Thursday, April 22, 2021

 Listening 

 

One of the more difficult crafts that an actor must hone is the ability to listen 

and react to their fellow actors in-character.  You often hear that from actors 

in interviews as they explain the progression of their craft.  Listening and reacting 

appropriately adds to the reality that the audience needs to suspend belief and buy into the programs conceit. 

 

You would think that listening to a conversation and reacting as our selves should be natural but on a lot of shoots it’s not.  This is especially true when non – professional talent are being interviewed.  Oft times the interviewer will show up with a list of questions and rattle them off without listening to the reply which can be very disconcerting for the talent.  They are already in a precarious situation, surrounded by strangers standing in the dark with a camera pointed at them and a boom mike hovering overhead.  Without positive feedback or a clear indication that what they’re saying is being understood, doubt starts to creep in and nerves start to fray.  The best interview performances come from an energetic conversation where both parties talk to each other, listen and react.  Engaging conversation starts with a willingness to explore a topic, to be truly interested in the subject matter and to regard the talent as an expert that needs to be heard.  Active listening, energetically following up with questions to clarify what was just said inform the talent that you’re involved in the conversation not reading off a list and judging their performance.  It also requires preparation, knowing the subject matter, what points you need to get for the program and perhaps a little bit about the about the talent’s interests to get the conversation started.  It also needs the willingness of the interviewer to jump in and be excited about what they're learning in order to keep the energy level up, to follow up with questions that keep the conversation going while checking off the points you need to get for your program. 


A great Interview starts with preparation, a willingness to engage in meaningful conversation and most importantly listening.