The Great Acting Blog: “Build It On Solid Craft”

The Great Acting Blog: “Build It On Solid Craft”

In last weeks post, I mentioned that I finally felt a sense of harmony between my acting and filmmaking activities, that I’d finally cast off the clumsiness which had hitherto accompanied my attempts to switch between the two roles. I had never suffered this clumsiness when I had actor-directed in the theatre, infact, in the theatre it wasn’t something I had even necessarily worked hard at, since it came very naturally to me. One of the reasons for this, I believe, is because in the theatre there is little of the technology which makes-up filmmaking, theatre is a simplier, less fussy form than cinema.

Directing, and especially film directing,  requires a rational mind. It’s about about implementing and executing plans, it’s about  problem solving and managing people. The director is thinking about the weather, the schedule, the happiness of his collaborators. He must consider the unfolding of his production as evidence, upon which he will make decisions. Acting however, is about flooding the mind with creative energy, letting go of reasoned considerations as well as any professional politesse (at least for the duration of the scene). The actor only needs to think about himself, about his performance, he’s not responsible for anything outside of that. The actor needs to deliver short, intense bursts of creativity. The actor doesn’t want to deal with too many things away from his performance, he needs to keep his creative sensors open and un-muddied. The film director is dealing with a million questions and details. Actors focus on one thing with enormous intensity.

Coping with the very different demands of acting and directing, requires mental strength and self-control (both of these can be improved with exercise, over time). These attributes alone however, are not enough -they will need to be supported by solid craft. While I had had plenty of experience as an actor and as a writer, I had, in terms of filmmaking, and until last year, only produced a few short films, and even then sporadically over a number of years.  During the last 12 months though, I have intensified my filmmaking activity, producing six short films in that time, and this increase of production has enabled me to strengthen the craft aspects of my filmmaking, which in turn, has meant the transition on set between acting and directing has become smoother, less clumsy.

There is however, plenty more work to do on Noirish Project, and I have a funny feeling I may be refining these ideas still further.