I want to read you a tweet that went out recently from a director by the name of Chris Peckover.
To give you a little bit of backstory, I had a coaching client that came to me for a session, he had been given an appointment to audition for Mr. Peckover’s film called “Limbo” and as I always do in preparation for every coaching session I start my research on the project before I ever take a look at the material. And, by the way, if that’s not also your process, if that’s not your approach to every audition is starting with the world of the project first? You’re missing out.
I wasn’t familiar with this particular director. I am now! So, I Googled him. I wanted to find out what other projects he had written and directed – just find out more about him. And I happened upon his Twitter page (and you never know what kind of gold you may come across when you go to someone’s Twitter page). This is what he had just tweeted:
To give you a little bit of backstory, I had a coaching client that came to me for a session, he had been given an appointment to audition for Mr. Peckover’s film called “Limbo” and as I always do in preparation for every coaching session I start my research on the project before I ever take a look at the material. And, by the way, if that’s not also your process, if that’s not your approach to every audition is starting with the world of the project first? You’re missing out.
I wasn’t familiar with this particular director. I am now! So, I Googled him. I wanted to find out what other projects he had written and directed – just find out more about him. And I happened upon his Twitter page (and you never know what kind of gold you may come across when you go to someone’s Twitter page). This is what he had just tweeted:
“I’m deep into casting LIMBO *squeee!* and an actor wanted feedback because reps thought her tape was the best audition she’d ever sent and I didn’t respond. Actors hear from coaches all the time about how to audition, but not from directors as much. So…let’s talk auditions.
This particular actor and her reps were understandably befuddled: she had clearly understood and conveyed the intentions of each moment in each scene. So why didn’t I ask her back? I can’t speak for all directors, but I’m betting many would share my answer, and it’s a common one.
Even though she got the point of each line, I didn't feel much watching her performance. No tension. Or connection. Or anticipation. The scenes felt like we were moving along a conveyor belt of dialogue I’d written.
In short, she was acting more as a blank slate for the role than giving it any "life beyond the lines.” Conveying every moment at face value. Exactly as I’d written it, but without the subtext.
I think that's what’s missing from many actors’ auditions…subtext. The thoughts and feelings behind the lines. Because THAT'S what the camera catches in its intimacy. Not the intention of the words, but the intention BENEATH the words.
As a director, subtext in performance is crucial. If an actor doesn't surprise me, if they don't breathe their own life into the role, then the performance will never surpass what's on the page and will remain two-dimensional on the screen.
(As much as I’d love to think my writing is damn fine, the truth is there is one-dimensional character writing and there is two-dimensional, and only an actor’s internal life can breathe that third layer of complexity into a character.)"
In other words, it is YOU the actor who makes the work 3-dimensional. Without you putting your YOU into it, creating backstory, building up the history of the character, having something churning on the inside that’s behind the dialogue that sometimes has nothing to do with the dialogue because as you know, words are only words. And ALL of life is subtext. Oh I could preach on and on! He continues…
"Again, I can't speak for all directors, but I don't give a shit if you forget some lines or if you need to read from the page. What I'm looking for is the life beneath the words.
What's she hiding? Wait, do they know each other? Oh, he's done this before... Why isn't she making eye contact? Hold on, this is a sad scene, so why is she covering a smile?
And again, I can't speak for all casting calls, but the scenes we choose often have more going on than the lines indicate. So choose a direction. Doesn't even matter if it's the one I intended. At least I know this character has a pulse, and I'll want to see more."
He is basically asking you Please bring your own take to the character. Give me something that’s there that perhaps I didn’t see but supports my story as I’ve written it on the page!
What does it mean to take a smart risk? A smart risk is one that’s grounded in story first. There is nothing more important to a writer than the story that they are trying to tell. So as an actor, if you are bypassing understanding the fullness and the scope of the greater story that’s being told through this project that you’re auditioning for and how your character serves that story…without such understanding you can not take smart risks. You won’t know what’s a smart risk!
If you’re creating a moment and taking a risk just for the sake of taking a risk and trying to be interesting… Oh how can I be brilliant today?!...you’re probably not serving the story. Because you’re operating from a self-interested core instead of a story-connected core Wait…what’s the writing trying to accomplish here?. There’s a big difference.
He puts an addendum on his tweet…
"ADDENDUM: This is all assuming that you have control over your audition. That the character is complex on the page, that you're not physically wrong for the part, that the director knows what they want, that that that...
Often you don't have any control. This thread is meant for anyone who's ever felt perfect for an amazing role and did everything word for word but maybe didn't take the time to build a character simmering beneath the dialogue."
What’s going to separate your work from the rest of the pack is exactly what he’s talking about here. What’s the history of your character (background & history). What happened in the moments leading up to this moment? (moment before). What are the stories in the history of your character (memories & events) that keep bombarding their mind (distracted thoughts) triggering reactions to other things that have nothing to do with the stories from the past? What are the details?
If you’re not taking the time to build your character with these elements, then it’s more than likely going to be a one-dimensional or two-dimensional, safe, predictable read [insert yawn here], and you’ll get a…Thank you...(sigh)… thanks for coming in. Next!
I encourage you to follow Chris Peckover, send him a tweet and reference this video. Tell him thank you for taking the time to put into words so eloquently (clearly he’s a good writer) what every actor needs to hear. Because he didn’t have to do this, he did not have to send out this tweet. He could just have just gone about his merry day casting his project not thinking about sharing his perspective at all. But he chose to. So clearly this man, clearly this director cares about you the actor and wants you to understand where his mind is coming from, and also hopefully give you more inspiration to take more freedom with the work.
Like he says, the lens craves that kind of intimacy that can only take place beneath the dialogue, under the words, in the thought life and in the heart.
The writer gives us the landscape of the story. The writer gives us moments to consider – a thread to hook our choices onto. Everything else, in building up how you move along that thread? That’s our jurisdiction, and he’s saying Please take charge of it and bring something into the room that I didn’t expect.
So, thank you Chris Peckover! Hats off to you, Sir! 👍
This particular actor and her reps were understandably befuddled: she had clearly understood and conveyed the intentions of each moment in each scene. So why didn’t I ask her back? I can’t speak for all directors, but I’m betting many would share my answer, and it’s a common one.
Even though she got the point of each line, I didn't feel much watching her performance. No tension. Or connection. Or anticipation. The scenes felt like we were moving along a conveyor belt of dialogue I’d written.
In short, she was acting more as a blank slate for the role than giving it any "life beyond the lines.” Conveying every moment at face value. Exactly as I’d written it, but without the subtext.
I think that's what’s missing from many actors’ auditions…subtext. The thoughts and feelings behind the lines. Because THAT'S what the camera catches in its intimacy. Not the intention of the words, but the intention BENEATH the words.
As a director, subtext in performance is crucial. If an actor doesn't surprise me, if they don't breathe their own life into the role, then the performance will never surpass what's on the page and will remain two-dimensional on the screen.
(As much as I’d love to think my writing is damn fine, the truth is there is one-dimensional character writing and there is two-dimensional, and only an actor’s internal life can breathe that third layer of complexity into a character.)"
In other words, it is YOU the actor who makes the work 3-dimensional. Without you putting your YOU into it, creating backstory, building up the history of the character, having something churning on the inside that’s behind the dialogue that sometimes has nothing to do with the dialogue because as you know, words are only words. And ALL of life is subtext. Oh I could preach on and on! He continues…
"Again, I can't speak for all directors, but I don't give a shit if you forget some lines or if you need to read from the page. What I'm looking for is the life beneath the words.
What's she hiding? Wait, do they know each other? Oh, he's done this before... Why isn't she making eye contact? Hold on, this is a sad scene, so why is she covering a smile?
And again, I can't speak for all casting calls, but the scenes we choose often have more going on than the lines indicate. So choose a direction. Doesn't even matter if it's the one I intended. At least I know this character has a pulse, and I'll want to see more."
He is basically asking you Please bring your own take to the character. Give me something that’s there that perhaps I didn’t see but supports my story as I’ve written it on the page!
What does it mean to take a smart risk? A smart risk is one that’s grounded in story first. There is nothing more important to a writer than the story that they are trying to tell. So as an actor, if you are bypassing understanding the fullness and the scope of the greater story that’s being told through this project that you’re auditioning for and how your character serves that story…without such understanding you can not take smart risks. You won’t know what’s a smart risk!
If you’re creating a moment and taking a risk just for the sake of taking a risk and trying to be interesting… Oh how can I be brilliant today?!...you’re probably not serving the story. Because you’re operating from a self-interested core instead of a story-connected core Wait…what’s the writing trying to accomplish here?. There’s a big difference.
He puts an addendum on his tweet…
"ADDENDUM: This is all assuming that you have control over your audition. That the character is complex on the page, that you're not physically wrong for the part, that the director knows what they want, that that that...
Often you don't have any control. This thread is meant for anyone who's ever felt perfect for an amazing role and did everything word for word but maybe didn't take the time to build a character simmering beneath the dialogue."
What’s going to separate your work from the rest of the pack is exactly what he’s talking about here. What’s the history of your character (background & history). What happened in the moments leading up to this moment? (moment before). What are the stories in the history of your character (memories & events) that keep bombarding their mind (distracted thoughts) triggering reactions to other things that have nothing to do with the stories from the past? What are the details?
If you’re not taking the time to build your character with these elements, then it’s more than likely going to be a one-dimensional or two-dimensional, safe, predictable read [insert yawn here], and you’ll get a…Thank you...(sigh)… thanks for coming in. Next!
I encourage you to follow Chris Peckover, send him a tweet and reference this video. Tell him thank you for taking the time to put into words so eloquently (clearly he’s a good writer) what every actor needs to hear. Because he didn’t have to do this, he did not have to send out this tweet. He could just have just gone about his merry day casting his project not thinking about sharing his perspective at all. But he chose to. So clearly this man, clearly this director cares about you the actor and wants you to understand where his mind is coming from, and also hopefully give you more inspiration to take more freedom with the work.
Like he says, the lens craves that kind of intimacy that can only take place beneath the dialogue, under the words, in the thought life and in the heart.
The writer gives us the landscape of the story. The writer gives us moments to consider – a thread to hook our choices onto. Everything else, in building up how you move along that thread? That’s our jurisdiction, and he’s saying Please take charge of it and bring something into the room that I didn’t expect.
So, thank you Chris Peckover! Hats off to you, Sir! 👍