All language subtitles for Action verbs versus adjectives

your ultimate goal is to have your talents

performance be truthful

and one of the best ways to help them achieve that

is to use action verbs instead of adjectives

when providing them with direction

this helps your talent do what's called

being in the moment

focusing on the details of what's happening right now

in the scene

directing with action verbs

rather than using adjectives

let your characters do things

rather than just say things

be excited or be disappointed or be sad

makes actors make faces

not actually experience emotions in the moment

when you don't use action verbs

performances come off as false

and definitely one dimensional

using adjectives just describe the result

actors will focus on achieving just the result you want

that they're sad

and not being a character that's interesting

instead of let's say

be angry at Bill

for example

as a direction

try accuse Bill of cheating on you

or you could even use an opposing verb

for a really dramatic effect

like flatter Bill

how much more interesting would that be

instead of accuse Bill of cheating on you

you wanna explain the circumstances in the facts

that will produce an emotion

not a reaction

there's a great listing on Indie tips.com that lists

out tons of action verbs you can use in your direction

action verbs are specific

the more specific you are

the better and more concise of a performance

you're going to get from your actor

using action verbs

like these in the direction of your talent

will keep performances fresh and interesting

and will work to serve Meisner's idea

of behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances

that we talked about earlier