It's all about communication and trust. The actors need to trust you and need to put a great deal of faith in you. If you don't have a "name" or a great reputation, how in the world will an actor truly trust you?
So, one great way to build trust is to simply spend time together. For example, on my first feature, I had a three week rehearsal schedule. We met 3 times a week for a total of three weeks. Twice a week at a studio and once a week at my house. It was here, in my house where we really got to know one another. I cooked dinner, they brought wine, and after we did some work for 2 hours or so, we ate dinner and drank.
Yeah, there's nothing like breaking bread with folks. This is how you get to know each other. To build trust. Have some laughs, let your guard down, and maybe even drink a little too much wine. We're talking about trying to achieve a level of comfort. The actor who played the male lead, Ivan, would take his shoes off when he entered my house and plop himself down on the sofa - this is achieving a level of comfort.
You do not want to be strangers when you begin to work on the set or location. Know each other - this is the first step in being a good director.
Once again, a great piece of the kind of advice that might appear "simple" to the casual observer but is so easily missed by so many.
ReplyDeleteI can personally vouch for what you're saying. As one of your former actors and collaborators, I always appreciated the fact that you carved out time for us to simply "be." As you say, it reflects itself in the work. And it adds the benefit of sometimes giving rise to what become life-long friendships.