stop everything. Filming is working hard all day without breaks besides the necessary ones every 6 hours for meals. It's a speeding train with a few stops or you run out of time. If your actor asks for a moment, that is different. Let them get in their zone, until you see it becoming a problem. Have a good AD to keep everything on time.
 
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Well as a director you'll have to figure out your own style. If it was me with rented film equipment and a paid crew... yeah. There's a schedule to keep to, the AD should know it like the back of his hand.
 
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I don't think it's necessary to have a break every 20 minutes or so because there're a lot of breaks already, asindietalk already pointed out. What your actors do in those breaks is up to them, I think. I haven't been on too many shoots yet, but oftentimes the actors will try to focus on the next scene, maybe act it out with others so they don't out of the mood. Othertimes, they'll welcome a break if they just finished a really hard scene and will have some fun with the crew to calm down a bit.
So really, I wouldn't worry too mch about it. Your actors, and also your crew btw, will surely tell you, when they think it's too much and they need a break. If you feel they can't concentrate anymore, you should maybe ask them if they need a break, but don't go for a planned break every 20 minutes or so.
 
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Indie's right, actors get breaks when the crew is setting up shot, changing location e.t.c.
In saying that make sure your they have a good area to chill and don't bring them onto set until they're needed for either a walk through or a shot. Nothing worse than actors knocking over your lighting or set and generally going off the boil while they are waiting "on-set" .:no:
 
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