Directing Actors Workshop with Peter D. Marshall - Film Directing Tips

I have partnered again with Raindance Canada (Toronto) to bring you another 2-day advanced directing workshop called Directing Actors.

This directing workshop builds on my previous Advanced Blocking workshop and creates an intense, experiential environment in which directors and actors learn critical skills for working together effectively on set.

Working with actors can be one of the most rewarding experiences for a film director ? or one of the most traumatic! And the difference between a good experience and a bad experience usually comes down to one word: TRUST!

Actors begin by trusting the director ? and it?s the director?s trust to lose. If an actor feels they cannot trust the director to know a good performance from a bad performance, the actor will begin to monitor his own performances.

And when an actor begins to watch himself, he begins to direct himself ? and when he does this, he starts to become Director Proof.

As?Mark Travis (author of the book Directing Feature Films) says: ?As far as relationships go, I think the one between actors and directors is the most challenging. It is simultaneously?demanding and misunderstood.

Yet it?s very clear that actors and directors all have the best of intentions for making this relationship work. I have not met a director who did not have a clear idea of what she wanted. And every actor I have worked with has an intuitive instinct for their character and how a scene can be played.

Why then does this relationship so often begin to fall apart when actors and directors begin talking to each other? The answer is quite simple: different languages and different ideas of how this relationship should or could work.?

And Judith Weston, in her book Directing Actors, says: ?All interaction between actor and director is experienced by the actor as direction, so think of every conversation with actors as part of the ?rehearsal? process. By ?rehearsal? I mean any time spent considering the work seriously.

Rehearsal includes getting to know the actors, not just in a superficial social way, but as human beings and as artists. Take time to get below the social mask with them. Find common ground. Find out their values and ideas. Find out their problems, concerns, and insecurities.?

The main objective of this Directing Actors workshop is to demonstrate how directors and actors can work effectively together to build trust; to maximize performance on set; and understand how to work together cooperatively in a tense, time-sensitive and often challenging creative environment.

By the end of this 2-day workshop, you should be able to:

- Recognize the importance of the actor/director relationship
- Effectively analyze every scene in your script
- Know how to run a proper casting session
- Create a collaborative rehearsal process with actors
- Improve your skills for getting believable performances from actors

Day One ? Saturday, March 9 (9:00am ? 7:00pm)

1. Introduction
2. The Director/Actor Working Relationship
3. The Film Director?s Performance Mantra
4. REVIEW: The Director?s Script Prep
- Text, Subtext and Context
- Script and Scene Analysis
- Character Analysis and Objectives
5. The Director?s Audition Process
- What Directors Look for in the Casting Session
- How it Works: The Audition (Casting Session)
- How it Works: The First Callback
- How it Works: The Second Callback
- What Directors Look for when Reviewing Auditions
- Creating Good Character Descriptions (Bios)
6. DEMO: How to Conduct a Proper Casting Session
7. DEMO: The Script Read-Through
8. DEMO: The Cast Rehearsal
9. REVIEW: The Blocking and Rehearsal Process
- The Actor?s Language
- The Five Stages of Shooting a Scene
- 15 Questions Directors Must Ask Before Blocking
- The 10 Step Actor/Director Blocking Process
10. The Director?s 8 Part Scene Breakdown Process
11. CLASS WORK: Prepare Scenes for Day 2 Presentations

Day Two ? Sunday, March 10 (9:00am ? 6:00pm)

1. CLASS EXERCISE: Scene Presentations with Actors
2. Playback Scene Presentations for Class Review
3. That?s a Wrap

For more information on this workshop, and to find out how to register, please visit Raindance Canada.

Source: http://filmdirectingtips.com/archives/7734

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