Essays on Filmmaking by Bill Olson

Action and Cut

It’s your first time acting in a film. Here are some tips for understanding what to do as shooting begins and ends. We all know that directors signal the beginning of a scene by saying “Action,” and the end by saying “Cut.” Actors inexperienced at filmmaking, however, may find some confusion in how to follow those commands.

When the director says “Action,” some actors begin their performance immediately. This is a problem if the performance begins with dialogue, since the dialogue may overlap the director saying “Action.” This will make the beginning of the scene unusable. When you hear “Action,” count in your head up to three.

When the shot ends, wait until the director says “Cut.” Sometimes there may be a long silence after you finish your performance. You’ll feel nervous and confused, wondering what to do next. Don’t let this bother you, just wait for the word “Cut.”

Directors often like extra room at the end of a scene – a lingering reaction shot. It allows her/him to fade to black, dissolve to another scene or to allow the viewer to spend a moment alone with the character, to perhaps gain some empathy for him/her.

In Hollywood, actors are often trained to freeze at the end, like with the TV news. I prefer to let the scene continue without giving the actor any direction. Some actors improvise stage business, some give poignant facial expressions.

On one film I produced, the director and I were watching the dailies – the footage we’d shot earlier that day. At the end of a scene, an actress sat silently, waiting. Then she looked at the director. He told me, “Look, she’s telling me how to direct.”

A couple years later, an actor I directed would improvise his own dialogue. Some of his dialogue was good enough to make it into the finished film.

Some actors, upon finishing a scene, will immediately ask the director, “How did I do?” Always stay in character, letting the most natural feelings and actions flow from you until the director tells you the scene is over.

On the "Ironside" TV series, an episode director never said cut. One scene ended with Don Mitchell pushing Raymond in his wheelchair through a door. The director did not say “Cut,” so, Don pushed him outside, down the street and into a neighborhood bar. After a while, the director came running in yelling, “OK! Cut! Cut!”

Dressing for TV and Video

When we give a public presentation before a crowd of cheering fans, we tend to dress in a way that's comfortable and attractive. TV and video is more complicated, however. For example, there are certain colors and types of fabric that one should avoid.

One should always avoid wearing the colors white, black and red.

White appears too bright, causing the camera iris to close down. This will leave the rest of the scene too dark.
Black often disappears, especially if the background is black.

Red appears too over-powering and often bleeds.

It's a good idea to ask the director or host what color the set background will be, because any color can fade into a background of the same color.

If a chroma key effect will be used, it's important to know if blue or green will be used for the "process screen." Talent appearing on the show should avoid wearing anything close to the chroma key color or s/he will be disappearing.

Clothing containing intricate patterns can cause a vibrating appearance. Herringbone stripes are a good example of this.
Audio is also a concern. Talent should not wear nylon or other material that make a lot of noise. This will be picked up on the microphone and will make listening to the program very unpleasant.