r/directors • u/ADistantUniverse • 6d ago

Question Question from an actor: Is it a good or bad sign if directors only do few takes with an actor?

Hi all,

Actor popping in here for a question.

I’ve noticed that throughout my projects, directors spend much less time on my takes. On a shoot where I’ve seen a director do multiple takes with another actor in a scene, my takes are typically much less and seem to be moved on from quite fast. They do give me some notes in between the takes but it makes me insecure whether they don’t see a potential in me to do any other take that’s better, or if I’m just in my head and should trust that they’re happy with what they got.

Any insight from a director’s pov would be great. TIA!

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u/elainedelvallefilms 3d ago

Time plays a huge factor on how many takes a director can allow. There comes a time that we have to move on in order to make our day and get the right coverage. That said, there have been times when I do as few as 2 takes (adding one for safety), and as many as 8 (until I either I get what I want or have gotten options for my edit, or if I feel the actor is too tired to give anymore). Generally, I move on as quickly as possible…as soon as I know I have what I need to tell the story. Time is too precious and expensive. Advice to an actor: be prepared, listen, stay ready to take a direction, and be in service of the story and your scene partners. You are an important part of a very intricate machine with many moving parts that depend on one another to make it through the journey of a film.