My Director's Journal

Week 1

Observations:

Kane yells at his co worker that he finished a dance routine while he twerks on the floor. A drunk older man on the subway puked up about half of his body weight on the E train. A woman reprimands her son in their front yard by screaming at him and waving a stick around. People at the casino sit and puff away at there cigarettes, there are several Guidos playing cards. Ignazio hops off the stage and straightens up his suit, he takes a deep breath and then waves me over to him.

Reading reaction:
After reading this weeks pages, I feel as though I really connected with them. The entire time I was reading the first part of the book where they described actor-director relationship and the way a director should speak to the actor, reminded me of my old professor. He was the best director I have ever worked with and he really knew how to make you let go more or try different things to help with your performance. He would always deliver constructive criticism and was very careful, even with me actors as to how he worded what should change or stay the same in each shot.

I find the process that actors go through to be very interesting and helpful to directors. I'm thankful to have participated in things that showed me what it's like to act in front of a camera. Reading the excerpts about honesty, risk and putting your own emotion into a performance is very crucial for actors. I think as directors, it's actually very helpful to take an acting class to better understand the process on both sides. I found it gripping that when acting you really put so much of yourself into that character and performance. Shelley Winters, who was afraid to say a certain line in a movie shows how well the actor-director relationship went in this incidence. Her director pushed her to understand that she must take a risk and to stop injecting guilt into the character. Directing has so much to do with observing people inside and out, it truly is an art form that I'm just beginning to understand.