amateur directors, directing amateur actors

As it gets closer to the day of our film shoot, I realized myself and my group members  face a huge challenge getting our recreated footage to meet the original. A major factor in the success of this project is being able to tell our actors their exact physical and emotional actions.

Since my last blog post was such a hit, I decided I would do another informational post. I found a really great article on helium.com, written by David Shakespeare, that provides tips and advice to directors when working with amateur actors. I recommend that you check out the article, but here is an overview of Shakespeare's tips. Check out the article http://www.helium.com/items/1783328-filmmaking-how-to-direct-amateur-actors.

1. Rehearsal, rehearsal, rehearsal- It is important that your actor is familiar with the film environment and the backstory of their character. Backstories allow actors to become apart of their character and will allow the director to capture characters that feel natural and easy for the actors to portray.

2. Know the script- Make sure that the actors know the script before you begin filming and allow some leeway in the character development to allow actors to customize the characters. Also, listen to how your actors believe a character should be portrayed, sometimes they may read the character differently. It is important to listen to how your actors read the script and don't be afraid to tell them how you want the character or story to be portrayed.

3. More takes, the better- Make sure your actors know that it is okay to make mistakes. When mistakes occur, encourage the actor to stay in character and continue with shooting. It is important that the actor responds to the error, as if they were the character and not just an actor. Do not stress over the mistakes that happen because sometimes they can make the acting seem more natural and may provide a new perspective of your script.

4.Show the performance- Show the actors the captured footage. This provides you the opportunity to comment on the actor's performance and make suggestions to enhance their performance. It is also very beneficial for the actors to seem themselves as the character so they can make appropriate changes. Constructive criticism is vital.

PRACTICE!!!!!!

This article provided me with some really great advice about communicating with amateur actors, so i encourage you all to check it out at the link listed above. Hope you learned something.

Peace,

Brie