Director’s Notes is a series where I share what I see from the other side of the camera.
Actors often ask me: “How long does it take you to decide?”
The honest answer is uncomfortable. I don’t decide in ten seconds. But in the first ten seconds, I already know a lot. And most of it has nothing to do with the lines.
1. How you enter the room
The audition starts at the door, not at the first line. Do you walk in like a guest who is apologising for being there, or like a colleague who came to work? I am not looking for confidence as a performance. I am looking for calm. An actor who is calm in the room will be calm on a set at 2am when we are behind schedule.
2. Whether you are present
Some actors arrive still “in their head”: rehearsing lines, scanning the room, worrying. Others actually arrive. They look at me, they hear my question, they answer it. Presence is the foundation of everything we do in front of a camera, and I can see it before you say a word.
3. Whether you look like your photo
This sounds superficial, but it is about trust. If the person in front of me looks very different from the headshot I chose, I start wondering what else will be different on the shoot day.
4. How you listen
Before we start the scene, I usually say something: a note, a little context, a joke. I watch what happens. Do you take it in? Do you adjust? Or do you nod and then do exactly what you rehearsed at home? Listening is the skill I value most in an actor, because a film is made of a thousand small adjustments.
5. Your first choice
When the scene starts, I am not looking for the “right” interpretation. I am looking for a clear, committed choice. A bold choice I can direct is worth far more than a safe, vague one I can’t. If I give you a note and you can change direction completely, now I know I can work with you.
What this means for you
You can’t control whether you are what the project needs. That depends on the story, the other actors, sometimes the client. But you can control the ten seconds that tell a director who you are as a collaborator:
- Enter calmly, as a colleague.
- Arrive fully. Leave the traffic and the nerves outside.
- Look like your photos.
- Listen, really listen, to what you are told.
- Make a clear choice, and be ready to change it.
Those ten seconds don’t win you the role on their own. But they decide whether I keep watching with curiosity, or start waiting for the next actor.
Robin Schroeter is a director, actor and acting coach in Bangkok, who teaches at MasterClass Studio. Want to train with him? Book a free consultation.