A roundup of videos about ways, good and bad, that directors of major features work with their performers.
The Discarded Image uncovers a wide range of approaches among big names, from Paul Thomas Anderson and David Fincher to Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick, from collaborative and nurturing to authoritarian and abusive:
H8URS has a mini-series of videos on the topic, Directing Actors 101:
This Directors Guild of America (DGA) discussion with Greta Gerwig (Ladybird), Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Guillermo Del Toro (The Shape of Water), Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), and Jordan Peele (Get Out) is long, but incredibly revealing about the way each works with actors, as well the ways that even top-level, maximum-budget filmmaking, is still about creative problem-solving and working within restrictions:
Further Viewing
Where does the director’s job end and the cinematographer’s begin?
Related Posts:
Film School: Phantom Cinematographer The unusual and enlightening process of Paul Thomas Anderson's celebrated film.
Film School: The French Dispatch (2021) A round-up of breakdowns of Wes Anderson's rich, intricate film.
Film School: The Insert Shot The dramatic peak of a dialogue scene is often a close-up... of an object.
Film School: David Fincher and Motivated Camera Movement How the director connects viewer to character and story.
Film School: the Dangers of Production "When people rush or get tired on set, bad things happen."
Film School: Colour In Film with Lawrence Sher Cinematographer of 'Joker', 'The Hangover', and 'Garden State' gives a masterclass accessible to beginners - in 15 minutes.
Film School: No-Budget Nolan Lessons on debut film-making from a pre-blockbuster director.
Film School: Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) Or: How to make a $14.3 million film look like a blockbuster.