The fundamentals of directing the actor are often said to be in 'building the character internally'. The opposite of this would be to detach the actor from the character, and by giving general and vague direction. To avoid this, it is recommended by acting and directing coaches that the character be built up so that the actor can belong to that moment. An example of what not to do would be to state to the actor that the character must "feel more anger". Instead, the healthy alternative which would enhance the performance, would be to build the feeling of anger inside of the character by interrogating them, and asking them questions in regard to their motives, and even to doubt them. These are just a few examples of ways in which the character is built to hold the actor within the scene, rather than the other way around.
Another widely suggested aspect of the actor/director relationship is prior planning, in which the character is built and brought to life before the actor gets to the set. This is something I believe will be highly beneficial to me, as a student director working against time restraints. The more time spent off set ensuring that things go right when we are there, the better. I plan to sit down with the actors who will be playing characters in the production well in advance, so that we may discuss the various aspects of their characters and to begin building a subtext. I hope to built a trust and a rapport with the actors so that they feel comfortable with my direction and my expectations of them. The initial meetings will most likely to be to discuss the content of the film. Following that I can move into ways of bringing out the characters with subtle characteristics, and all of these things in relation to particular scenes prior to the shoot dates.
My theoretical line of enquiry began with a lady named Judith Weston, and her book 'Directing Actors' which I purchased and began reading into.
This book was very helpful and insightful as a starting point in understanding how to direct actors. Judith Weston, the author, is both an actor and director herself as well as being an acting coach to actors and directors. Her insight is extremely valuable as it comes from a place of experience but also passion. Judith clearly demonstrates a passion and love of the art of acting, and filmmaking too, which makes her a great teacher. One of the first major concepts I came across within the book is how to avoid flat direction. This means things like telling an actor to 'be angry' with the other character, or to 'feel lonely'. This is flat direction and is too on the nose, and also completely ignores the process of 'acting' altogether. Judith rightly points out that in telling someone to feel a certain way, you are overlooking one of the enigmatic aspects of the human condition - we don't always know why we're feeling a certain way. Emotions are elusive and hard to pin-down. One minute we can feel sad, then for no reason we can be confused, although no external factors have changed. A way to avoid this amateur and uninspired style of directing is to offer simple objectives or adjustments to the character. Notice I said CHARACTER. Another fatal flaw is directing the actor. To get an authentic performance from an actor, Judith states that you must go inside first, inside the character rather than to blur the lines between the two. Here are some examples;
- 'Be angry' can be transformed into 'get her to hit you' or 'get her to leave the room and slam the door'. This gives the character a playable objective. To make it more interesting, instead of 'feel threatened' or 'to leave when he shouts' you could tell the other actor to 'stand his or her ground', thus making the other character more enraged at the fact that they won't bend to their anger.
- 'Feel lonely' can be transformed into 'No one has returned your calls in days. People have most likely forgotten you exist'. This gives the character an internal adjustment rather than a straight objective if they are alone in the scene. It allows the character a reason to feel lonely - which perhaps they can build upon by bringing in the sensory details of whenever they've felt lonely or isolated within their own life.
These two examples are very quick and very brief, but help to explain the aspects of directing actors that I have learned from Judith. These concepts can be expanded upon and can become very elaborate, or can remain simple objectives that remain the same throughout an entire scene. This gives the actors something to play with internally and externally, they get to play with their own emotions and simultaneously interact with the world around them. You could throw in a prop as a third character in between a two person conflict or argument. Perhaps a framed family photo. These kind of things give life to the image, and I strongly believe that this is the kind of understanding of acting that I have been missing as a director. Going back to what I previously said about my style as a director, in that I have always been very visually orientated. This learning experience has propelled me into a love and understanding of the process of acting, and directing actors that I will continuously build upon. Getting back on topic, the process of internally directing a character is very complex and there are an incredible amount of options, Judith wisely states that the only way you're ever to get anywhere is to simply try them out. In my upcoming production of Echoes of Silence I am going to be experimenting a lot with giving actors playable objectives within the scene, whether that means to have both involved in the same objective, or by giving each actor a separate objective to use against one another. I am a firm believer in creating a world around a character with production design and props, so that the character can have authentic sensory reactions to real things around them. One of the quotes within the book struck me as it related to my own beliefs as a director in a new way was this - "You're actors, damn it! Not feelers!". This quote comes from an acting coach much like Judith. This quote struck me so much because it explained a lot. It stripped away all of the nonsense and elongated explanations of what it means to be an actor. Many may disagree, but the actors ability to act upon impulse and with the physical reality around them trumps the concept of sitting around and attempting to feel a certain way - the act of moving around or acting upon an impulse can create the feeling on its own. Another great way for me to learn was to watch free online masterclasses on YouTube. Years ago, these masterclasses would have set you back a significant sum, but now they're online for free. This video helped further my understanding of the process of going inside the character to bring a performance out of the actor.
Another big area of learning for me whilst reading 'Directing Actors' was in the area of scriptwriting. This surprised me coming from a book which is primarily geared toward improving your hands on knowledge of working on set and working around actors. Judith expanded on those aspects by including and evidencing ways in which the director can further explore the characters of the script through something known as 'script analysis'. This is something I had never even heard of, so I was eager to learn more about it and put it into practice. The area focusing on script analysis within the book has helped improve my understanding of scriptwriting as both a writer and a director tenfold. I now understand the morale ambiguity the writer must inject into the script, almost forgetting the visuals and telling a simple objective story around the characters. The director on the other hand, must come in with their own script analysis and allow their imagination to conjure up every possible situation and scenario which allows the characters to act the way they do, and to make the choices they make. This is where I had to learn to separate the two separate entities inside myself as a filmmaker; the writer and the director. Script analysis for a director is an essential preparation tool which must happen during pre-production, and it is also the perfect exercise of the imagination.
An example of simple script analysis is to look at the characters within a section of a script, be it beginning middle and end. From this the director looks at all the important elements of the scene. The characters, what they say, their relationship, the characters internal motivations, the props, the setting and so on. All of these kinds can create an imaginary backstory for each character, which is an important part of script analysis. Judith looks at a specific section of a script from 'Red Ryder' in which STEPHEN and ANGEL, converse inside of an empty diner. The scene is set up as a conversation between the two, Stephen static and Angel moving, getting him coffee and a donut. Stephen claims he wants to leave the small town which the diner is in, and Angel indulges him. Judith encourages us to stimulate our imaginations by asking ourselves all of the possible motivations of each character. Listing them below as examples are;
- Stephen says he wants to leave the diner, but stays seated. Maybe he doesn't want to actually leave. Why? Maybe he's in love with Angel? Maybe he wants to make her jealous? Maybe he doesn't actually have the bottle to get up and leave?
- Angel gets Stephen a donut and does what he asks. Maybe she's doing it quickly so he leaves quicker? Maybe she pities him?
During script analysis, these are the kind of questions which pop up, but at the same time they're questions which don't really need answers. They're a way for the director to explore motives outside what the writer has written, to broaden the horizon of the characters and to continuously keep the actors engaged with the material. The director can bring with them all of these questions asked of the script to the set, as a way of adjusting the through-line of the scene, and a way of stimulating the actors to go new places with the characters. I have also learned the power of adjustments with this book, as it allows you to understand how scenes are acted based entirely off underlying emotions and tone, rather than the words that are actually said. Maybe in the scene, Stephen and Angel had been on a date the night before. Stephen didn't want to call her back, but realised he had work with her the next day, as they both work in the diner. Angel on the other hand, really wanted another date. Giving these adjustments to either character allows them to play the same scene in a unique way to the character, but simultaneously lets the characters bounce off of each other.
Due to the volume of information I have taken in from this book, I will continue my homework into directing actors by reading more books and watching more online videos and masterclasses. Judith Weston has another book which I plan on buying, and as I progress these books are annotated with notes in which I'll be able to return to during shoot days or when I run out of inspiration whilst directing.
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