5 Directing Actors and Scenes Free Online FlashCards

What question helps identify a scene’s purpose?

Identify what changes by the end of the scene. That change helps clarify what the scene is doing in the story.

What should a director clarify about the audience’s experience?

Decide what viewers should notice, wonder, or feel. This gives collaborators a shared target for their choices.

How can a director make a broad creative vision actionable?

Turn broad ideas into choices collaborators can act on, such as a character’s objective for the actor or framing and movement for the cinematographer.

What are a character’s objective, obstacle, and tactic?

An objective is what a character wants; an obstacle is what stands in the way; a tactic is an action they use to influence someone.

Why give actors playable actions instead of mood words?

A playable action gives the actor something to pursue, such as convincing someone to stay. A mood word like “sad” describes a result, not an action.

Which circumstances should a director establish before rehearsal?

Establish who is present, where and when the scene occurs, what happened just before it, and what each character knows.

What is table work for?

Discuss circumstances, relationships, objectives, and questions about the script.

What does an on-your-feet rehearsal explore?

Explore how the scene works in space, including movement, distance, timing, and interaction with objects.

How can actor collaboration improve a scene?

Actors’ interpretations and questions can reveal believable choices that were not obvious from the script alone.

What makes an actor’s note useful?

Keep it brief, specific, and connected to the scene. Describe what the character is trying to do rather than prescribing a feeling or line reading.

What should a director examine when a take does not work?

Check whether the objective is unclear, the blocking is distracting, or the actor lacks information about the moment before the scene.

What is blocking, and what should it support?

Blocking is the actors’ positions and movements. Develop it to support dramatic relationships while remaining workable for camera, lighting, sound, and location.