…in the form of a workman like explanation for the absolute need for an objective for a character in a scene in a film or play.

An important thing to remember about objectives its that they don’t have to be realistic. People don’t always know what they want; what they want is not necessarily something they can have; and they don’t always do the right thing to get it.

— Directing Actors by Judith Weston

The curious question now is why am I reading about book about directing actors? I don’t honestly know other than that I don’t know how to do it and lots of times when I don’t know something I feel compelled to learn it.

The book is well worth the read if you’re interested in how actors work without wanting to delve into acting classes and years of painful study. It’s a kind of overview for the outsider, and especially the director, hence the clever title, that might have to prod an actor to get an emotional place that works.

The book is even worth the read to someone who’s curious as to how the human mind works. There’s no technical science here. There’s no psychology and sociology citations. What is in the book is lots of anecdotal insight to the way the way people act. What’s even more interesting is to put yourself into the mindset of the actor while your reading and try to dredge up memories, specific clear emotional moments and think of how you might apply them to another moment.

I was doing this last week and inadvertently put myself into a miserable emotional state that’s only just beginning to work itself out. Oy.

So be careful out there. Sense memories filled with emotion are a powerful thing.