If This Is A Blog Then What's Christmas?

(thanks, J.)

UPDATE: this just appeared in the comments section, but I wouldn’t want you to miss it.

On Friday I went to see Ralph Fiennes being interviewed for the London Film Festival.

He seemed quite remarkably lovely, but that aside, he had a few words about the differences between working with Steven Spielberg and Anthony Minghella, both of whom directed him to Oscar nominations.

The former was a very vocal director and was often very hands on. The film he directed Fiennes in (Schindler’s List) involved the portrayal of a sadistic concentration camp guard. If you watch the performance it’s full of odd little tics and quirks, which you might have thought were down to Fiennes’s interpretation (the one mentioned particularly was a shot of Fiennes holding a rifle across his shoulders and using that pose to stretch in the morning). They were actually Spielberg’s suggestions. He would keep the camera rolling and bark orders at Fiennes to look a certain way or make a certain movement. Then he cut these quirky asides together to create a really nuanced and disturbing portrait. In effect Spielberg was giving Fiennes line reads and they made the ‘performance’ much better.

Minghella, on the other hand, was a little different: he would allow Fiennes to give his own performance then, if required, take him aside and speak to him out of the earshot of others to gently suggest other ways of conveying the character (of Count Laszlo de Almásy in The English Patient). He too would give Fiennes line reads, but only after seeing the actor’s attempt at the performance.

I mention these differing styles as an illustration of the adage that there is more than one way to successfully skin a cat, but also to apply that adage to the dark art of trying to elicit a performance from someone. It’s a tricky old game: you could be like Arsène Wenger and refuse to change your style no matter to whom you are attempting to apply it to; or you could be like 98% of other managers and adapt yourself somewhat to the different demands of the object of your potential influence. You could try smarmy charm, like David Frost; or withering disdain, like Simon Cowell. You could be passively-aggressively slightly crazy, like Tony Kaye; or a calm monument of steady assurance, like David Abbott.

I’ve had CDs who have been barky and angry; I’ve had CDs who have been calm and measured. Some have let me find my own ways of improving an ad; others have suggested their own solutions (which are then quite hard to avoid using); some have had very high standards; some have not given much of a toss. Some have been pally; others intimidating.

Tomorrow I’m going to post a roundtable discussion between five US ECDs where this very question comes up, but I’d also be interested to know your perspective on this matter, whether as a CD or as someone who works for a CD. Does a single method lead to the best results? Or are there many solutions that depend on the people and situations involved?

Answers in the comments section.

Ikea or Death (thanks, C).

Brides throwing cats (thanks, V).

Game Of Thrones Bad Lip Read (very funny; thanks, T):

Very funny, insane, crazy, brilliant comedy routine (very NSFW):

Russell Brand entertainingly interviews a couple of homophobic men (thanks, J):

Animals hiding in the London Underground (thanks, G).

The man who shrunk his home town (thanks, J).

10 life lessons to unlearn (thanks, L).

15th Century Flemish portraits recreated in an airplane lavatory (thanks, M).

Disney’s latest movie pitch (thanks, J):

Every outfit Walter White has ever worn in Breaking Bad (thanks, Y).

Porn comments on Instagram pics (NSFW; thanks, J).

Anti-trumpeter rant (thanks, J):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EitiGc2eGa0

1. The VO that just reads out the supers. Why both? For blind people or deaf people? Neither of whom will make the most of a TV streaming service.

2. And the VO is creepy. He says ‘nowadays everybody does it’ like he’s just sidled up to an innocent first-timer at a wife swapping party.

3. There’s an air of smugness, like they’re terribly pleased with themselves for spotting the groundbreaking existence of the hitherto-very-well-known Fosbury Flop.  ‘And over there, if you look carefully, is a bear shitting in the woods.’

4. ‘Someone must dare to change the rules’? Yes, but how does Wuaki do that? It seems to be another version of Netflix, or Apple TV, or Virgin Media or X-Box Live or loads of comparable things. What rules have been changed other than the rules for how enormously you can overstate a very insignificant occurrence?

5. Did they intend for it to sound like ‘Whacky’? If so, odd intention; if not, oops.

6. Dick at the end. The real Dick. He’s alive! Who is? Dick Fosbury! Who gives a fuck? It’s not JFK, or Buzz Aldrin. It’s some old feller who could jump pretty high in the 60s. That’s mildly interesting, like finding out Living In A Box are still touring.

7. ‘Dare’? Is it daring to provide what seems to be a streaming service? Is Marcus Mumford Keith Moon?

8. It all feels very pan-European, if not, pan-global, but ironically it will appeal to precisely 0% of that globe.

(This is a verified letter that has been burning up the interwebs of late.)

Dear Mister Cranston.

I wanted to write you this email – so I am contacting you through Jeremy Barber – I take it we are both represented by UTA . Great agency.

I’ve just finished a marathon of watching “BREAKING BAD” – from episode one of the First Season – to the last eight episodes of the Sixth Season. (I downloaded the last season on AMAZON) A total of two weeks (addictive) viewing.

I have never watched anything like it. Brilliant!

Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen – ever.

I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullshit in this business, and I’ve sort of lost belief in anything really.

But this work of yours is spectacular – absolutely stunning. What is extraordinary, is the sheer power of everyone in the entire production. What was it? Five or six years in the making? How the producers (yourself being one of them), the writers, directors, cinematographers…. every department – casting etc. managed to keep the discipline and control from beginning to the end is (that over used word) awesome.

From what started as a black comedy, descended into a labyrinth of blood, destruction and hell. It was like a great Jacobean, Shakespearian or Greek Tragedy.

If you ever get a chance to – would you pass on my admiration to everyone – Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Aaron Paul, Betsy Brandt, R.J. Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Steven Michael Quezada – everyone – everyone gave master classes of performance … The list is endless.

Thank you. That kind of work/artistry is rare, and when, once in a while, it occurs, as in this epic work, it restores confidence.

You and all the cast are the best actors I’ve ever seen.

That may sound like a good lung full of smoke blowing. But it is not. It’s almost midnight out here in Malibu, and I felt compelled to write this email.

Congratulations and my deepest respect. You are truly a great, great actor.

Best regards

Tony Hopkins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSxbdFmO_CI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66srduIhOI8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ljDMz2DdJ-o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UZOA2Z-fZes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ePONSGuXjQU

(Thanks, V.)

On Friday I went to see one of the masterclass talks of the London Film Festival. It was an interview with Alfonso Cuaron and Tim Webber, respectively the director and VFX supervisor of this:

I am pant-wettingly excited to see that. It has 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and just broke the October opening record in America.

So Alfonso and Tim went through the processes by which they made this incredible epic, and I thought I’d share their wisdom with you:

1. It took four-and-a-half years to make. I love that. In this disposable, forgettable, surface world some things take time. Producing work of real quality takes time. Completely reinventing the field of special effects takes time. And that’s OK. Greatness takes as long as it takes. Perhaps gun control will also take time. Actually, maybe four-and-a-half years is quick for something like that. As someone who spends at least a year on a novel, if not two, I’m comfortable with starting a project whose end is too distant to see. Maybe I should spend longer and aim higher…

2. Alfonso has no problem killing his babies. When asked if he left anything great on the cutting room floor he replied that he found it funny that Tim and the cinematographer were gutted to see their best shot fall by the wayside, but Alfonso has no problem shedding excess baggage. He was then asked if it would resurface on the DVD. He didn’t seem keen on the idea.

3. I asked him a question (that was quite exciting, by the way. If any of you go to a talk with someone who is truly brilliant at something you love, ask them a question). I wanted to know if, after such a long process, where they could not have been sure if such groundbreaking techniques would work, are they happy at the rapturous reception Gravity has enjoyed, or are they just relieved. Alfonso said, ‘After a fox has been chased by a pack of hounds for four-and-a-half years, when the chase finally ends, is he happy? No. he’s happy when he can relax or paint or whatever. I just felt massive relief’. Tim agreed.

4. Tim revealed that Alfonso has an eye for everything, which made everyone do their job better because they knew Alfonso would spot any mistake. Then Alfonso said that whenever he pointed something out to Tim he would reply ‘I know,’ as in ‘I’ve got it covered’. He said that was fine. What he couldn’t stand would be to point something out to someone on his crew and have them go, ‘Oh! Yeah, I didn’t see that’. He said he absolutely trusts everyone in his crew and deliberately hires people better than him. That way he never has to spot mistakes. I think that’s interesting: if you know you’ve done something shit, don’t wait for it to be pointed out to you or hope you’ll get away with it; sort it out.

They were both very nice, charming, funny guys.

Roll on November 8th.

Awkward sexy (thanks, J).

Best infographics ever.

Watch this and spend the next four minutes going ‘Fuuuuuuuck’:

WW2 day by day (thanks, A):

10 dinosaur-on-human sex novels.

Take it away, Miley and Sinead (thanks, D):

http://vimeo.com/76171895#

Here is today (thanks, J).

Amazing behind-the-scenes movie moments (thanks, G).

80s American DJs with topless women (thanks, B).

Sir Hegarty’s fave ads (thanks, V).

Parents who nailed it on Hallowe’en (thanks, G).

All Saul Bass’s film posters (thanks, J).

Awwwwwwesoooooommmmmmme:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVloaB5_J1k

Drugs in the movies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKMemlQf3IU#t=75

Life advice from Frank Gehry (thanks, E).

The other day I was reading this post (it’s from the blog I recommended last week, written by the writer of Pirates Of The Caribbean and Shrek).

It really struck a chord with me, especially the part where he calculates the number of days he has left before he turns 60 (the age after which no one is that surprised if you happen to drop dead). He’s 42, so it turns out he has around 6,500 days left (and bearing in mind that column was written a good decade ago, he’s down to less than half that now). Of course, he might live to be 120, but then again he might not, and it’s far better to err on the side of caution, because if you get it wrong the stakes are pretty high.

I was chatting on exactly this subject to Mark Denton. He then gave me a way of looking at it that was for more chilling/inspiring:

if you think about your whole life as a week, what day are you on?

I know life expectancy is increasing, but if you divide your seventy years into a decade per day, are you, like me, coming up to bedtime on Thursday? Or have you perhaps reached Friday teatime?

Whichever it is, maybe that’ll sharpen your thinking enough to swap the odd evening of GTAV for a few hours progressing that much-ignored screenplay.

The clock is ticking…

(Thanks, L.)