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   5-5-10

   David H. Lawrence XVII says:

   Answer: When your director is stuck for a solution to a logical or physical problem shooting a scene, and you are a principal character in the scene, if you can solve that problem, don’t be afraid to make a simple, respectful suggestion when appropriate.

   
   

   When acting in a scene on set, one of the first steps will be to rehearse the scene before shooting. This not only gets the scene “up on its feet”, it allows all of the members of the production team to see, in real time, what their preparation and moves will be. So, not only do the actors get a physical run through of their work, but marks are placed for them to begin at and to hit, camera, lighting and props get an idea of how to move, light and place respectively. And the director gets his or her first real world look at how the scene will be played out.

   
   

   Occasionally, even the most prepared directors are faced with a physical conundrum – the writers create something that needs to be altered a bit to work when shooting. Perhaps an actor is faced with doing something that isn’t truthfully motivated by the situation, the action, or the dialog. This is where the director’s experience comes into play: their first consideration will be how to efficiently fix the issue, while maintaining artistic and economic standards.

   Once, I was in a group shot where the lead character was presented with her father being dragged into the scene. The script called for her to observe from several feet away and stay there while asking about his welfare, and the actress playing the lead pointed out that in real life, she’d rush over to her injured father, not just comment from afar. And so, as the director placed everyone, and we ran through the scene, it was clear that it would look odd for the lead just to stand there. It so happened that my character had the ability to keep her in place, and I suggested to the director that, if she needed me to, I could do just that, even though it wasn’t in the script for me to do so.

   
   

   How I suggested it to the director is important: I waited until it was clear that she was searching for an answer. I didn’t want to jump in and shove a suggestion her way, nor did I want to do it in a way that made it look like I was looking for more screen time. During a moment of thought, I said to her, “You know, if in the end it helps, I can hold her back until she manages to break free from my hold – would that give you enough time for the scene to play out?” It turns out that’s exatly what she needed to make the scene flow logically to the next look. And she thanked me for the suggestion.

   We sometimes are beaten into believing that the director is unapproachable, sacrosanct and not to be disturbed when working. The truth is that the best directors are open to suggestions from anyone on the team, most assuredly the actors populating the scene. The way you make suggestions is the important thing to remember: do so respectfully, and as an equal in the process, but remember that the director is ultimately responsible for the way the scene plays out, and whether they use your suggestion or not, be just as ready to act out the scene any way the director sees fit.

   What’s your answer to this acting question? Let me know in the comments below.

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2. 

   6-8-10

   Tyler Michael Jonsson says:

   I have a distinct feeling that I know the *Exact* scene you are referring to! Well played David!

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