Tom Cruise wants aspiring actors to learn filmmaking tech

Mission: Impossible franchise star Tom Cruise delivers an important lesson to young actors as he receives a British Film Institute Fellowship via Times of London.

The Hollywood A-lister encourages aspiring actors to learn the filmmaking craft as well, because Cruise thinks a good performer knows more than just acting.

The stunt actor criticised film schools for not teaching production tools and filmmaking technology to actors learning acting.

Cruise highlights the importance of understanding lighting, camera blocking, lens work, and other filmmaking techniques during acting.

“It is important to understand the tools around you,” Cruise said. “There is tech. It is like understanding the stage as an actor, but for a lot of artists it is not taught in film school: how to understand the lens and what it can do, and why there is eye movement, and recognize the effect it has.”

Cruise is always adamant about learning acting, and he advises actors to watch the post-production of the film.

“I always tell actors: spend time in the editing room, produce a movie, study old movies, recognize what the composition is giving you, know what those lenses are, understand the lighting and how to use it for your benefit,” Cruise added. “Understand the art form to that degree. Brando absolutely understood lighting; all the greats did.”

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