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Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television
Internationally-renowned directing coach Weston demonstrates what constitutes a good performance, what actors want from a director, what directors do wrong, script analysis and preparation, how actors work, and shares insights into the director/actor relationship.
314 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
November 11, 2012
This is MY FAVORITE book on not only directing, but acting as well. I think it is a MUST-READ for all directors and actors alike. No matter where you are in your career or training, whether you're in film school or acting school or in high school, in Hollywood or Bollywood, American or Armenian, you need to read this book if you are interested in pursuing acting and/or directing as a career or a hobby or as an art or beyond.
I myself am an actor. I have been studying acting my entire life, taking various workshops and going through conservatories, film and acting schools, being in a million productions including theatrical plays, musicals, operas, commercials, short films, and feature films. I have read many books on acting in all its methods as well as other aspects of filmmaking. Something I love about this career is that it is a life-long journey filled with constant challenges and learning opportunities. But I wish I had read this book sooner, because it would have saved me a lot of time figuring things out.
This one book has put together all of the most valuable information together on acting in one source, defined perfectly for directors to use (obviously directors need to understand what actors do, so as an actor, don't you think this might have some insight for you? Yes. It does). Every line I read felt like a shortcut from what took years of training for me to figure out, perfectly defined, right there. I found myself wanting to highlight so much that I gave up because I decided the whole book would end up yellow. There is so much insight into the actor's world that is imperative for every director to know. Actors are strange creatures...there really is an art to learning how to work with them and get their best performance out. And actors - this book helps us define and direct our own complicated selves and processes. Directors and actors use a lot of the same tools, so this will help everyone speak the same language!
I have actually met Judith Weston, the author, on a couple occasions. She has a studio in Los Angeles where she holds directing and acting workshops and other special events. Judith is truly generous with her knowledge, and I felt very comfortable and welcomed in her presence. I have not taken any of her workshops yet, but I have heard great things and I am sold on taking one soon! But whether or not you have the pleasure of meeting Judith or the opportunity to take her workshops, you should definitely read and study this book.
I myself am an actor. I have been studying acting my entire life, taking various workshops and going through conservatories, film and acting schools, being in a million productions including theatrical plays, musicals, operas, commercials, short films, and feature films. I have read many books on acting in all its methods as well as other aspects of filmmaking. Something I love about this career is that it is a life-long journey filled with constant challenges and learning opportunities. But I wish I had read this book sooner, because it would have saved me a lot of time figuring things out.
This one book has put together all of the most valuable information together on acting in one source, defined perfectly for directors to use (obviously directors need to understand what actors do, so as an actor, don't you think this might have some insight for you? Yes. It does). Every line I read felt like a shortcut from what took years of training for me to figure out, perfectly defined, right there. I found myself wanting to highlight so much that I gave up because I decided the whole book would end up yellow. There is so much insight into the actor's world that is imperative for every director to know. Actors are strange creatures...there really is an art to learning how to work with them and get their best performance out. And actors - this book helps us define and direct our own complicated selves and processes. Directors and actors use a lot of the same tools, so this will help everyone speak the same language!
I have actually met Judith Weston, the author, on a couple occasions. She has a studio in Los Angeles where she holds directing and acting workshops and other special events. Judith is truly generous with her knowledge, and I felt very comfortable and welcomed in her presence. I have not taken any of her workshops yet, but I have heard great things and I am sold on taking one soon! But whether or not you have the pleasure of meeting Judith or the opportunity to take her workshops, you should definitely read and study this book.
November 9, 2022
Soooo useful. Gives me a lot more confidence for approaching the craft of directing actors. Some golden advice, communicated very clearly and understandably, from someone who has obviously had years of experience in this craft. Highly recommend for any aspiring director but also actor!
June 18, 2014
changed my world :D
October 24, 2020
تقريباً ده الكتاب الوحيد اللي شاءت الظروف إني أشتريه مطبوع ومسموع وكيندل. كتاب رائع وملهم ويجب أن يُقرأ أكثر من مرّة للالمام بمحتواه الدسم.
May 13, 2023
As an actor, as a teacher, as a child, I have been rescued by characters in stories—over and over. I owe them.
Sometimes the best tool for the job, is the tool for a different job...
I have 187 highlights in this book and I skipped 4 out of the 12 chapters.
So this is essentially written to directors to help them think about scripts/characters in a way that will a) help them communicate with actors more effectively [see: problems you didn't know existed] and b) hopefully make better movies, TV, etc.
I have no interest in acting or directing, (or writing screenplays), but a screenwriter whose advice I find very helpful, Glenn Gers, mentioned it was useful, and damned if he wasn't right.
Some of it will be of very limited (or zero) interest to fiction writers [see: those 4 chapters I mentioned], but on the whole I think it's worth the time.
Now I have to revisit one section, figure out how to print out a couple of the appendices, and probably type up my own sheet of another since it's stupidly made up of low-res images in the ebook.
July 16, 2022
This book. I don't even know where to begin. It's not just that reading this book has made me a better director; I think it's made me a better person. I've caught myself using some of her principles of connection and communication in my day-to-day life.
It's no exaggeration to say that this book has fundamentally reshaped my understanding of what it means to be a director. It has single-handedly graduated me from being an amateur who struggled tremendously with communicating to actors, to someone who at the very least, is starting to understand what she's doing.
Now of course I'm chomping at the bit to put these principles I've learned into practice. And I certainly will.
It's no exaggeration to say that this book has fundamentally reshaped my understanding of what it means to be a director. It has single-handedly graduated me from being an amateur who struggled tremendously with communicating to actors, to someone who at the very least, is starting to understand what she's doing.
Now of course I'm chomping at the bit to put these principles I've learned into practice. And I certainly will.
November 25, 2019
Honestly the best book there is about directing. My teacher recommended this book to us and i would too suggest every director and especially everyone who desire to become a director to read this (not bad for actors either). I really enjoyed reading Weston's book and learned a lot.
October 7, 2022
The bible for aspiring screenwriters, directors, and actors. Seriously: the amount of knowledge and insights she packs in one book is astounding. Script analysis, emotional beats, subtext—all those concepts that tend to be vaguely defined, she thoroughly explores, illuminating all of their depth. Lucidly written, concise, often times funny, and simply brimming with wisdom—if this book doesn’t change the way you think about stories, then I don’t know what will.
At the heart of every insight one finds again and again that it all revolves around people and their emotions. Whether that’s how a plot is brought to life by the emotional events in it, or how one can’t expect actors to fabricate emotions out of nowhere—the basis of it all is understanding that a director (and more generally: a storyteller) needs to attune their behaviour to other people’s emotions, and to their own too. This is why Weston really hammers on the idea of listening and asking questions. It is also why she asks you to see casting not as hunting, but as creating a family, and rehearsing as gardening: cultivating, tending, and exploring beautiful moments with the actors. It is also much more fun—and a great deal of filmmaking is process-driven, so you better make sure that process is not a drag.
The idea of seeing scripts as mysteries full of clues instead of a mere blueprint is also fascinating and can certainly change the way one looks at stories. One is no longer a simple translator that takes written events at face value and presents them on screen, instead one becomes a detective trying to piece together the lives and emotions found within a script. This requires interpretation, ideas, and a great deal of imagination. And of course, this forces you to ask questions and look at things from multiple different angles—never taking anything for granted. Because it is only when one’s gone through multiple ideas that an assumption becomes a choice. And the only way of telling a story is by making choices.
At the heart of every insight one finds again and again that it all revolves around people and their emotions. Whether that’s how a plot is brought to life by the emotional events in it, or how one can’t expect actors to fabricate emotions out of nowhere—the basis of it all is understanding that a director (and more generally: a storyteller) needs to attune their behaviour to other people’s emotions, and to their own too. This is why Weston really hammers on the idea of listening and asking questions. It is also why she asks you to see casting not as hunting, but as creating a family, and rehearsing as gardening: cultivating, tending, and exploring beautiful moments with the actors. It is also much more fun—and a great deal of filmmaking is process-driven, so you better make sure that process is not a drag.
The idea of seeing scripts as mysteries full of clues instead of a mere blueprint is also fascinating and can certainly change the way one looks at stories. One is no longer a simple translator that takes written events at face value and presents them on screen, instead one becomes a detective trying to piece together the lives and emotions found within a script. This requires interpretation, ideas, and a great deal of imagination. And of course, this forces you to ask questions and look at things from multiple different angles—never taking anything for granted. Because it is only when one’s gone through multiple ideas that an assumption becomes a choice. And the only way of telling a story is by making choices.
February 26, 2024
This book contain some of the most useful and insightful lessons on directing actors that I have ever digested. It is a true masterclass of directing from Judith Weston that I was able to learn a lot from. It deeply covers all aspects of the directorial process from script analysis, to casting, to improv, to genre, to verbs/imagery, to resourcefulness, to experimentation and I was able to draw so many new lessons and ideas from it. I also watched a lot of her workshop interviews while reading this book and was able to retain a lot of her useful insights. I would highly recommend this book to both directors, writers, and actors in order to further understand the psychology of characters and interpretative language in filmmaking.
October 27, 2021
Concise and insightful, this changes the game for me and lives up to the hype set by every student and professor at my school. Judith walks a fine line between offering concrete, playable advice and acknowledging that some aspects of the actor/director process will always be ineffable.
There are some points where Judith offers conflicting advice, but this is only because there are so many different ways to direct effectively, depending on the situation.
There are some points where Judith offers conflicting advice, but this is only because there are so many different ways to direct effectively, depending on the situation.
April 1, 2023
aprendí mucho. me hice bolas en una parte pero siento que si me va a ayudar en futuros rodajes. conclusion: actuar es todo un pedo y mis respetos para la gente que lo hace. lo mismo va para gente que dirige.
March 21, 2025
One of my directing teachers that I connected to told us to read this book just before she got kicked out of school leaving me with directing teachers that I can't identify with, so this has been my film school since then.
Read
August 27, 2022I, II, III, V, VII, & IX - would read again before each time i direct
Read
December 12, 2024been reading this for school and it taught me more then the actual class on directing did???
January 28, 2023
I loved this book and I honestly think anyone who manages people for a living should read it. So many lessons about leadership and empathy.
January 18, 2025
Some great food for thought funneled through sluggishly stale sentences and repetitive academic exercises. I was between reading this and Sidney Lumet’s book, and I fear I made the incorrect choice� especially when one considers how often Weston references Lumet’s writings as means to prove her own points.
May 7, 2025
i forgot to log this but love judith<3
May 30, 2015
The book is best seen as a template. I believe the readership is best served by people who are building a career or at least engaged interest in film directing or film acting, who already come with that core knowledge of what comes with using a camera to make art.
What I mean by that is is the reader brings a lot of their own energy to a book like this. If you don't see yourself dealing with this kind of stuff, it may come across as too imprecise and inarticulated.
Weston writes in a pointed but conversational way, and it's like conversation to the point that she repeats her points a lot. But it works for a film director, or at least to me, because the problems are pointedly repeating themselves in real life. The inauthenticity of the performance on camera, the inability to communicate with the actor, these things keep coming up, because that's what's the director's dealing with on set.
In a way, I feel like the book could've used some editing. Weston makes some very concise and salient points, but her attempts at colorful anecdotes or celebrity namedroppings sometimes elongate her point of view into boredom. But it's not an insufferable boredom either.
And it's a commendable effort to get at something that feels very intangible, and this is what is "good" for a film actor, the organic recitation of canned lines.
What I mean by that is is the reader brings a lot of their own energy to a book like this. If you don't see yourself dealing with this kind of stuff, it may come across as too imprecise and inarticulated.
Weston writes in a pointed but conversational way, and it's like conversation to the point that she repeats her points a lot. But it works for a film director, or at least to me, because the problems are pointedly repeating themselves in real life. The inauthenticity of the performance on camera, the inability to communicate with the actor, these things keep coming up, because that's what's the director's dealing with on set.
In a way, I feel like the book could've used some editing. Weston makes some very concise and salient points, but her attempts at colorful anecdotes or celebrity namedroppings sometimes elongate her point of view into boredom. But it's not an insufferable boredom either.
And it's a commendable effort to get at something that feels very intangible, and this is what is "good" for a film actor, the organic recitation of canned lines.
September 11, 2024
Я настільки крейзі задрот що я зробила конспект на 38 сторінок по цій книзі, енджой!
Але вона � скарб! Не тільки в режисурі, але й в житті.
❤️ «Вам не потрібен ідеальний актор, якого не треба направляти, вам треба той чиї плюси будуть надихати настільки, що ви погодитися миритися з мінусами».
Але вона � скарб! Не тільки в режисурі, але й в житті.
❤️ «Вам не потрібен ідеальний актор, якого не треба направляти, вам треба той чиї плюси будуть надихати настільки, що ви погодитися миритися з мінусами».
February 27, 2025
Westonin opit ovat yleispäteviä niin telkkaa, leffaa ja teatteria ohjaavalle. Aikamoinen tiiliskivi kyseessä, mutta etsivä kyllä löytää tarvitsemansa. Toimintaverbien hahmottaminen ja käyttö jäivät vaikuttamaan työkalupakkiini.
Ohjaaja voi harjoitella joka päivä kehittyäkseen ammatissaan. Lue. Käy museoissa. Seuraa dokumenttiohjelmia. Uneksi. Kuuntele salaa. Kerro lapsille satuja. Neuvo kysyjälle reitti hyvin. Ole ihminen, jolle toiset uskoutuvat. Opiskele ihmissydäntä ja koeta ymmärtää, mikä kutakin ihmistä ajaa tekoihinsa. Pidä hyvää huolta omista muistoistasi.
Älä anna pelon ohjata. Ohjaa itse. Älä sano koskaan: "En voinut muuta."
Ohjaaja voi harjoitella joka päivä kehittyäkseen ammatissaan. Lue. Käy museoissa. Seuraa dokumenttiohjelmia. Uneksi. Kuuntele salaa. Kerro lapsille satuja. Neuvo kysyjälle reitti hyvin. Ole ihminen, jolle toiset uskoutuvat. Opiskele ihmissydäntä ja koeta ymmärtää, mikä kutakin ihmistä ajaa tekoihinsa. Pidä hyvää huolta omista muistoistasi.
Älä anna pelon ohjata. Ohjaa itse. Älä sano koskaan: "En voinut muuta."
June 19, 2017
Though the book is officially aimed at film directors, and their need to understand how to direct actors, there is far more in this book. It offers both directors and actors a great deal of help, looks at the various approaches to acting (including the Method and such) and offers many helpful suggestions and techniques for all kinds of situations that arise for actors, and between directors and actors.
Having done a little directing and some acting as well, I really enjoyed this, and found it helpful in ways to think about any future work I do in these areas.
Having done a little directing and some acting as well, I really enjoyed this, and found it helpful in ways to think about any future work I do in these areas.
November 30, 2018
As much a resource for actors as directors. Tbh, I found it more insightful than anything I encountered during acting classes; it actually digs beyond the prescriptive in a way that resonates, no matter which side of the lights you're on. To the topic tho, most directors fail pretty hard in communicating with actors (connecting, too--connection is so important!), which too often results in contrived, inauthentic performances. If this book were required reading for directors, of whatever stripe, that might not be the case.
February 6, 2018
I think this book is essential if you want to know about actors and and how you can go about dealing with them. Though, a director evolves his own way of directing actors, which may vary project to project, this book has many 'do nots' that a new director might find useful. Having directed many commercials and short films, I find Judith very wise.
June 8, 2020
This book is packed with so much information. It's incredibly well written. Love it. I read books that claimed to reveal all the secrets and insights of the industry, yet they don't. Here the author doesn't claim anything, yet delivers it all.
Read
March 18, 2024Lang geduurd voor ik dit uitkreeg. Ik snap niet precies waarom iedereen dit als leidraad pakt voor acteursregie, er worden gewoon ontzettend veel open deuren ingetrapt 300 pagina's lang.... En ik kan je zeggen het betert niet naar het einde toe...///
May 15, 2018
Judith Weston is my hero.
April 3, 2025
An easy, encouraging read by Weston who provides some intangible and tangible tips for working with actors, storytelling, and the directors craft. Interesting to learn more about the language and mechanics of working with actors, building a character and stories, and navigating all the creative, operational, and technical duties of being a director.
My favourite part was that I felt like Weston had great insights into human behaviour.
- Give people the benefit of the doubt, everyone tends to believe they are trying their best
- Language of persmission
- Allow people to creatively fail, to do this you need to provide a safe environment for them
- Be interested in everyone you meet
- Hold back judgment
- Be a good listener, an active listener
In terms of film-making, she also had many interesting tidbits:
- Map out relationships between characters, this is the driver of the story
- Whats the through line? Whats the objective?
- Acting is a reflection of human behaviour and humans are complex. People tend to contradict themselves and this honest tension should also exist in acting
- Find common ground to relate to each other
- Come up with alternative ideas when youre stuck to spark creativity
- Be clear about what you want in each scene
Overall, a good perspective on the never-ending responsibilites of the director and how to better connect with their actors to help build the characters and the story. She includes material on script analysis, holding effective rehearsals, working with children, and more tangible tools in the glossary for strong communication and framing. She has a positive and light tone throughout which was nice vs Lumets "Making Movies" (my favourite) the tone felt heavier, but also more passionate. She clearly likes holding workshops to help film-makers in their interactions with their cast.
My favourite part was that I felt like Weston had great insights into human behaviour.
- Give people the benefit of the doubt, everyone tends to believe they are trying their best
- Language of persmission
- Allow people to creatively fail, to do this you need to provide a safe environment for them
- Be interested in everyone you meet
- Hold back judgment
- Be a good listener, an active listener
In terms of film-making, she also had many interesting tidbits:
- Map out relationships between characters, this is the driver of the story
- Whats the through line? Whats the objective?
- Acting is a reflection of human behaviour and humans are complex. People tend to contradict themselves and this honest tension should also exist in acting
- Find common ground to relate to each other
- Come up with alternative ideas when youre stuck to spark creativity
- Be clear about what you want in each scene
Overall, a good perspective on the never-ending responsibilites of the director and how to better connect with their actors to help build the characters and the story. She includes material on script analysis, holding effective rehearsals, working with children, and more tangible tools in the glossary for strong communication and framing. She has a positive and light tone throughout which was nice vs Lumets "Making Movies" (my favourite) the tone felt heavier, but also more passionate. She clearly likes holding workshops to help film-makers in their interactions with their cast.
April 15, 2024
When I first started reading this book, a friend at work and I were looking for books and literature to prepare us for a company filming project. We were trying to understand how directors ran sets and gain quick tips and tricks that would help us better manager our crew and actors. I wasn't a fan of reading it at the beginning because I was trying to sift through all of the deeper knowledge and framework to find the best answers to questions I had already put in place. I thought Judith was very boring and contrived, but after my filming was done, and I had all my quick fix answers, I picked up the book again because it was still on my task list. This time I read it in a different head space. I saw things on a deeper level, and I still found my cool tricks and tips but, this time, along with much more valuable lessons and meanings and reasonings. I'm a big fan of repetition, and I hated her writing this way at first because of the stress I was under, but I was able to see the value again. Honestly, there's value everywhere here, and almost more so in the chapters I didn't think I needed to read or would learn from with my previous schooling. This review was more for me to look back on, but if you read this, I encourage you to read the book.
October 9, 2022
In a week, I’m fixing to direct my first film since college, and my first ever to feature professional actors (in my past work I’ve intentionally sought out non-actors for the authenticity they bring, as well as improv comics). So needless to say I’m pretty nervous, but this book did make me feel a little bit more sure of myself. Directing Actors is a very technical book, and the title sums it up: Weston assumes you already know everything else about filmmaking, and instead of contributing to the slew of cursory guides out there, dives deep into just one subject. The main idea she is focused on is authenticity, and how to get it out of your talent; a lot of this involves “tricking� the actor into using their subconscious mind to inhabit a character instead. There’s even a workbook section on script analysis (which I didn’t do!) A lot of the concepts are pretty conceptual but Weston brings them all to light with both her personal experience and examples from Hollywood.
April 18, 2020
An honest and direct and ultimately very helpful guide to the relationship between director and actor. Weston's experience seeps through every section, supporting her advice and offering simple clarity. Sections in the middle drag and become repetitious, but but overall the advice contained here is well worth the investment. Anyone interested in directing actors, or in learning just what a director's (or even actor's) job is on a film, should check this out.
Audiobook notes: read by the author (available unabridged on Spotify). As you'd expect for an actor, her delivery is varied and heartfelt, although as with all narrators she has some quirks that may become tiresome after long periods - but Weston's aren't too bad. Her firm but gentle delivery rings with affection for her craft and the authority of experience. A very good reading.
Audiobook notes: read by the author (available unabridged on Spotify). As you'd expect for an actor, her delivery is varied and heartfelt, although as with all narrators she has some quirks that may become tiresome after long periods - but Weston's aren't too bad. Her firm but gentle delivery rings with affection for her craft and the authority of experience. A very good reading.
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