Original subtitles

- How you guide and direct a non-actor's performance

is somewhat different than that of a professional actor.

You won't be giving them objectives and intentions per se,

and they'll not always be ready to do something on cue.

But you still need to foster an active,

positive collaboration with your talent.

Unlike with professional actors,

line reading can be a very useful tool

when you're working with non-actors.

Mimicry is often the best way

for them to get to know how to deliver a line,

as opposed to telling them an objective or an intention.

Sometimes you need to be literal with non-actors.

One thing you might want to try

is have the talent draw from their own experiences

in order to affect the delivery of their lines.

What I mean is maybe have them remember

a happy vacation they took with their children

to get them in the right mood

to deliver a happier upbeat piece.

And try having your talent have the last word.

And what I mean by that is have them do it their way

as the last take of the day.

Tell them, "How would you do this?"

or "How would you deliver this line if you could?"

Sometimes that'll be the best take

of your entire production day.

Remember, you want to keep your feedback positive.

Encourage, not discourage your talent,

and always give constructive, actionable criticism.

Tell them something they can change.

Keeping these guidelines in mind

when working with non-actors

will certainly help you finish your production

successfully and less stressfully.