What's the theme of your story? Writer-Director's Perspective on Theme and Working with Actors.

[Marco]

I thought I’d start a discussion and offer a writer-director’s perspective as it relates to theme. Something near and dear to my heart.

To this point I’ve written two feature films, one of them has been optioned by a very well regarded producer and former executive in LA. The other is an adaptation from a novel I acquired last year. Both of them have been work-shopped at a very reputable writers lab under the mentorship and guidance of a veritable who’s-who in Hollywood - some of them Academy Award winners. Both of my projects have made the final round for consideration to the Sundance Writers Lab. I’ve also had the benefit of being mentored by some outstanding award wining directors at a directors lab, where I shot some scenes as a directing fellow from my feature film script, 86. I’ve learned quite a few things in the last couple of years that I consistently see directors and writer, including myself, take for granted.

With that said, I’d like to say that there is probably just as many styles to directing as there are directors – good and bad. I’d also like to say that a lot of the bad acting and directing that takes place out there is primarily due to bad writing. Without a doubt, the single most important element to the success of a project (and I’m not talking financial) is great writing. It's no stretch to say that it's the foundation of great filmmaking.

Outside of this, it is the responsibility of the director to take a script and do one of two things, along with the producer on the project, who sometimes owns the script. First, the director is responsible for making sure that the script is ready for production. If not, he needs to fix story problems in the script. Primarily, the director has to ask himself what is the theme of the story. To me, theme drives the whole process. If the director cannot discover or realize the theme and effectively articulate the story's theme, then the project is already in trouble. Stop right there, thank you for playing, and please pack your bags. Don’t ask me to play along on this one!!!

I’m always amazed when I talk with my peers (writers, directors, editors, ect) about theme. When I ask that question I usually get a plot summary, or a real sloppy pitch that rambles on. That’s not theme. When a filmmaker knows the theme of their story, chances are you'll get a nice pitch. If the writer has trouble realizing the theme of the story, then the script will most certainly have issues. Even so, a good director will find a way to make the script his own and continue its development toward a unifying theme. A bad director will take the script at face value and simply move forward with the project. He/she will usually get into trouble when it comes time to provide direction or notes to their cinematographers, production designers, composers and especially their actors. Usually all involved in the project resort to the safety net of clichés in all areas of production - cinematography, production design and especially acting, and this is what you tend to see out there with poorly realized project where no one understands the theme of the story they’re trying to tell.

A well-written script with a solid director, supporting a unifying theme, will drive everything. It drives cinematography, production design, sound design, music (if applicable) and editing. The whole crew will get it.

Finally, a well-defined theme drives the performance of the actors. In my opinion, a well-written script makes it much easier for directors to direct. First, you tend to get higher quality actors involved because a solid script will attract the best talent. Secondly, a well-written script layered with subtext and plotlines aligned with the theme of the story practically direct the actors itself. I’m reminded by what Paul Thomas Anderson said about his experience on Boogie Nights, which he wrote and directed. “If I’ve done my job as a writer, then for me directing is just having fun watching the actors doing their thing”.

Now as far as memorizing lines is concerned, I can go either way. There are simply no rules where this is concerned. I’ve worked with actors who did not begin to memorize their lines until they were on the set. If that works for them, more power to them. Many times, depending on the project, rehearsals can be a very rare asset in pre-production. Sometimes, this can work to the projects advantage, however. Sometimes this proves to be challenge.

Ultimately, the job of the actor is to deliver on the emotional through line of the character that he/she plays in a truthful manner. The director’s job is to make sure he is getting the performance that serves the story. I’d also like to say that trust is an important element between the directors and the actors, and between the actors themselves. Now we’re getting into a tricky area here, because every story and every project is different, so I’m not going to go into the psychology that goes into making a movie. There have been many projects out there where things go wrong - people are pissed off, and relationships are broken, but somehow the movie gets made, and it turns out to be an awesome work of art.

Lastly, I’d like to say that I love actors. I love them because they’re brave. I love them even more when they bring a character to life in a truthful way. I love it when they are in the moment and they are discovering and are alive on the set. Most people can tell when this happens, and when it does, it’s pure magic. I’d even make the stretch and say that it’s better than sex. Well, almost as good as great sex. There are many actors who can duplicate life brilliantly. Every detail will be correct, beautifully observed and perfectly reproduced. But many times I find one thing missing, however. The character’s not alive. I don’t want life reproduced up there on the screen or in front of the camera. I want life created. The difference lies in the degree of the actor’s personal revelation.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a script to go fix. ;-)