All language subtitles for 123 - Frost Nixon Alternate Staging Possibilities

okay so we're gonna go through that version

of the blocking uh

again and every once in a while

we're gonna stop

I'll walk in and explain the reasoning for that staging

and talk through some of the other possibilities

that we might have been able to consider

and then we'll carry on from there and action

what revolution David

you just let Richard Dixon claim

the country was in a state of revolution

with protesters

with protesters bombing and assaulting police officers

that's not what I remember

what I remember was people protesting

peacefully and legitimately about the Vietnam War

that's what I remember

music off please

music off by the end

okay great so

this is a position that the actors

first and foremost

and very importantly

fell into very

very naturally

it it also lent itself to a good wide shot

an establishing shot

uh that we could

that we could do to establish the room

particularly the moment when he chases out the uh

imaginary uh

actor who would one day be there playing

playing the radio

it also creates some space

and it gives an opportunity for a shot here that we did

uh where you have David in the foreground

and you see that he's

he's trying to ignore

the pressure that's being put on him by everybody

uh and and it also gives a kind of a space

as though he's

he's surrounded by three individuals who have a

you know a strong point of view

or upset with him

so it it it spatially

uh you know

I felt it created

different lines that we could also work with

over the shoulder here

I remember we did

and over the shoulder here

that we did

so again it's this idea of

of David being ganged up on by everyone

so this first stop again

is where they organically landed

when we did the first rehearsal

um and maybe I tweaked it a little bit

just in order to position for the cameras

but this is where you guys

naturally felt inclined to go yeah

um which is

oh you know

always a good sign

it's a good idea by the way

to let actors

um begin to stage it on their own

you might have one or two principles that

you know you need

for example

it needs to play near a

you know a window

or a light source or

you know you know

you wanted the sun at their backs

or just some basic idea like that

but having been an actor I

I've always found that when

when anytime

the actors can

can establish the staging on their own

it's it's very helpful

because it's organic to them

and then sometimes

they'll have an instinct about something

that is different from the one that you had

as the director

while you were making out the shot list

that works very

very well and might give you an idea like

I remember at one point

you sort of moved

yeah or you

I can tell you

you wanted to begin to move

and that you didn't

and then I just

that gave me the idea that well

that would be a good spot

for a very organic walk away from

from David so

those are the kind of things

anyway this is where this staging landed

and that's sort of our first stop in the scene

okay carry on

and action by the end

wire tapping students

and breaking into journalist homes

was beginning to sound like a rational response

I'm sorry feel this way

but I simply cannot share your view about what

at any of it Franklin

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

that they never voted for him when they had the chance

I love to stop there if we can

okay and and just taking it back a little bit

go go back to where you were here

and you were here

if I do one more time

and if we if we can

I'd love to stop a little bit earlier

okay go ahead

and action by the end

wire tapping students and breaking into people's homes

was beginning to sound like a rational response

and I'm sorry you feel this way

but I simply cannot share your view about what

any of it actually

let's freeze air

so now again

we've got um

a really good axis

a set of angles

which we can look at

at David Frost

feeling this pressure from different directions

we can look at him this way

he's got the window behind him

which is good

we can look at him this way

and you know

the pressure is on

see it past his friend

we also are set up for a good reaction shot here

where he looks to his friend for some support

and you know his friend

it clearly doesn't support him

so again this is a

it's a shift and it it

it also suggested very much that David's

growing a little bit more uncomfortable

and trying to

you know find a reason to not confront these guys

and moves from here over to here

um as I explained earlier

I also wanted to stage the scene

and David over here by this window

because in a moment

there's gonna be a confrontation

um and I also wanted David to have plenty of space

um more real estate to cover to leave

giving rest in a chance to chase him

so the next thing that happens is

you guys move together right

this is rest in really bearing down

he's his chief antagonist in this scene

and really pressuring in

which makes everyone uncomfortable

gave me a good chance for some reaction shots as well

um and reactions are very important

in scenes like this

because they can really intensify a scene

sometimes a reaction shot

when you're doing a comedy

is everything that you need to extend the laugh

by the way too

not that we were going for any laughs

really in this scene

but um you know if there

if there's a joke

and you're staging a comedy scene

and there's anyone else in the scene

get that reaction shot

they go all the way back to the silent movies

those are always the things that could

could put the laugh over

anyway so uh

I like the way this worked

with his pressure pressing in on day on David

and then him having all of this space

which to try to escape with

okay carry on

so and action

are you nuts

let me tell you how bad things were today

after the taping finished

I overheard 2 members of the crew

say they wish they had voted

they never voted for him when they had the chance

but he ran for office again today

he'd have their support

you made him look presidential

for Christ's sake

and forget about the trivia David

who cares whether Nixon took the White House to

Europe when he traveled

well it's irrelevant

and it's just a sort of banal anecdote

that would distract

what

go on

you're about to say

talk show host and I think we should freeze there

and uh so now we've moved outside

David was trying to escape

but we had an opportunity for

um you know

a dramatic moment

a turn he's caught

and finally he's going to confront these guys

um and he does

and this is where David reclaims his role as the leader

and you know

and doesn't bend to to uh

you know to their

their criticism and

and so it's uh I

I remember when we were making the movie

I really liked when we found this practical location

that could begin in the garage

and then carry out into this kind of confined space

because I felt like it was private

and yet you know

you think of a lot of things happening in alleys

getting beat up

for example

and so it just

even though it wasn't not a dark

scary alley

it still suggests pressure

and I wanted to try to create that pressure

and yet see David work his way out of it

and so this staging falls in nicely again

because you got the pressure of the chief

um you know

antagonist here

pressing on David

and then you've got this opportunity to have

um cutaways

close UPS of

you know two other significant characters in the scene

okay let's continue right

and action

say it you're about to say talk show host

yeah I was

look it's useless me trying to answer your point

frankly I don't share any of your sense of pessimism

more alarm and this

this ridiculous self flagulation

in my view is just depressing

and it's threatening to derail the whole enterprise

if anyone of you really believes we are going to fail

you best leave right now or it'll infect everyone else

no one

right good now

I suggest instead of festering around the hotel

for the next five days

we go our separate ways over Easter

but before we go

Caroline and I would like you to join us for a little

celebratory dinner over Patrick Terrell's place

celebrate celebrate what David

the fact that we're all gonna be working at Burger King

what are we celebrating

my birthday

it's my birthday

and I'd like to celebrate it with a few friends

if you just go back for 1 second at the end

I like this composition as well

this was very useful

um because again

I looking for ways to keep looking at

at David Frost

he's under attack and to keep tying him to his team

because his team is disappointed in him

and he knows that

and I thought so

you know this kind of space is good

but it also allows the

the over the shoulders that we did

that tie him with to his

you know his

these characters

these important characters

and it gives each

me a chance to have a different look at David Frost

based on the close up or the reaction shot

that would be cutting off of

so it means I don't

we don't have to keep cutting back to

the same shot over and over of David

we get a slightly different Vantage point

that's connected to one of our characters

and a lot of what you're trying to do with staging

is create a kind of a connection

and an ongoing shifting of the relationships um

with the actors

and then if you can allow the audience to sort of

share that shifting Vantage point

it's very subtle but it it

it sort of broadens um

I think their sense of uh

of those relationships and

and it also keeps the

the images fresh

even though they might be very

very simple

just over the shoulders

okay okay thank you

alright we're gonna do it

we're gonna go through again

we're still gonna stop in some places

and I'm gonna talk about um

camera options a little bit more

gonna talk about some camera options here

as we review the staging yet again

okay ready and

got one camera leading David in

another camera following alongside Reston in profile

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 is not what I remember

what I remember is

is people protesting peacefully and legitimately

against the Vietnam War

that's what I remember and stop

let's stop there okay great

so we have now

is it the shot that I was talking about earlier

we've got David in the foreground

trying to avoid all of this conflict and pressure

we've got another angle over here

let's just see what we've got

a loose single on Reston

and as he moves around

we can see Bert in the background

and now let's now

let's talk about some of the other staging that we did

for example

let's get one this way

why don't you come around here

this is another example of the kind of shot we can get

that can break this up

uh and you can come in tighter on Reston

and make sure the

Bert is a profile

this is another angle that we have

you know we also wound up getting a clean single

unrest in here

come to your left

we would be doing that in a different take

right we would also get a reaction here

I'm Bert and we would

came in eventually

around this way

and did a single on

oh sorry uh

we did a single onto uh

onto uh Zelnick as well

so that was the general coverage

before uh uh

we also did

as a recall

a wide shot from back there

and coming over here

we use this

and I think you did a shot from here

that actually moved along with him as he moved

okay so why don't you do

set yourself for that position

and we'll carry on the scene

ready and action

music off please

music off okay okay

hold so again

we're back in a wide position

which is probably where we would use the wide shot

in this scene

probably at the very beginning

or in a place like that where we

we see this kind of showdown

and we would also see this character who's sitting here

get up and go and your

your angle gets all of that right in the

what lens are you on

28 that's a wide wide lens

possibly in a

in a in a location

to make that even more visual and interesting

you'd go even wider

probably go off the zoom and go to a prime lens

maybe at 14

to make the garage you know

seem even bigger

probably put the camera down on the ground and you know

just push it visually

and make it a little more distinctive

alright let's carry on thanks

action music off please

music off by the end

wire tapping students

and breaking into journalist homes

was beginning to sound like a rational response

I'm sorry to feel this way

but I simply cannot show you

of you about what

about any of it

correctly kids

freeze there

now this is again another place where

it's all about David trying to avoid confrontation

he's trying to feel good about it and

and there they're being negative

they're you know

they're frightening him

and they're angering him

so we had him leave one position

and yet there they are

they're still um

you know there's

they're still encroaching

and in a minute

they're gonna go even further

so camera wise

again we wanna use these different axis points

we wanted to shoot

you know over Bert's shoulder

this way we wanna

we wanna shoot past David

you know of course

we wanted to get a single on David

which we did

from over here

right probably past

I think we did it over like that

there's David

great we did all of that

also very important is an over the shoulder

past resting

he's gonna be the primary

um antagonist here

and when we carry on

we'll keep the cameras in this position

because resting is gonna move in on him

and the camera can move with him

which gives

you know a feeling of pressure

you feel you feel David being encroached upon

because of that camera movement

and also the physical movement of the actor

all right let's

let's carry on from there

and action I thought today was a huge improvement

are you nuts

let me tell you

going with a little bit about how bad

everything was today

after taping finished

I overheard two members of the crew say they wish they

had voted for him when they had the chance

and let's stop

so these are two important angles

uh again this camera

where where's

where are my students

uh this time

this time this camera moved in with Reston

very simple

you know you've

we've all seen it

you know 100,000 or a million times

but it does

um you know

uses the grammar of the medium

it it is visually

it's moving in with him

but there's also a very other simple

but important shot here

and that's this 50 50

it's a profile of the two of them

and it's a good

confrontational angle

and a great one to have for a scene like this

which is you know

a moment that's going to drive David to finally leaving

okay and carry on

I overheard two crew members say

they never voted for him when they had the chance

but if he ran for office again today

he'd have their support

you made 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 traveled

well it's irrelevant

and it's just a sort of banal anecdote

that would distract

what okay let's stop there

that was um um

dynamic because you

you you see David turn toward camera

remember in there

we were shooting over

over David's shoulder when he turned

you can bring the focus forward to him so that's

that's powerful and

and then it energizes the scene

visually and with the staging

because he's leaving

he's had it

and he comes out

camera stays with him

one fluid move

even though it's handheld

has some energy as a result of that

you know it seems unplanned

and then David stops because he's been insulted

um you know

and it's all

it's gone sort of one step too far

and then using the same shot

you tie him back into his adversary

in this particular scene

when you're staging scenes

it doesn't really matter what the genre is

doesn't matter if it's fantasy

comedy or drama

it it it it's

it's always about objectives

um you know

good scenes are always written with

with objectives there

there's conflict there

and you know

there's usually one character that's

that's pushing scene

pushing the conflict

another character is reacting to it

strategizing

maybe counter punching

punching um

and so you want your staging to reflect that

whenever it can

um sometimes it's just as simple

as two people sitting across the table

and it's all in the acting

you may not wanna move the camera at all

you may wanna let it be entirely an acting moment

but this this is a scene that

where I felt

we just had been coming from an interview scene

where they were two characters in a chair

for a long time

and so it's important to me

rhythmically

in the movie

that for this scene

that there's a kind of a fluid you know

a fluidity and emotion and an energy

that differentiates it from the scene that preceded it

after this we go into a real chaotic party scene

that's very festive

and there's the irony that he's trying to have you know

a Hollywood party

um but we know that you know

that he's really recently been confronted by his guys

in a dingy um

garage and an alleyway

okay so this is

this is very good staging

um some of the angles that we want here

are what we've got here

with the over the shoulder

uh of course

we're also gonna want individual reaction shots

one should come forward

of each person

now we this is important

you see we're seeing off the set

now if we were doing this

I probably would cheat you over a little bit

to make sure that we we

we not seeing too much onto the wall

because those

again flat walls

are never interesting

you don't really want

unless it's making a point

you don't really want a shot like this

look off that way

you know into a flat wall

unless that's

you know the graphic that you're looking for

is somebody who's up against the wall

who's isolated

or something like that

there may be a reason

but otherwise

generally speaking

it's always good

to try to search for as much depth as you can in a shot

and so we have a version like that

and likewise

when we would do

a reaction shot of Burt

we wouldn't shoot back into the wall

we'd Rake along down the alleyway

and of course

last but not least

is gonna be

this reverse back on to David

which we've

talked about

and then the other thing are these connecting shots

that we discussed

so there's one over

resting there's

come on back a little bit

go over this shoulder

for this shot

probably would cheat it

so if you come over that shoulder

I would do a separate setup for it

and I would make sure that we

we open it up and clear

and you never notice those kind of subtle changes

you know those

those little shifts are fine

in the editing

if you especially

you would cut away to somebody

uh a reaction shot

and then come back

and you wouldn't think about the fact that you know

they were really facing each other's

directly now

we just would open the shot up a little bit

so that we're seeing the character that we wanna see

which is what we would have here

and this is the shot

that also connects him to his entire team

that combined with the reaction shots give you

gives you a sense really

of the team

the dynamics

and the disintegration of that

or at least

the jeopardy

that the team is facing

okay great job

okay thank you