STEP 3: PERFORMANCE
Almost everything you need to know about directing actors can be explained in these 3 words: MOTIVATION DETERMINES BEHAVIOR
When we break these words down, we see that:
MOTIVATION (Our inner world)
DETERMINES (Controls)
BEHAVIOR (Our outer world)
If we break them down further, we see that:
What our needs are (MOTIVATION)
Will decide (DETERMINES)
What actions we take to fulfill our needs (BEHAVIOR)
And if we break this down into Text and Subtext:
MOTIVATION (Character Subtext/Super Objective)
DETERMINES (Will decide how an actor plays)
BEHAVIOR (The Script Text/Objective/Want)
One of the main responsibilities of a director is to help actors achieve a realistic performance, and a good director does this by “listening for the truth” and by asking:
1. Do I believe them? Directors need to ensure the actor's emotions match the character's situation and motivations. If the performance feels forced, they need to help the actor find more genuine emotions and reactions.2. Do the words make sense? Directors need to make sure the lines flow naturally and communicate the intended meaning and subtext. If the dialogue feels awkward, directors need to work with the actors to adjust their delivery or suggest minor script changes.
3. Are the characters believable? Directors need to make sure the character's actions, speech, and reactions match their character’s personality and backstory. If their behavior doesn’t seem to match the “reality” of the character, directors need to help the actor explore the character's motivations more deeply.
The key to getting a realistic performance from an actor is to first understand the character’s objectives. Objectives should be clear, concise and stated in one simple sentence: “To discover where the gun is hidden.” There should be one main objective per character per scene: “What do they WANT in the scene?”
A character’s objective should create obstacles for the character. Look at what the character does (their behavior) rather than what they say. Look at what happens in the scene, and how it ends.
On the set, actors want to work with directors who understand their vulnerability, so it’s incredibly important to create a good relationship with every actor in your film. And what do actors want more than anything from this relationship with the director? TRUST!
If actors feel they cannot trust the director to know a good performance from a bad performance, they will begin to monitor their performances and start to direct themselves: they will become “Director Proof!”
Remember, to find the character they are playing, actors must surrender completely to feelings and impulses, and a good director understands an actor’s vulnerability and creates a safe place for them to perform.
Next Article: Part Four (STEP 4: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE CAMERA)
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Must-read post, Peter D. Marshall! MOTIVATION DETERMINES BEHAVIOR and the other things in your post can work for writers too (during outlining, writing, and rewriting). Thanks.
Has an actor you worked with ever came up with an idea for a character or scene and you used it?
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Very well put. Thanks for sharing.
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Hi Maurice. YES to your question. Remember that the actor/director relationship is based on trust and mutual collaboration. You would be a foolish director to not let actors make some suggestions in a scene - this could be anything from a minor change in the blocking, to adding a line. Of course, I've also seen actors take advantage of a director (especially new or inexperienced directors) which can cause tensions on the set.