Directing: Eyes Are The Window Of The Soul...

An old proverb proclaims “The eyes are the window of the soul”, and many acting practitioners believe the eyes are where an actor can give his best performance.

The actor has many tools that he can use to express his performance.

• Voice
• Language
• Memory
• Imagination
• Intelligence
• Life Experience

The list goes on…

However the two eyes embedded into your actors face are the most powerful tools for conveying thought. Yet many directors choose to present us with scenes that show us the actor in a profile shot.

— This is a profile shot —

Of course, there are situations where it is a common notion to use a profile shot, such as an exchange in dialogue that requires the use displaying the background, or a romantic love scene, and so on.
However when possible try to place the camera so that the audience is able to see the whole of the actor’s face. It is extremely rare that the human face is perfectly symmetrical, and different sides often portray different looks. The quote “Make sure you get my best side” from vain actors comes to mind.

If a photograph is taken of one side of the actor’s face then another photograph of the other side, there will be a notifiable difference of how one looks. The audience will be robbed of the true emotion conveyed through the eyes of the actor if only one side of his face is shown.


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