My first exposure to greatness was years ago in New York, when I was a Wallstreet runner. They called us runners because that's exactly what I did. I worked for a company that entrusted me with, I'm sure, tens of thousands of dollars worth of securities that I had to deliver. In order to keep track of my progress, they would start a clock when I left, and when I arrived at my appointed location, they would log the time in at that end. You see, the company had a pretty good idea how long it would take to get there, and if I was frequently late, I would lose the job. So I literally RAN to the next location. One morning, I was running down a street, my mind deeply engrossed in getting to the company on time, when a man walking out of a brownstone walked right in my path. BAM! I ran right into him. The next thing I hear was a guy in the street yelling, "CUT! who is that kid in the frame? get him outa there" I looked up at the man who had a grin on his face, looked down at me and said, "Where's the fire, kid" It was Walter Matthau. I had run through a hot set and ruined the take. I told this story to actor Chris Lemmon who is one of our 32 members, and his reaction was "What???? The director cut?? you NEVER cut. He could have gotten that great like from Walter, and whatever you said afterward probably could have been used" So the lesson is kids, ALWAYS roll. Never cut until all of the action is absolutely over. Most of the indie makers are using the Canon 5D's or some other digital equipment, so multiple takes are not going to cost any more than the first one. Always roll, even on rehearsals. You might get something that won't be duplicated later.
Anything Goes : Running into Show Business and always keep rolling! by Gary Craig
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I love this story - you gotta get some of these great ideas down in script form because that scene would be such fun to watch! You're a great storyteller - hope you're using your powers for good :)
Good story. And you're 100% right. There were times I cut a behind the scene moment and regret it now
Nice!
Fantastic!
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ALWAYS roll on rehearsals, but don't tell your actors you're doing so. That's a sure fire way to capture something organic. Sometimes something happens when a director says action...some actors stiffen up. Clint Eastwood NEVER says action..when the scene is ready to shoot, he says, "Ok..go whenever you're ready"
David is looking for attention. Best to ignore the child.
I guess, if you like cock fighting.
film the rehearsals, it's good practice for the crew.
Great Advice! Thank you for sharing! I have been reminded on MANY occasions --- Never delete ANYTHING --- even what you believe to be crap might come back to be gold...
If memory serves me correctly, I think I said something like.."sorry sir, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going" in which case YOU KNOW Matthau would have had a comeback, and that might have made it into the film. But the effing director said CUT!
Great story!
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Thanks kathy!
Thanks Real!