How do you share your vision with your cast?

For a short addition: the best auditions tend to come from a great story and well-written script. If the actors take the time to dive into the selected scenes and mention their appreciation for the material, chances are the audition will go really well. It’s also a chance to learn some things you might not have noticed about your script. Be open to hearing all types of feedback, but especially pay attention to the new flavors each actor adds to the characters. It all serves the project in a give-and-receive way!

As a young film producer and director, it oftentimes can cause some issues during the casting selections. Let me explain, when dealing with auditioners that are older and well seasoned over years and years of experience, they have already set a specific way they work and what their expectations are. This can cause some slight communicative issues but in order to effectively communicate my vision to the cast during and after selection, I have found the best way is to give example of what I am looking for, showing imagery and motion through reference and combining all of the assets and resources quickly to express the vision in the scene and the film as a whole. Without your cast understanding what your vision it will always result in failure

As an actor, the best directors I’ve worked with are those who embrace an actor’s unique POV and essence for the role. From there, a great director guides that actor’s interpretation so that it melds with the overall vision. But even then, a thoughtful director will bend the vision to the collaboration with the actor. The story becomes a mix of everyone’s involvement. It’s a challenge for the director, for sure, to know when the ball is out of the park under this collaborative approach, but that’s the nature of the beast. Granted, all the above assumes that highly skilled actors who are right for the part are hired. The opposite of the above is a director who gives the actor constant line readings.

"More" is unhelpful. When I first heard that advice it resonated with me over a decade ago and still does today. It changed how I worked with actors. Asking for "more anger" or "more excitement", it was incredibly vague, neglected how actors even engage with their craft and highlighted the directors inexperience. Now it's a rule I find useful in most situations that require the conceptual to become tangible. "More" doesn't engage with the "Why", it doesn't clarify the action and behavior required. Worst of all, it doesn't involve your collaborator, your team. I found it much better to ask "How would this character feel under these circumstances? How would they respond? How would you? And What would your solution be?"

Treat your cast like executive producers. Layout the whole project from A to Z, the more details the better. This information offering further engages cast and crew to have more ownership to the production, it also provides motivation & inspiration, and gives them all more stake to the completed project. Sharing is caring!