Wild Boys would have been a completely different movie if we didn’t have rehearsals. The first time we got Kate, Vincent and Jordan together to play with some scenes we discovered something that made us rethink the entire film.

This week I want to talk about the power of rehearsals:

• How we used rehearsals to rewrite Wild Boys
• The myth preventing directors from using rehearsals
• Why rehearsals are an indie director’s best friend

Rehearsals are a controversial topic for actors and directors. Some love them, some hate them.

I believe they’re an essential tool for improving performances, and fostering trust between you, the director, and your actors.

Let’s roll.

The myth preventing directors from benefitting from rehearsals

The discussion on rehearsals tend to boil down to “do or don’t.” A rehearsal myth prevents a lot of up and coming directors from growing in their craft. It usually boils down to something like “I don’t rehearse, because I want the performances to feel fresh on set.”

This fear of losing freshness or spontaneity is utter horse shit.

At its heart this logic is rooted in fear. Both actors and directors fear they’ll be found out somehow. The director will be revealed to not be any good at working with actors. The actors will prove that the prep they did isn’t good enough.

So instead of getting together and working through the material beforehand, we show up on set, and whatever happens happens. And when it’s not working, you scramble, freak out and drama ensues.

When you don’t spend the time up front to rehearse you’re giving up the ability to shape the performances to your story. In the long run you're risking the quality of your film, only giving yourself one shot to “get it right.”

What you gain from working with the actors in a rehearsal is infinitely more valuable than the imaginary “spark” you lose on set.

The logic of “freshness” is so flawed it blows my mind. By this logic, take 1 would always be the best take, and shooting coverage would be every director’s nightmare.

We both know that’s not true.

Every performance is premeditated to some degree. There’s a script, there’s an actor and director’s prep work. A rehearsal is a natural step in the pre-production phase where the actors and director get to work together to shape the performances for the film.

Look at theater for example. The director rehearses for months with the actors before it premieres. Once the show starts playing it goes on. Sometimes for years. Actors have the wonderful ability to keep a performance fresh, whether it’s shot 1, take 1 or shot 47, take 8. Trust the actors you cast to deliver on their end, and don’t use this lazy excuse for not rehearsing.

To show you how important rehearsals can be, let me tell you a story...

How one rehearsal triggered a complete rewrite

What if the Wild Boys were non-verbal?

Amazing idea, we thought. Until we had our first rehearsal that is.

In the first draft of our script, the Wild Boys were a lot wilder than they are in the final movie. In our first rehearsal with Kate, Vincent and Jordan we played around with the scene where Kate meets the boys. The boys were monkeying around, grunting and snuffing.

But the lack of language made everything feel flat.

We saw the potential for comedy, but the main conflict became the characters trying to understand each other. That was not the movie we wanted to make.

I’m so grateful we made this discovery early. Without it we would have spent months going in the wrong direction. The reason I’m sharing this story is to illustrate that rehearsals aren’t just about practicing a scene, or getting things to work. It’s as much about discovering what doesn’t work.

If you can highlight your story’s weaknesses in the rehearsal phase, you have a great chance to fix them before you start shooting.

There are a few reasons why we were able to make this discovery during rehearsal.

• We created a low-risk, no pressure space for rehearsing
• We came in with an open mind, and tried lots of different things.
• We were early in the writing process, and weren’t hellbent on sticking to what we’d written if it didn’t work.

These early rehearsals helped build a foundation of trust between me and the actors, which served us well during the stress of production.

Why you need to make rehearsals your best friend

One of my main principles of indie filmmaking: fix the film when it’s the cheapest.

Writing will always be the cheapest way to fix something that’s not working. But fixing something in rehearsal, with just you and the actors is way cheaper than trying to figure out a scene on set with a full crew on standby waiting for you.

If we had to pivot on set when we realized the non-verbal Wild Boys weren’t working, we would have been screwed. Instead we spent lots of time rehearsing, refining and discovering before we got on set, so we’d be able to make our crazy 10 page shoot days.

As a director you should be thrilled about rehearsing. It’s the one time during the entire filmmaking process where you get to spend quality time with your actors. Rehearsals are inherently low-risk. You get to play around, make mistakes, uncover things you never expected.

It’s magical.

It’s also a great time to bond with your cast. Acting requires tons of vulnerability. As directors it’s our jobs to make sure we have a relationship with our actors where they feel safe bringing that vulnerability to our film. This requires lots of trust. And trust is hard to build in the chaos of production. You’re being pulled in a million directions, and your time with your actors is limited.

That’s why you need to build a strong foundation before shooting.

I find it fascinating to think about how much time you spend with your other collaborators in the prep process. Hours of meetings with department heads, location scouts and one-on-one creative sessions. But without rehearsals there’s no formal time for you to work with your actors.

Arguably one of your most important jobs.

A director’s role is bringing the best out of their collaborators. In rehearsals you have the time to lay the groundwork for that with your cast. Don’t miss out on it.

PS: I know a lot of directors are scared of actors. If you come from a more technical background, dealing with actors can be intimidating. If this is you, rehearsals are 10x more important. If you want to be a great director, working with actors is required. Insist on rehearsing with your actors. Talk story, listen and be open to learning. Actors aren’t that scary when you get to know them.