Production
Directing Actors
Performance is where a film lives or dies, yet directing actors is the craft most first-time directors never learn. This course covers the working director's toolkit — from casting and script analysis to rehearsal, blocking, actioning, and the notes you give between takes — so you can pull real performances out of any cast.
What you'll learn
✓How to analyze a script for objectives, actions, and subtext an actor can play
✓The language of direction — playable notes instead of vague "result" direction
✓How to rehearse, block a scene, and use actioning to shape a performance
✓How to give notes, direct emotional scenes, and fix a performance that isn't working
Pairs with this tool
Filmmaker Toolbox
Prep your scenes in the Filmmaker Toolbox — script breakdowns, objectives and actions per character, and blocking diagrams — so you walk onto set knowing exactly what performance you're after.
Open Filmmaker Toolbox →Course chapters
Module 1 — Foundations
I7 min
What a director actually owes an actor — and the mindset that gets performances
What a Director Owes the Actor
II8 min
Casting is the first and biggest directing decision you'll make
Casting as Directing
III8 min
Reading the script for objectives, actions, and subtext an actor can play
Reading the Script for Performance
IV8 min
Playable direction vs. result direction — how to say it so an actor can use it
The Language of Direction
Module 2 — Core Craft
V8 min
What to rehearse, what to save for the camera, and how to run a rehearsal
Rehearsal
VI9 min
Staging actors in the space so the scene works for story and camera
Blocking the Scene
VII8 min
Objectives and action verbs — the most powerful tool for shaping a scene
Objectives & Actioning
VIII8 min
Giving adjustments between takes — clear, quick, and actable notes
Notes & Adjustments on Set
Module 3 — Putting It to Work
IX9 min
Directing tears, rage, and intimacy safely — and getting them for real
Directing Emotional Scenes
X8 min
Keeping a performance alive and consistent across takes and coverage
Keeping It Alive Across Takes
XI8 min
When a performance isn't working — how to diagnose and fix it on the day
Troubleshooting a Performance
XII7 min
On-set workflow with actors and the mistakes that kill performances
On-Set Workflow & Mistakes