Original subtitles

yeah I think we can really figure out

what the scene is about you know the

blocking yeah once we fig know what it

is Hey Hey Ron how are you Brian hi hi

Gavin Gavin Trevor Trevor Burl Burl

pleasure nice to meet you yeah thanks

for doing this today no problem I'm

looking forward to it we're using a

scene from frost Nixon which is a movie

I directed in fact we have the original

shooting script over there and I I

almost opened it up and looked at the

scene that we're going to we're going to

rehearse today and then I said no let's

Let It Be Our scene yeah uh and uh what

I want to try to do as a kind of an

exercise treating it as though it was a

rehearsal day on a on a

movie and you know I I want to try to

connect with your thoughts about the

character if you have any questions

about it you know we'll we'll flesh

those kind of things out and then begin

to work on the staging okay um and uh

and I'll stage it in a number of ways so

be patient you know I may want to Stage

it from a couple of different

perspectives keeping in mind different

factors time you know there might be a

simple way to Stage IT and a more

ambitious way I we'll explore that using

lighting perhaps different things with

the ideas with the um with the camera

work and so forth and uh so we'll we'll

uh we'll we'll just work through it

before we get started reading the scene

which is the way I'd like to start I'll

just kind of explain when we would would

shoot it it would be on a practical

location be a real garage with a a

little Alleyway um and so you know when

we when we made the movie we found a

practical location that had those couple

of features so we're we're sort of

emulating that U here for our rehearsal

space

today let's see so who's playing who

again uh I am Ron you're Reston the

journalist Sam Rockwell played your part

yeah David Frost David Frost okay

Michael Sheen you're going to go you

have an accent you can try it if you

want we have beautiful we have that'll

help that'll help I like it better

already I'm playing Bert Bert right Bert

he he eventually wound up being a Lord

and uh and ran the BBC for a long time

very cool I'm playing zelck zelic great

Oliver pl Play your played your part

okay great well let's read through it

and and you guys sort of know roughly

where this is in the in the story uh you

know there's just there's just been a an

interview an important early interview

with uh where Richard Nixon seemed to

more or less control the whole thing

right he didn't really let David Frost

get the questions in that you guys have

been preparing so you're the journalists

who've been preparing David Frost for

this vitally important television

interview and uh David comes in you know

feeling like he's done a hell of a good

job and you guys are very concerned that

he's you know that he's oblivious yeah

so without moving around or anything

let's just read through the scene a

couple of times okay

okay crash Frost Bert Reston burst out

of the house

what Revolution David you just let

Richard Nixon claim the country was in a

state of Revolution with protesters

bombing and assaulting police officers

that's not how I remember it what I

remember was people protesting

peacefully and legitimately against the

Vietnam War that's what I Remember music

off please music off by the end

wiretapping students and breaking into

journalist homes was beginning to sound

like a rational response and I'm sorry

you feel this way but I simply cannot

share your view about what about any of

it

frankly I thought today was a huge

Improvement are you you

nuts let me tell you how bad things were

today after the taping finished I

overheard two members of the crew say

they never voted for him when they had

the chance but if he ran for office

again today he'd get their support

you're making him look presidential for

Christ's sake and forget about the

trivia David who cares whether Nixon

took the White House bed to Europe when

he traveled well it's irrelevant and

it's just a sort of Bal anecdote that

would distract

it or what

go on no say it you going to say talk

show

host yeah I

was look it's useless me trying to

answer your points frankly I don't share

any of your sense of pessimism or alarm

and this ridiculous self flagellation in

my view is just depressing and

threatening to derail the whole

Enterprise that there is anyone here

thinks we're going to fail they better

leave

now or it'll infect everyone else

anyone right

good now I suggest instead of festering

around the hotel for the next 5 days we

all go our separate ways over Easter but

before we go Caroline and I would like

you to join us for a little celebratory

dinner at Patrick tera's new place

celebrate to celebrate what David the

fact that we're all going to be working

at Burger King what are we

celebrating my birthday

Bob I'd like to celebrate my birthday

with a few friends

great brings back good memories Peter

Morgan can write a scene yeah right Andy

okay um all right well I'd like to read

through it one more time and just give

you a couple just sort of acting notes

because it'll help inform the the

staging a little bit I think uh you guys

need to be hotter and more desperate

okay Bert was a very good friend so

while he didn't approve he was

supportive so you're going to by the way

when you come in we'll just pretend

there's somebody over here playing music

yeah and you just have to kick them out

you know and uh so just just mind that

for now since it's a rehearsal you guys

just need to be I think a little a

little sharper a little more sarc a

little more sarcasm especially uh zelic

was you know they both were sarcastic

you know guys edgy funny guys yeah okay

okay great uh so we we're we're going to

want to Pace the first part of it it's

almost like you're all you're all

picking at him boom boom boom and uh and

then you know it then it has space at

the end to get a little quieter and a

little more personal okay

okay so before we start staging uh and

again we don't have to necessarily be at

full performance level but you know but

as we you know in this in this read

through but uh let's work on those few

little adjustments and then we'll get

started getting it up on its feet okay

okay okay all right go ahead

action what Revolution David you just

let Richard ni claimed the country was

in a state of Revolution with protesters

protesters bombing and assaulting police

officers that's not how I remember it

what I remember was people protesting

peacefully and legitimately against the

Vietnam War that's what I Remember music

off people music off by the end

wiretapping students and breaking into

journalist's homes was beginning to

sound like a rational response I'm sorry

you feel this way but I simply cannot

share your view about what about any of

it frankly I thought today was a huge

Improvement are you

nuts let me tell you how bad things were

today after the taping finished I

overheard two members of the crew say

they never voted for him when they had

the chance but if he ran for office

again today he'd get their support

you're making him look presidential for

Christ's sake and forget about the

trivia David who cares whether Nixon

took the White House bed to Europe when

he traveled well it's

irrelevant and it's just a sort of Bol

anecdote that would distract

it distract it what you can goad and say

dist so you so you really jump in

distract that you know I mean start to

say showman you you know Show Business

something like that and then cut

yourself off a little bit more you know

go ahead they would distract the what

yeah let say yeah who cares whether

Nixon took the White House bed to Europe

when he traveled I do well it's

irrelevant and it's just a sort of Bol

anecdote that would distract a talk

what go on say it you're going to say

talk sh her

yeah I

was look it's useless me trying to

answer your points frankly I don't share

any of your sense of pessimism or alarm

and this ridiculous self- flagellation

in my view is just

depressing and threatening to derail the

whole

Enterprise there is anyone here thinks

we are going to fail they better leave

now or it'll infect everyone

else no one

right

good now I suggest instead of festering

around the hotel for the next 5 days we

all go our separate ways over Easter but

before we go Caroline and I would like

you to join us for a little celebratory

dinner at Patrick Terrell's new place

celebrate to celebrate what David the

fact that we're all going to be working

at Burger King what do we celebrate it's

my birthday

Bob and I'd like to celebrate my

birthday with a few

friends great shouldn't say a talk show

actually but just go a little further

with show biz show you know showman you

know a show yeah Show Business show bu I

try that show business Show Business

type Show Business

guy what I like to do is there's only I

have only one sort of objective at some

point I'd like to get it outside so I

like to start over there we're going to

pretend the door is over there okay

you're going to come in this is supposed

to be the opening of the of the garage

let's just let's just assume that the

guy you chase away is uh I don't know

just he's here he's sitting here playing

a radio or something he turns it off and

goes uh so we're going to start with you

guys out there okay maybe we'll give you

something like a maybe there's a Oh

Let's Pretend There's a something you

can get a drink of water here something

you know you can grab a Coke or

something like that and just so you have

a reason to stop you don't just

immediately go because your car is

parked out that way okay um and looking

outside let's assume that uh um that

ultimately that's that's going to be the

way out that's that's where you're

headed yeah yeah I think that's it uh

and now so let me just see where you

know where it falls for you guys and um

and the only other piece of advice I'd

give is is just in terms of finding it

is I'm now kind of staging what I would

sort of say is the is the is the is the

ambitious movie version okay so move

yeah that's one of the big differences

between movie staging and television

with television you got lock in and so

that you can be more more efficient you

know so you get more more mileage out of

every angle I I'd like to start with a

kind of a fluidity and so feel free to

Pace on your lines you don't have to

lock in you know you can you can pace

around worrying about your friend feel

free to move and let me just see what

you guys feel okay so pretend we'll

start over here and we'll pretend that

this is the doorway okay all

right all right action

what Revolution David you just let

Richard Nixon claim the country start

again one little thing it would be I

think we should start the line right

yeah from even off

camera ready action what Revolution

David you just let Richard Nixon claim

the country was in a state of Revolution

with protesters bombing and assaulting

police officers that's not how I

remember it what I remember was people

protesting peacefully and legitimately

against the Vietnam War that's what I

remember music gol please hey music gol

look by the end wiretapping students and

breaking into journalist homes was

beginning to sound like a rational

response I'm sorry you all feel this way

but I simply cannot share that view

about what about any of it

frankly in my opinion it was an

improvement are you

nuts let me tell you how bad things were

today after the taping finished I

overheard two members of the crew say

they never voted for him when they had

the chance but if he ran for office

again today they'd get he'd get their

support

you're making him look presidential for

Christ's sake and forget about the

trivia David who cares whether Nixon

took the White House bed to Europe when

he traveled I do well it's

irrelevant and it's just the sort of Bal

antidot that would distract a show

business or

what no go on say it you want to say

talk show host

right yeah I

was okay it's useless me trying to

answer your points frankly I don't share

any of your sense of pessimism or alarm

and this this ridiculous self

flatulation in my view is just it's

depressing and threatening to derail the

whole Enterprise if there is anyone here

who thinks we are going to fail you'd

best leave

now or it'll infect everyone

else h no

one

good right now I suggest instead of f

ing around the hotel for the next 5 days

we all go our separate ways over Easter

but before we go Caroline and I would

like you to join us for dinner

celebratory dinner at Patrick Terrell's

new place celebrate to celebrate what

David the fact that we're all going to

be working at Burger it's my birthday

Bob like to celebrate my birthday with a

few friends cool great okay very good

good instincts there I think um we might

need you to have like a couple of things

you need to do so now I think you need a

little business so let's assume that uh

you've got uh you know something that

you're going to put down you know then

you're going to cross over fill it just

a little bit find you know said you've

got a little business over here a little

business over here or maybe vice versa

because he chases the guy away to begin

with so why don't you first uh go get

your soda and then come over here and

you know leave a folder we don't have

the props for today but you'll

eventually we we we'd have it all good I

don't by the way think you we should go

back to what you were doing and saying

and you should just uh don't even get

the show part out just uh you know and

let let it die there because otherwise

we get ahead of what it is it's great

that he can anticipate talk show host

one little acting idea on a performance

level is I think um I think you're a

little too hot too soon okay I think you

should be trying to just sort of you

know fro Frost was such so Charming that

he's just trying to calm the boys down

by kind of make keeping it as light as

possible until until much uh until much

later and now I'm going to I'm going to

suggest something um seeing the way it

fell in naturally was basically very

very good um the you know I think you're

by the way you're chasing this guy away

if I had an actor here I'd have him

noticing okay you know and so you're

you're realizing that this is could be

embarrassing in front of the crew he's a

crew member so get rid of him and um uh

why don't

you try you almost did this when you say

I do MH why don't you try to leave them

right and and that that's why I that's

why I wanted you to wind up over here

because you have a longer walk so if you

say I do and now you're going and now

you're chasing him all the way out doors

well that's a bunch of [ __ ] you know

David you don't know what you're talking

about and we have this kind of space and

now we've pushed the scene outside uh

you know for the back half which which

gives it uh makes it a little fresher

okay

cool

okay so uh just for for our sake let's

see I would start back start the line

right back here okay you know I'm going

to make try to make the room a little

bigger than it than it is but okay go

ahead action what Revolution David you

just let Richard Nixon claimed the

country was in a state of Revolution

with protesters bombing and assaulting

police officers that's not how I

remember it what I remember was people

protesting peacefully and legitimately

against the Vietnam War that's what I

Remember music off please music off by

the end wiretapping students and

breaking into journalist homes was

beginning to sound like a rational

response I'm sorry you feel this way but

I simply cannot share your view about

what about any of it

frankly I thought today was a huge

Improvement are you nuts

let me tell you how bad things were

today after the taping finished play to

each other are you nuts okay you know a

beat of looking this way and I think you

could also face them a little have the

courage to face them a little bit well I

thought it was great you know so again

so we have somewhere to go as you get

tougher anyway but the staging is

working well here this is all this is

all good cool uh why don't you guys yeah

no that's pretty good that's pretty good

that for for my purposes now that'll

work well because I can get the couple

of cross angles here cross angle here

you're good and if you're if you use

that middle space as a kind of a worried

you know executive producer pacing

around you know the whole it they need

to say what they're saying but you know

it it's you know probably as a producer

don't really want a lot of conflict okay

okay okay sorry so just pick it up from

there I thought it was a huge

Improvement okay go

ahead any of it

frankly I thought today was a huge

Improvement

oh that's great you almost you just did

a good thing let's do that again uh I

thought it was a good Improvement look

at your friend and your friend doesn't

it kind of glances away embarrassed cuz

he doesn't agree and wants that was nice

can follow up on that about any of it

frankly I thought today was a huge

Improvement are you

nuts let me tell you how bad things were

today after the taping finished I

overheard two members of the crew say

they never voted for him when they had

the chance chance but if he ran for

office again

today he'd get their

support you're making him look

presidential for Christ's sake and

forget about the trivia David who cares

whether Nixon took the White House bed

to Europe when he traveled well it's

irrelevant and it's just the sort of Bal

anecdote that would

distract what oh that was good if you if

you've gotten ahead and then you say and

you distract it and then you turn back

to him that's good okay or what hang

back at that door just you don't really

love all this just watching you were

going to say talk host AR

you yeah I

was look it's useless me trying to

answer your points frankly I don't share

any of your

pessimism or alarm and this ridiculous

self- flatulation in my view is just

depressing and threatening to derail the

whole

Enterprise if anyone here thinks we're

going to fail they better leave

now or it'll infect everyone

else no

one right good now I suggest instead of

I'm just going to jump in you had an

instinct there of looking away with

embarrassment I'd follow on that I don't

think there's any reason why you

couldn't just kind of walk over here by

your buddy yeah and kind of wait here

but you're not walking away not quitting

you know but I think use that whatever

that that impulse was would make we

might as well make a little move out of

it cool

okay no

one right good now I suggest instead of

festering around the hotel for the next

5 days we all go our separate ways over

Eastern but before we go Caroline and I

would like you to join us for a little

celebratory dinner Patrick tera's new

place celebrate to celebrate what David

the fact that we're going to be working

at Burger King what are we

celebrating my birthday Bob

it's my

birthday and I'd like to celebrate it

with a few

friends yeah got a look at each other

right good good all right that's flowing

pretty well um let's think about um um

putting a a camera on it and since it's

a rehearsal I'll be stopping and going

to try to get various angles