HA! Name THAT tune, bee-yotches!!!
So, before Mikey runs outta shit to say (highly unlikely:) , lets hit this topic... what qualities do you look for in a good director? AND- in your estimation, what are the DEADLY SINS that many not-so-good directors commit? As usual, please leave names or show titles out, as we try to run a clean, fairly inoffensive blog here! Not looking for anyone to finger point...
TEN BIG POINTS for this weeks song!!!!! AND (as per Fletch's whin...uhhh..REQUEST) ...gimmie the album title and artist)
Rock me like a hurricane, people!
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45 comments:
"How Can I Refuse" by Heart.
How do I know this?
Aunt Tori LOVED and still LOVES HEART. I remember listening to that shit on the way to the lake.
Well...I can't really talk to stage directors these days, but I can tell you all about film directors...Most of them have bought into the "auteur myth", which is the greatest French Farce since Feydeau. Utter tosh!
They do not serve the script; they try to pervert the script. When you hear all these directors talk about their vision...here's the truth, if a director is doing his job right, he has no vision; only a point-of-view toward the vision of the script. The vision belongs to the script. The director is there to serve that vision, not impose his own on top of it.
That's why everyone signs on; to serve the story of the script. If they haven't, they've taken the job under false pretences.
The other thing about film directors is they love to make their presence known on a film. They live for "the cool shot". Sorry, but if I'm in the audience and am thinking what a cool shot, the director has immediately failed. He's taken me out of the story. He's taken me out of the film to show-off and make me aware of his technique or style. He's made it about himself and not the story. Once you're aware of the director's hand; he's failed. He's broken the illusion.
The best directing should be seamless and invisible.
"The director and the cast are servants of the playwright; he must therefore be the centre of the collaboration."
--Sir Peter Hall--
"For forty years, I have observed a very simple rule: as the director I can say anything I like about the text, but it remains the playwright's perogative to make the final decision. In exchange, the playwright can make any comment about the production but the final decision rests with me." -- Sir Peter Hall --
The above seems to me an eminently sensible way to go about it.
You got song title and artist, but WHAT'S THE ALBUM TITLE????
The points are still up for grabs...
Oh shit. Um...........WAIT!
How lame is this title?
"Passionworks!"
No, really!
PASSIONWORKS!!
HA!
damn!!
Good directors walk that thin line between being there to gently steer the actor in a certain direction while knowing when and where to lay off and see what the actor will find. A good director trusts the actor (and vice-versa) and has patience while pushing them forward ever so slightly.
Bad directors always, and I mean ALWAYS say, "I don't know. What do YOU think?" when an actor asks for a little guidance. Bad directors get off task and waste time. Bad directors have their actors run the show over, and over, and over, and over in rehearsal and kill it before it even gets on the stage.
Damn u jal666! I had that one in the bag....but if u snooze u lose! Heart rocks!!!!!
That being said....
I absolutely agree with jal about the directors...but then again...he and I have worked with many of the same directors....
I mean, I am stumped...I couldn't say it better.
I might add that a bad director REFUSES to listen to the actor about a choice and instead of talking about it or intellgently explaining why they don't like the actor's choice,.....reduces me...I mean, him or her to tears by saying things like "No, that was shit..do it again," Or "I am getting so frustrated. That is NOT IT!!!!!" and pacing around and not explaining what they want....
Sorry...flashback.
Bad directors give line readings. Man I hate that. I have worked with one horrible director who would see the B-Way production, write the blocking down, and then announce that show in his next season. What is that?
-Phil
Hmmm doesn't this...
"Bad directors always, and I mean ALWAYS say, "I don't know. What do YOU think?" when an actor asks for a little guidance"
..in a small way contradict what you're saying about trusting the actor and seeing what they find? I can say that I've probably said this before myself, not cause I didn't KNOW what I wanted, but because I wanted the actor to find it on his/her own...just a thought...granted it does drive me crazy when I can;'t et ANYTHING from a director. I think it's a fine line, and I adamantly believe it to be the hardest job in the business (except for SM'ing...that's in a whole other stratosphere of hard!). You have to be everything to everyone, and the moment you're NOT and you invariably piss someone off (and you will) suddenly you suck and don't know your job. You have to be part shrink, part motivational speaker, part coach, part friend, part artist, part craftsman and ALWAYS a collaborator. I've never believed that the director is supposed to be some lord high executioner, but a part of the team. Unfortunately for some, the buck does stops with them (or I believe it should...) For me, I think one word sums up a good director - PREPARED! This doesn't mean you have to go in with every inch of the show pre-blocked (although I USED to believe that! What a Mar-oon!) but you have to have a plan of attack-and to be ready to alter that at a moments notice... much like a coach in football. For instance...Bill Belachek is a great coach because he not only has his system down (are we west coast offense or fun and gun? #-4 defense or 4-3?) BUT because he can think on the fly IN THE GAME, where the action is...I think the good directors (I say good- Jon Jory once informed me that they're are only FIVE great directors in America- I assume I ain't one of 'em...) come in with a plan (yes, a VISION if you will...) BUT they know when to alter that plan to maximaize their efforts...and Steve is absolutely right, that SHOULDN'T be two days before you open! Steve also hits a very important point regarding directors being able to speak the language of tech...I'm no great shakes as a designer, but I can speak the language, and I know that when my lighting designer says NO,and explains it to me in detail so that a six year old can get it, I usually understand why...(sound familiar Scotty?)
Oh well...my dinners ready...sod off, all!
And JAL- way to go on the PASSIONWORKS ref...10 big ones! Fletch...day late and a dollar short!...and yes MS G, Heart DOES INDEED rock...like a mutha!
btw jal- not trying to diss you with that question. Just probing,ya dig?
I heard a director tell an actor once, "OK, try that again... and this time take the *suck* out." This was not a humorous aside between friends. It was given as a serious note. It sounded like something she had heard some other director say and she thought it would sound cool. It didn't. He resented it and the show ended up sucking overall (even de-railing entirely before an audience) as a result of this kind of direction.
I know directors who are so complimentary to their actors and crew that they endear themselves so deeply to all that we would take a bullet for them. (Not in the chest, but in the leg.) UNTIL... they reveal their true colors to their SM and others once the lauded party has departed. ("Geez! What a moron! Why did we cast him again?") Then the SM questions said director's sincerity everytime HE HIMSELF is paid a glowing compliment. This is not true for all directors who are diplomatic and complimentary, maybe just a few. But, layin' it on thick can backfire once it is established that what you laying on is pure bullcrap.
I've seen directors cast large shows (college) with so many newbies that they lose control of the production overall and the whole thing just falls to pieces. Synergy never happens. The scenes never gel. The whole thing wrecks. (Yes, Tim, I am talking about that stinky pile of "Bassett Table" you saw.)
"Let's just stumble through this." (No name given for this one, as per Tim's instructions.)
A good director empowers his SM with the authority and repute needed to make the trains run on time. Not to stroke our host, but Tim X always made me a hero and legend to our troops. It made the rest of the season go much more smoothly than it ever would have.
Stick to your damn schedule. Again, underscoring the X man's "preparedness" point. (and, again, thank you Tim)
On the subject of line readings: I agree they are, in general, a bad idea. But, I have seen actors beat themselves to death looking for the meaning in a line only to light up with glee once a reading is given. (Ohhhh... I get it!) It is rare, but knowing when to break that rule is a real skill.
Too bad, Tim. The diss was completely taken. I really can't believe you, man. And you are raising a son with that attitude?
Yeah. See, a GOOD director "walks that line" between trusting the actor and guiding the actor. A GOOD director knows when to lay off and when to step in. If I'm struggling and I ask for a directors input and their only words are "I don't know. What do you think?" then I know the director is there basically to tell me where to stand and pick up a check at the end. This is MR. or MS. BAD director. I think the "arm chair director" is just as bad as the director who leaves EVERYTHING up the actor. It should NEVER be one or the other.
SK, you ask an actor a question about directors and they'll talk about it in terms of acting.
Point taken, jal.Knowing when tostep in and when to back off is crucial...
And Mikey, you are a hero to the troops...a good SM is crucial to the success of any good director, IMHO...
Hey Tim...I think YOU'RE agood director.
Not that you were looking for a compliment....but I do....
And I'm not even sucking up to you for points or a part someday....I'm 17 hours away.
I loved working with you on SIDEMAN.
Thank you Tim. Now we can both go gargle. (Haha)
A good director also takes his or her actors out for drinks after every rehearsal and performs sexual favors while......wait, that's not right.
But oh, it should be.
Well, I did know one who was very accomodating in that regard. He was a nice guy by many accounts. Personally, I hated that he couldn't stick to a rehearsal schedule worth a damn. And the sexual favors were of no use to me. I'm straight. Oh well.
Ok...I'm not really liking the direction that this is going at all...
And Thanks, Laurie. You're a spledid actor, and despite the 700 miles I hope we get to work together again someday...
Tim, leave it to me to drag it all to hell with the lid off. And you KNOW this, man. It is my job.
And let me tell you what Dakota FINALLY did for me last night after our third bottle of wine................
(with my fingers firmly implanted in my ears) "La la la...."
Hey J- what about this YOUNG ONES line "Guys...I'm getting hassled in the streets by a CHICK..."
Who said it?
Three bottles!? Geez, and I had heard she was easy. I hope those bottles had screw-off caps and names like Strawberry Hill and Wild Mountain Berry.
Neil (Nigel Planer). Episode one: Demolition. You are talking to a Brit-Com junky.
How about this exchange?
"Michael and I are going to indulge in an all night orgy of sex and violence."
"What,in the drawing room?"
"Yeah,first we're gonna have Sex With the Headless Corpse and the Virgin Astronaut."
" But wont the carpet get awfully sticky ? "
" It's a video nasty !"
" ITS A CARPET, FARTY!! "
BONUS POINTS:
What was the name of Vyv's hamster?
LOVE ME SOME YOUNG ONES!!!
"What did you just say? You just called me a bastard, didn't you?"
"Rick, that'll be five quid..we've turned your room into a roller disco"
"God, you'd think Cliff Richard never wrote DEVIL WOMAN!!!"
"I'm the PEOPLES POET!!!!"
"Neal, you bastard, these are South African Lentils!!!!"
Don't remember the hamsters name, though...
SPG!
Special Patrol Group.
--"I could murder a curry!"
--"No way man ! Everyone knows sleep gives you CANCER!"
--"There's nothing poofy about a man wanting to love his fellow man. It's actually quite beautiful. It's just when they start touching each others' bottoms...."
--"Neil, is it really necessary to nail the plates to the table? What happens when we want to play Monopoly? Go directly to plate? Do not pass plate nailed to the table by a stupid hippie?"
and finally (though I could go on for days)......
--"Oh no. The front door's exploded."
"hello darkness my old friend."
"wrong, your fathers multi-nationals collapsed this morning."
" Uh, guys. I think I've nailed me legs to the table."
"One of vivian's socks has escaped!!!"
"Enjoy your macaroni.."...all of yous!
I love that line! I am glad it lives!!
And the "Officer Down!" line...I never felt I did that particularly well. I was so tired from attempting to light matches...One attempt...2, 3, ahhh screw it...I'll just throw the matches at Adam and hope they don't spontaneously light in mid air.
You know, and I am going to have a Pollyanna moment, a good director is someone you yearn to work with again and an uber-good director is someone who you could call a friend after the show closes.
Juanita,
How about I woo you in Gaelic? Just have a raincoat handy. Like Welsh, you need a cup of phlegm in your throat to pronounce the words correctly.
A skit, huh? Hmmmm. I'll need convincing.
Terry(aka Laurie), watching you and Clifford (aka Shayne) from my spot on the couch was a great experience. I thought you delivered the "Officer Down" line with just enough exasperation/comedy/tragedy necessary for the scene.
Yep, Side Man was a great experience. X, you proved your good director stature to me during rehearsals for this show. Cheers. And it was wonderful to FINALLY work with the always beautiful, always talented Laurie G. We had some fun during those months, didn't we? ;) All of us did.
That was a beautiful show...but like Rich said in the review, I had an awfully good group to start with, and that sure makes the Director's job an easy one!
Skits? Possibly...maybe an "Archie/Edith " version of ALL MY SONS w/ Adam as Meathead and Micha as Gloria? Dr. Dave as George Jefferson?
Or possibly a "Boris/Natasha" take on it?
I had a great idea two earsago for me, Spencer and Rick to do ART as the 3 Stooges...use your imagination as to who's who...
Oh sweet lord, I'd pay to see you 3 as the Stooges. And, Spencer just got hisself a new nickname in my book. After envisioning that skit I may need a catheter.
Curley- "Hey Moe...I just bought a paintin'!"
Larry- "..but it's all WHITE..."
Cur- "Nyuk nyuk...I know...and it only cost me 100,000 francs!!!!"
Moe- "You NUMBSKULL!!!!" (gouges eyes)
Cur-"WHOOB WHOOB WHOOB... (mayhem ensues...)
How could this MISS???
Once again...I REALLY need a new topic, don't I?
Sounds TITALLATING, Juanita.
I guess it would depend on what kind of actor one was.
I'm indifferent on the line-readings issue.
Good directors tell you exactly what they want.
Bad directors scare you with threats.
I don't mind getting yelled at just not threatened.
Yes JAL...mucho funo
How about musical parodies?
There is always something funny about straight plays set to music......
That could open up a whole new box of "orgones"
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