The Hook
The table read for Married & Isolated was going fine until my lead actor looked up from the script and said, “Nobody talks like this.”
She was right.
I’d spent three weeks writing dialogue that sounded profound in my head. In the room, it landed like a customer service call. The pauses hit in the wrong places. The rhythm was off. My actors were stumbling over lines that looked fine on paper.
I’d written dialogue. I had no idea how to direct it.
That table read cost me two days of reshoots and a hard lesson: writing dialogue and directing it are two different skills. One happens in a coffee shop at 6 AM. The other happens on set, with real people, real time pressure, and real money burning.
This guide is what I wish someone had handed me before that table read.
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Overview Snippet
To direct film dialogue, focus on the emotion and intention behind the words — not the words themselves. Use active verbs to define what each character wants (to plead, to sting, to deflect). Direct the listener, not just the speaker. Record rehearsals so you can hear when dialogue sounds performed instead of lived.
Why Most Dialogue Scenes Feel Fake (And How to Fix It)
The direct answer: Most dialogue scenes fail because directors treat them like tennis matches — clean back-and-forth exchanges. Real conversation is messy: people interrupt, trail off, and say one thing while meaning another. Your job is to direct the mess, not the words.
The Common Beginner Mistake: Rewriting the dialogue when the problem isn’t the writing. Nine times out of ten, the scene feels flat because the actor doesn’t know what their character wantsin that moment. The lines are fine. The intention is missing.
The “Real-ish” Sweet Spot
Real conversation is messy. But you can’t just transcribe real conversation and call it good dialogue. I tried that once — recorded actual people talking at a coffee shop, transcribed it word-for-word, dropped it into a script. It was unwatchable. Boring. Meandering. Full of pointless tangents about the weather.
Film dialogue needs to feel real without being real. It’s real-ish. The best version of how people talk — capturing the rhythm and flow and messiness of actual speech, but without the pointless stuff that makes real conversation so tedious.
Think about Tarantino. His characters in Pulp Fiction have that long conversation about burgers in Europe. It feels natural — like you’re eavesdropping on two guys talking. But it’s not how people really talk. It’s too sharp. Too perfectly paced. Too memorable. It’s heightened reality. The conversation real people wish they could have.
Most directors miss this. They either make dialogue too polished (formal, perfect, unnatural) or too realistic (boring, rambling, pointless). The magic happens in the middle.
Dialogue Is a Physical Performance
Directors forget that dialogue isn’t just words — it’s a physical performance.
When I was shooting Noelle’s Package, I had an actor deliver this heartbreaking monologue sitting perfectly still. Just… talking. Like a podcast. It was technically perfect. Every word clear. Great delivery. Totally lifeless.
I realized the dialogue needed a body. The character needed to do something while talking — pour coffee, fold laundry, stare out a window. Something. Because real people don’t sit motionless and recite their feelings. They fidget. They look away. They busy their hands.
The words are only half the scene. The other half is everything the actor does while saying them.
What Audiences Actually Feel: When an actor is doing something physical while delivering a monologue, the audience stops watching a performance and starts watching a person. That’s the shift you’re after. Not “great acting” — “I forgot I was watching a movie.”
The 3 Pillars of Directing Authentic Dialogue
The direct answer: Directing authentic dialogue comes down to three things — rhythm, subtext, and space. Rhythm controls pacing. Subtext reveals what’s really happening under the words. Space gives actors room to discover the moment organically instead of locking them into one reading.
Rhythm is the natural flow of conversation. Pauses and interruptions and overlapping speech. Knowing when to let silence sit and when to speed things up.
Subtext is what’s really happening under the words. The actual scene beneath the apparent scene. What characters want vs. what they’re willing to say.
Space is giving actors room to discover the moment organically instead of locking them into one specific reading. This is the hardest one for control-freak directors. It requires trusting your cast.
The Dialogue Director’s 60-Second Checklist
Before every take, run through this:
✅ The Verb Test: Can you describe the character’s goal with an active verb? (to plead, to sting, to deflect, to seduce)
✅ The Physicality: Is the actor’s body doing something that contradicts their words?
✅ The Silence: Have I allowed a 3-second beat for information to “land”?
✅ The Overlap: Is there a moment where they should talk over each other?
✅ The Listener: Have I done a pass watching only the actor who isn’t speaking?
Case Study: The Dish Fight Scene from Married & Isolated
The direct answer: The dish-fight scene worked when I stopped directing the words and started directing what the characters wanted but couldn't say. He wanted her to admit she regretted marrying him. She wanted him to fight for the relationship. Neither could say that out loud — so they fought about dishes.
I told the actors what they wanted but couldn't ask for. The dialogue I'd written — which hadn't changed at all — suddenly had weight. The pauses felt loaded. The simple lines about cleaning carried years of resentment.
Script Text vs. Subtext Breakdown
| Line (Text) | Subtext (Actual Meaning) |
|---|---|
| "You never clean up after yourself." | "You don't care about our life together." |
| "I was going to do it later." | "Nothing I do is ever good enough for you." |
| "You always say that." | "I'm tired of making excuses for you." |
| "What do you want from me?" | "Tell me you still love me." |
Key insight: The subtext reveals the true emotional stakes. The text shows how characters avoid saying what they mean. Your job is to direct the subtext — the text takes care of itself.
The Production Reality: On a real set, you don't have time to have this conversation with every actor before every scene. What you do instead: have the subtext conversation once, during rehearsal, for the whole arc. Then on the day, you just remind them of the verb. "You're still trying to sting him here." That's the whole note.
10 Pro Techniques for Directing Authentic Dialogue
1. Analyze What’s Really Happening (The Verb Test)
The direct answer: Before rehearsal, write down what each character wants, what they’re afraid to say, and the active verb driving each line. This is the single highest-leverage prep work you can do as a director.
For the dish-fight scene in Married & Isolated, I wrote down that my lead character desperately wanted his wife to admit she still loved him — but was terrified of asking directly. Once my actor understood that every line about dishes was armor against that vulnerability, the whole scene transformed.
Before every dialogue scene, write down:
What each character wants (their objective)
What they’re afraid to say
What they’re hiding
What they hope the other person will do
The active verb driving each line (to sting, to plead, to deflect, to seduce)
Practical tip: Don’t tell actors how to say lines. Tell them what their character is avoiding.
The Common Beginner Mistake: Giving actors emotional adjectives instead of active verbs. “Be angry here” gives them nothing to play. “You’re trying to punish her for something she doesn’t know she did” gives them a target. Verbs are playable. Adjectives aren’t.
2. Rehearse for Discovery, Not Perfection
The direct answer: The goal of rehearsal isn’t to lock down inflection — it’s to test physical mechanics and subtext shifts before the camera rolls. Locking in performance choices too early forces actors to repeat a pre-recorded delivery instead of responding in real time.
WRONG: "Say 'The dishes are fine' with a cold, sharp tone." RIGHT: "Focus on cleaning the dish. Let the line escape only when the plate is spotless."
During pre-production rehearsals for Married & Isolated, the initial read of the dish-fight scene felt overly dramatic. Both actors arrived with polished, theatrical delivery: high vocal projection, sharp pauses, and heavy emotional weight on every sentence. Because the line delivery was already “set,” the scene lacked real tension — it felt like two actors waiting for their turn to speak.
The tactical fix: disrupting pre-set delivery
Shift focus to physical action. Rather than discussing emotional beats, ground the actors in a mechanical task. In this scene, the lead was instructed to scrub grease off a pan that wouldn’t come clean.
Apply the 3-second pause rule. Require a minimum three-second gap between receiving a line and responding physically before speaking. This breaks the habit of rapid-fire cue waiting.
Run the silent take. Execute one full run-through using only eye contact and physical movement — zero spoken dialogue.
When we ran the scene under these constraints, the dynamic shifted instantly. Forced to deal with the physical frustration of the dishware, the dialogue flattened naturally. The coldness didn’t come from forced inflection; it emerged from the tension between the physical task and the unspoken conflict.
Key rule: Rehearsal is where you build the physical framework (blocking, prop handling, eye contact). Leave the exact vocal delivery open so it can adapt to the live energy of the set.
Pro tip: I use a portable audio recorder like the Zoom H5 to capture every rehearsal. Listening back without visuals reveals when actors slip into “performance mode” vs. authentic conversation.
The Budget Reality: You don’t need a Zoom H5 to start. Your phone’s voice memo app will do 80% of the job. The H5 matters when you’re recording multiple actors on separate lavs and need clean, isolated tracks. If you’re just starting out, record rehearsals on your phone and save the gear money for sound on the shoot day.
3. Use Silence Like Punctuation
The direct answer: Silence isn’t empty — it’s full of anticipation, discomfort, and unspoken emotion. A well-placed pause after a revelation hits harder than any line. Use the 3-second rule: after an emotional gut-punch, count to three before the next line.
I used to fill every gap with words. If there was a pause, I’d add a line. Silence made me nervous.
Then I watched Drive. That opening elevator scene is mostly silence. The tension is unbearable.
The 3-Second Rule: After a big revelation or emotional gut-punch, force yourself to count to three before the next line. It feels like an eternity on set. On screen? It’s perfect.
Practical tip: After a big revelation or emotional moment, resist the urge to fill the silence immediately. Let it breathe.
What Audiences Actually Feel: Silence forces the audience to lean in. They fill the gap with their own interpretation of what just happened. That’s engagement. Dialogue tells the audience what to think. Silence makes them think.
4. Block Dialogue with Action (The Triangle Method)
The direct answer: People talk while doing things. Give your actors a physical task during important conversations — cooking, packing, fixing something, walking — and the dialogue will feel more natural because the activity dictates the rhythm.
For the dish-fight scene, the conversation happened while both characters cleaned up after dinner. The physical activity grounded the dialogue. It gave the actors something to do. It created natural pauses (scrubbing a pan, setting down a plate). It made the scene feel real.
Blocking techniques that work:
Walk-and-Talks: Moving through space forces natural rhythm changes. Directors like Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) built entire careers on this.
The Triangle Method: Instead of actors facing each other directly (stagey), position them in a triangle with a third point of focus — a window, a task, an object. They can look at each other OR the third point. Creates natural eye-line variation.
Task-Based Blocking: Cooking, packing, fixing something, building something. The task dictates the rhythm of conversation.
Practical tip: Give characters a practical task during important conversations. The activity makes the dialogue feel more natural.
The Common Beginner Mistake: Blocking actors face-to-face for every conversation. It looks like theater. Real people rarely stand still and stare at each other while talking. They look at the TV, the dishes, the road. Give them something to look at that isn’t each other.
5. Direct Listening, Not Just Speaking (The Kuleshov Effect)
The direct answer: Reactions are half the dialogue. Most directors forget to direct the listener. A raised eyebrow, a subtle smile, looking away at the wrong moment — these are the moments that make dialogue feel real.
During Chicken Surprise, I realized my best dialogue moments weren’t the lines — they were the reactions to the lines. The way one character’s face changed while hearing something they didn’t want to hear.
The Kuleshov Effect in action: The audience projects emotion onto a neutral face based on what they just saw. A listening actor with a blank expression can convey grief, joy, or suspicion depending on the preceding shot. This is your secret weapon for subtext.
Directing the listener exercise:
Shoot the speaker’s coverage
Do a pass where you ONLY watch the listener
Ask: “What are they thinking while hearing this?”
Adjust their micro-expressions, eye-line, breathing
Practical tip: Do a pass where you only watch the actor who’s NOT talking. Are they listening authentically? Or waiting for their turn to speak?
6. Know When Dialogue Isn’t the Answer
The direct answer: Sometimes the best direction is cutting dialogue entirely. If a scene feels overwritten, try shooting it without any dialogue. Sometimes the unspoken version is stronger.
I had this scene in Closing Walls where a character discovers a betrayal. My script had a full page of dialogue — accusations, explanations, defenses. All very dramatic.
I shot it. It was… fine.
Then I tried a take with no words at all. Just the actor’s face processing the information. The silence was devastating.
When to cut dialogue:
Information the audience already knows
Emotions better shown than spoken
Moments where words would undercut the visual
Transitions that don’t need explanation
Practical tip: If a scene feels overwritten, try shooting it without any dialogue. Sometimes the unspoken version is stronger.
The Production Reality: Cutting dialogue in the edit is easy. Cutting it on set is terrifying. You’re standing there, watching an actor’s face do nothing for 40 seconds, and every instinct says “this is unusable.” Fight that instinct. Shoot the silent take. You’ll thank yourself in the edit bay.
7. Record Rehearsals (Your Ears Don’t Lie)
The direct answer: Record your rehearsals on audio only. Listen back without watching. Your ears catch when dialogue sounds fake — when the rhythm is off, when someone is “acting” instead of being.
I started recording rehearsals on my phone — not for the performance, just for the audio. Then I’d listen back without watching. Suddenly I could hear when dialogue sounded fake.
My setup: I clip a Rode Wireless GO II lavalier mic on each actor during rehearsals. Clean audio, minimal setup, and I can listen back immediately on my Sony MDR-7506 headphones.
Practical tip: Listen to your dialogue scenes with eyes closed. If it sounds like a performance, it probably looks like one too.
The Budget Reality: Sony MDR-7506s are the industry standard at around $100. But if that’s not in the budget, any closed-back monitoring headphones will get you 80% of the way there. The point isn’t the gear — it’s the habit of listening without watching.
8. Embrace Imperfection (The Overlap Technique)
The direct answer: The messiness of real speech — interruptions, crosstalk, unfinished sentences — makes dialogue feel alive. In emotionally charged scenes, let actors interrupt each other naturally rather than waiting for clean line deliveries.
For Watching Something Private, I let actors talk over each other. Step on each other’s lines. Not constantly, but in moments of heightened emotion or quick back-and-forth.
It felt chaotic in the moment. But in editing? It felt real.
When to allow overlapping dialogue:
Arguments or heated discussions
Multiple people reacting to shocking news
Fast-paced comedy or banter
Family dinner scenes (controlled chaos)
Technical note: If you plan to overlap dialogue, record each actor on a separate audio track. You’ll thank yourself in post when you need to adjust levels. A Zoom F6 field recorder handles up to 6 inputs with 32-bit float recording — clipping becomes virtually impossible in most scenarios, and you can fix gain in post.
Practical tip: In emotionally charged scenes, try a take where you let actors interrupt each other naturally.
The Common Beginner Mistake: Recording overlapping dialogue on a single track. You’ll get to the edit and realize you can’t separate the performances. Always isolate tracks if you know actors will overlap.
9. Match Technical Choices to Emotional Tone
The direct answer: Dialogue doesn't just live in performance — it lives in how you shoot it. Close-ups intensify. Wide shots create distance. Lens choice changes how the audience feels about the conversation before a single line is delivered.
I learned this the hard way on Elsa. I shot an intimate conversation in a wide shot. It felt cold. Distant. I needed to be closer to see the micro-expressions, the doubt flickering across their faces.
Camera choices for dialogue:
- Close-ups intensify dialogue and reveal micro-expressions
- Wide shots create distance or isolation
- Over-the-shoulder shots pull us into the conversation
- Long takes let moments breathe and build tension
- Quick cuts create urgency or disorientation
Lens choice matters:
| Lens | Emotional Effect | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 24mm | Environmental context, "in the room" feeling | Establishing shots, group scenes |
| 35mm | Natural perspective, slight intimacy | Walk-and-talks, medium coverage |
| 50mm | What the eye sees, neutral | Standard dialogue coverage |
| 85mm | Intimate close-ups, flattering for faces | Emotional peaks, micro-expressions |
| 135mm | Voyeuristic, observational distance | Tension, surveillance, isolation |
What Audiences Actually Feel: A close-up at the wrong moment feels invasive. A wide shot at the right moment feels lonely. The audience doesn't know you switched lenses — they just feel closer or further from the character. That's the job.
10. Collaborate on Line Readings (Never Demonstrate)
The direct answer: Never read the line for the actor. Describe the emotion or intention and let them find their own delivery. Demonstrating turns actors into impressions of you instead of inhabitants of the character.
I did this early on. I’d perform the line for the actor, showing them the exact inflection I wanted. It’s controlling. And it rarely works.
Now I describe the emotion or intention behind the line and let the actor find their own way there.
Instead of: “Say it like this: ‘I LOVED you.'” (demonstrating)
Try: “You’re trying to hurt them without them knowing you’re trying to hurt them. It needs to land like a knife wrapped in silk.”
Reference Point Direction: Instead of line readings, reference other performances or real-life moments. “Remember that feeling when someone cancels on you last minute and you say ‘No worries’ but you’re seething inside? That energy.”
For a deeper dive into set dynamics and collaborating with veteran talent, read our guide on directing experienced actors.
The Production Reality: Some actors will ask you to demonstrate. They want to see what you mean. Don’t. Describe the intention, give them a reference point, and let them try it. If they’re still lost, describe the physical behavior — “your jaw tightens before you speak” — not the vocal inflection. Physical notes are playable. Vocal notes are mimicry.
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Directing Dialogue for Remote Auditions & Self-Tapes
The direct answer: Remote direction requires different tools. You can’t read full body language over Zoom. The fix is pre-recorded audio for the other character’s lines, a two-camera self-tape setup, and video feedback tools that let you draw on the performance.
The Problem
You’re directing someone via Zoom. There’s lag. You can’t read their full body language. The intimacy is gone.
What Actually Works
Send Video References, Not Text Notes
Record yourself giving direction on your phone. Show, don’t type.
“Here’s the energy I’m feeling for this moment…” (then demonstrate the MOOD, not the line)
The Two-Camera Self-Tape Setup
Have actors set up their phone as the “scene partner” (eye-line reference)
Their actual recording camera is slightly off-axis
Creates more natural eye-line than staring directly into the lens
Pre-Record the Other Character’s Lines
I record the other side of the conversation. Send the actor an audio file to play during their self-tape. They respond to actual dialogue with real timing, not silence.
Tool I use: Frame.io for script-synced video feedback. I can draw on their self-tape, add time-stamped notes, and they see exactly what I mean.
For actor-focused self-tape technique, read our guide on how to deliver lines like a pro actor.
The Common Beginner Mistake: Recording a self-tape with the actor staring directly into the lens. It looks like a hostage video. The two-camera setup fixes this because the actor has somewhere else to look — the “scene partner” phone — while the recording camera captures them from a slight angle.
Maintaining Authentic Dialogue in Green Screen/Virtual Production
The direct answer: Actors talking to tennis balls on sticks rarely deliver authentic dialogue. The fix is giving them something real to respond to: pre-visualized AI voices, real-time puppeteering, or shooting the scene traditionally first and using that performance as reference.
The Green Screen Dialogue Problem
Your actor is standing in a green void, talking to an X made of tape, pretending to have an emotional conversation with a CG character that doesn’t exist yet.
It’s absurd. And it kills authentic dialogue.
What I’ve Learned
Pre-Visualize with AI Voices
I use ElevenLabs to generate the other character’s voice from my script. Play it back on set so actors have something real to respond to. Timing is locked in, delivery feels natural. Use generic AI voices, not impressions of real actors. Keep it ethical.
Virtual Production = Real-Time Puppeteering
If budget allows, have someone puppeting the CG character in real-time during the take. The actor sees movement, even if it’s rough.
Shoot Scenes Traditionally First, Then Green Screen
Rehearse and shoot the scene in a real location with a stand-in. Capture the authentic performance. THEN do the technical green screen version with the real performance as reference. If you can’t afford two shoots, at least rehearse in a real location first.
The Production Reality: If your dialogue feels dead in green screen, it’s not the actor’s fault. You’re asking them to perform in a sensory void. Build the world around them as much as possible, even if it’s temporary. A cardboard stand-in and a pre-recorded voice track will do more for authenticity than any amount of “act better” notes.
Essential Tools for Directing Dialogue
The direct answer: You don't need much. A portable recorder for rehearsals, a decent set of monitoring headphones, and a script breakdown tool. Everything else is optional. The gear matters less than the habit of listening back without watching.
On-Set Tools: For Recording Rehearsals
| Gear | Best For | Honest Drawback | Who Should NOT Buy This | Budget Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom H5 | Recording rehearsal audio with multiple lavs | Menu system is clunky | Solo shooters who just need a phone memo | Zoom H1n (simpler, cheaper) |
| Rode Wireless GO II | Wireless lavs for each actor in rehearsal | Can pick up clothing rustle; not for final takes alone | Anyone shooting in high-RF environments | Boya BY-M1 (wired, ~$20) |
For Monitoring Dialogue
| Gear | Best For | Honest Drawback | Who Should NOT Buy This | Budget Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony MDR-7506 | Monitoring dialogue, hearing flaws | Wired only; folded design feels flimsy | Anyone who needs wireless monitoring | Audio-Technica ATH-M20x (~$50) |
| Zoom F6 | 32-bit float recording, multi-track | Overkill for solo shoots; expensive | Single-subject shoots with one mic | Zoom H6 (used, ~$250) |
For Shot Planning
| Gear | Best For | Honest Drawback | Who Should NOT Buy This | Budget Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shot Designer App | Block scenes digitally before arriving on set | Learning curve | Directors who prefer paper and pencil | Paper and pencil |
| Celtx | Script breakdowns with dialogue analysis tools | Subscription required | Writers who already use Final Draft | Google Docs |
Books That Changed How I Direct Dialogue
- "Respect for Acting" by Uta Hagen — Teaches you how actors think, which helps you direct them. What I actually stole from it: the "given circumstances" exercise, which I now use in every rehearsal.
- "Directing Actors" by Judith Weston — The bible. Read it twice. What I actually stole from it: the concept of "action verbs over adjectives." Instead of telling an actor to be "angry," give them a verb: "to punish."
- "The Actor and the Target" by Declan Donnellan — All about objectives and actions (the verb test). What I actually stole from it: the idea that the target is always the other person, not an emotion.
Quick Decision Guide
- Just starting? Phone recorder + wired earbuds. Free. Works.
- Regular rehearsals? Zoom H1n + Rode GO II. ~$300 total.
- Professional dialogue monitoring? Sony MDR-7506 + Zoom F6. ~$800.
The Budget Reality: Rent before you buy. If you're only shooting one project this year, rent the Zoom F6 for the shoot week. It'll cost you $50 instead of $700, and you'll know whether you actually need it before committing.
Key Takeaways
Direct the subtext, not the words. Tell actors what their character wants but can’t say.
Use active verbs (to plead, to sting, to deflect) instead of emotional adjectives.
Record rehearsals on audio only. Listen with your eyes closed.
Give actors a physical task during dialogue scenes. Action grounds performance.
Direct the listener, not just the speaker. Reactions are half the scene.
Save close-ups for emotional peaks. Let the camera breathe.
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FAQ: Directing Film Dialogue
How do you direct dialogue in a film?
Direct the emotion and intention behind the words, not the words themselves. Tell actors what their character wants and fears, use active verbs, and let them discover how to deliver the line organically. The words are the last thing you should be thinking about on set.
What makes dialogue feel authentic in movies?
Authentic dialogue captures the rhythm, pauses, and imperfections of real speech without the boring parts. It’s “real-ish” — heightened reality that feels natural but is sharper and more purposeful than actual conversation.
What is subtext in film dialogue?
Subtext is what’s really happening under the words — the actual scene beneath the apparent scene. It’s what characters want versus what they’re willing to say. In Married & Isolated, a fight about dishes was really about a failing marriage.
How do directors work with actors on dialogue delivery?
Effective directors describe the emotion or intention behind a line rather than demonstrating the reading. They set the objective, provide the obstacle, suggest a tactic, and then get out of the way.
How do you shoot a dialogue scene?
Use an 85mm lens for intimate close-ups and a 35mm for wider shots. Save close-ups for emotional peaks. Do a pass where you only shoot the listener. Record separate audio tracks if actors will overlap dialogue.
Conclusion
Learning how to direct film dialogue is less about memorizing techniques and more about understanding what’s happening underneath the words. The 10 techniques in this guide aren’t a formula — they’re a set of habits that will keep you focused on the right things when the clock is running and the light is fading.
The honest production reality is that most dialogue problems aren’t dialogue problems. They’re intention problems, physicality problems, or listening problems. The words are almost never the issue. When a scene feels flat, resist the urge to rewrite it. Look at what the actors are doing with their bodies, their eyes, and their silences. That’s usually where the fix lives.
If you’re just starting out: pick one technique from this list — the Verb Test — and use it on your next scene. Just one. Don’t try to implement all ten at once. If you’ve already directed a few projects and you’re still struggling with dialogue: record your next rehearsal on audio only. Listen back with your eyes closed. You’ll hear things you’ve never heard before. The fix is usually in your ears, not your script.
The best line readings I’ve ever captured came from actors who understood their characters deeply enough to find truth in the words. Your job is to help them get there. Then get out of the way.
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About the Author
Trent Peek is a filmmaker, writer, and producer based in Victoria, BC, and the founder of PeekAtThis.com. His production credits include set decoration on Netflix’s Maid, and writing/directing Going Home (2024 Soho International Film Festival) and Noelle’s Package (48-hour festival winner, shot on smartphone). He’s also a former President of Cinevic, Victoria’s Society of Independent Filmmakers, and works as a doorman at a four-star hotel — a job that’s taught him as much about reading people under pressure as any film set has.
When he’s not writing articles, testing gear, or working on film projects, Trent enjoys traveling, reading, exploring new technology, and developing future film ideas — many of which may never leave the notebook stage.
P.S. Writing in the third person still feels weird.
Trent recently appeared on the Pushin Podcast — listen to the full episode — where he discussed independent filmmaking, directing actors, production challenges, and lessons learned from working in film.
