ABSTRACT
The innate realism of photography makes us expect psychological realism from film actors, so film directors need to understand the craft of acting, and even become something of a drama coach. Communicating with actors in an inspiring and productive way is at the core of directing and will become film directors' lifetime’s work. A misplaced prop, a wrong line from another actor, or something in their eyeline distracting them—any of these can disrupt the actor’s attention. A trained actor will know how to sidestep the impending self-consciousness and regain focus. Actors are called such because they act on each other, and then, by watching and listening to other characters, allow themselves to be acted upon. The actor neither notices nor reacts to the query in another actor’s voice, or to the glance of surprise or a slight gesture of submission.
