[Watch the video interview on Youtube here]
Film Courage: What stops an actor from sharing themselves and their work?
Tom O’Brien, Writer/Director/Co-Founder of Scene Study LA: Trust, if they don’t trust the director, if they don’t trust their fellow actors, if they don’t feel safe, they will tighten up, tense up. Whether I’m on set or in class, it’s just building that trust, making them feel that it’s a safe space for them to open up and try things. I think that’s the most important thing that I do as a director, as an acting teacher is creating that space where everybody can relax and play and find different things and try different things.
Film Courage: What if they don’t trust themselves? Can you see this versus they don’t trust others?
Tom: Yeah, you can see them editing themselves, you can see them being self-conscious. Again, that comes back to creating that safe space where you’re encouraging them not like picking out negative things that they’re doing but coming at it from a more supportive, encouraging, positive place. Actors are really sensitive creatures, and I know having come from acting, one little note can really get in your head and throw you off. I have to always keep myself from giving a good note too because sometimes that’ll throw them off. If you say Oh, I love that moment, do that in the next take. I love that moment where you guys said that thing and then the next take you can see them in their heads sort of…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
About:
Tom O’Brien is a Los Angeles based writer/director. He teaches acting and writing at Scenestudyla.com. Tom’s first feature film, Fairhaven, Starred Chris Messina and Sarah Paulson and was a critics pick in the New York Times.
Tom’s second feature, Manhattan Romance, starring Katherine Waterston and Gaby Hoffmann was distributed by Netflix worldwide. Tom’s online series, OM City, that he created with his wife, Jessie Barr, was a New York Times Critic’s TV Pick.
CONNECT WITH TOM O’BRIEN
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