This is considered the tome for film directors that know their lenses but handle their actors like dirty bombs left on their doormats.
Before getting into the book, why do directors think of actors as cattle?
(Hitchcock commented, “I didn’t say actors were cattle. What I said was actors should be treated like cattle.”)
A director’s domain encompasses all aspects of a film production. You must have an opinion on the lighting, the color of the wall paper and even on the microphone used (it happened to me once). This is overwhelming. When the prop person asks, “do you want the character to write with a wooden pencil or a mechanical one” you’re positive your head is going to explode. What’s nice is that your “direction” leads to a clear action with the intended result. If you say “I want the actor to only write with a 0.7mm clear-blue plastic mechanical pencil,” they do. With actors, not so much.
You might tell an actor “be more natural” and they may give you a performance that makes Jim Carrey look like Daniel Day Lewis. This is especially true of inexperienced actors. If you’re lucky enough to work with a seasoned actor they might have learned how to direct themselves but if they’re not giving you what you want, good luck trying to steer their performance in another direction.
First and foremost, in order to direct actors I think you need to 1) love actors and/or respect what they do, 2) have a great bulls#!t detector and 3) be decisive (but it’s okay to be wrong and change you mind).
If you have that, this book can help. This book arms you with a powerful set of tools for engaging the actor. Yes, there are the standard pages of action verbs but more useful might be all the script analysis techniques. These force the director to think like the actor. They also help you cultivate better strategies than “No, more natural!” when your original direction fails.
If I have any complaint it’s that the book is a bit verbose; I guess that is the writer’s way of directing. I would absolutely recommend this book but it can’t be your only source of learning. Take classes, direct actors. Better yet, act in someone else’s film. It’s a humbling experience that gives you valuable insight.
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