How to Direct Actors: Getting Great Performances on Any Budget

If you want to direct actors well, you need more than a great shot list and a strong visual style. Performance is what makes an audience believe your film. As the director, you’re responsible for helping actors find truthful, specific, memorable performances that serve the story—and that work has to begin long before you call “Action.” The choices you make in preparation, the environment you create on set, and the way you communicate can determine whether a performance feels flat or elevates your entire film.

The challenge is that every actor works differently, and what motivates one performer may completely shut down another. You may know exactly what you want from a scene but struggle to communicate it in a way an actor can immediately use. Add limited rehearsal time, tight shooting schedules, budget constraints, and the pressure of keeping an entire production moving, and directing performances can quickly become one of the hardest parts of the job. You need to know how to build trust, give clear and actionable direction, recognize when to push and when to step back, and keep each performance consistent across the larger emotional journey of the film.

In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you’ll learn directly from acclaimed producer and director Josh C. Waller, who co-founded SpectreVision with Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah and helped bring acclaimed films including MANDY, COLOR OUT OF SPACE, DANIEL ISN'T REAL, THE GREASY STRANGLER, COOTIES, and A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT to the screen. Josh has spent his career working with actors and filmmakers on ambitious independent productions where strong performances have to be achieved within real-world schedules and budgets. As both a director and producer, he understands not only how to communicate with actors in the moment, but how those performances ultimately serve the finished film.

Josh will show you how to prepare for stronger performances before production begins, create trust with your actors, communicate direction they can actually use, adapt your approach to different performers, shape character arcs across an entire film, and get the most out of your cast regardless of your budget or schedule. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask Josh your questions during a live Q&A. You’ll walk away with practical techniques you can use on your next production to communicate with actors more confidently, work more efficiently, and direct performances that make your film stronger.