A round-up of video tutorials on working with non-professional talent.

For this collection, we’ll look at video tutorials focused on certain aspects of directing non-performers, and what we can take from them overall.

Pose

Although more to do with photography, the ideas Mango Street suggests to keep in mind can also be useful when shooting video:

• Direct, rather than pose, your actor
• Straight lines suggest brashness, “masculinity”
• S-curves suggest softness, “femininity”

Blocking

StudioBinder‘s focus here is on visual character story through blocking and composition: how can the placement of your actors in relation to eachother reinforce their character dynamic? At their most thoughtful and effective, these considerations can enhance performances of all skill levels:

Verité

As director Roberto Minervini tells TIFF, building characters around the actors themselves creates a more immersive experience between director, actors and film: