DIRECTORS ARE FROM MARS

Directors come from different backgrounds, writers, art directors, special effects supervisors… or in my case, well... I played the drums. Therefore, many directors do not know how to talk to actors. It’s simply not their world, they never took an acting class nor pursued acting as a profession. Therefore, as an actor, you may find yourself with no feedback, OR too much detailed feedback from your director. (I'm speaking of commercials, but I'm sure it applies everywhere)

If a director says little to you, it probably means you are doing fine and they feel no need to mess with a good thing. This does not mean you can’t ask questions, or maybe explore on your own… depending on who the director is of course. On the other hand, you may find yourself in a situation where there are so many details being thrown at you, it gets overwhelming. Your acting starts to get very detached and robotic if you are not careful.

My point here is that YOU are responsible for your acting. YOU are your own department, and directors will rely on you to be an expert in your field, just like they rely on their DP’s, AD’s, Production Designers etc. If you are expecting the director to sound anything like your scene study teacher, you will most likely be disappointed. There are exceptions to this obviously, but certainly something to be ready for.

So what do you do when all attention is on you and nothing seems to be working? There’s no hard fast rules here, and all sets/ directors/ personalities are different, but here are some ideas. First of all, don’t panic or show your frustration. It’s just a problem, you simply have to work through it. If you are totally confused, then tell them you are confused and explain why. Try to keep it light and fun, at least within yourself. If you let the tension and stress effect you, things will only get worse. Be in the moment… listen… explore… and trust yourself as an actor to get there.

Moments like these are a test of your acting abilities in the REAL WORLD, not the calm acting class cocoons many of you (especially in LA) spend your time studying in… so embrace it and learn from it, even if it’s a miserable experience on the surface.

- Scott Young

Commercial Success/ Shoot a Scene. Edit Your Reel