How to direct people?

Semiazas

Semiazas

Seems like a slightly stupid question, but hey, I'm curious.
I mean, I'm studying A Levels right now & one of them is Drama/Theatre Studies and I've been doing some directing for that.
What I've generally done is decide what kind of tone I want the piece/extract/whatever to have, have the actors go through it, tell them what I think they should do, how they should move etc.
I don't wanna come across as too controlling or incapable of compromise and stuff like that.
So, is this how directing tends to work (bearing in mind this is my first time directing people)?
 
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I like to look at it like this:

The better you cast, the less "directing" you'll have to do.

But hey, that's my opinion. I've only worked with directors - never directed myself. I'm sure other people here would have better advice :)

Where's Directorik?
 
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Taking a cue from Hitchcock:

"Whenever an actor comes to me and asks 'what's my motivation?' I always tell him, 'it's in the script!. If he persists, I tell him, 'your paycheck.'"

Implication being -- everything the actors need to know should be clear in the script first and foremost. The direction can then center on where to put cameras and people and lights.

Also, getting the best actors possible is crucial.
 
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polfilmblog said:
Taking a cue from Hitchcock:

"Whenever an actor comes to me and asks 'what's my motivation?' I always tell him, 'it's in the script!. If he persists, I tell him, 'your paycheck.'"

Implication being -- everything the actors need to know should be clear in the script first and foremost. The direction can then center on where to put cameras and people and lights.

Also, getting the best actors possible is crucial.
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I'm not paying people haha.
It's quaint you use a Hitchcock quote since a short I'm doing for school is Hitchcock influenced.

It's just, when I normally direct, I tend to talk a lot about how I think they should move and deliver their lines and things like that.
 
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I have to say that A-Level Theatre Studies really dums down the art of directing. Especially when you have to do a group performance and everyone has to contribute to the directing process.

Too many cooks= Bad tasting soup

Directing actors is all about making sure that they do what you want them to do. That's not to say that they can't come up with things themselves (the best actors will do this naturally), but if it doesn't look right to you, then that's when you need to impose your will.
 
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The issue of control (too much/not enough) depends largely on what type of actors you're working with.

Classically-trained actors are artists, and their art is acting. As it's been mentioned already, everything the actor needs to know should be in the script. From there, they should be able to create their character the way they see it. They might have some questions for you, in particular scenes, but for the most part, this is what they enjoy doing, and this is what they're good at.

Actors like this will definitely get annoyed with a director that is too controlling, telling them how to read every single line. "Why don't you just do it yourself?", they might think. Typically, I think it's best to let them show you their vision first, at the start of rehearsal. If you start rehearsal by telling them what you want, you ruin the opportunity for collaboration. You'll doubtlessly miss out on something wonderful that your actor envisioned, but that you never had the opportunity to see, because they just did it your way. After a couple of run-throughs, in which they do it their way, now is your opportunity to step in, tell them what you like (always start with compliments), then point out the things that you'd like to see changed, and what you're looking for.

Un-trained actors (your friends), on the other hand, will often feel lost if you're not telling them exactly what to do.
 
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NickClapper said:
I have to say that A-Level Theatre Studies really dums down the art of directing. Especially when you have to do a group performance and everyone has to contribute to the directing process.

Too many cooks= Bad tasting soup

Directing actors is all about making sure that they do what you want them to do. That's not to say that they can't come up with things themselves (the best actors will do this naturally), but if it doesn't look right to you, then that's when you need to impose your will.
Click to expand...

We never do group direction. It's always an individual directing things ;)
 
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Whether or not everything an actor needs is in the script, it can never hurt to talk about story and character with an actor. We did a short about a theatre professor who got murdered, leaving his acting students (on whom he refused to bestow degrees) to figure out which one did it. They weren't quite investing the proper stakes. All I had to do was pull them aside one by one and remind them how much college costs them (or their parents) and how all that money and time was now wasted. They each rose to the occasion.

I love when actors have questions. I love discussing story and character with them. I love rehearsing and discovering new things. But I might be in the minority.

As for proper blocking, that's also your job...if you need them to be in a certain spot to get your shot, then you need to tell them where that spot is.
 
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To me, telling actors how to move and deliver lines is like
telling the writer how to write.

I direct by guiding my actors. I would never tell them how to
move. Of course there is blocking (if that’s what you mean), but
that’s only technical - to keep them in focus and in the frame. I
would never tell an actor how to deliver a line. I would never tell
an actor how to move. That's what they do when they prepare. I
work with them to make sure what they want to try isn't against
my vision of the project, but other than that, I give them the
freedom to do what they do.

I know I’m different than many of the directors who post here -
we’ve had these discussions - in that I do not exercise total
control over every aspect of my movies. I love the collaboration
with other people. I love actors, I love what they bring to the
project. As a writer/director my greatest discovery with my own
script is when an actor reads it and brings the character to life
their way. And I love it when they find what I never thought of.

Of course if you (the director) are a better actor than the actor
you are using, I suppose you would have to tell them how to move
and deliver lines.

All that way back to my first film when I was a teen and my actors
were 10 and 11 I spent more time casting the right actors so I
wouldn’t have to tell them how to deliver their lines.
 
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To add to my answer specifically toward actors. I welcome their input. I just often don't agree with it, or I have something different in mind. The art is "directing" them to perform in accordance with your vision while getting them to buy in that indeed that it is the best way to do it.
 
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Of course I was quoting Hitchcock to make a point about the importance of starting with a good script. Most amateur productions simply don't. Most professional productions don't either, but at least the character motivations are usually clear at the professional level.

You do need to give actors room to explore their characters, within the confines of the story.
 
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