Directing Tips! (Research)

On-Set Directing

In this blog, I will be focusing on directing tips I can apply, specifically directing actors during production. Last time, during production for a film, me and the director often work together in guiding the actors. One of the many main issues I noticed was that, usually, we were not being specific enough with our directions. This led to many retakes, shots that did not match the film we were sweding, and overall a lot of lost time. 

To avoid this, I wanted to look at videos on how to efficiently direct actors early on before productions.

Tips to Remember

This video dives deep into how to direct actors during productions. It gives the basics and then goes into more details later on as the video continues.

I will be summarizing each idea in short bullet points and then expanding on it below each point and adding some of my personal intakes! 

• REHEARSALS AND PLANNINGS

This includes doing a table read, scheduling blocking out scenes, and camera rehearsals. Before production, I plan on spending one day on doing this. This helps in staying organized, on time, and built comfortability with the actors. 

• NOTES AND DIRECTIONS

Between takes, write short, clear notes about the shot. This helps avoid reshoots/rewrites and organizations. Also, give action-based directions. For example, use verbs like "push aside, step back.." instead of telling the actors to "be sad" or "be angry."

• BUILDING TRUST

A big part of creating a good film is trusting the actors. Many times, directors are too afraid to ask what they want from an actor. By building trust, it creates an evening working level. It also allows for the director to be more specific since in small films, they usually cannot afford improvisations. 

Conclusion

All in all, though I have not directed on set yet, with these tips in mind, I feel more confident in my abilities to do so! But it will all depends/matter once we’re in production.