REHEARSALS

This entry was posted on 8/24/2006 9:06 PM and is filed under Pre-Production.

Before going into production, we began rehearsals a few weeks before putting the Talent in front of a camera, giving the Talent the time to fully develop their characters and hone their performances as an ensamble whenever possible. I work with a lot of Method Actors who are prone to spontaneity that's always loaded with surprises. That's not a bad thing at all, just as long as they can try it out first and see where the interpretation falls short and redevelop the weak spots of their interpretation of the character until it's real.

That's why we put a week of rehearsals into preparing for each filming day. If you have to direct actors on set, it's way too late to get what you want in the performance, you're just settling for what you can randomly get when you surprise actors with something they don't have the time to put any coherent thought into in order to figure out how to externalize what are internal reactions.

That's why we put a week of rehearsals into preparing for each filming day. If you have to direct actors on set, it's way too late to get what you want in the performance, you're just settling for what you can randomly get when you surprise actors with something they don't have the time to put any coherent thought into in order to figure out how to externalize what are internal reactions.

All amateur movies that go nowhere repeat the identical mistake with every attempt, never guessing why the lack of preparation in rehearsal consistently produces poor performances from otherwise talented actors. Anyone with the money to buy a camcorder these days christens themselves a "director" without any idea what their job really is besides shouting "action!" and "cut!". It's the forethought and preparation that's behind those two commands back in rehearsals and storyboarding that determines what ends up on screen. Since no one on set sees that preparation, outsiders get the impression that shouting "action!" and "cut!" is all there is to directing besides mumbling "give it to me this time" or "make it bigger" or some other cliche that loses the actors.

One of the most obvious differences between a disappointing attempt at making a "movie" and producing commercial entertainment is the level of preparation in the rehearsals. That's where all of the magic happens. On set is where the Talent bring that magic. If they show up unprepared, that's what all you'll get out of them unless they feel inspired enough to have an epiphany just by being on a very glorious set.

But don't let anyone fool you, you can throw Anthony Hopkins in front of a camera unprepared and the only thing you'll get out of him is Anthony Hopkins, rather than your character that he would not be able to complete. Hopkins didn't ad lib his Dr. Lecter character role without developing it and becoming intimately familiar with his character first. That only happens with a great deal of preparation.

Another big difference is giving the Talent the opportunity to take ownership of their character, develop it and breathe life into it by allowing the actor to change lines into their true character's voice, just as long as they maintain the momentum of the peaks and valleys their subtext commands. Directing actors through their subtext is my job as the Director, breathing life into their character is the actor's job.

 

9/18/2006 3:39 PM S Benn Psalms wrote:
AMSOG had a great time. We had no idea all of the effort that goes on behind the scenes.

I personally had a great time "midget tossing" the stunt man into the back of the garbage truck, even though i was sore the next day!

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