Let your actors improv
When shooting something, you have a screenplay written and ready to go. The dialogue is set and all that’s left is for you actors to deliver the lines to the best of their potential. But something happens when good actors get going. They’ll begin to improv if they forget their lines and the wonderful thing is that sometimes those lines are better than what is in the screenplay. Actors play off each other and their environments… when they’re feeling something, they go with it and you as a director should keep the camera rolling and let them do their thing.
Of course you should watch the improv if you are shooting on film — which is expensive. If you’re shooting video then keep recording. Tapes are cheap. Don’t worry about filling up a tape. Simply reload and keep going. Even though you should embrace improv, you should also have the actors deliver their lines as written in the screenplay.
Once you get into the editing room and start logging your shots you will be able to decide if the written or impromptu performance was best. Sometimes you can even mix written and improv takes. The viewer will never be able to tell.
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