Discover what's new for Fall 2024

Learning Professional Skills to Direct Actors

All newly update lessons reveal to students how professionals direct actors on set for convincing, authentic performances.

And as with all FilmSkills Academic lessons, the new location lessons come complete with test questions, fully illustrated companion text, and downloadable contracts and forms students can use on their own productions.

Lesson 1

Analyzing Character

Characters, like people in real life, function on different levels. They often don’t say what they mean, are driven by their own ambitions, and are shaped by their past – whether that past is from their childhood or a mere moment ago.
 
In this lesson, students learn directing techniques to help actors determine the subtext, intent, and back story of their characters. Students learn to develop their directing skills and help their actors portray honest, memorable characters.
 
  • What is the actor’s role in preparing a character?
  • What is subtext and how can the director and actor find this inner meaning of a scene
  • What is intent and how does it shape the actor’s motivations
  • What is back story and how do you craft the proper history for a character?

Lesson 2

Rehearsing Actors

Once the actors are cast, it’s time to begin working with them to flesh out real, breathing characters full of life, depth, problems, issues and challenges.
 
In this lesson, students learn how to structure rehearsals, how to conduct a table read, and what the responsibilities are of the director and actors.
 
There is a fine line between nurturing and smothering when working with actors  – know where that line is, and how to get the most our of your rehearsals.
 
  • How to conduct a table read
  • What should happen during the first rehearsal
  • What is the actor’s responsibility during rehearsals
  • What is the director’s responsibility during rehearsals

Lesson 3

Rehearsal Exercises

Characters are created before the actors ever step on the set – the performance is created from elaborate backstories, layered subtext, and infused intent in every line. But with all this work, actors can get stuck in their heads and lose the sense of spontaneity when the camera rolls.
 
In this lesson, students learn valuable techniques from working Hollywood directors to get to the heart of the actors’ performance, learn rehearsal techniques from developing the character to overcoming mental blocks on the set.
 
In the heat of the moment, the actors will always look to the director for help… make sure you know how to give it.
 
  • Tips, tricks and techniques for helping actors give you the best performance
  • Advice from working Hollywood directors

Lesson 4

The Language of Directing Actors

The key to achieving excellent performances is good communication between the actors and the director. Like other industries, directing has its own language that allows a director to succinctly express his vision in a way the actors can embrace.
 
In this lesson, students learn from Hollywood actors and directors on how to approach and work effectively with actors on set, how to deal with problematic actors, and how to communicate in the actor’s language.
 
Great performances are made from great collaborations – get everything you can out of your cast for the best movie possible.
  • How to establish trust and communication with your actors
  • How to know what you want
  • The language of acting
  • What to do when you’re not getting the performance you want on set
  • The actor/director relationship
  • The types of directors

Lesson 5

Directing Actors on Set

When working with actors on set remember they have a lot to think about: their back story, their intent, and their subtext. What you say can either strengthen their performance or weigh it down. To hone just the right performance – your words matter.

In this lesson, students learn what to say to an actor at the beginning of every scene – within 30 seconds before they call action and 30 seconds after you call cut, learn how to rehearse on set, establish strong blocking, and how to help actors balance their performance with the technicalities of film production.

The director is the only life line to the actors, and what they say can make or break an actor’s performance.

This lesson covers:

  • What to say to an actor 30 seconds before you call “Action”
  • What to say to an actor immediately after calling “Cut”
  • The three points that lead to fail-proof direction
  • How to balance performance with picture

Lesson 6

Directing Mistakes

Working Hollywood actors and directors share their personal experiences with the most common directing mistakes and how to avoid them.
 
In this lesson, students learn to identify common directing problems and how to fix them to ensure they get the best performance on set possible.
 
Don’t let these common directing errors affect your cast, your production, and ultimately, your movie.
 
  • The most common mistakes directors make
  • How to avoid and resolve these mistakes

Lesson 7

Directing Extras

Movies have long used extras to breathe a sense of realism into a scene.  Extras are non-speaking actors who populate the background of a diner, a stadium or a store to more closely recreate real life. For a filmmaker, extras are a great tool to have.

In this lesson, students learn how to find extras, the right way to direct them, how to cheat them on set, liability concerns and how to avoid them, logistics on the shooting day, and the most common problems filmmakers encounter when working with extras.
 
Whether you’re working with thousands on a battlefield or just a small handful in coffee shop, create a realistic backdrop of life for your scene.
 
  • How to cast extras
  • How to cheat extras to increase their numbers on screen
  • Logistics the day of the shoot
  • Liability issues and how to avoid them
  • How to direct extras

Get Your Students Ready to Shoot on Location

We partnered with the powerhouse Location Managers from Star Trek, Mission Impossible, Transformers 2, Top Gun 2, Spiderman: Homecoming, and Grey’s Anatomy to give your students professional guidance on finding, managing, and shooting on location.

Check out a free preview of from “Working with Location Owners”

And as with all FilmSkills Academic lessons, the new location lessons come complete with test questions, fully illustrated companion text, and downloadable contracts and forms students can use on their own productions.

Lesson 1

Scouting Locations

Locations play a critical role in every film production, and in this lessons, students  will learn how to properly break down the script, scout locations, work on cold scouts, how to assess the technical feasibility of a location, and it’s local industry support. (19:13)

This lesson covers:

  • How to break down a script
  • How to properly generate a list of locations
  • How to scout locations
  • Available resources to help you location scout
  • How to conduct a cold scout
  • How to assess the technical requirements of the location

Lesson 2

Working with Film Commissions

Each state has a film commission tasked with attracting motion picture production to that state. In this lesson, students learn the services offered by a film commission, how to use their services to find the best location for your movie, liaise with local industry, and what hidden pricing traps.(24:53)

This lesson covers:

  • What a film commission does
  • How to use their location libraries
  • How to use their scouting services
  • Limitations of a film commission’s services
  • How a film commission can help you liaise with local industry and local government
  • How your budget affects the services they offer
  • How to find a film commission

Lesson 3

Working with Location Owners

Approaching and asking a location owner to use his or her property for your film shoot can be a daunting task. In this module, you will not only learn how to approach a location owner, but which contracts and forms are needed, proper protocol, how to deal with problems and how to help a location owner prepare himself for the whirlwind that is the production process. (34:47)
 
  • How to approach a location owner about using his or her property for your shoot
  • How to establish your credibility
  • How to speak and present your case to a location owner
  • The necessary contracts and agreements to protect yourself legally
  • How to conduct a walk through
  • How to deal with problems if the location owner decides to pull out at the last minute
  • The location release form and its importance

Lesson 4

Film Permits

In most major cities, filmmakers are required to obtain a permit to be able to shoot on both public and private property.  This lesson will guide students through the permitting process, when one is required, how to get one, the costs involved, and common traps associated with free permits.

(22:58)

  • What are permits
  • When is a permit required
  • Shooting guerilla without a permit
  • The difference between shooting on public and private property
  • Free permits and their hidden costs
  • How to use a permit on location

Lesson 5

Community Relations

No one makes a movie in a vacuum – every day a shoot will invariably affect someone, whether it’s one neighbor or an entire community. In this lesson, students will learn how their film shoot affects the public, how to work with local officials, how to notify residents, how to leave a positive impact on the community when they’re finished shooting, and a general code of conduct for crews when shooting on location. (25:00)
 
  • How to secure permission from the neighbors in the community in which you’re shooting
  • The public impact of a film shoot
  • How to work with the police
  • How to shoot in a public venue
  • How to deal with disruptive people when shooting in public
  • The proper code of conduct for motion picture crews when shooting on location