Welcome to the immersive learning lab for speaking the language of actors
You’re confident in your camera angles, you live for lighting and lenses, maybe you've even been directing for a while now. The technical stuff you’ve got locked down.
But actors… how do they actually work? Where’s the knob that dials their energy up or down? Or the secret switch that turns an ok performance into a great one?
Well there might not be a knob or a switch... but there are some magic words - a whole language, in fact - that will transform your ability to get the performance you’re looking for.
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Whether you’re directing dramas, comedies, or even commercials, getting fluent in Talking to Actors will totally transform your work.
Maybe you've felt stuck when an actor:
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Kept giving the same performance
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Didn’t understand your note
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Kept saying the line wrong
Or maybe you've been disappointed when you:
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Got a less than stellar performance from your actor
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Lacked choices in the edit
Or maybe you've been frustrated when:
You’re directing a commercial and the client wants something, and you keep redirecting the actor, but the actor isn’t nailing it and your client is getting antsy.
That’s why the Talking To Actors Essentials Course gives you :
When You Learn the Language of Talking To Actors...
You'll Gain:
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ROCK SOLID SKILLS AND CONFIDENCE in your ability to get great performances from your actors
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CONTROL OF YOUR VISION. You know what you want, now learn how to get it.
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THE REPUTATION YOU'VE DREAMED OF. Become known as the director who knows how to get great performances. You may think this is just for narrative film and theatre, but it holds especially true for directors on commercial sets where you have a whole committee with opinions sitting behind you called The Client. Even if the actor gives you a fine first take, 9 times out of 10 the client is going to want something different, and often they’ll want multiple options, so your job as the director is to efficiently translate what the client wants into playable direction for your actors. You’ll impress your client and keep them coming back to you when you show them you know how to get the performance they’re envisioning.
The only time directors ever get practice working with actors is on the job.
How bonkers is that?
Imagine if you were a weightlifter who never went to the gym in between competitions? Directors need ongoing training just like actors and athletes.
You'll Save:
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TIME & MONEY. I have witnessed SO many shoots wasting time and money - even going into overtime or requiring reshoots - because the director didn’t know how to get what they needed from the actors. When you can communicate your vision effectively to the actor you’ll get the performance you want a lot sooner.
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THE DAY. I'm talking about crew morale here. I'm sure you've been on a set (maybe yours, maybe not) where the director was struggling to get what they needed from the actor, and you started to feel the morale of the crew deflate. Soon frustration and malaise seeped into every department, and production began to slog. But you have the power to change that as the director. When you know how to talk to actors, you can keep the creative energy high and set a positive tone for your whole production.
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YOUR SANITY. There’s enough stuff for you to stress about on set. Directing the actors should be the fun part. And it IS when you know how to speak the actor’s language.
If you’re a director (film or theatre!) who has the tech stuff dialed in and is ready to delve deeper into the human side of the equation… the Talking to Actors method is for you.
Don't go into your next project without knowing how to Talk to Actors
The Talking To Actors ESSENTIALS Course
You'll Learn:
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How to Translate Your Vision into Playable Direction.
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How Actors actually Work, and Why they’re So Weird**
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How to Get Great Performances
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How to Avoid Performance Killers
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The 3 Most Common Mistakes Directors Make
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The 3 Things That Can Unlock A Scene
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The 7 Essential Tools for Giving Great Notes
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What the Heck Subtext Really Is and How to Use It
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Specific Ways to Troubleshoot Tough Situations
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How to Use Backstory to Elevate Your Directing
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How to Run A Great Rehearsal - Whether You’ve Got 5 Weeks or 5 minutes
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The Key to Casting
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**I say this with love because I am one.
Whoa, that's a lot. I know. That's why...
I'll Be Here To Support You With:
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Two LIVE Zoom Q&A Sessions
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Answers To Your Questions As They Come Up In Comments
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CLASSMATES. You'll be enrolled in the course in a "cohort", which means that even though you can go at your own pace, you'll have "classmates" who are taking the course at the same time. Because doing big things in isolation sucks. You need people you can brainstorm with, commiserate with, and celebrate with!
And the support doesn't stop there...
You'll Get:
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Two PDF Cheat Sheets You Can Keep and Use Forever!
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"The Director's Scene Prep Cheat Sheet"
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"The Director's Backstory & Character Prep Cheat Sheet"
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20% Off Registration to My Next LIVE Zoom DIRECTOR'S GYM training session where you get to direct actors with realtime coaching from me
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FREE ONE MONTH Trial Membership to the Talking to Actors Community where you'll find:
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Exclusive Mini-Lessons
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Monthly Guest Workshops by Directors With Niche Expertise (like Directing Kids, Directing for TV, Directing for Animation, Directing Live Theatre, etc.)
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Access to My Weekly "Ask Me Anything" Office Hours
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Priority Booking for One-on-One Consults
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Supportive Forums with Likeminded Directors
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15% OFF All of My Live Workshops and Intensives (both online and in-person)
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(I want first dibs on signing up.)
About Me
Robin Vada Song - Directing Coach
I started teaching micro-lessons on Instagram, and this happened...
After many years of working behind the camera as a producer, 1st AD, and Director (credits include shorts that have screened in Oscar-qualifying festivals like Dances with Films, a host of features, and a bevy of commercial work for clients like Amazon, Adidas, Kodak, Xerox, and Intel.)
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And in front of the camera as an actor (credits include Hulu's "Shrill", Investigation Discovery Channel's "Wonderland Murders", and a ton of commercial work for clients like AT&T, NBA, Goodwill, HP, Intel, Amazon, etc...)
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And managing an acting studio (Act Now with master teacher Jana Lee Hamblin)...
I noticed one thing over and over...
More often than not, directors don't speak the language of actors - and therefore they miss out on the the chance to get the actor's best performance.
So I started posting tips for directing actors on Instagram. Just micro-lessons a minute or two long. And the response was staggering.
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That gave me the push I needed to launch my Director's Gym LIVE Zoom workshops, in which directors get to work out their mental muscles by directing live actors in an actual scene with realtime coaching from me.
When those directors in my workshops asked for even more, I created the Talking To Actors: ESSENTIALS course, and I've made it my mission to help directors speak the language of actors so they can get great performances.
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Hang Out With Me On Instagram
The ESSENTIALS Course is Launching SOON
Wait, tell me more about this...
In the meantime you can jump into a LIVE Zoom Director's Gym Workshop.
Get on the email list to get notified when sign ups open.
The Director's Gym LIVE Zoom Workshops
The only time directors ever get practice working with actors is on the job.
How bonkers is that?
Imagine if you were a weightlifter who never went to the gym in between competitions? Directors need ongoing training just like actors and athletes.
That's why my 3-Hour LIVE Zoom DIRECTOR'S GYM Sessions give you a chance to direct professional actors with realtime coaching from me.
REVIEWS:
"No matter what level of you are at in your directing journey I would recommend this as an essential course to take.”
“I have always found trouble trying to clearly communicate what I want out of an actor but Robin's Directors Gym helped take the theory and help me put it into practice. "
"I'm eager to utilize these tools on my next set!"