KAM: Due to the fact that microfilmmakers must often cast their films with local talent, what are things to look for in potential actors that indicate that they can rise to the challenge, even if they don’t have a lot of experience?
JB: The biggest mistake that young filmmakers make is that they get a picture of the character they’re building in their head, they get some kind of physical resemblance in their head. Let’s say they see a dark, swarthy, heavy person, or a woman who’s overweight or underweight or plain or whatever it is. They get trapped in whatever that image is. And you’d rather have the best actor than someone who looks the part. And someone may look the part, but at the end of the day, that doesn’t matter nearly as much as “Can they act the part?” I’ve seen it time and time again where my students will bring in their casting tapes; we’ll run the tapes and talk about which actors are the best, and the whole class gets into it. Then you find out that the director goes out and casts the person that they wanted in the first place and goes against the advice we’re giving them. Now go the point when they bring the film in, and they wonder why the person they cast is so dreadful!
I just saw Walk the Line with Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. I mean, she’s blonde and here’s this guy who doesn’t look anything like Johnny Cash. But they make her hair jet black, and do almost nothing to Joaquin and they count on them as actors and by the time you’re ten minutes into the movie, you’re over whatever worries you had about “Well, she doesn’t really look like June Carter-Cash”. You know, it’s nice for a few minutes, but it doesn’t serve you in the long run if they can’t act the part.
So, there are three lessons here:
- Cast the best actor.
- Cast the best actor.
- Cast the best actor.
Human beings come in all shapes and sizes. You can’t say to me, “This person doesn’t look like a teacher” because teachers are every shape, size, and temperament. Or “he doesn’t look like a garbage-man.” Well, what does that look like? It’s just narrow minded thinking and it’s not very smart. Because you think you’re going to be able to change the person, but directors are not Svengalis. You can only make the actor so good; if they don’t have it to start out with, you’re toast.
KAM: I know you mention it in your book, but would you mind recapping a few of the ways of encouraging and getting the best performance out of a new or nervous actor?
JB: This is where rehearsal is very important; The #1 rule is make the actor feel comfortable; make the actor feel like "failure is okay as long as you’re trying." Failure’s not okay if you’re going to show up drunk, or if you don’t bother to learn your dialogue. But if you’re trying, that’s okay. If somebody blows a line in the middle of something or they just can’t get it right, that’s okay. Don’t worry about it. You as the director may be petrified, but you never want to let them see you sweat; you never want them get stressed about it, because they’ll pick up on it.
And all the great actors that I’ve talked to say, “I just want a place where I feel comfortable to do my work, and where I feel free to make a mistake or screw up.” And if they get around a director that yells and screams or seems that he doesn’t know what he’s doing or seems like he’s not interested in the actors, only where the camera will go, the actor starts to get nervous. He’s looking for validation, help, lots of things. And with a beginning actor that hasn’t done it before, you have to make them feel that this is just great fun and it’s okay to mess up and it’s okay to laugh if you forget your lines.
KAM: If you were starting out your filmmaking career today, and making a film with no budget as a total unknown, what would be the top ways you would get people to take you seriously and motivate your cast and crew to make the best possible film?
JB: I think that your own enthusiasm about the project is extremely important. What enthusiasm you have about stuff is critical because it’s infectious. If you’re so totally laid back and it doesn’t feel important, it will convey to other people. You also want to convey that you’re interested in other people’s ideas. That this is not “my way or the highway”, but rather, “I want to know what you think and what kind of ideas you have. I may not agree with you, and I may not take all of your ideas 100%, but I sure want to hear them.” Some are going to be great and some might not work, but I don’t want to take this position of “I’m the only person who has any ideas around here”, because that’s just dumb, and it’s arrogant and it shuts everybody out. If people feel like they don’t have the right to participate, then they’re just going to shut down, fold their arms, and say, “Okay, well just tell me what to do.”
KAM: And, related to this but slightly different: if you were to give an ultra-low budget director three pieces of wisdom on the craft of directing, what would they be and why?
JB: Do your homework so that you know very much what you want in every scene. At the same time, don’t be so fixated on it that you can’t change your mind if a different idea comes across.
Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know, what do you guys think?” People respect that. Our tendency as beginning filmmakers is to pretend that we know everything, and what happens is we get stubborn and arbitrary and we’re not fooling anybody; everyone knows that we don’t know what the hell we’re doing.
Every single person on the set has something to contribute; and the fact that they have something to contribute makes them feel more valuable. Even if it’s the guy who gets the coffee or helps set out lunch, they’re intelligent human beings; and if he comes up and he has an idea, then you embrace it and say, “That’s really interesting, tell me more about it.” Doing that makes people feel much more a part of the operation.
