By Joe Marine
In another terrific Bafta Guru video, we get some great directing advice from Lenny Abrahamson, who was recently nominated for an Academy Award along with his newest film Room:
Abrahamson has some interesting notes on casting, that after the actors are in place, he starts to rewrite based on the way they are speaking the dialogue. This is probably a good reason not to cling to every single word in the script, because it may be that an actor finds a much better way to say something naturally in their own words.
As for his advice on directing, Abrahamson says that it’s important to be able to turn off all of the noise of a film set and really find what’s working, and what’s interesting about what the actors are doing just as a human being in the room. He also mentions that when something isn’t working, you can’t freak out — it should be calmly noted, and then you need to start asking questions about why it’s not working with those around you — the actors, DP, etc.
From:: No Film School