In this week’s exercise, we were asked to shoot a longer scripted scene in groups that resembled mini film crews. I have always been more comfortable behind the scenes and refuse to be in front of the camera, but this time I was placed as an actor. Although initially I dreaded this, going through the experience of being an actor (albeit a terrible one) gave me some new insights. I think that observing the production from the other side of the camera actually taught me how to be a better behind the scenes person, so taking the chance to go out of my comfort zone was a rewarding experience.
It was a new experience having to worry about delivering my lines and marks correctly instead of thinking about everything on the camera/audio/practical side. Because I wasn’t needed until the actual takes, I was able to observe each of the behind the scenes members of our ‘crew’ work together to map out the scene. Especially, I took note of the way I was given directions by the director (Dusty). I have heard through various interviews actors say that they prefer directors that have also acted because they understand and can empathise more. I now better understand why this might be the case, as someone who can put themselves in the actor’s shoes would naturally give direction that resonates with the actors more. They would be able to imagine what type of advice the actors would best respond to and understand. This way they can create a relationship with the actor and discuss the character together. On the other hand, if a director hasn’t acted before, they wouldn’t really understand how an actor works and would direct them from an objective point of view. They would probably think of actors as more like a prop to move around, and so would give commands that are less directly oriented around the acting process, that are harder for the actors to interpret.
Insert edit here:
(Actual edit is coming Tuesday because I didn’t copy the files from the media server properly so it wouldn’t open to edit)
