Originally Posted by
Osiris-Rex
British director Alfred Hitchcock, who had a string of very successful movies in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, once likened actors to cattle. "All actors should be treated like cattle"
In film the camera tells the story, and the actor must fit in with the aesthetic of the production. In some films, actors are so unimportant as to become just another visual element, or the background.
You must herd actors like cattle to get them in just the right placement in the frame, or with just the right expression for the reaction shot. In many scenes, an actor's creeping shadow on the wall is
what builds the suspense-- you have to herd them into place so the shot looks just right.
Basically would you let the cow tell you how to grill a steak?