Mark Westbrook on What to Expect from Directors

Well a shower, a change of clothes and a night in my own bed and I’m a new person.  Life is full of adventures.

Mark Westbrook, the highly opinionated acting coach/blogger in Glasgow, Scotland, had a very interesting post this week of interest to actors everywhere, so I’m passing it along. It has to do with what an actor should expect from a director (and I can tell you it was a relief to know I could expect anything!)

To be fair, I’ve seen some very good directors who begin with a clear vision of the story they are trying to tell and give useful feedback on what the actor needs to do to convey that story. But I’ve also seen directors who micromanage to the point of exasperation, as though they are on something and absolutely cannot sit down or shut up. I’ve had directors who seemed only interested in camera angles and said little more than “action” and “cut” or, when asked for feedback, looked at me as though I were asking them to divulge nuclear secrets.

What an actor should reasonably expect from a director is rarely explained, which is why I appreciated seeing someone put it in print. Here is Westbrook’s view, somewhat paraphrased for film:

• Because it is the actors who bring the script to life, the director’s first task is to help the cast understand the script in such a way that they are able to put it into action  (defined as something they can physically do.)

• The director then helps the actors stage the action so that it remains faithful to the script, is performed to the best of their abilities, and in such as way that the story is conveyed.  

• The director gives the actor feedback on his or her performance, with any suggestions for changes or improvement confined to practicable action.  If the director is giving notes, they must be notes that address something the actor can physically do.

• The director then gets out of the actor’s way and allows the actor to create the role.  

(You can see Mark Westbrook’s complete post, listed on the menu as “What should directors do?” here.)

There’s an ongoing war between actors and directors. Westbrook describes the problem as the “interfering intellectual in a roomful of frustrated do-ers.” He may be right, and committing these points to memory may not get me any more feedback on the set. But at least I’ll feel on firmer ground when I ask.