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Documentries please?
	Topic by: Cosplayer Posted: April 28, 2005 - 2:56 PM PDT Last Reply: May 17, 2005 - 11:08 AM PDT

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author	topic: Documentries please?
Cosplayer	post #1  on April 28, 2005 - 2:56 PM PDT   Does anybody know how directors/actors do it? Like Woody Alen? It looks incredibly hard. Any good documentries? I'd even take one about a music video. If your'e the one who's acting, how do you know if you're good you can't see yourself?
hamano	post #2  on April 28, 2005 - 4:17 PM PDT   There are a lot of actors who don't like to see themselves on screen. They never watch the dailies, or even the finished films. That sounds weird, but if you think about stage actors it doesn't seem impossible. There were plenty of actors before film was invented, and they never saw themselves. So what do you want? A documentary about film-making and directing? Or acting?
Shaky	post #3  on April 29, 2005 - 4:19 AM PDT   > On April 28, 2005 - 2:56 PM PDT Cosplayer wrote: > --------------------------------- > If your'e the one who's acting, how do you know if you're good you can't see yourself? > --------------------------------- You feel it. There's a point where it just clicks and feels really natural, as if you've become someone else. That's usually when it looks the best on screen. It's actually better if the actors do NOT see themselves. I made the mistake once of letting the actors see playback of a scene we had shot, before we were finished shooting. It had the effect of removing them from the world they had tried so hard to create in their characters. From then on, they were paying attention more to how they would be seen by other people than by how the characters should see themselves. The performances were wrecked. If you want to understand this better, I would suggest taking a beginning acting course. You'll quickly learn the language of actors ("What's my MOTIVATION??!!") and start feeling what actors feel when they perform. I don't know of any docs that really illustrate that. However, the best doc I've seen on filmmaking in general is Lost in La Mancha, about Terry Gilliam's failed attempt to bring the Don Quixote story to the screen. The shoot was a total disaster. The doc is funny and informative, but it also presents a number of examples of what NOT to do on a set. There's also Hearts of Darkness, a documentary about the production of Apocalypse Now. It was mostly shot on 16mm during the production, but it took many years before the doc was ever finished. It provides some interesting glimpses into the production of a large scale feature film. Unfortunately, it appears that Greencine doesn't have it; it may not be out on DVD.
hamano	post #4  on April 29, 2005 - 5:43 AM PDT   Oh, you mean how directors direct themselves if they're also one of the actors in the film? Woody Allen is probably not a good example if you want to see the process... However, this is something that DVDs are really good for, since so many of them have "making of" featurettes and commentary tracks. How about starting with films by Kenneth Branagh? He seems like the sort who would be into explaining the process... Hmmm... neither the film Shaky suggested (Hearts of Darkness) nor Al Pacino's Looking for Richard are out on DVD... too bad. I think an actor/director's gotta have a ton of confidence or a big fat ego or both to put himself in a film he's also directing. And THAT's got little to do with the quality of the film in the end. Important points: Know your script and storyboard. You have to be able to explain the scene to your actors, as well as believe it yourself. Rehearse rehearse rehearse. If you're not experienced, maybe videotape the rehearsal and look at it. Work with people you can trust... even if it's hard for you to tell, your cinematographer (someone's gotta shoot the scene) should be able to say if he thought the scene was good. If you're shooting on video, just play back the scene and look at it. If it didn't work, reshoot.
Cosplayer	post #5  on April 29, 2005 - 7:59 AM PDT   I got a little experience. I was Helena in our school play. I never saw the DVD of it. I'm too scared. Plus it's be boring since I saw it a million times off set.
hamano	post #6  on April 29, 2005 - 9:10 AM PDT   Well, do you want to direct something you are gonna act in? Or are you just curious? If you're just curious, rent a buncha movies that were directed by the star, and watch the extras. There's usually a "making of" documentary, and you can turn on the director's commentary if there is one while you watch the film. I'm sure directing yourself (well) is not an easy thing, but I'm also pretty sure that the actors who do it have pretty big egos, or a need to control as much of the process as possible themselves, or are very self confident, or all of the above.
underdog	post #7  on April 29, 2005 - 9:55 AM PDT   I second Shaky's recommendation of Lost in La Mancha. It's both hilarious, and kind of sad, too. Hearts of Darkness, on Coppola's own descent into near madness, is indeed a fantastic film, one of the best about filmmaking. If only it were out on DVD. Sigh. You could also check out this documentary about Kurosawa. And don't miss one of the most fascinating documentaries about filmmakers and filmmaking, on Werner Herzog and his tempestuous relationship with actor Klaus Kinski, My Best Fiend. And speaking of acting... As Hamano says, there are often behind the scenes featurettes on DVDs with actor interviews, although most of these are rush n' gush jobs put together by studio publicists. But there are certainly some good ones out there. Meanwhile, you should check out This So-Called Disaster, about the production of a play starring Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, and other egos, I mean, actors. Fascinating stuff.
Eoliano	post #8  on April 29, 2005 - 10:08 AM PDT   > And don't miss one of the most fascinating documentaries about filmmakers and filmmaking, on Werner Herzog and his tempestuous relationship with actor Klaus Kinski, My Best Fiend. Speaking of Kinski and Herzog, Les Blank's extraordinary documentary Burden of Dreams arrives next month...
hamano	post #9  on April 29, 2005 - 9:46 PM PDT   I think she wants to know how actor/directors manage to direct themselves, guys. I guess to many viewers it seems like a hat trick. > On April 29, 2005 - 9:55 AM PDT underdog wrote: > --------------------------------- > You could also check out this documentary about Kurosawa. Ah, if only Chris Marker's A.K. was available on DVD... Oh, and Burden of Dreams... I gotta get it.
hamano	post #10  on April 29, 2005 - 9:56 PM PDT   Hey, wait... ALL these Les Blank titles are available on DVD!!!! Gradalis or someone should get on this right away! What's going on guys??? Films by Les Blank in DVD format with addional bonus footage and commentary (scroll down past the tapes for the DVDs) El Pesar de los Sueños (Burden of Dreams in Spanish) [dvd] (1982) $ 29.95 The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins [dvd] (1969) $ 29.95 Chulas Fronteras [dvd] (1976) $ 29.95 Dry Wood [dvd] (1973) $ 29.95 Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers [dvd] (1980) $ 29.95 J'ai Été Au Bal / I Went to the Dance [dvd] (1989) $ 29.95 Roots of Rhythm [dvd] (1994) $ 39.95 Spend It All [dvd] (1971) $ 29.95 A Well Spent Life [dvd] (1971) $ 29.95 Yum, Yum, Yum! [dvd] (1990) $ 29.95
hamano	post #11  on April 29, 2005 - 10:14 PM PDT   OK, I just ordered Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers and Yum Yum Yum... now I feel better.
Eoliano	post #12  on April 29, 2005 - 11:09 PM PDT   > Ah, if only Chris Marker's A.K. was available on DVD... Who knows, maybe A.K. will be included in Criterion's upcoming DVD of Ran... now that be nice surprise. In the meantime, there is always Kurosawa. Dearest darling hamano, will you let me borrow your copy of Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers?
hamano	post #13  on April 30, 2005 - 3:57 AM PDT   > On April 29, 2005 - 11:09 PM PDT Eoliano wrote: > --------------------------------- > Dearest darling hamano, will you let me borrow your copy of Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers? Any time, Maggie! Just bring me some of those take out noodles from that stall!
Eoliano	post #14  on April 30, 2005 - 9:19 AM PDT   > Any time, Maggie! Just bring me some of those take out noodles from that stall! I'm afraid that noodle kiosk has closed but I know another that is even better and I'll even throw in a variety of yummy dim sum too. Did you know that the Hong Kong government is telling us not to eat certain varieties of dim sum because they may be bad for our health. Can you believe that... I mean, what a lot of fan gor!
hamano	post #15  on April 30, 2005 - 9:38 AM PDT   You'd think those mainland Chinese would leave food traditions alone, at least. Maybe they just lost their sense of fun since the revolution...
Eoliano	post #16  on April 30, 2005 - 10:04 AM PDT   > You'd think those mainland Chinese would leave food traditions alone, at least. Maybe they just lost their sense of fun since the revolution... Can you beleive it... the story even made the front page of The New York Times!
ALittlefield	post #17  on May 1, 2005 - 7:49 PM PDT   One director who certainly knew how to get the best from himself was Chaplin, who was famous for redoing a scene again and again until he thought it was right. He also would act our exactly what he wanted the other people in his films to do. On the bonus DVD of THE GREAT DICTATOR there's a scene (in color!) of Chaplin directing a crowd scene. Personally, the director/actors that I can't stand are Barbara Streisand and Slyvester Stallone;while it's reasonable for an actor to want to appear good on the screen, they both push the camera work into the level of egotistical glamor shots. In THE PRINCE OF TIDES it is distracting how better Streisand lights herself than the other actors. And in Rambo 3 when Stallone starts comparing himself to Jesus, I feel like vomiting.
ahogue	post #18  on May 11, 2005 - 10:15 AM PDT   > On April 29, 2005 - 11:09 PM PDT Eoliano wrote: > --------------------------------- > > Ah, if only Chris Marker's A.K. was available on DVD... > > Who knows, maybe A.K. will be included in Criterion's upcoming DVD of Ran... now that be nice surprise. In the meantime, there is always Kurosawa. > > Dearest darling hamano, will you let me borrow your copy of Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers? > --------------------------------- IIRC, Marker also did a film about Tarkovsky that only showed in New York and LA. I would love to see that one sometime. Anyone remember what it was called?
Eoliano	post #19  on May 11, 2005 - 11:21 AM PDT   > IIRC, Marker also did a film about Tarkovsky that only showed in New York and LA. I would love to see that one sometime. Anyone remember what it was called? One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevitch
underdog	post #20  on May 11, 2005 - 12:24 PM PDT   > On May 11, 2005 - 11:21 AM PDT Eoliano wrote: > --------------------------------- > > IIRC, Marker also did a film about Tarkovsky that only showed in New York and LA. I would love to see that one sometime. Anyone remember what it was called? > > One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevitch > --------------------------------- I *so* wish that would come to DVD. That and the one about Krzysztof Kieslowski ("I'm So So"). Sigh.

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