Moviemakers Masterclass.2
Revisionists:
The interview in this chapter is with Woody Allen born in 1935 in Brooklyn.
- Directors make films for themselves
Woody claims there are two distinct types of directors, 'those who write their own material and those who don't'. With the directors that write and produce their own material the audience is more in contact with a personality, but if you have nothing interesting or new to say, then it will never be as good as a new film directed from someone else's good script. However, he states that the director must 'remain the master of the film', 'as soon as he becomes the slave he is lost'. If you make a film that pleases you, then you will please the audience too. He suggests, it's a 'mistake' to try to guess what the audience will like.
-'When I get on the set I don't know anything'
Woody says that he likes to go onto the set with no preconceived idea as to what he wants to do on each shot. 'what I do is I walk around with the camera man and see where I want the action to take place and how I want it to look'. He says that he tells them, 'you say this here, then move over there and say that. You can stay over there for a while, but then I want you to move over there to say this.'. He also stated that he tries to 'shoot every scene in a single shot' and that he doesn't 'cut' and never 'shoots the same scene from a different angle' he also stated that he doesn't 'cover' anything because he doesn't like the actors to 'do the same thing over and over.' because it keeps the actors fresh and spontaneous.
-Comedy requires spartan direction
'If you move the camera too much, if you edit too quickly, there's always the risk that you'll kill the laugh.' Because comedy shots need to be, 'simple and clear'. You want a clean 'open frame' making sure that you can see everything the actors are doing making sure that the timing is perfect. Instead of cutting a scene he likes to zoom, this way whilst shooting he can zoom on a face to get a close up, then back to a wide shot and a medium shot. When you keep the camera in one position it allows you to just get closer to a shot to show something better rather than moving the camera which sometimes adds an emotional element to the shot which isn't wanted.
-To direct actors, just let them do their work
'I never force them into anything, I completely trust their acting instincts, and i'm hardly ever disappointed.' He says that actors love long shoots because they are able to warm up and produce their best acting skills. Rather than getting into it and having to stop half way through.
-A few mistakes to avoid
'The first one to come to mind is probably to avoid doing anything that doesn't contribute to your vision'. Your best work is the work you feel most passionately about. You also need to make sure that you listen to the people around you. You're still in control you are just accepting and appreciating the advice of the other artists on the shoot. Ultimately, it comes down to if you have a good script you can do a 'miserable job of directing and still get a pretty good movie', whereas with a bad script 'you can do a brilliant job of directing and it will hardly make a difference'. The best part for woody is still being surprised by the audiences reaction.