Top Tips For Working With Talent
“Never work with children and animals.”
Quite the statement from W.C. Fields way back when, but not the most sensible if we’re honest.
You see, unless you only exclusively shoot landscapes, food or the dead, you will be tasked with working with all manner of on-screen talent regularly. And as either the director, producer or even as a DOP, you are tasked with making the most out of that talent to bring your piece to life.
With this in mind, below are a few tips to help you get the best out of those that are going to be appearing on screen in your next feature.
1. PATIENCE IS KEY
Easier said than done, especially when you’ve got a team around you all looking at you for direction which subsequently pulls your brain all over the place. However, it’s imperative you remain calm and composed with your talent; it makes them feel at ease, it shows them you know what you’re doing, and more importantly it makes you more likeable which means your talent are more likely to try harder to nail their part. Remember, not everyone you work with will be a pro; some will be just starting out, others may be doing you a favour on a low budget film whilst there are those who don’t really know why they are there. The latter is very much the case with music artists doing promo for their latest release; they get dragged from recording to recording, often with very little brief at what they are about to be tasked with filming.
2. COMMUNICATE
No matter who you have in front of you, the likelihood is they aren’t mind readers so won’t know exactly what you’re going for. Therefore it’s key that you explain your vision as clearly and as concise as possible. Overloading anyone with information on set is confusing, and it places added pressure on your talent to achieve something they don’t quite understand. So get to the point and give your talent context for what you require when necessary, this will help leverage the performance you’re looking for.
3. COMPROMISE
When it comes to demanding a certain level of performance from on screen talent, children and animals are the least of your worries. The hardest part of your job behind the camera is relying on those in front of it to deliver exactly what you want. However, you have to be a realist. If you’ve drafted in a part-time actor mate to help you out on a short film you’re shooting, don’t expect him to put in an Oscar worthy performance.
At the other end of the scale, if you’re shooting with an animal that is required to perform backflips on queue, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t want to play ball that day. A film set isn’t any creatures natural habitat and thus an element of animal self-consciousness can easily come in to play.
Be prepared to think on your feet and compromise where necessary.
4. REASSURANCE & BELIEF
No one responds well to being put down, berated or dug out; especially when your talent are clearly trying their best.
Unless you have a clear time waster on your hands, it’s vital that you do your best to constantly reassure your talent that their efforts are appreciated and that they are doing a great job (no matter how bad they are in reality). The aim is to instil a belief in them that they can deliver what you’re looking for and by being constructive rather than critical, you will give yourself and your talent a much better chance of getting the performance you demand.
So there you have it, some simple but effective tips to ensure your talent deliver when those cameras start turning over. I don’t know what W. C Fields was talking about!