Some Reasons Why Your Film Production isn’t Working and How to Fix it

3 things that may hurt your production 

Murphy’s law will show up on your set, it’s inevitable. Sometimes someone forgot the permit, or an unexpected storm shows up and don’t have time to shoot that exterior like you wanted. However, some problems occur and it’s solely the directors responsibility. You’re just about to direct a scene, and you’re doing your walk-through with your team, and then it hits you, this isn’t working. What the hell?

You rehearsed. You planned. You were confident. But now, under the lights, with your assistant director checking the time and the crews waiting, something feels off. The pressure is on, but you didn't bust your ass making this all happen just to have a scene suck. You need to do something, and fast.

Okay. Breathe. You’ve got this.

When that moment happens, I go back to three core questions. The issue is always in one of these areas, or a mix of them. Sometimes it’s one, sometimes two, sometimes all three. But if you work through them clearly, you’ll find your way out. It helps to single out each element so you're not overwhelmed and can figure it out systematically.

Is it the script? Does the dialogue make sense? Does it sound off? Is it too wordy, or do the actions contradict the scene? Is the scene doing what it needs to do for the story? Is something missing or unnecessary?

Is it the acting? Are the performances connecting emotionally? Are the lines being delivered with the right tone and intention? If there’s subtext, is that being expressed in the way you intend? Are they expressing themselves in a way you want your audience to interpret?

Is it the directing? Am I communicating clearly? Have I given the actors what they need to get us where we’re trying to go? Am I leading them down the wrong path? Even if the actors are performing your direction perfectly, was it the right direction?

Believe it or not, it can be all three. If you're lucky, it's just one or two. The good news is, you've identified the problem, and you're focusing on communicating with your actor about what to do next.

If it’s the script, you may need to consult with your scriptwriter by asking if they're okay with you making a quick change to the dialogue. If they say no, try getting the actor to do the lines you want so the writer can see it working better. If they still say no, do one take the way you want and one take the way they want, knowing that in post you’ll have options. If you don’t have time to consult with the writer, just have the actor run through the scene the way you want it written and see if it feels natural and good for the film. If it does, you were right and identified the correct issue.

Early on, just out of School of Visual Arts, I was directing a scene with an actor who had actually done some soap operas and theater. But when it came time for his scene, he kept flubbing the lines and searching for his next words. I don’t want to say he wasn’t prepared, but I will say, he wasn’t making it work. I realized he couldn’t act with longer paragraphs. What am I gonna do? We never rehearsed, because I figured-he has this strong resume and he was so good in the audition, I thought, ‘It’s a short scene, he’ll be fine.’

But here I was, facing an actor who didn’t live up to what I was hoping for. But I wasn’t going to let him suck. I broke down the script and instead of him saying all the lines in one take, I had him say three sentences, then I’d call cut. Then we’d do the next few sentences, knowing I’d cut to the boy playing his son listening to him in post anyway, so calling cut wasn’t going to be a problem. I already had it edited in my head, thankfully. By keeping it in small, bite-sized lines, he was able to be much more natural, because he wasn’t worrying.

I was doing a walk-through with an actress whose first day on set was this scene. We rehearsed it many times, and I gave her the green light to dive deep into this specific approach. She even hired an acting coach and they really perfected my direction. However, during the walk-through, something wasn’t right. I liked the lines, so it wasn’t the script. She was doing great, it’s not like she wasn’t nailing it. So what was it?

I had to put my ego aside and confess to myself it was the directing. Her approach to the character wasn’t fitting the tone of the rest of the film and that was on me. It was a bit too cartoony, and that wasn’t going to mix well with the other performances. How could I not have seen this before? For a brief moment, I felt like an imposter pretending to be a director…but I manned up and asked her to try it a completely different way, just for shits and giggles. The scene was still playful, but not like a cartoon character, and it worked! I didn’t allow myself to feel bad about throwing all that direction out, and thankfully, my actress didn’t freak out either, she trusted me.

And I have to say, if I had shown any sign of being freaked out, then she would have. But I kept calm and light on the outside, which helped. She was professional and agreed it was a better approach, and it’s one of my favorite scenes in The Luring.

I love producing films at Kpictures and thankfully I work with a crew who always brings their A-game when it comes to finding a solution. THey stay calm and collected so I owe it to them to act the same when adversity strikes. Directors have a lot on their plate and it’s a lot more than pointing. You have to understand the inner workings of the film like a Mechanic and be able to MacGyver that shit with authority even though you’re crapping your pants. Humor is always a good approach.