Filmmaker Preparation: Working with Actors

It’s your first project as a budding young filmmaker.  You’re finally ‘on set’, and you feel fully prepared.  Your cast and crew has the latest version of your script, your cinematographer has set up the camera and lights, your sound guy is ready with the boom mike, and you are set to go.  Suddenly, your lead actress storms off, refusing to shoot.  What do you do?
 
First of all, don’t panic.  You’re not the first filmmaker this has happened to – actors have been around much longer than films have, and their artistic temperament is much more deeply rooted in history than yours.  Don’t take it personally.  But do approach the situation with some amount of sensitivity.  In a sense, you need to be like a therapist, and be ready to listen.
 
Actors are not robots.  They’re people.  Just because they are told what to do and what to say in the world of your film doesn’t mean they lose all perspective, sense of self, or ego – use your common sense and try to figure out the situation.  Did you do or say something to insult your actor?  Is the working environment causing stress, tension, or drama?  Look at the big picture and once you know what is causing the distress, you –as the filmmaker - have to be the boss and figure out how to get your actor back on board.
 
Whatever you do, don’t steamroll.  A filmmaker needs to be a leader, not a dictator.  Even as the director, you need to be able to listen, understand, and respond.  The true test of a filmmaker is being able to balance the power in any situation; control the shoot even if it takes making the actor feel like they have more input and power than they do in actuality.
 
In some cases, a difficult actor will try to control your shoot, or raise a tantrum only to get attention.  Let them do it – and then make them stop.  In this case, you are the babysitter, letting your actor go through whatever he or she needs to do.  Don’t let them get out of hand, but don’t ignore them either – validate their behavior just enough so they can focus on the task at hand.  Acting in YOUR movie.
 
THEN you won’t ever have to talk to them again