Tag Archives: listening

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 13, 2023

Posted under

Behind the Scenes, Filmmaking

Comments

Leave a comment

A Director’s Take on Auditions

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Auditions are a critical aspect of the filmmaking process, and as a director, it’s essential to know what to look for in actors during these sessions. The audition process can be lengthy and challenging. Still, a director can find the perfect fit for their film by focusing on three key areas:

  • Observe the actor’s capabilities
  • Determine the actor’s chemistry with cast members
  • Ensure the actor can take direction and explore collaborative choices

Observing the Actor’s Capabilities

One of the most crucial things a director should look for in an audition is the actor’s capabilities. This involves examining the actor’s range, ability to convey emotions and portray characters accurately.

To assess these capabilities, directors can provide actors with monologues or scenes that challenge their acting skills. The scene can be a simple interaction between two people or involve more complex emotions and conflicts. The goal is to get the actor to play and interact in a manner that reveals their capable range.

During the audition, directors should look for the following traits in the actor’s performance:

  • Authenticity: Actors should be able to embody the character they are auditioning for and make it believable. They should be able to evoke the character’s emotions, mannerisms, and speech patterns to make the character come to life.
  • Versatility: The best actors have a deep range and can take on different roles and genres. Look for actors who can perform different emotions and characters with ease.
  • Presence: Actors should have a presence that commands attention. They should be able to captivate the audience with their performance and hold their attention.

Determine the Actor’s Chemistry with Cast Members

Chemistry between cast members is vital for a film’s success. Actors should be able to work well together, establish trust and rapport with one another, and create believable relationships on screen.

During auditions, directors can pair up actors and see how they interact with one another. Directors should look for actors who can create chemistry naturally and authentically. The result of strong chemistry appears in the form of challenging tension and natural acceptance.

The following are some factors to consider when evaluating chemistry:

  • Compatibility: Directors should look for actors who share similar energy and can complement each other’s performances.
  • Communication: Actors should be able to communicate well with each other and create a sense of camaraderie.
  • Adaptability: Actors should be able to adapt to each other’s acting styles and make changes to their performance if necessary.

Ensure the Actor can Take Direction and explore Collaborative Choices

Directors should look for actors willing to take direction and explore various solutions to a scene. During auditions, directors can provide actors with feedback and see how they respond to it. Actors who can take direction and make changes to their performance show they are open to collaboration and willing to work towards a shared vision for the film.

The following are some factors to consider when evaluating an actor’s ability to take direction:

  • Flexibility: Actors should be able to adjust their performance and adapt to the director’s vision.
  • Creativity: Actors who can explore different ways of performing a scene can offer new insights and ideas that enhance the overall film.
  • Collaborative Spirit: Actors open to feedback and working with others can create a positive and productive working environment on set.

The audition process is a crucial step in filmmaking, and directors should know what to look for in actors during this process. Observing an actor’s capabilities, determining the actor’s chemistry with cast members, and ensuring the actor can take direction and explore collaborative choices are all key factors in finding the right actor for a role. With these factors in mind, directors can make informed casting decisions that result in compelling and authentic performances that bring their film to life.

Copyright © 2023 by CJ Powers

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

July 12, 2017

Posted under

Filmmaking, Thoughts and Ideas

Comments

2 Comments

Dialog must be Relational

Conversation is about Relationship, Not Information.

pexels-photo-89873There are talkers and there are listeners that will hopefully never meet. They’re missing the chief cornerstone of relationship when only focused on half of the equation. Talking and listening actively is relationship.

Talkers can never learn or be satisfied until they listen equally as well. The listeners will bust at the seams until they share the valuable information stored within their heart. Communication is the only relational tool that unites the human race and forms culture.

During one film shoot, I directed a group of actors who were very different from their characters. The joy on set was high, as the talent played with roles that stretched their imagination beyond the stereotypical. After great contemplation they delivered heartfelt performances that opened our eyes to new perspectives.

One woman, who was an intellectual, played a ditzy blonde type that had a heart for kids. Her research brought the perception that “ditzy” was based on circumstances of how the person addressed the unknown. Curtailing the stereotype, she resisted playing the person that when jolted by a comment would say the first words that came to her.

She entered the scene as a brunette who led with undefined empathy, which became clear by the end of the scene. The actor’s choice gave the feeling of “ditzy,” but without showing a lack of intelligence. This resulted in the character coming across as empathetic and what I called squishy-warmhearted.

This empathetic quality came out because of the conversation between her and another leader. The dialog revealed the heart of both people and their relationship. It was more than just an exchange of information. The expressions of each character’s souls were on the line, demonstrating their courage in conversing.

Ursula K. Le Guin in her essay titled “Telling is Listening” published in The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader, and the Imagination, shared the following complexities of human communication:

“In most cases of people actually talking to one another, human communication cannot be reduced to information. The message not only involves, it is, a relationship between speaker and hearer. The medium in which the message is embedded is immensely complex, infinitely more than a code: it is a language, a function of a society, a culture, in which the language, the speaker, and the hearer are all embedded.”

The film was powerful because each character did more than communicate information. Their expressions and backstory came through in how they presented each comment. Even their reaction shots revealed how they were impacted through the courageous interchange.

The audience was mesmerized and fascinated by the dialog, not because it was written well, but because of how it was crafted using the embedded elements of each character within the exchange. The dialog was far more than words or information. It was real in everyway.

I made an interesting note the night after the shoot that read, “Dialog is about relationship, not information.” Whether a discussion occurs in real life or on screen, it is only of value if it develops the relationship. Talkers who talk without listening and listeners who listen without sharing are not interesting because they are only focused on themselves.

© 2017 by CJ Powers
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

October 21, 2015

Posted under

Thoughts and Ideas

Comments

Leave a comment

Creating a Visual for Communicating Non-Fixable Feelings

Porch_SwingDiscerning the difference between when a man in a conversation with a partner must only listen, versus offer obvious fixes is difficult, but no longer impossible. I found myself stuck in that no-win scenario all too often and frequently made the wrong choice. Not only did my great advice fall on deaf ears, but I also got to figuratively clean the doghouse more often than my study.

The only saving grace came from a wise old man who found my circumstances funny. Yes, he had a hearty laugh. The man suggested that my solution was found in my make up. He pointed out that my internal wiring wasn’t wrong; it just hadn’t been adjusted to the female language.

Put more simply, my wife (at the time) and I needed listening goals and something visual to trigger my new behavior. He made it clear that I was wired to be visual and therefore required a symbol to engage my new listening goals.

After trial and error, we found a solution that worked so remarkably well that I started to enjoy those difficult conversations because they actually were resolved in an emotionally healthy manner. And, we had the added bonus of finding new treasures of value deep within each other’s souls – Generating new respect for one another.

Thanks to the help from the wise man, I’m now able to say that every woman can share her feelings with her man, without him trying to fix them, by applying a visual reminder with three listening goals.

Here were our goals:

  1. Share Important Feelings in a Visual Place.

We chose the front porch swing as our visual listening place. Every time I sat on the swing, I was visually reminded that if my wife shared a feeling, it was the type that required focused listening and no fixes. After a few months, my new listening behavior had matured.

My wife also had a role to play. She was not to ever share a feeling that required my opinion or a suggested fix when sitting on the swing. Those items were to be discussed elsewhere.

  1. Listen Past the Conflict until You See the Hidden Treasure.

Most of the conversations that took place on the swing were forms of frustration that my wife had to get off of her chest. As a new focused listener, I soon noticed that every point of frustration was like a red flag getting my attention to something important that was deep within her soul.

By listening closely, I was able to ask open-ended questions that allowed her to share more depth, which eventually led to the surfacing of the key issues buried within her heart. In that moment, I would see the real person, her true beliefs and everything that made her tick. It was like finding a huge treasure of great value.

The experience always humbled me as she opened up and revealed her heart. In retrospect, I realized how many lost opportunities to learn something precious had sipped away because I tried to fix things early in the conversation.

  1. Transfer the Visual to Your Partner’s Tells.

After a few months of practice I noticed that my wife had certain “tells” notifying me that she was sharing a feeling that wasn’t to be fixed, but intently listened to. I was soon able to attach my listening goals to her visual tells, so we were no longer limited to sharing deep feelings on the porch swing. If I ever started to waver, she was able to mention the swing and I would immediately heed the hint and listen carefully.

This communication technique doesn’t guarantee excellent conversations every time, as both people can short circuit the process out of anger, rather than seek understanding. In other words, these goals are a tool, not a magic genie.

The good news for men is that the listening goals were based on a visual symbol that turned my times of listening into valuable explorations of the soul. As for the woman’s benefits, it goes much deeper than being known, which in of itself is a wonderful experience.

What do you do to discern the differences between fixable and non-fixable conversations? I’d love to get your insights in the comment space below.

Copyright © 2015 by CJ Powers