The second edition of this elegant and accessible primer offers a helpful reference and resource for directing actors in film, television, and theatre, useful to both directors and actors alike. Combining underlying theory with dozens of exercises designed to reveal the actor's craft, Lenore DeKoven discusses constructing the throughline, analyzing the script, character needs, the casting and rehearsal processes, film vs. theatre procedures, as well as the actor and the camera.

Distilling difficult concepts to their simplest form, DeKoven explains how to accurately capture and portray human behaviour, offering creative solutions to issues she has encountered or anticipated after decades of experience. Excerpts from interviews with acclaimed actors offer insight on their work with directors, what inspires them, and what they really want from the director.

This second edition incorporates the film Moonlight (2016, Barry Jenkins) as a contemporary prototype to examine the directing concepts discussed.