I'm about to go off the deep end.

this isn't a plea for help because i don't want anyone's sympathy. i just want advice. I'm trying not to whine.

I've made many many movies. A lot of them close to feature length. But i've just taken up a project where something peculiar is happening.

My lead actor is extremely abstract, unpredictable, and has frequent mental breakdowns during the shoot. It is far too late into the movie (ABOUT 7 months of production, on and off, due to numerous catastrophic unpredictable occurences) to kick him off, so i have to deal with him. I don't know what to do.

I'm beginning to pull my hair out. He doens't memorize his lines. He stays up all night for god knows why. He doesn't ever eat. He is a powermachine in school and is always on a HIGH LEVEL OF STRESS.

It is bringing the whole movie down. People have committed HOURS to this film and school is about to get out. It is way overschedule and things are going to hell.

How do i deal with actors. How can i get them through a scene w/o him breaking down and the whole performance goes to sh**.

I'm running on fumes here

I've had to deal with actors who didn't give a **** and I had to threaten them to make them show up- and sometimes they didn't. But I've never worked with someone who just flipped out and went crazy. Goof off, yes, but they usually wanted to get things done right in the long run.

The best thing I can tell you is use reverse psychology. I've read a lot of different ways directors get the right performances out of their actors, and usually none of them just say "go, do it". You may have to trick him, in a way. I don't know, I know that wasn't much help, but I feel bad for you and I can sympathize. I really hope you get this **** done, just don't give in and keep pusing yourself until the end. I know how that stuff can completely drain you...like completely. I think we all do.

Have you considered a lobotomy?

Kill him off (in the movie I mean).

Or find actors that are more stable. I've never had this kind of problem because I tend to avoid involving people like that in my projects to start with... you're stuck with it now.

Also, a 7 month production schedule is making your life much worse. Even if you can only shoot on weekends you really need to get the project done faster before people lose interest or get angry.

lol... I know all about long, frustrating productions. A friend and I started shooting a film in the summer of 2004, featuring a Senior and a Junior. We were sophomores. Then, the senior cut his hair for the school play, our camera broke, and we were forced to recast it (same junior, now a senior, and a kid from our grade.) Scheduling was impossible and then he cut his hair too. We're probably starting over this summer. Just thought I'd give you something to sympathize with yourself.

As far as actors go, I've worked with some bad, bad actors who are nightmares on set... distracting, spacey, obnoxious and downright stupid. The way I've been able to get through to them most often was simply getting tough, which might not necessarily be the best strategy in this case.

Are you paying him? If you are, you can remind him of that. If not, maybe you could work a deal out... tell him to get it together in exchange for a little cash. Assuming you've got the budget to do so, which i highly doubt.

If he's super sensitive, you should learn to love the phrase, "that was great, but..." Nothing like boldfaced lies to boost an actors morale.

write a script where the charcters confront him
personally

you must have room to make things work

You should just be recording his behavior, make it into the character somehow, its who he is. plus it sounds interesting, i wanna see.

Sometimes that **** happens. Offer him an incentive to do what he needs to do, have something he likes to eat on the set.

I'm beginning to pull my hair out. He doens't memorize his lines. He stays up all night for god knows why. He doesn't ever eat. He is a powermachine in school and is always on a HIGH LEVEL OF STRESS.

Your description makes me think that the lead actor has no motivation; he underestimates the project. There are a lot of those actors, who get motivated only if you film your film on 35mm and have other so-called high-production values. Some amateuractors live in belief that somekind of glamour lies on the set. Filming usually isn`t such glamorous, hardwork instead.

If the lead doesn`t remember his lines, maybe you should rehearse with him or make the lines fit more to his mouth. Make him comfortable on the set. Maybe he doesn`t like to be there for some reason, figure out what that is. Require more involvement from him, or say good byes.

If all of the above fails, slap him around a bit.

One time I tied an actor to a chair and had the AD beat him with a riding crop until he remembered his lines. That was a pretty good actor with a sense of humor, though, so it probably won't work for you. Sorry, and I have to agree with the idea of trying to kill off his character as quick as possible. I'm in a much less severe situation and considering the same now.

quote:

Originally posted by Dirty-Harry:
Your description makes me think that the lead actor has no motivation; he underestimates the project. There are a lot of those actors, who get motivated only if you film your film on 35mm and have other so-called high-production values. Some amateuractors live in belief that somekind of glamour lies on the set. Filming usually isn`t such glamorous, hardwork instead.

I don't know how many times this has been the case!

I haven't had to deal with anything like that before. However, when we've got someone not paying attention I just talk to him with someone else. Many people will not go along with just one person no matter who it is, but if it's 2 - 1 that they need to pull it together, they'll go along with it.

quote:

Originally posted by Darko667:
wah wah wahh I'm running on fumes here

Don't be so emo.

How about don't be a douche Flash the Stampede. This guy has a real problem, which most of us have probably been there. ****, it took me 8 months to do my last feature due to actors not showing on schedualed dates and hissy fits on sets. Actors for some bizzare reason are an unstable lot, (unless they are into community theatre for some reason), and one breaking down and being unreliable can kill a film. The only thing I can suggest is look at your script, see if anything can be cut, shortened, ect. and SCREAM THROUGH IT. Get the damn thing done. God, this last film, I had to cut the script by 25 pages just so it seemed more feasable to complete. Why? *****y actor wanted to cut his hair and couldn't, "take it anymore." Oh and one actually thought he was a vampire and could commun with the forest. Yah, that guy got lost in that forest and we had to go drag him out. He almost quit on us because he, "Couldn't handle the fact that no one took him seriously." And as I told him, "As an actor I take you seriously, you're good. I however do not beleive that you are a vampire, the reincarnation of King Arhtur (and if he was then man Arthur must have some bad karma) or have any crappy "magick" to speak of. You are carbon based like the rest of us and we need you to go out there and do what your good at, act. Stop whinning and be a professional."

It worked for a while, luckilly he stuck around and finished the film and signed the releases and now refuses to speak to anyone involved in the production ever again. Meh, he's a fruitloop and really needs to get a life and move out of his parents house. Did I mention he was 28? Oi. It sucks when you can't find stable people who can act, that's what gets you in the situation you are in and I've been in. You get stuck with the fruitloops, the drugies or the really really bad actors. I'm moving to Portland and leaving Olympia behind me, I've heard they have a lot of actors down there. Gona go see for myself.

Signed,
William

Wow. Just wow. I am so glad I've never had to work with an actor like that *knocks the crap out of wooden desk*