Directing Actors - giving feedback

When rehearsing an actor, after a take if it's not quite right how do you give feedback to the actor whilst remaining positive and not insulting them?

It's probably not good to just be blunt and be like "I don't think that works, try this instead." So is there a phrase you usually say to make it sound more positive? What's the best way to speak to them?

I find you have to be a little careful with your words sometimes so any advice would be great.

Also just any other general pieces of advice in regards to working with actors as a director would be great lol.
 
I just did this today at a music video shoot.

We did one take without me telling him what to do, he stood there pretty idol, very minimal movement.

I knew that wasn't going to look too great on the end result, so I said, "Okay, now we'll do the same shot but with more movement". He added more movement, and now I have two takes that I am able to work with.

Word choice is crucial, but if you know your client and you both have mutual respect for each other, don't be afraid to speak your mind.

So I guess my advice on word choice would be to say, "Okay, now I want you to try it with this emotion/movement/etc".
 
When rehearsing an actor, after a take if it's not quite right how do you give feedback to the actor whilst remaining positive and not insulting them?

It's probably not good to just be blunt and be like "I don't think that works, try this instead." So is there a phrase you usually say to make it sound more positive? What's the best way to speak to them?

I find you have to be a little careful with your words sometimes so any advice would be great.

Also just any other general pieces of advice in regards to working with actors as a director would be great lol.

What I do is discuss the character with the actor, discuss the character's motivations. So if something doesn't work, I say, "okay let's look at this, why would Steve (the character) raise his voice here? Do you think he has any reason to be angry? Don't you think he should be pleased given this new situation, given his blah blah blah."

I find this way to be an effective way to get the criticism away from the actor and focus on the character's behavior. I'm not saying that this is the right way to address any situation, but I generally have a very good relationship with actors, and they usually come back to work with me when I make the request.

In general, be nice to the actors and be nice to the crew. Most of the time, they work unpaid on YOUR project. Yes they have their motivations for doing that, but if you're nice to them, you'll find that when you send out an email request for cast and crew, you're all set.
Cheers,
Aveek
 
First of all, I think you're correct to acknowledge that negativity will get you nowhere. Even if you didn't like what they did, it's usually a good idea to start with a compliment. Surely, there must be something about their take that you liked, so compliment that. And then move on to what you'd like changed.

Instead of saying what you didn't like, perhaps you can ask questions, leading them in the direction you want them to go.

Depending on the situation, a leading question might even seem patronizing, and it might be better just to make a statement.

Regardless of the specific language you use, I think it's of the utmost importance that you make it a conversation with the actor, a nice healthy back-and-forth. It's not that you're telling them what to do, but you're expressing your feelings on how you think the character might act in this situation, and legitimately asking for the actors' feedback.
 
The most important thing you can do to help them is give them something "actionable" to go on. Never tell them to be "more" or "less" or anything that makes them stop and look at themselves to see if they're doing what they're supposed to do. As soon as they start watching themselves, they stop watching and responding to the other person and that is a scene killer.

Judith Weston has written a good book called "Directing Actors". It has some very valuable advice, and is worth reading for both directors and actors I think.

Below is her short list of action verbs. These are all words that tell the actor HOW they're trying to get the other actor to do what they want them to do, which puts the emphasis on them watching the other actor to see if they're achieving their goal.

And, as pointed out, always good to stay positive. Have them do what they're comfortable with, then suggest trying a few more takes with one of the action verbs.

http://fdm.ucsc.edu/~landrews/172sp08/reading_files/ActionVerb2.pdf

CraigL
 
Get to know your actors well, turning into friends gives you great inside in what and how to say things. You will understand how he responds to certain words or how not. Suddenly, u will feel that u don't even have to talk sometimes. Remembering mutual feelings are also good guides, one can say "remember when we we're talking about this film, how we were very passionate about certain scene?, try it that way . ." Hope i explained myself.
 
I've heard that "Faster and more intense" rumor as well.

The first thing I always do regardless of whether its a DP, editor, colorist, whatever- I always point out something positive. At the very least, it keeps them close, and opens their ears to whatever you say next. It is important not to be backhanded and definitely not to say anything sarcastic. Look, there is something good in every decision and ultimately, a decision the other way is what has set this conversation off.

Perhaps its too intense- maybe even theatrical (not an uncommon thing for an actor). I would usually say something like "wow- holy shit, you just took the ceiling off of this place. That intimidated me. Lets bring it down to a 7- just scare me a little."
 
I agree with the "Directing Actors" book. Good read.

But really experience is the best. Getting out there and doing it, making mistakes, and doing it some more. Eventually you'll get your own style.

But be respectful, do your script research, and have a deep knowledge of what your vision is. Then really, it's teamwork between you and actors to get the best possible performance shot. It's fun really, working that way. Have respect for one another and you can be honest with them because you're the filter that basically says if their work is good enough or not. They need to trust you.

Start off with Judith's book then practice by directing.
 
Come up with your own way of working with them. Different forms of direction get different performances. For example, directors like intense preparation, some like improv, and some like people learning their lines on the spot.

The one thing I can say is to not talk down to them though. Be their friend and maintain a comfortable atmosphere.
 
I always look to actors to expand the character that I/ the writer gave us. Before any shoot I sit down with each principal and they to get them in the head of the character. We do a read and I ask them questions designed to improve their performance but also to make them think about how their character thinks.

Whats this person thinking/ felling. Why are they doing this? Which are all questions the actors will ask you on set if you haven't gotten them into the characters head.

Then on set you can expand on it and you aren't giving feedback so much as building towards something.

And if you need to you can add in 'oh and you missed your mark, so we need to do it again'
 
It really depends on your actor's background. Having acted on film, television, commercials and stage, I've worked with several directors and received lots of direction. It's helped working as a director and AD. So I will speak from both hats.

If you are working with an extra or someone with little to no experience acting, it helps for you to be able step into the role and act it out for them. Then have them step into the role and try it a couple times. An untrained/inexperienced actor will have limited range of delivery. Don't expect more than they're capable of providing.

Actors who have worked predominantly stage have been taught to overemote which on camera looks over the top. Stage and sometimes television actors tend to speak louder than normal. This can really throw off your sound if they're paired with an experienced film actor. Here, table readings can be a big help.

The other difference with trained actors is they tend to use techniques. This can be useful for directors guiding new actors by providing them experiences that they can map over into their performances, especially with children.

For experienced actors, they will generally be flexible. Understand that we put time into building the backstory for our characters and try to imagine how they would respond. Often we "get into character" on the set. It's not that the actor is being confrontational when s/he says that's not what the character would say, but an expression of the internalization of the role. In that case, the best way to approach it, as director, is to say "In this scene, I feel the character needs to feel X. How can we bring that out?" What this does is it engages the actor while in character to bring out the emotion in a way that is consistent with the rest of the performance. If you simply ask the actor to "do X" it will look artificial and disjoint from the rest of the acting. Worst case, it breaks the flow of the scene as it will appear 'out of character'.

The other piece, of course, is ego. Actors have pecking orders. Leads and supporting trump SAG day players trump non-union day players trump SAG extra trump non-union extras. On big productions, the director only works with the leads and supporting actors and the rest are handled by the 1st AD. I've acted on SAG sets and seen some of issues that can arise. Generally though unless you are working with actors with lengthy IMDB credits, most are open to feedback to improve their performances.

First, while some non-union actors can give attitude, the belief that all actors are narcissists is false. The same can be said of directors (and screenwriters!). As an actor, having to deliver the same lines for multiple shots (OTS, CU, MED, 2P, etc.) under sometimes hot, blinding lights in hot costumes can be demanding. Having been the guy holding the boom mic and camera, I know they're equally demanding! The director, however, is simply watching. Important, yes, but not as physically demanding. I know on productions, the director is often also the camera man. Been there.

In that respect, new directors tend to be the worst. I had one director that had us shooting almost eight hours straight without a break. PLEASE! Give actors a break. They need to drink, piss, eat, and rest. Hoping to get the perfect shot from exhausted actors is not likely. Tired actors are cranky actors. No amount of positive corrects for tired, just sayin'. SAG actors will simply walk off. After you sign a SAG ULB agreement, don't piss off the SAG actors or the union will be calling. Also if you aren't paying the actors, it really benefits you to be nice.

Also as the actor, you don't have the benefit of seeing yourself while acting. If as director you're going to correct an actor's actions, show them the clip and point out what you want. It helps immensely. Saying "move your hand more to the left when you deliver that line" is pretty inexact. If you can't show the clip (which use to be the case with film but DV has changed that), the director should demonstrate it or help mark it out on the ground.

Realize that you cast the actor to give their interpretation. Casting is an important decision. Looks should not be the only aspect of that decision. I know some writer/directors are so wed to the image of the character in their script, that they get inexperienced actors simply because they look the role. Acting, like screenwriting and directing, is something that improves with practice. You start where the actor is and help them build the character. Buddies or family may not have any acting experience. Be gentle. Make sure the script has adequate description for the actor to create a believable character. Directors who choose not to do that, often bring in acting coaches. Just as some bring in script consultants.

So as for the original question, "how do you give feedback to the actor whilst remaining positive and not insulting them?", the answer is appreciate that they are interpreting the character. And if acting for free, that they are contributing their time. Be direct and say "That's good. What I want to capture on camera is X doing Y. It would be something like <give example>. How do you think the character would do that?" Let them emote and if needed, "Okay but there is more/less energy. What would that be like?" If still off, "I need you to imagine that this character knows/learns/believes Z as s/he starts the scene. Take a second and try it again." You might need to repeat a couple of times. Use all of the previous suggestions tailored to your actor's experience. Actors try to please but at some point you run up against the limit of that actor's particular ability. Then you have to take the best of the shots. Good luck.
 
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