John Badham On Directing - 2nd edition. John Badham

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      Chapter 1

      Mistake #1: Directed by Anonymous

      There’s always plenty of sitting around on sets, waiting for one task or another to be completed. A director can only do so much helping before having to get out of the crew’s way. They can spend this waiting time in many ways, hopefully productive. I like to talk with the actors about the upcoming scene or anything that’s concerning them. Often, an actor will tell me about a film or TV episode that they acted in. “Who was the director?” I often ask. This is frequently followed by a long pause and a bit of riffling through their mental contacts. Then I hear, “He was a tall guy, I don’t remember his name,” or “She had real curly hair,” or “He liked to shout a lot.”

      I used to think that this was coming from some bobblehead who was only thinking about themself. Surely this couldn’t be the case with actors who are playing leads or major roles.

      Uh… yes, it could. It’s especially true in television, where a series may have a dozen or more directors in a season. Every show starts to blur together, and the schedule is so hectic that basic niceties and courtesies go by the boards. People barely introduce themselves, and then they work together for days or even weeks on end but may never learn each other’s names.

      Michael Zinberg: In series television, the smart directors know the crew before they walk on the stage. Most of them get to know the crew during prep. Man, they can help you or not help you. If you’re a dick, they’ll find out fast, and it won’t be pretty.

      If we’re talking about the crew, this kind of behavior is rude, but not necessarily damaging. Crews are inured to being treated rudely by directors. This doesn’t make it right, polite, or even a good practice. Because they need the work, they swallow their pride and press on. Sure, it’s easier — or, more accurately, lazier. But we can get a much better result from people who we treat as individuals, not cogs in the filmmaking machine.

      John Woo: I think if you want to work with actors, first you have to fall in love with them. If you hate them, don’t even bother…. I treat actors as though they’re part of my family. Before I start shooting, I insist on spending time with my actors. We talk a lot, and I try to see how they feel about life, what kinds of ideas they have, what kinds of dreams. We talk about what they love and what they hate. I try to discover what each actor’s main quality is because this is what I’ll try to emphasize in the film….

      Once we start working, there are two primary things. First, of course, is communication with the actor. To achieve that, I always try to find something more trivial — we both like soccer. It’s very important because often, the whole communication process will rest on that. It’s something you can always fall back on when conflicts arise. The other thing I pay attention to is the eyes. When an actor acts, I always stare at his or her eyes. Always. Because it tells me if he or she is being truthful or just faking it.⁴

      Just by knowing someone’s name and using it on a regular basis, we are making personal contact with them. They become a person who wants to help us get the job done well. They become a person who looks forward to coming to work and who feels part of something worthwhile… even if it’s just a small film or TV episode.

      Martin Sheen: I had the joy of working with Steven Spielberg just last year. I couldn’t believe his character on the set. He was so available to everybody. He was so personable. He shared everything about himself and wanted to know, “Where are you from, Martin? Oh, really? I didn’t know you were from Ohio. Isn’t that something? What did your dad do?” I said, “Oh, he worked in a factory.” “I didn’t know that. Really? How many children are in your family?” You know what I’m saying? He genuinely wanted to know who I was when I had only met him socially here and there. I was so disarmed. You watch that set, and it’s not just the actors who will go to any lengths for him. It’s the whole set. The whole crew will break their back for this guy — anything. He sits behind that monitor. He knows exactly what he’s looking for, and he’ll get it in the shortest amount of time, but he won’t leave until he gets it. Then he invites everyone involved to come and look at the replay, and if someone’s not happy? “All right, let’s try it again.”

      Whenever I step on a set for the first time, I make it a point to know the names of all the actors, heads of departments, and the names of their “best boys.” I will know the camera operators, their assistants. and their dolly grips — all this without having met most of them. I use mnemonic tricks, rote memory, anything to be able to address them by their first names as quickly as I can. This is not to be popular. This is just good business.

      Gary Busey: One thing that’s very important to others is remember their name. You have an ally. The name is so important. People don’t realize how important the name is. Maybe they do, but not so much as to take two seconds to learn one. “I’m terrible with names” is just a lazy excuse for СКАЧАТЬ