Andy Rydzewski, Cinematographer: I often find myself surprised when I'm on set
and it's time to do a scene and this person's been around and then all of a sudden
the camera's rolling and this like they morph into something else.
Film Courage: How do an actor is the “real deal?”
Andy: I suppose like anything there are many different ways for actors to be quote unquote
good or bad and I think you can I've started to think about them a little bit like athletes and
some work harder than others some have some natural talent
but there are also specialty kind of approaches like let's say like a
quirky actor like a specialty three-point shooter it doesn't mean that this person is good at all
the things but cast correctly casting I guess is really part of it if they're in the right spot you
put them in a position to succeed so one person can really shine if they're in the right role
and it's a well-written role of course whereas that same person you could see on a different
set on a different day in a different role and you're like I don't know about that like it's so
there are a number of factors that said every once in a while and I would not know how to to quantify
it but every once in a while I find myself behind the camera and I'm watching something I'm like oh
this person's going to be around forever like you there's just something I mean I guess back in the
day you would think of that like oh they've got it I hesitate to put it that way but that said
I have seen that I've seen actors were like oh like that's me I had I had the good fortune of
working with Matt Damon on on a tiny little like a youtube thing I watched George Clooney work and
they are so prepared and so comfortable there's like a confidence that they carry with them
they treated everybody around them phenomenally well they were very loose but then when it came to
time to work they could snap right in you could tell they had done the work
so all all of this stuff whereas other actors come they don't know their lines and so I think
part of it is just preparation truly and on set that comes across as like wow they're
really talented but really it's just that they put in the work so I think that's part of it but
I often find myself surprised when I'm on set and it's time to do a scene and this person's
been around and then all of a sudden the camera's rolling and this like they morph into something
else so I don't know where some of these things come from I know some of it is work it's prep
but some of it that maybe there is just a natural thing I don't know I don't know
it's a little bit of magic I think I don't know I continue to wonder the same thing
yeah what other qualities are you looking for in an actor it's interesting so for me
because I have no power over choosing an actor in my position as a cinematographer the actors are
chosen so whoever's there like I'm gonna do whatever I can do with them
there are little treats that some actors bring there are some actors who just physically their
eyes will catch a light really well they have like big or big brown eyes let's say and they just
almost no matter where they are they'll always catch a little bit of light and then some actors
their eyes are a little like deeper I think I have kind of smallish eyes
and it can get tricky because like an eye light can go a long way when you're lighting
somebody in terms of creating an empathy there's something really magical about an highlight and
some actors it's hard to get the eye light you're like trying to find the spot and some of them
won't take it so I mean that's a that's a purely physical thing that they have no control over so
there are like treats like that sometimes I'm like all this and skin tones different actors they have
you're just like oh this like takes the the warmth really well so there are little things like that
but a I mean I guess as with most people on a set there really is to somebody being kind
and professional being prepared that's a actually preparation is maybe one of the biggest things
because we I've a number of times in my life we I have with the director we plan this shot where
oh they're going to take them out the door we're going to dolly all the way down and then they sit
here and then they're going to interact with this person and get in their car and go and then the
actor can't get through their lines and you have to re-approach the entire scene and do it because
somebody doesn't know their lines and sometimes that's hard because they have a ton of lines and
that's brutal I wouldn't be able to do that but sometimes it's a lack of preparation so I guess
yeah I suppose for all the all the random things I just named
I want a prepared actor somebody is taking it seriously because like it it affects my ability
to do a good job if somebody comes in unprepared so I think something as basic as that is about
all you can ask from somebody is don't be a dick and be prepared that's that goes a long way so if
someone is not prepared then you're doing numerous retakes people are reading them their lines it's
constant yeah there's there's constant like you have to reset you have to take it all in pieces
and if they can only get a few lines at a time it means you have to cut to something else because
in the edit you need when they're when they're resetting you have to cut so it's forcing your
hand in an edit and you have to rethink the way you're building a scene which can mean
this is not the way we intended or this isn't this isn't going to feel the way we want this to feel
but you have to because and and look I say that as though it's really easy that you're
doing a shoot especially if there's one or two lead characters and they have to memorize lines
for 15 weeks every day and scripts are being rewritten it is a big ask that is a big load
that these actors are carrying like I really I empathize with them it's really hard acting is
I know we all tend to think of it as like oh celebrity and you're famous and
it is brutal it is hard work especially if you're on a tv show scripts are changing you have
tons of dialogue and then on top of that you have all these people whispering in your ear I have to
gauge when we do it let's say we're shooting a scene and an actor on top of all their lines
maybe a director gives them direct oh no this part don't forget you need to be sad in this little
thing but then come back up but then for me I maybe need an actor to land in a certain spot and
maybe they haven't and I will have to gauge going back to reading the room if they seem overwhelmed
I won't give them that note on the first take I will like let them get a little more comfortable
and then if I can do anything on my side to adjust maybe we tweak a light maybe I move my camera
then i'll do that otherwise I'm waiting until they're comfortable and then as gently as I can
just like hey don't forget like after you get up from the dinner table I need you to land in
this area and I have to be very careful because I am lower priority you want the performance to
to work if the performance doesn't work it doesn't matter how pretty my light is
you want the performance to lead so for me I have to make sure an actor is comfortable and that they
feel comfortable with me and then gauging when they're too overwhelmed or it's okay now to give
them a no or sometimes some directors prefer me to give notes sometimes I go to the director and
I say hey you need to remind them that they have to get to this area and things like that
so there are lots of little things that actors are constantly being bombarded with it's it's
so I think for for a cinematographer or a camera operator it's really important to have empathy
and realize that these actors even if you don't like them they are carrying a lot and you need
to protect them and their space their head space and the physical space that you're working in yeah
that's why I always and I've said this numerous times when people say oh well so-and-so doesn't
want to hang out in between takes and they just go back into their dressing room I think that they
would need that time oh man I would not I would definitely not hang out in between takes like
there's no way there's just so much and people especially if an actor has any kind of celebrity
people get a little googly eyed and a little and they want to interact they want to be able
to go home to their spouse and just be like I was talking with George Clooney about chicken today
but they are there's so much going on for them so I do my best to
like just stay out of their way because there's there's really a lot of people are really pulling
at actors attentions same with directors too but it does they don't have usually that
celebrity attached and people get…people get weird around celebrity unfortunately.
Question For The Viewers:
Who is the best actor
you have ever worked with? Give them a shout out here.