What does Targeting mean?
Targeting is an acting technique in which a performer directs their attention, intention, and energy toward a specific person, object, or point in space during a scene — establishing a precise, concrete focus that grounds the performance and creates a visible line of connection between the actor and their scene partner or environment. Targeting is the physical and psychological act of truly seeing and engaging with whatever the character is looking at or speaking to, rather than delivering lines into a general space. Specific, committed targeting gives a performance clarity and presence.
Example:The acting coach stopped the rehearsal to ask the child actor exactly where she was looking during the scene — her gaze was unfocused and general rather than specifically targeted at her scene partner’s left eye, which was what the intimacy of the moment required.
Example: The director asked the actor to target the specific window in the background rather than looking in its general direction — the difference between a vague gesture toward a space and a genuine, specific focus transformed the quality of the shot entirely.
Did you know?
Michael Chekhov, whose acting technique has influenced performers from Clint Eastwood to Joanne Woodward, placed particular emphasis on targeting as a foundation of truthful performance. Chekhov called it ‘radiating’ — the idea that a performer sends genuine energy toward their target rather than simply pointing their face in a direction. The distinction, he argued, is what separates a mechanical performance from a living one.
You can also find “Targeting” and related terms in this category: Becoming an Actor.
