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Directing Actors Chart

Good direction generates active behavior in actors through the use of verbs, facts, images, events, and physical tasks rather than adjectives and explanations. These tools are more specific and repeatable than adjectives and explanations. Verbs describe actions and experiences rather than conclusions. Helpful verbs for actors are "action verbs" that take an object, have an emotional and physical component, like "to accuse" someone of something. Action verbs function to shape a performance when used with voice and subtext rather than as a physical action.

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Nag Vardhan
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518 views

Directing Actors Chart

Good direction generates active behavior in actors through the use of verbs, facts, images, events, and physical tasks rather than adjectives and explanations. These tools are more specific and repeatable than adjectives and explanations. Verbs describe actions and experiences rather than conclusions. Helpful verbs for actors are "action verbs" that take an object, have an emotional and physical component, like "to accuse" someone of something. Action verbs function to shape a performance when used with voice and subtext rather than as a physical action.

Uploaded by

Nag Vardhan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Scenes

Verbs

Facts

Images

Events

Physical
tasks

Good direction, that is , playable direction, generates behavior in the actor, so it is


active and dynamic rather than static, sensory rather than intellectual, and
objective and specific rather than subjective and general. Instead of adjectives and
explanations, I want to start you out with five powerful tools you can use to shape
performances----verbs, facts, images, events and physical tasks..
Verbs, facts, images, events and physical tasks are more playable than adjectives
and explanations because they are choosable and repeatable. They are more
specific than adjectives and explanations. They work because they are active
(verbs), objective (facts), sensory (images), dynamic (events) and kinetic (physical
tasks).
Verbs: verbs describe what someone is doing, so they are active rather than static;
they describe experience rather than a conclusion about experience.
Not all verbs are helpful in the context. State of mind objects, such as to like to
resent, to fear, are not necessarily any more helpful than adjectives. The helpful
verbs I call action verbs . An action verb is a transitive verb, a verb that takes an
object, something you to do to someone else. Typically an action verb has both an
emotional and a physical component.
To accuse is an example of an action verb. It takes an object; you accuse someone
else of something, of lying, of underhanded behavior, whatever. It has an emotional
component in that accusing is an emotional transaction between two people, rather
than a physical one. So that to strike functions as an action verb in this context,
only if it is done with the voice and subtext, not if it is done physically.

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