Yesterday I went to the Australian Screen Directors Association (ASDA) Capturing Performance Workshop. Nina Landis presented a session on ‘The Art and Nature of Acting’ which examined the history of acting techniques and their influence on current methodologies. She gave a historical overview of Konstantin Stanislavski, Michael Chekhov, Uta Hagen, Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg and the relationship between the methodologies that they practiced. I found the seminar very interesting as I have a strong interest in performance. Stanislavski in particular was a prominent influence in my acting studies at The Victorian College of the Arts. Nina illustrated how Adler and Strasberg had interpreted Stanislavski in very different ways and the how this had influenced and informed their different style and working methodology.

‘Love not yourself in art, but the art in yourself’ (Stanislavski).

Dennis O’Rourke presented a seminar on ‘Capturing Character in Documentary’. Dennis has directed a number of documentaries including The Good Woman of Bangkok (1991), Cunnamulla (2000) and more recently Landmines: A Love Story (2005). He used examples from these films to illustrate his process for developing character, performance and story. Dennis emphasised the importance of familiarity with the people or person central to the story. In contrast to the ‘fly on the wall’ observational documentary he talked about the necessity that the filmmaker immerse them self in the story. He believes without that level of immersion and familiarity the story will lack intimacy and emotional integrity.

Kate Woods presented a fantastic workshop on ‘Directing Actors’. She worked with two professional actors firstly with a scene from Wild Side and then with a scene from Changi, to illustrate different rehearsal techniques. The techniques that Kate used to develop the scene from Changi strengthened the actors’ performances significantly in a very short space of time. Despite the material being new to the actors, they were able to deliver a convincing performance that evoked a strong emotional response from the audience. At one point one of the actors started crying and Kate questioned him about whether his character would reveal that emotion despite the intensity of what he was feeling. In response to her feedback he swallowed back his tears and composed himself, which strengthened his character by layering sub-text with text. It was very moving to witness this process in such a transparent way.

I was awed by Kate’s sensitivity to the actors combined with her ability to provide strong direction at such a vulnerable moment. It is a delicate process to negotiate. In reflection of my own practice I know that I have the sensitivity to the actors process but I wonder whether I would be able to stand outside the actors space and provide that level of direction. I was so emotionally absorbed by their performance that I would find it difficult to say anything at point in the scene like this.

Generally the workshop wasn’t as hands-on as I had expected, but it encouraged me to consider the approach that I will take to directing the documentary for Trades Hall, about women and work. It was also fantastic to see some of the techniques that an accomplished director, such as Kate Woods, uses with actors. I am interested in exploring some of the text-based methods that Kate used in my own work.

I was, however, amazed at how gender specific the language that the presenters used was. There were numerous references to ‘camera man’, ‘lighting guys’ and ‘his’ or ‘he’. I think it is also interesting to observe that the characteristics that some successful female directors embody reflect characteristics displayed by their male peers. This is common in male dominated industries and reminds me of the culture that existed in outdoor education when I was working as a teacher. In the past there has been pressure on women leaders to adopt behaviours of their male peers in order to succeed in their chosen careers. I think younger women who assert their own style of leadership have challenged this culture in many industries. I think some industries that remain male dominated are still trying to challenge these stereotypes. Given the ratio of female to male directors, I think we are yet to expereince the cultural shift that has occurred in some other sectors.