Actors’ Survival Guide: Directors

Every day when I wake up, I wander over to my computer like everyone else and see what the internet has in store for me that day. I check my email, go through my usual roster of websites, then I stroll over to the stats for this blog. The thing I love about the stats is that I can see how my readers get here and what they typed into a search engine to bring them to me. And it occurred to me that what people were looking for is exactly what I need to be presenting. So for the reader from Los Angeles, you may or may not know who you are, I bring you What Actors Should Know About Directors.

It’s a widely understood fact among actors that directors are mean, petty, arrogant “artists” from whom you must take a lot of crap. I really don’t know why we all have been given this view, but from my experience it usually isn’t true. Directors are only human, they get mean and petty the same amount of the time that everyone else does. But those directors are out there, and every actor fears the day that their paths cross. So what is it that you absolutely must know about directors to survive? Well here you go, one survival guide coming up:

Be the First to Arrive and the Last to Leave- Even if you don’t have anything to do, show up two hours early for your call, whether you need that long to prepare or not. When the day is over, make sure you’ve done everything you could possibly do to help out. Are your props where they need to be? Costumes? Make sure you leave everything the way you found it. Actors who rush in five minutes before they’re expected and are out the door the second their finished show a serious lack of dedication. Make sure that if your director ever turns around to look for you, you are there; warmed up and ready to go.I don’t mean hang around their elbow and annoy the crap out of them. I mean always be available. Show them that your first priority is to be there with them, giving them your best. Make yourself a valuable employee, because the better you do your job the better they can do theirs.

Don’t Explain Why You Screwed Up, Just Fix It – So many actors flub a scene and turn to the director to explain what they did. That’s a big time waster. Nobody needs to know that you tripped because your dress got caught on the table leg. Everyone knows you tripped, let’s do it again without that happening. The same thing goes for receiving notes. If the director tells you that they don’t like your choice and wish you to pick another, don’t explain your choice. Knowing why you chose what you chose doesn’t make it a better choice and, again, it’s a huge time waster, which reminds me . . .

Don’t Waste Time – There is nothing that will put you on the bad side of a director, or your fellow actors, faster than wasting time. Next time you think you might be late to a rehearsal I want you to think of all of the people who are their waiting for you. If there are ten people waiting for you to arrive and you show up thirty minutes late, you’ve wasted a collective three hundred minutes of everyone’s time! Think about that next time and I guarantee you won’t be late again. But we are all human and sometimes we run behind schedule. So if you know you’re going to be late and it just can’t be helped, give a call to someone on set so they at least know where you are. Make a director stand there and wonder where you are and see how happy it makes them.

Will You Have to Take Crap Sometimes? – Yeah. It’s inevitable. You don’t have to put up with it. If you’re working with a real jerk who is also a terrible director, you’d be well within you’re rights to say forget this. If, however, Steven Spielberg is being mean to you, you might want to re-think your pride and swallow some of it for the time being.

Directors are People, Too – Lastly, don’t be afraid of your directors. I’ve met some people who are scary as hell and twice as talented and those kinds of people will seriously mess with your confidence. Don’t let them. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions, clarify statements, or even invite them out for drinks with the rest of the cast. This tip is simple: make friends, it will go a long way for you.

So what’s the moral to this story? The moral of the story is that the best thing you can do to deal with directors is your job. Do your job to the best of your abilities and you’ll be fine. Make sure that you show up on time, do everything that’s expected of you and then do more. Make sure that you are a valuable member to any team you join. That’s the best way to deal with any director.

So until next time I hope this helps somebody from Los Angeles. And if you ever have a question or a topic that you want discussed on this site, feel free to email it to me at submissionatalchemyofacting.com

Until next time, Sin Boldly!

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