You get that feeling when you watch something that’s...almost there… but not quite. That character seems pushed. The interview is a little stoic. The talent is over exerting themselves. We’ve heard it said a lot. Man; it just feels forced. Ever been there?
So how do you disarm the talent and make them feel like they’re at home with their legs crossed by the fire? Here’s what we’ve found to help out a ton. (And we’ve worked with full blown professionals and people whose only acting experience has been when they’re trying to act cool in front of a girl (or guy) they like.
Three different types of people in-front of the camera (We’ve chosen three, but there are a whole lot more)
The suited CEO. High powered individuals (Someone used to cold boardrooms and heated financial pressure).
These guys see the crew, the cameras and lights as a little overwhelming. Mr. Freeze blows on their face and it’s…. Like stuck. Before anything happens we’ve found that these guys have to laugh. First camera questions have nothing to do with the story. A question like “What’s the sneakiest thing you’ve ever done behind the scenes in your organization.” It’s amazing what a random question will do to relax the man or woman in the spotlight.
The Non Actor. Acting.
So friends, family members; people that you’re hoping pull out what you want. This can be tough because the professional acting catalogue isn’t marketed well (or maybe it’s not there) you use who you can. Again - the “get them to relax game” means you and your crew have to be relaxed. A stressed out non-actor will give you nothing. So create the atmosphere (gestures, speech, body language) where there is no failure. Tell them they’re doing great - even when they’re not. Then suggest a few things each time. Sometimes the non actor doesn’t ever act. You gotta be cool with that.
The participators of the story.
Doing real life stories doesn’t give you a choice in who you use, but what turns a participator into a heart throbber are the questions. The wrong questions will throw water on any passion spark that’s there. The right questions will pour fuel on it and bring out the roaring fire that your story needs. We’ll post some more about this later on.
These are just a few tips from us to you in a world where sometimes you can’t choose your talent.