Terrible young actors!

L

lightcameraction

Hello!
I'm 15 years old and I dream to become a real director.Right now I can do everything to start my own videos and films that I would like to upload on youtube.
The only problem is that I do all the planning,lighting,sound and stuff and when the shoot day comes ,people find excuses not to come OR if they come they are absolutely terrible,they have lack of creativy and they always complain and laugh ( laugh is not bad but..all the time,srsly ? )
I can work on after effects,3D max,Cinema 4D,Premiere pro and couple of musical stuff..

What shall I do ? I tryed to start about 4 films and every time everything goes wrong because of the 'actors' .. Shall I start something like my youtube show to show some effects or something like that?I really don't know what to do,I have a lot of passion about it,I love it,I keep going even if ppl tell me it's impossible but god damn it im sick of people like that..I can't be angry at them ,but srsly,how can I make films now when they are really really bad at acting?What shall I do?
 
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Keep looking for actors, not just friends or teens who want to act. Check the theatre department at you school, or around your city (or neighboring cities). You'll find more folks there who are actually interested in acting than hanging out and giggling.

Go see some plays and seek out the folks you think are talented. Community theatre doesn't pay at all and is a volunteer effort. These are actors who are looking for a creative outlet. Provide it for them... but make sure you have the back end of the project thought out, distribution and screening. An actor with no audience is a sad actor.

Before you approach them, you may also make sure you have a project or two under your belt that you can show them. You're young, you want to show them you can have follow through and are serious about the project you're asking them to be in for free.
 
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I know the feeling. I'm a year younger than you.

The trick is to "hire" your true friends (the ones you hang out with way too much/ones you can tell anyone). The second trick is to give them a script. Ask them to be in a movie and they'll go, "Sure dude." Give them a script and they might actually show up.

Getting a good performance out of non-actors is a way to test your directorial skills. It's hard at first, I know, but you can eventually work something out with them and get a halfway decent performance at least, a good one at most!

One more thing, try not to write material that a young actor could not possibly do (such as super dramatic material). Try to keep it light and maybe a little funny. You can make a decent comedic film with friends if you write a screenplay prior.

Hope this helps. Good luck and make sure to post what you end up making in the Screening Room!

EDIT: Plus, make sure to not be a hardhead/totally serious with your actors. No director is like that, they join in on the fun (after all, directing is supposed to be enjoyable). As long as you keep a sense of humor you will be able to make them feel comfortable and be able to respect you, then they'll be easier to direct.
 
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Have fun on set and you'll and up with more and more volunteer help at each shoot. Make really good stuff, and you'll also attract more and more help. Also, help others, anyone else around you doing something similar?

You're young, enjoy it. Make the goofy stuff like the kids in Suer 8 haha. It's ok to work with green (read new, or "terrible") especially when you're green too.

If you have one solid actor, write a script for one actor and shoot it.

But again, have fun with it!
 
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Another approach is to consider the "talent" pool you do have sensible access to the same as you would equipment, location, and funding assets or resources.

You know you have THIS camera which CAN do this, but is NOT so great for that.
You have THIS location because THAT location isn't reasonably attainable.
I have THESE lights available, not THOSE lights.
I have THIS much money to spend on props and wardrobe, not THAT much.

And you write your screenplays accordingly, to the assets and resources you have.

Likewise, consider the talent pool you have available.
Don't write a story and then stick "male1" & "male2" into place.
Nah, you gotta think about your friend "Mike". What can Mike do and not do? What's Mike good for?
And then there's Steve. What can and can't Steve do?
Jennnniferrrrrr! You really gonna ask your friend Jen to bounce around in a cutoff T-shirt and scream like Jamie Lee Curtis?
I mean, if she's willing COOL! I wish I had a friend like Jen, but I don't, so...

Consider what your peeps can do.
Think about what story their natural demeanors lend them to, write accordingly, ask for their input, get them invested in the project.

GL.
 
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rayw said:
Another approach is to consider the "talent" pool you do have sensible access to the same as you would equipment, location, and funding assets or resources.
Click to expand...

guy gets it.

write for what you have, and shoot with lots of time, so that you can have as many takes as you could ever want. Everyone can act well, it's just about how long it takes, and what you give them.
 
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What everyone's said is good advice. You're young, you don't have Hollywood at your finger tips. Use what you have, 15 year old actors, your house, the park, etc. Write something a little goofy and fun. Don't take yourself too seriously...yet. Once you get older and wiser and have more experience under your belt, then you can start to do more serious work. For now, you should focus on directing young actors, framing shots, story boarding, screenwriting, blocking, etc.

Most importantly have fun, dude! It's all about fun.
 
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