Casting and Directing Actors

WHAT IS ACTING!

LECTURE Karen Davitt copywrite 2023

WHAT IS ACTING
How does an Actor embody a
character
 Imagining or
pretending?
• The actors job is not simply to
“tell “ the story, but to embody the point of
view , circumstances and life of another
person.
• Actors must “play” characters with deep
commitment and imagination so they connect
emotionally with the story. Much as children
do when they play a make believe game.
 GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES
In order to play a game you must know the rules of the particular game that is
to be played, for actors these rules are called ”given circumstances”.
The Given circumstances listed below are a starting point to provide a
scaffold or structure for rehearsing the text and understanding the story.

• WHO- details about the characters and their relationships

• WHERE- the place and setting
• WHAT- What the characters want, what are their INTENTIONS
• HOW- Actions/verbs . What the character does both psychologically and
physically.
• SUBTEXT- Thought/Inner monologue
 Intentions and actions
• Intention- Our intentions drive what we do and say in life. Intention
is what the character wants, or what sort of response they need
from the other character. Its helpful to put this is a sentence
starting aka
“I want you to….”
The characters intention in the overall scene drives their different
choices of action/verb on each line of dialogue.
• Some further examples of possible Intention/Motivations listed in the notes below.

• Actions (verbs) are the different strategies the character uses to

get what they want. These can be psychological (eg attack, seduce,
confide, apologise), or physical (eg slap, jump, stroke, push).
• Short list of Actions/Verbs attached in notes below.
 SUBTEXT-non verbal communication
• In life we are continually breathing and thinking,
wether we are speaking or not. Much of what we
communicate to each other is non verbal, and we
often say things that are quite different to what
we are thinking. Our thoughts and intentions
control our body language as well as how we
speak. Subtext is an essential tool in an actors
toolbox.
• Watch clips from Annie Hall, Lars and the Real
girl,The Graduate
 Summary - ACTORS PROCESS
• Creating and embodying a character for screen involves an understanding of the
story and relationships in the text, and making deep connections with the
experiences, driving force and point of view of the character.

• An actor uses a range of rehearsal strategies and tools including research, script
analysis, improvisation, imagination, empathy, drawing on other stories personal
experience, and experimentation to bring themselves into the role physically and
mentally.

• The creativity of an actor is a mixture of instinct, and craft, playfulness,

responsiveness, listening and clear communication, and as it is most often a
collaborative activity the ability to discuss and listen is extremely important.

• Screen actors need to have an understanding of how film combines visual

storytelling and language, and to be able to work with the camera to interpret and
express the story through a combination of the text, the mise en scene/visual
storytelling, and the actions, words, body language and internal thought
processes of a character.
 Energised Stillness and
focus/eyelines

• The camera must be able to see the actor. So a

screen actor must understand how the camera
sees .
• An actor uses energised stillness to distil
rather than diminish the energy in their
performance for a close-up shot
• The eyeline, is where the actor is looking, their
point of focus.
 Directing actors-What is the directors role
• The actor director relationship is a collaboration in which it is essential that the
director and actor communicate and listen.

• The director sees the big picture and makes decisions on the film production as a
whole, and casting the right actor for the role is a primary responsibility.

• Directors and actors develop a unique relationship that can take many forms.

• In general the actors like to work with directors who are very specific and clear
about what they want and also responsive to adapt in response to what ideas the
actor brings to the role.

• When directing actors it is helpful to talk about what the character is doing,
thinking, or what they want. Avoid telling actors to play emotional states or saying
the lines for them.
 CASTING
What Is Casting?
• Casting is a pre-production process that involves choosing actors to fill the roles in a
particular TV show, movie, commercial, or play.
• Directors and producers will hire a casting director to oversee the casting process, which
includes auditioning, cold reads, screen tests, self tests and call backs.
• Casting directors will approach actors agents and forward the character breakdowns, and
actors agents will contact the actors themselves.

• Independent filmmakers or film students who do not have large budgets can source actors
from their own networks, online casting sources such as Showcast , or use friends , family or
student cohorts. If the script is strong enough it may also be possible to get professional
actors to agree to be involved for a reduced or no fee if they believe the project has merit.
Never be afraid to ask.
• A well known actor can boost a films profile but likewise an unknown or non professional
actor can also bring something special, new and unique to a film.

• Film Casting should begin with a script breakdown. Step 1-Read the script and read it a
second time. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the story, characters, conflict, context
,themes, etc, you should construct character breakdowns and descriptions.
 WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN CASTING
AN ACTOR

• . An actor who embodies your idea of the character or alternately

whose performance/presence inspires you to adapt your ideas.

• . An actor who has prepared, is comfortable with the camera, and

brings subtext , ideas and questions .

• . An actor who can adapt to your directions and who you feel you
could work with throughout a long shoot

• . An actor who does not seem to be “performing” but to be in a real

situation/conversation and listening and reacting to the reader.

• Watch clip from screen tests- The notebook- ET

 Creating a character Breakdown
• As you watch these clips from the film Silence
of the lambs imagine what the character
breakdown may have been for these two lead
characters Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lector
 Examples of possible character
breakdowns
• AGENT CLARICE STARLING –Late twenties –She is a
student at the FBI academy , she lost her parents very
young and is very driven to protect others.
• She is dedicated ,intense and somewhat steely but also
very emotional under her controlled exterior. She is
attractive and independent. She speaks a slight southern
American twang in her voice and speaks in a measured
quiet way.
• She wants Lectors help to catch another serial killer and
the stakes are high enough for her to agree to share
vulnerable stories of her childhood with him .
• She is a little like the bird the starling of her namesake,
small and nervous, but feisty,focussed and brave.
 Hannibal Lector
• Hannibal LECTOR- Is in his fifties
• He is highly intelligent and cultured, with refined tastes and
impeccable manners. He is deeply offended by rudeness,
and often kills people who exhibit bad manners
• Lector has a powerful presence and stillness, a fixed gaze,
and speaks in a quiet, measured, and articulate way. He is a
doctor ,a gourmet, and someone who loves to read.
• He rarely blinks and his body language conveys powerfull
energised stillness as if ready to pounce. His Intention in
this scene is to unnerve and analyse Clarice and make her
reveal her inner personal life to him.
• He is a little like a snake in that even from behind glass he
can be frightening .
 Exercise-Create character breakdowns
for this short text
• Write a character description for each of these two characters in this short
script
• Use your imagination to invent a character breakdown, this could include:

• Name
• Physicality, voice and appearance
• Age
• Occupation
• personality
• their relationship to each other
• Their energy and how they speak and move
• Intentions - what they both want from each other in the scene.
• Choose two actors you might cast to play these characters .
• Describe an animal they are like and why.
 The script- Two people- busy street-
A- HEY IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU I WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE IT HERE, SO THANK YOU

B-HEY…WAIT A MINUTE…WHERE ARE YOU GOING

A- ITS OVER, WE ARE TOO LATE, I AM GOING HOME NOW

B- NO NO YOU CANT! STOP!

(A stops but keeps their back to B)

B- PLEASE DON’T GO AWAY…NO-ONE HAS EVER STUCK WITH ME THIS

LONG, AND IF YOU GO AWAY…
I REMEMBER IT, ITS THERE, I KNOW IT IS,
BECAUSE WHEN I LOOK AT YOU I CAN FEEL IT,
WHEN I LOOK AT YOU……..I’M HOME
PLEASE I DON’T WANT YOU TO GO
I DON’T WANT TO FORGET

A- I AM SORRY….. BUT I DO.

 The film this scene is from
• watch
 Casting process

• Cold read- An actor is given the script on the day and

performs it without rehearsal
• Screen test- The actor is given a scene prior and the casting
director films the scene, often with a reader reading the
other characters lines off camera and sometimes with
Director present.
• Self test- An Actor is sent the script and films the scene
themselves (on their device or own camera) and sends it in
to the casting director
• Call backs- Often a shortlist is made of suitable actors and
call backs are called where actors come in again and do
another scene. Sometimes this process can entail more
than one call back.
 Further exploration-Try your own self test audition at home
Using either the short script from Finding Nemo above or one of the short monologues below have a go in your
own time at creating a self test.- This is a great way to learn about casting from an actors perspective .

SELF TESTING- by Karen Davitt

https://www.stagemilk.com/how-to-film-a-self-test/
Michael Caine on screen acting
https://nofilmschool.com/2012/03/michael-caine-teaches-act-film
The links above is to one of the many sites that will give you practical information about how to shoot a successful self-tape.
Technical aspects such as the camera shot and angle, lighting the sound quality are very important however creating an engaged
and imaginative performance is also key for both self-tests and screen test situations.
HOW TO SET UP FOR YOUR SELF TEST
• A self-test should be shot in landscape (horizontal) with a phone or camera mounted at the same height as your eyes ,on a
shelf, table, a stand or tripod.
• Place your eye-line (where you are looking) slightly to the left of right of the camera lense
• Know the lines well and think about Intention and subtext
• Make a real connection with the person you are speaking to in the scene.
• lf possible place someone to be your “reader” directly next to the camera with their eyes at the same level as the camera
lense. The reader should be in front of you, off to the side of the camera, at your eye level, and not visible in the shot. Ask
you reader to stand as close to the camera as possible and address the scene to them. The closer your eyeline is to camera
the more the camera can” see " you.
The frame should be a mid shot; aka from your upper chest to just above your head, and the background should be plain
solid colour backdrop or wall.
Avoid wearing white or busy patterns or colours that are the same as your background.
Short monologue samples to use in notes below