REHEARSE EVERYONE. Rehearse as many of the actors as you can as much as you can. This one thing will save you so much time (and that means money) that it is mind-boggling that it’s not done more often.

Typically, actors arrive and are expected to launch into production immediately. A conscientious director will have at least spoken to them about their character and scenes, but sometimes even that doesn’t happen. Anthony Hopkins once remarked that he was amazed at how some directors came to the set “stunningly unprepared” to do their work.

Well, rehearsal is the business of every producer and director. It’s the producer’s business because if they schedule a rehearsal for the principal actors, potential readings and blocking can be worked out in advance. Normally, producers don’t like rehearsals because they see it as an extra, unnecessary expense. This is being penny wise and pound foolish. What really costs money is the director and actors searching for their characters and moves on the set. Dozens, sometimes hundreds of people stand around waiting, while the meter runs. Most of that could have been avoided by having just a few days of rehearsal.

On The Prankster, we brought most of the principal young actors to the location about four days before the commencement of photography. This gave us a chance to do a thorough read-through of the script, and also gave them a chance to get to know each other. We also worked individual scenes and explored character. This work was unbelivably fruitful. On the set, it spared me the heavy lifting with the actors. They all knew pretty much where they were going with the characters and scenes, and only minor adjustments were required.

The rehearsal period is also invaluable because it gives you, the filmmaker, an opportunity to see the script played out in advance. In the process, you have one last chance to notice and fix (hopefully) any script problems. No, this is NOT the time for a wholesale rewrite of the script. You have to be strategic, to pick your battles, and make the best out of what you’ve got.

That is, in essence, what being a director is all about. To be strategic. To be a wise project manager. Don’t spend all morning getting a fancy tracking shot that’s only an eighth of a page, when you have to make 5 pages a day. Don’t do 23 takes looking for the perfect performance, when one of the first three or four is going to play perfectly fine. I could go on, but I will spare you.

So much of being a good director is just common sense. Be polite to people, keep things moving, do your homework, be prepared. Besides the rehearsal, the director should also spend some time the night before each shoot, going over the shooting schedule, making notes on how they want to shoot the scenes. All of this may go out the window when you get to the location, but it may not. In any case, it gets you that much closer to your goal, which is a viable rendering of the script.

So always rehearse the cast as much as you can. And during the shoot, when you are waiting for lights, rehearse some more. You will know when you’ve done enough. Then stop. Some actors worry about getting stale. I tell them that the choice they make in rehearsal is only one possible choice, that may or may not be repeated. We are not setting lines – we are just warming up for the real deal.

Last but not least, remember to have fun.  It is a privilege to be making a movie.  Don’t let your dreams be a burden.  Laugh a little.  It’s not what you do, but how you do it that counts.