Directing Non-Actors Without Losing the Day | Catch Lyt

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To be an actor or not to be an actor that is the question?

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Most of the people in education and corporate films are not actors. Treat them like actors and you will lose the morning.

 

They are students, teachers, staff and senior leaders who agreed to appear in service of a message. The craft is making them comfortable enough to be useful on screen — without turning the process into a performance class.

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1. Give one action, not a sequence

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“Walk to the desk and sit” is usable. A paragraph of blocking is not. Simplicity survives nerves.

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2. Show the frame when you can

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Point at the mark. Show the move on your phone. Description at length makes people act. Demonstration lets them do.

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3. Keep the gap between takes short

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The longer they have to think about how they look, the more self-conscious they become. Reset fast. Roll again.

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4. Trust the early takes

The best moments from non-actors often live in take one or two, before overthinking arrives. Chasing a “better” version can move you further from the behaviour you wanted.

Over-directing is one of the faster ways to make a real person look unnatural. The job is not to extract a performance. It is to create conditions in which something genuine can appear.

 

 

 

 

 

Learning summary

1. They are not actors. Don’t direct them as if they were.

2. One clear action at a time.

3. Show the move; don’t lecture it.

4. Short gaps between takes.

5. First takes are often the true ones.

6. Comfort is the performance.

 

 

Useful reading

1. Film Riot — working on real sets: youtube.com/@FilmRiot

2. The Slanted Lens: youtube.com/@TheSlantedLens