Tips for Directing Talent on Set
If you are producing a video with talent, the job gets more difficult and especially if the talent includes non-actors. Throw in some kids and some animals and it can get quite dicey. So, the purpose of this blog is to provide some tips to help ensure that your video projects that include talent run as smoothly as possible.
What You do Before The Shoot is The Most Critical
Preparation
Preparation is key to planning a successful video shoot. Besides making sure you’ve covered all the pre-production basics, it’s important that you totally understand your material. As the director, people will look to you for guidance, so researching your topic in advance is crucial.
So when your talent arrives, you’ll be able to answer their questions and provide context, and if necessary be able to rework material on the fly. If the project is an interview format, you may have to rephrase questions to get the information you’re trying to extract. It will be much easier to do if you actually know what you’re talking about.
The same rule applies when preparing the physical space for filming. Set up all the equipment with your crew before talent arrives so they aren’t distracted by it. Use stand-ins if possible, during lighting set up so your actors don’t get hot and sweaty even bore filming begins. Have beverages and snacks available so that no one has to interrupt the filming process by leaving the space or taking a break
Planning
Whether you’re directing a scripted production or a loosely organized interview, having a plan for the shoot will cut down on wasted time. Let your script or a list of questions guide the process. If you are working with a script, professional actors will need to see it in advance. Make sure they receive it well enough in advance to leave ample time for questions before the filming day. If possible, plan to hold a table read—where actors read through the script with the direct and other creative leads—at least one day before the shoot. It’s a great way to rehearse and get all the questions out of the way before the cameras start rolling.
For interviews, give your subject an overview of the questions you’ll be asking, but leave out the details. If you think you’ll want your subject to provide specific stats, then absolutely ask for those ahead of time. Otherwise, stick to a topical overview. Your subject is being interviewed for a reason. They’re the expert. The more you convince them of that, the more comfortable they’ll be on camera.
Having the interview questions or script to guide your shoot will help you plan your time, and lead with confidence. For the script, break up those paragraphs into 2–3 sentence chunks. That way, the talent can more easily memorize and deliver shorter lines. Planning to show some B-roll? Note where those shots are located, so that your talent knows they won’t be filmed for those lines. They can just read right from the script with no stress! Knowing what doesn’t need to be memorized will save both time and stress. Voiceovers tend to be way less nerve-wracking than on-camera shots.
Control The Environment
Establish Protocols with Your Team
There are few things worse for an actor than receiving conflicting information from different people while on set. Directions should come from you one person you the director. Talk to your team ahead of shoot to set rules for giving feedback. For example, if your actor is on a roll, it would not be appropriate if your camera operator interrupted to tell them to stop looking directly at the camera. You could have used the audio recording and put it over some B-roll later! Also, now the actor is probably going to be much more concerned about where they’re looking than what they’re talking about.
Meet Before the Shoot
Meet with your talent sometime before the shoot, if possible, to tell them what to expect. Give them copies of the script so they aren’t surprised on the day of the shoot. The goal is to put them at ease. It starts by letting them know what will be expected of them at the shoot itself. If you are filming non-professional actors, you may not want to provide interview questions, but provide a more top-line idea of what you will be discussing. Idea is to not let them practice memorized responses.
Set Up Before Talent Shows Up
Arrive at the set well before your talent does so you can get everything set up before they arrive. It is hard to concentrate on your subjects when you are still concentrating on your own pre-shoot set-ups. If you seem unprepared or a bit hectic, you’ll make your talent nervous and add unneeded stress to the process.
Shoot at their location
If you are for example filming an owner of a business, better to do it at their place of work where they already have a comfort factor. People feel more comfortable when they are in familiar places. It will also help the subject relax and provides for a unique backdrop.
Meet Them at the Door
If possible, it’s a good idea to have an official greeter on shoot day. This person should be able to answer basic questions, direct talent to a suitable waiting area and make your guests comfortable and relaxed while they are waiting.
Use a Stand-in While you Set-up the Lights
Video lights can get extremely hot, and your subjects will feel the heat if you leave them under the lamps too long. To keep your talent as fresh as possible, have someone stand-in while you position your lights.
Clarify Roles Before You Roll
If you’re shooting a panel discussion, reinforce the need for the moderator to be conversational yet concise; addressing the panelists, not the camera. If you are making a training video, you might want the talent to talk directly to the camera and stick to a script.
Start filming While They Rehearse
A rehearsal will help your subjects become more familiar with the material and more comfortable in front of the camera. When you do the rehearsal, it’s a good idea to film it. Some of the best takes may come when the talent is relaxed and not “on” for the official shoot.
Don’t Let Them Know You’re Recording
Many cameras let you turn off the tally light that indicates when a camera is recording. If not use a piece of black tape to mask the light.
Turn Lights Off During Breaks
Lights produce heat, and excess heat produces excess sweat. Sweaty and shiny talent isn’t comfortable talent which isn’t good for your production.
Be Personable, Set The Tone
Call each person by name and make sure you’re genuinely friendly. This will help your talent feel more comfortable and at ease. They will respond to your directing better if they think of you as a caring friend. As their director and guide, actors will be very attentive to your mood and tone. Even if everything is going wrong (and sometimes it will), it’s important to keep a brave face. If you don’t, that worry will be visible on screen. Instead, always lead with positivity. Always start with making the actor or interviewee comfortable such as chatting with them about something personal or off-topic before you get started. If an interviewee sounds robotic while delivering an answer, you can try asking them to slow down, or to explain it to you like a friend. Remind your talent of the editing process. They should know that imperfection is totally acceptable. Editing can fix a lot of mistakes. Keep the energy light but upbeat to make the talent smile and relax. Develop your style for this, maybe you dance around or tell a few jokes, whatever it takes.
Be Attentive
Listen to the concerns of your on-camera subjects and be sympathetic. You may need to assure one subject that he looks good, and another that her response doesn’t sound silly. If someone isn’t saying what you want or need, you may have to help them find their words. As a director, there’s a delicate balance between being critical and encouraging, but if you see doubt creeping onto your talent’s face, be quick on the draw to encourage them. Say things like, “hey, you’re doing a good job,” and “relax, you got this.” When they hit a line and start to get on a roll, let them know. The more positive reinforcement, the better. If your subject seems to be low energy for some reason, ask to deliver a line with over-the-top energy. Encourage them to go all out, and model it for them if they’re feeling uncomfortable. You’ll find this exercise will reset your talent’s energy scale.
Film more than is needed
It may be to your advantage to let your subject talk about a topic as much as they like – in any order they like – and then edit the session later. This is often easier on your talent but does make for a more involved editing process. Instead of spending a ton of time getting the first line perfect, have your talent get through the whole script, then circle on back. After getting through all of the lines, your talent will likely feel more comfortable and confident. At this point, have them record the first few lines again. It almost always sounds better the second time around.
Have Subject Talk to a Person, Not the Lens
Many people are uncomfortable talking to a camera lens. Make it easier for them by having them speak to a person next to the camera instead of directly to the lens itself. It helps if the interviewer sits in a chair next to the camera and the two have a conversation, ignoring the lens altogether.
Don’t Let Subject See Themselves on a Monitor
No one likes the way they look on TV. The camera adds 10 pounds, shows off facial flaws and reveals the truth about hairlines. Don’t make your subject feel self-conscious by making them watch themselves as you shoot.
Get Them Talking
Get a subject talking by asking a series of personal questions not related to the video shoot. After a few minutes of talking about the weather or sports, your subject will feel more comfortable talking about more relevant subject matter.
Give Them Something to Hold
If the talent doesn’t know what to do with their hands, give them a prop to hold. Often this will keep them from fidgeting on camera.
Stick to Areas of Expertise
If you’re using talent that are an expert on a particular subject, be sure to ask open questions specific to their area of expertise.
Eliminate Distractions
The fewer people in attendance at the shoot, the better. The goal is to help your subjects concentrate on their role and the job at hand. Too many people hanging around can make your subject uneasy.
Be Flexible
What works for one person may not work for the next. The situation largely depends on the individual persons involved. Some people improve with practice while others get worse. Some accept coaching easily and others become more irritable. Be prepared to tailor your directing approach to each individual. Nothing goes according to plan, so remember the first tip and be prepared to make changes on the fly. Unless you’re working with an Oscar winning actor, don’t expect your them to get it perfect in one take. Your talent will be more at ease when you accept the bad takes in stride.If you’re interviewing, be prepared to circle back to a question. You can always come back to that question later on once they’re a little bit more comfortable with some of the easier questions. When they feel more comfortable, you can come back to that question and usually you’ll find that they’re able to easily answer the former skipped questions. Plan in extra time! You never know what will happen. Planning extra time into your shoot gives you a buffer if you need it and, if you don’t, everyone leaves pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy it was.
Safety
Be sure to get “one for safety,” even if you’re confident you got the shot you needed. Extra takes give you more choices during editing. Phrasing it this way will also relax the actors because it implies their work is already done. Some of the best performances come out on the safety shot if you’re willing to be flexible and explore creative alternatives.
Keep Doing It Until it is Right
As the director, it’s your responsibility to make sure the talent ends up looking great and sounding natural. There’s nothing worse than reviewing the footage and quickly realizing that it could have been better. So do it until you get it right When the shooting is finished make sure to let your talent know that they did a great job. Building their confidence over time will result in more successful future shoots.
Wrap-up
Making sure that the talent that appears in any video, perform optimally to the script is mandatory for a video to be successful. VideoFresh are experts at all aspects of producing award winning video content including directing talent, from professional actors to not so professional pets.
Any questions on how to direct talent for your video projects? If so lets chat.