1 00:00:02,009 --> 00:00:06,339 [Music] 2 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,719 whenever possible I really prefer to 3 00:00:15,719 --> 00:00:17,600 build on what the actor's Instinct 4 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,160 naturally is kind of gets back again to 5 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,720 that six of one half a dozen of another 6 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:28,439 idea um when an actor uh is is executing 7 00:00:28,439 --> 00:00:30,480 uh a move or 8 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:32,800 you know an approach to a line of 9 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:35,399 dialogue um or or you know any 10 00:00:35,399 --> 00:00:38,360 performance Choice uh if it's something 11 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:40,039 that just kind of comes organically from 12 00:00:40,039 --> 00:00:43,079 them they they they understand it uh on 13 00:00:43,079 --> 00:00:47,360 a on a on a on a very uh honest level 14 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:51,520 personal level and um I I love building 15 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:53,800 on those moments when they coincide with 16 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,199 the needs of the scene and you know and 17 00:00:56,199 --> 00:00:58,760 then that's that's that's my job and I I 18 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,519 I F whenever I can find those things to 19 00:01:01,519 --> 00:01:04,439 use I really make a point of it because 20 00:01:04,439 --> 00:01:07,479 I want them to also know that I'm you 21 00:01:07,479 --> 00:01:10,360 know I'm trying to connect this to the 22 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,720 the sort of a a Truth uh an honesty that 23 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,080 they can build on I think it sends you 24 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,040 know the the the right the right signal 25 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:20,479 to the actor that they're the 26 00:01:20,479 --> 00:01:24,960 collaborator uh as well um and um and 27 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:26,560 the other thing is it's it's also a show 28 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:27,400 of 29 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,960 respect um you know on when you're going 30 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:32,960 very very quickly sometimes you have to 31 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:35,960 pre-block it and hopefully the actors 32 00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:38,240 understand but you know they're not 33 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,000 creating as much then they're they're 34 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,360 executing the director's plan and great 35 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,799 actors proficient actors you know they 36 00:01:46,799 --> 00:01:48,520 need to be able to do that and then they 37 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:51,759 all they all can but you're not you're 38 00:01:51,759 --> 00:01:54,280 not making artists of them you're not 39 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,520 inviting them to you know to express 40 00:01:57,520 --> 00:01:59,399 themselves to make creative choices and 41 00:01:59,399 --> 00:02:02,520 contrib tions uh that they understand 42 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,119 and I think I think the more you can 43 00:02:05,119 --> 00:02:07,959 create that environment where they 44 00:02:07,959 --> 00:02:10,039 participating uh in developing the 45 00:02:10,039 --> 00:02:12,920 choices I I just think there's um an 46 00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:15,720 intrinsic value in that that audiences 47 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:18,920 are ultimately going to 48 00:02:19,380 --> 00:02:22,530 [Music] 49 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:25,720 appreciate trying to manage a um you 50 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:26,720 know an 51 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:30,080 ensemble um can be very very tricky 52 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:33,560 because um you know 53 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:36,319 often if you get three actors going in a 54 00:02:36,319 --> 00:02:38,440 scene they may not all approach the work 55 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:39,440 the same 56 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,480 way um they they they may 57 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:47,200 not find their stride in the scene in 58 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,760 the same way um you may have uh one 59 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:52,800 actor who's very improvisational and 60 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:56,720 another one who's you know who depends 61 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,640 so much on thorough preparation and and 62 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:02,840 that as a director you need to 63 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:04,720 understand that that's like another 64 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:06,720 value of 65 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:10,560 rehearsing um and uh sometimes when I'm 66 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:12,959 in during the prep I'm talking to an 67 00:03:12,959 --> 00:03:16,680 actor I'll I will say uh privately I'll 68 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:19,239 ask do you do you have do you have a 69 00:03:19,239 --> 00:03:23,080 pattern do you you know do you do you do 70 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,799 you feel like that you benefit from more 71 00:03:26,799 --> 00:03:28,680 takes and you get better as it goes 72 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,480 along or you find that you you know you 73 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:33,879 feel like your best work is is generally 74 00:03:33,879 --> 00:03:36,400 in the first few takes and then you get 75 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:40,120 stale um and I can work with that answer 76 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:43,280 either way sometimes but the mere fact 77 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:44,920 that you had the respect and the 78 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:47,959 foresight to ask is is is Meaningful to 79 00:03:47,959 --> 00:03:52,079 an actor but um you know sometimes I'll 80 00:03:52,079 --> 00:03:56,159 go into a scene and knowing that um you 81 00:03:56,159 --> 00:04:00,439 know actor a tends to Peak early 82 00:04:00,439 --> 00:04:05,319 and actor B uh benefits from you know 83 00:04:05,319 --> 00:04:07,879 doing a few extra takes becoming a 84 00:04:07,879 --> 00:04:09,319 little more comfortable seeing what the 85 00:04:09,319 --> 00:04:13,360 other actors are doing so that means 86 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:16,880 that I might do something like start 87 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:20,239 with the coverage the tightest shots on 88 00:04:20,239 --> 00:04:27,400 actor a first right away and then go to 89 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,400 the a wide shot and and then come back 90 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:32,759 around and start covering actor B 91 00:04:32,759 --> 00:04:35,759 because that's given actor B 10 or 12 92 00:04:35,759 --> 00:04:38,320 takes to sort of work with the scene and 93 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:42,960 learn it but you caught actor a early uh 94 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:45,880 when they were sort of at their Peak um 95 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:47,600 and um you know and sometimes you simply 96 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:49,880 can't you can't make those sort of 97 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:52,160 adjustments but I think it's important 98 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:55,320 to to be aware not be oblivious of the 99 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:56,880 fact that different actors work in 100 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:59,280 different ways when I directed the movie 101 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:02,960 Cocoon Moon I was young I was under 30 102 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:07,000 um and I was working with four 103 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:08,560 venerable 104 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,680 high-powered and very very different uh 105 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:14,720 actors in terms of their style and the 106 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,880 way they approach their work I had one 107 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:20,240 actor Wilford Brimley who's a brilliant 108 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:24,120 improvisational actor brilliant um and 109 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,199 uh then I had Don amichi uh who wound up 110 00:05:27,199 --> 00:05:29,440 winning an Academy Award for his role 111 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:33,400 and he was an old school Hollywood forly 112 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,759 trained highly disciplined actor but the 113 00:05:36,759 --> 00:05:40,759 idea of of not you know executing the 114 00:05:40,759 --> 00:05:43,039 dialogue as written to the 115 00:05:43,039 --> 00:05:46,440 comma uh was alien to him would throw 116 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:49,360 him um he he liked to know where his 117 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:51,440 Mark was Wolford Grimley didn't want 118 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:54,240 marks because that was an intrusion on 119 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,800 his spontaneity then Hume Cronin was a 120 00:05:56,800 --> 00:05:59,199 great theater actor and even and also a 121 00:05:59,199 --> 00:06:00,199 playwriter 122 00:06:00,199 --> 00:06:02,199 he had he could he could sort of bridge 123 00:06:02,199 --> 00:06:04,199 Both Worlds because he was also a writer 124 00:06:04,199 --> 00:06:06,319 so he sort of enjoyed the improvisation 125 00:06:06,319 --> 00:06:08,479 but he was highly prepared and then Jack 126 00:06:08,479 --> 00:06:10,440 Guilford was really from Comedy he was 127 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:12,880 from Vaudeville and Broadway musical 128 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:17,840 comedy and and and and sitcoms and um he 129 00:06:17,840 --> 00:06:19,720 understood comedy rhythms and he was 130 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:21,840 always looking for the joke the place to 131 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:23,360 kind of come in and he and it wasn't 132 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,039 about naturalism and so I'd have to talk 133 00:06:26,039 --> 00:06:29,199 to these these men in different ways get 134 00:06:29,199 --> 00:06:31,800 jacked to be a little more you know a 135 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:33,919 little more natural to throw things away 136 00:06:33,919 --> 00:06:37,840 to to to to not try to to to play to the 137 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:41,000 to the to the audience to to sometimes 138 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:43,080 slip donamichi a line that he could 139 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:45,680 pretend was an improvisational line so 140 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:47,639 that he felt like he was part of that 141 00:06:47,639 --> 00:06:50,440 that sort of improv spirit and and give 142 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:53,400 Wilford Brimley The Space to feel like 143 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:55,080 that you know he wasn't being rigidly 144 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:56,520 controlled there were times when I 145 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:58,599 couldn't succeed in pleasing everybody 146 00:06:58,599 --> 00:07:00,240 there were times when it times upset 147 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:04,000 them but for the for the most part uh 148 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,160 you know I I think you know all their 149 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:08,840 Styles came together but I had to be 150 00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:12,520 aware almost every day of how to how to 151 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,120 sort of work with the Ensemble uh and um 152 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:18,039 you know and find the right approach to 153 00:07:18,039 --> 00:07:20,960 the scene to you know to sort of benefit 154 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,210 whoever was carrying that scene the most 155 00:07:24,210 --> 00:07:31,199 [Music] 156 00:07:31,199 --> 00:07:32,199 camera 157 00:07:32,199 --> 00:07:36,960 angles and and um and stylistic choices 158 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:40,080 relating to camera movement and lenses 159 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:43,280 definitely influence performances at 160 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,919 times um if you're if you're playing uh 161 00:07:46,919 --> 00:07:50,720 a scene wider well then body language 162 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:52,479 matters more it's a little bit more like 163 00:07:52,479 --> 00:07:54,000 theater where the whole body has to 164 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,120 factor in um and if the actor is if 165 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:01,039 you're if the actor is a some somehow uh 166 00:08:01,039 --> 00:08:04,440 awkwardly Frozen in a spot and you have 167 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,919 a you know a wide composition because 168 00:08:06,919 --> 00:08:09,360 you want the environment to factor into 169 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:12,440 the to the scene in some way uh you 170 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:14,280 might need them to move more you might 171 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:16,840 need them to you know to to use their 172 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:19,560 arms more loosen up and you have to find 173 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:20,800 a way to have these kinds of 174 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:22,639 conversations with actors without 175 00:08:22,639 --> 00:08:25,919 throwing them uh you know into some sort 176 00:08:25,919 --> 00:08:29,560 of state of confusion um likewise 177 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:32,360 as you get closer with your coverage 178 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,080 sometimes it's important that they have 179 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:38,560 the capacity to to steady themselves to 180 00:08:38,560 --> 00:08:41,240 not move around too much and still 181 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:44,480 preserve uh something that feels honest 182 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,800 and emotional um and connected to the 183 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:50,200 connected to the moment but in reality 184 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:52,240 you've chosen to shoot it in a way 185 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:55,720 that's restrictive and yet they you know 186 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:58,560 they need to have the the adaptability 187 00:08:58,560 --> 00:08:59,959 to be able to work with that and you as 188 00:08:59,959 --> 00:09:02,360 a director need to know that you're 189 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:05,600 you're now expecting them to adapt and 190 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:08,120 you may need to help them sort of bridge 191 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:09,680 that Gap from the freedom they may have 192 00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:10,959 felt when they were doing The Wider 193 00:09:10,959 --> 00:09:15,600 shots to this this restriction or if 194 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:16,959 it's the kind of actor that you don't 195 00:09:16,959 --> 00:09:18,680 want to restrict then you need to make 196 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:22,120 other kinds of choices um perhaps use 197 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:26,240 handheld or or stay away on telephoto 198 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:28,360 lenses so they don't feel the 199 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:31,760 encroachment of cameras um sometimes 200 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:33,720 when you're working with uh actors who 201 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,079 aren't quite as experienced 202 00:09:36,079 --> 00:09:40,640 um kids for example uh it's very very 203 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,440 useful at times to try to go on longer 204 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:47,760 lenses further away so that they sort of 205 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:49,800 lose track of the idea that they're 206 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:50,640 being 207 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:52,760 photographed um and it makes them a 208 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:55,320 little less self-conscious a little less 209 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:57,839 nervous a little less anxious you're you 210 00:09:57,839 --> 00:09:59,959 know you you may stumble into some 211 00:09:59,959 --> 00:10:02,279 naturalism and a and an interesting 212 00:10:02,279 --> 00:10:04,560 choice that really brings the scene or 213 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:07,399 the moment to Life by choosing to shoot 214 00:10:07,399 --> 00:10:10,160 it in a way so that they don't feel as 215 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:13,600 observed um and uh so you know these are 216 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:16,480 all the kinds of things that that um um 217 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:19,720 you feel as an actor and you begin to 218 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:21,600 understand just how frightening acting 219 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,720 can be it's I don't care how experienced 220 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,560 you are it's emotionally 221 00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:32,079 unsettling um it's a it's a kind of a 222 00:10:32,079 --> 00:10:34,160 it's a kind of an elevator ride because 223 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:36,680 when you're preparing to shoot and then 224 00:10:36,680 --> 00:10:39,240 rolling you know your adrenaline goes 225 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:41,200 and you're focused and you're trying to 226 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:43,920 trying to achieve something and then the 227 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,560 the director moves on to the next setup 228 00:10:46,560 --> 00:10:48,800 and you know the actor almost never 229 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:50,800 trusts that they really got it right 230 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:52,839 they're never sure even if they go back 231 00:10:52,839 --> 00:10:54,000 and look at the monitor they're 232 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:56,079 uncertain there's an uncertainty there 233 00:10:56,079 --> 00:10:57,079 that's very 234 00:10:57,079 --> 00:11:00,959 unsettling when I moved from having 235 00:11:00,959 --> 00:11:02,519 grown up as an actor in front of the 236 00:11:02,519 --> 00:11:03,800 camera 237 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:07,079 to um you know full-time directing one 238 00:11:07,079 --> 00:11:10,120 of the one of the first things that I 239 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:13,519 noticed was 240 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:17,200 that I found that 241 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,480 mentally directing was less exhausting 242 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:21,320 than 243 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:23,680 acting at least a difficult day of 244 00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:26,200 acting with with challenging 245 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:28,639 scenes uh at the at the end of a day 246 00:11:28,639 --> 00:11:31,720 with you you know emotional scenes or 247 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:35,480 really specific uh highly choreographed 248 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:39,279 comedic scenes you I'd be just mentally 249 00:11:39,279 --> 00:11:41,680 drained at the end of a day of 250 00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:44,360 directing I I wouldn't feel quite as 251 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:46,959 drained and I I wondered why and then I 252 00:11:46,959 --> 00:11:48,560 I realized well when you're directing 253 00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:50,839 the minute you get there people start 254 00:11:50,839 --> 00:11:53,760 asking questions your own adrenaline 255 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:56,200 kind of pushes you up to a certain level 256 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,639 and you kind of sustain that level of 257 00:11:58,639 --> 00:12:01,560 attention and Focus mostly throughout 258 00:12:01,560 --> 00:12:04,959 the day until it's over and that's part 259 00:12:04,959 --> 00:12:07,480 of what the energy of being a director 260 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:10,040 is uh is um you know that's the that's 261 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,279 the energy level that's 262 00:12:12,279 --> 00:12:15,240 required actors go up and down up and 263 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:17,680 down up and down on a difficult day of 264 00:12:17,680 --> 00:12:20,480 work and it's uh you know you you're 265 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,399 just you're just often fried and then 266 00:12:23,399 --> 00:12:25,839 you also have that uncertainty on on you 267 00:12:25,839 --> 00:12:27,480 know on the way home after a tough day 268 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:30,279 of acting you you know your legs and 269 00:12:30,279 --> 00:12:34,000 feet and back hurt more as a 270 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:36,320 director but sometimes your head hurts 271 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:39,839 more as an actor