Original subtitles

- Whether you're working with a professional actor

or a non-actor who's going to be on camera

for the first time, as a director or producer

you should have your toolbox ready.

Above all, building a great relationship

with our talent is key to getting that great performance.

Hi, I'm Kelley Slagle, and I'm going to share

my unique perspective on working with actors

and non-actors with you, drawing from my experience

both behind and in front of the camera.

I'm currently a freelance director, producer, and editor.

With my production company Cavegirl Productions,

I've produced 13 short films, a feature film,

and a documentary.

I produce and edit short and long form training,

industrials, and promos for corporate and nonprofit clients.

I've also been a working actor since 2002.

In this course we're going to cover tons

of information that will take you

from finding your talent all the way

from managing talent on set in many different scenarios.

First, we'll cover starting your casting process,

including the importance of casting not just actors

but relationships and the particular nuances

of casting child actors.

We'll go through acquiring union talent

for your production as well.

I'll also provide you with some casting resources

and give you best practices and tips

for auditioning your actors.

Your next important step in working with talent is

thorough preparation.

In order to direct and guide actors

and non-actors properly, you have to be certain

of what you want to begin with.

We'll talk about breaking down your characters

and dissecting your scenes by asking yourself

a lot of pointed questions.

Productive rehearsal and meeting with you talent is

important no matter what type of project

you're working on.

We'll talk about the planning of your meetings

and rehearsals and how best to conduct them.

So what makes a great performance?

We'll discuss some big concepts,

motivation, your actor's objective, their intention,

and the usefulness of subtext to create drama.

Proper communication with your talent is key.

I'll discuss knowing the difference between

collaboration and control, how to use action verbs

instead of adjectives to get what you want from your talent,

the importance of inviting questions and opinion,

and how to implement other directing techniques

to keep things fresh.

Once you're actually on set, you'll want

to get to know your actors further

and prep your talent in scenes.

We'll go over on set communication

like productive feedback and how you can best help

the actor do their job by providing

the tools they need and a safe working environment.

Then we'll get into the specific needs

of working with non-actors in your productions,

emphasizing assessing your talent

in a particular situation and the importance of preparation.

We'll talk about how to engage your talent on set

and how to make them comfortable, useful tips

and tricks that come in handy when working with non-actors,

pointers on giving feedback to non-actors,

and whether or not to consider having

them use a teleprompter.

Finally, I'll take you through some specific

special scenarios you might run into

that require some extra thought,

working with special effects, conducting documentary

interviews, dealing with sensitive subjects,

working with child actors, and directing B-role talent.

Let's get started.