lessons learned

OK, as you've probably guessed, I had no time to write while I was away in Banff at Women In the Director's Chair as I had promised. My stay there was exhilarating, inspiring and exhausting but more than anything it was busy! Now that I'm back, I can still make a top-ten list of the things I learned while there. So, here they are:

10) Be respectful but not overly polite. (Or, as our fabulous acting teacher put it, "Don't be so fucking polite!!") Everyone on set is there to make your vision happen, so don't waste their time over-apologizing and pussy-footing around. That being said, I still believe it never hurts to say please and thank you.

9) Be generous with everyone. Don't be annoyed when people have a million questions for you and don't expect them to guess the answers! Answering questions is your job. Take the time to make sure they understand what you want them to do. Chances are they're giving you their all, so give them yours!

8) Make sure everyone knows why you're telling your story. This may not sound important, but it is. If you have a personal connection to the material, your producers, keys and cast at least should be aware of it.

7) A director is like a psychologist. They must quickly figure out what makes each actor tick and be able to relate to them on that level.

6) Allow actors some "alone time" on set to internalize your direction. Don't overload them, but don't abandon them either.

5) Don't go into your close-ups too early in a scene; it leaves you nowhere to go, cinematically.

4) If your protagonist doesn't have a lot of lines in the scene, allow them a lot of reaction shots. This is how the audience knows they're the protagonist and they will empathize with them more.

3) Always ask yourself, "What is the central conflict of the scene?" If your scene's central conflict isn't clear or doesn't link up with the central conflict of the film, it may not be necessary.

2) "An ounce of behaviour is worth a pound of words." Another nugget from our acting teacher; it's equally true on-set and in the edit suite.

1) There are no unimportant moments. Every look, every breath, every blink is a moment of drama. Suck the marrow out of each and every one.