Corporate Media Production, 2nd Edition

Human Aesthetics

If a film or television program is skillfully written, care- fully prepared down to the tiniest detail, and lit and shot with great professionalism, but its actors lack cred- ibility, viewers will “turn off ” to it at once. By contrast, a talented cast performing in a program prepared and shot by mediocre standards may be not only acceptable but actually gripping to its audience.

Actors are the human part of the director’s illusion. They are what viewers identify with most and, as such, are without question the most critical elements on the screen. It stands to reason, then, that the most impor- tant tasks a director ...