All language subtitles for MasterClass Ron Howard Teaches Directing - 121 - Frost Nixon Feature Staging for Masters

[Music]

I want to simulate basically not

performance although keep performing it

keep playing it as actors because I want

to lay out the shots so I want to Stage

for the camera now if I was shooting

this would be on the shooting day mhm

and I would have had a careful shot list

and things like that which I haven't

really done because I want to experiment

with several different um you know uh

versions of uh of the scene uh but for

now we've we've kind of gotten the the

character movement working uh and uh

we're going to start working with

various shots okay so Frost Nixon was

was sort of done in a in a loose kind of

naturalistic sometimes handheld way and

my feeling about this scene then and now

is that there's a there's a kind of an

energy to doing this scene handheld so

for my movie version then and what I

would sort of say is our is our most

ambitious version now I would go for

handheld with a couple of other specific

shots mixed in I'm going to do quite a

bit of coverage for this scene uh and

we'll experiment with all of those all

of those ideas so why don't we start

with a camera back here wide because

we're going to sort of start with our

masters what's your Zoom 28 to 7 let's

go with a 28 which will give you a good

full figure here right but because we do

want movement why don't we think about

as they settle in why don't you just

sort of drift in and over maybe go with

David from where's your first stop here

so you kind of hold that as wide as you

can right and then just drift over with

him when he comes over here to this desk

so you're uh why don't you go um in

because there's U why don't you be wide

but kind of hide over here stay out of

the a camera right and just pan them in

through the doorway so that way you're

not violating his space you're not

you're not in his shot um but you can

get this and then when David Frost comes

through why don't you pull with

him um and uh and you know and then fall

fall in over here as the others come and

then when he turns back you've got kind

of a medium widish over the shoulder

okay so you'll be the second master you

like me to stay camera left of him yeah

let's go this way um like that because

that that helps with the the coverage

and a reverse shot later and the other

thing is is that and you know you never

want in this kind of coverage to be

having to shoot straight into a wall

because it's very boring so it's one of

the cheapest things that you can do to

give a you know to give any kind of

staging some de some some scope is to

create depth in the staging so you want

to use light you want to lose use space

and unless you're making a point of you

know somebody trapped or something like

that you know you never want to get into

a situation where a person's coverage is

has to be jammed you know straight back

into a wall just it just uh just looks

terrible so like when you go back over

there make sure you don't get too close

to that wall but also the coverage will

be good because we'll be raking along

down this way okay so let's just try it

so you're going to be wide and you'll

you'll see when he starts to come right

you pull with

him when he goes

here you know I think what you can do is

as they start to go is just come over

and we'll just see what we can get you

know maybe some sort of U I think you're

going to kind of be dead at that point

but just just follow them out the door

you know just hold here okay great so

let's try that let's walk through the

scene and we'll see what that looks like

I'm going to stop and go to try to make

some adjustments for the camera as we go

okay yeah you guys you ready with your

wide so we're pretending this is the

doorway to a garage in fact start back a

little further because I'd like you to

I'd like to feel like you're actually

can see the edges of the garage door and

everything okay

[Music]

great are we

set good to go yeah all right yeah yeah

and 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 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 hang

on for one sec so when he comes in here

don't press in quite so tight okay so

that you can come in to something like

this widish but like that right okay and

that way you'll be able to come over and

cross over with him let's just start it

again from the top see if we can fall

ease into that position

sure

okay and 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 music off please music off by the

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 uh hang on one

second so when we do it we uh so when he

lands over here that which is a good

move you should be here find that lens

so that when you take that look uh you

know you're you're you're not blocked

got right okay that's good we carry on

so take it from there where you just

looked at him yeah be out a little

further a little further if we were

doing this we'd Mark you we're not right

now so okay 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 again today

he'd have 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

Trav well it's

irrelevant and it's just a sort of

banale anecdote that would distract

the distractor

what go you say it you're about to say

talk show

hos said find the lens yeah good good

staging I was

look it's useless me trying to answer

your points frankly I don't share any of

your sense of of pessimism or alarm and

this ridiculous self flagellation in my

view is just

depressing now let me stop one for one

second now if what Linds you on there

you're on a 32 well that's pretty good

now let me just see if you can get Bert

in also back shre great I think that's

where we'd want to actually land on this

cop that if we were doing it so let's

just overlap it from where you come

through and just for the heck of it

let's just you'll come back to this spot

you you'll guard it and make sure he

doesn't fall down and get hurt great

just from where you cross through okay

great

great all right um now let's get the a

camera again since we're doing a pickup

I would probably use this opportunity

for just for you to to get down low get

super wide and let's just get that exit

as they go walking out okay and you're

still keeping the other camera out so

you're backing up a little bit is he out

of

frame yeah yeah great okay yeah good

good everybody clear good action I do

well it's a relevant let's go back a

little further since we've got this this

wide shot that I've just designed uh

just do that last part where you're

where you come walking over to him okay

okay yeah yeah let's take it you just

did it let's take it from where you walk

were you cross over

okay that was it beginning to sound like

a rational response yeah yeah okay and

action 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 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 crew members say they

never voted for him when he had the

chance but if he ran for office again

today he 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 with him to Europe when he traveled

well

it's well it's irrelevant okay let's

take that turn again you should chase

him and be talking the whole way don't

wait to get there so so just take it

from right right before I do

okay okay ready yeah and action who

cares whether Nixon took the White House

bed with him to Europe when he traveled

well it's

irrelevant and it's just a sort of Bol

anecdote that would distract

a

what no go on

you're about to say talk show host

aren't you can you just come over a

little bit that way so that that does

that open them up a little bit so on the

day if we were shooting we'd be going

for that

great 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

if anyone of you 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 celebrate what David the fact

that we're going to be working out

Burger King I mean what are we

celebrating my birthday oh it's my

birthday and uh I'd like to celebrate it

with a few

friends

good great now we're going to do a

little pickup this is something that I

would do on the day because I don't need

it for the whole scene but let's just

sit you on a box so you're as low as you

can be and as wide as you can be and

let's just get that walking away moment

so you guys are left very lonely you

know do you like me exiting the frame or

I like you going want to follow and be

like yo yeah I like that moment and then

you go with your friend yeah so we'll

just take it from I'd like a few things

uh you know a birthday with my you know

friends you want to go lower uh yeah if

you can if you can get it a little

lower beautiful great just for this part

going celebrate how's that uh sure cool

great yeah that's nice okay here we go

it's just really for that lonely just

just right before you go uh it's my

birthday B okay ready okay let's keep

rolling this is just to get a little

lonely moment in the alleyway and

actions my birthday Bob I'd like to

celebrate my birthday with a few

friends great that's very helpful okay

great