Think Piece #1: Why Film Directors Should Take Acting Classes.

Film and Theater are two incredibly different media.

RIP to the theatrical legend that is Helen McCrory. A director’s dream to work with, I imagine. I share this clip to show the difference between Theater and Film. They require very different skillsets, one is not better than the other.

I was always told that in theater, the actors are the lifeblood of the production. Everything starts with the work, being a blank canvas so the character can leap off of the script pages and inhabit your soul, using your body as an instrument… for eight shows a week. The challenges include maintaining the emotional stamina and discipline needed, potentially unresponsive audiences that will not necessarily validate the work you’re doing, and keeping everything fresh despite how well you know the show at this point.

It’s incredibly exhausting and gratifying work, especially once you know enough to let go of everything. That’s where the magic happens, and usually much of the work is guided by a Director, who has deep insights and a vision for the story being told. Directors give most of their attention to the actors, making sure each intention is communicated clearly. The rehearsal process is imperative and often grueling, even if for only a few weeks.

Once I started doing more work in film and television, I noticed that the actors did not get the same level of attention. It became clear that the lifeblood of film and television was actually the crew. All of the artists that work together, behind the camera, to make the actors look and sound good. Everything was technical. The director was more focused on the visual element. Actors film scenes out of order, and will usually get a few opportunities to showcase their best work, except, they don’t have the same freedom that they do on stage. There’s a little thing called ‘continuity.’

Basically, whatever they do in one take, they must continue to do in other coverage shots, so that the editor can compile a cohesive and fluid scene that matches. If there’s no continuity, the scene becomes almost un-usable, which is a waste of money. There are many technical aspects the Director must pay attention to in order to deliver a film that works to the studio, or whoever is financing the project.

I’ve worked on many sets, and have seen many film directors who are hyper-focused on these technical components. The Directors put less effort into blocking, character intention and motivation, and generally not working with the actors in a way that instills them with confidence as they navigate a complicated shooting schedule. Personally, I think this is the wrong approach, and every time I’ve seen the finished product, the film unfortunately falls very short of the potential it had, no matter how great the visuals or audio are.

I believe that the actors are just as important as the crew when it comes to film and television. If you don’t have a grounded and compelling performance, you will not move audiences. Since everything on a film set is naturally more technical, I think it is even more important for a Director to make their actors feel safe and comfortable to do the work they were hired to do.

The point of hiring a Director of Photography is to have someone who is an expert on cameras and lenses with a keen eye for visual storytelling. Let them worry about the image. The point of hiring a script supervisor is to make sure continuity is solid. Let them worry about the consistency of the action and dialogue. People are brought on set because they are experts at what they do… So let them do it.

In my opinion, too many film directors try to be experts on every department. Yes, there is a hierarchy that must be respected. The Director sits at the very top, and is meant to be a liaison between the Studio and all of the other departments on set. The Director must communicate their vision to every department so it can be executed properly. It is definitely useful for a Director to have technical knowledge, I don’t mean to imply that those things are not important qualities in a director. However, if this Director doesn’t understand the actor’s process and how to work with them, me thinks they will be unhappy with their final product in the editing room.

Where do you think film directors fall short? Do you think the technical knowledge is more important?