Empire UK

HAVE YOU EVER WALKED OFF
A SET IN A TEMPER?
Steven Spielberg: I’ve never walked off a set before
and I can’t imagine why I would.
David Fincher: No but I have cleared a set to speak
with an actor or actors.
Ang Lee: I only Hulked out once.
Edgar Wright: Almost. Once on Channel 4’s Spaced
I was having a tricky time shooting 15 scenes from seven
different episodes with a new-that-day crew. When
lunch was called I went for a walk and kept on walking.
Then I called my producer Nira (Park) from a phone
box and said “I can’t hack it anymore you should get
someone else for Monday.” She talked me down from
the ledge and I came back to work. So I have never
really flipped out on set but I can be an incredible sulk.
Alfonso Cuarón: Yes only to come back feeling
very stupid.
Joe Wright: I rarely lose my temper and try not to raise
my voice but I’ve left set in a sulk many times. I sulk or
even cry rather than lose my temper.
Paul Greengrass: Once when I couldn’t work out how
to shoot an eight-handed dialogue scene in the desert
in the middle of the night. After I’d banged my head
against a Humvee for ten minutes trying to work it
out I was fine and carried on!
Joss Whedon: Nope. I’ve lost my temper but not
impressively. I’ve walked out of a VFX review in
a quiet blind rage but only for a minute or so
’til I could see again.
Rob Marshall: It’s not even a possibility.
Christopher Nolan: I once tried but nobody
seemed to notice so I came back.
Steven Soderbergh: No but I did walk ON
to a set with a temper once when an actor
showed up late two days in a row.
Sofia Coppola: Ha no.
Susanne Bier: No.
Alexander Payne: Fuck no.
George Clooney: No. The reason is because
eventually you have to walk back on and that
would be too humiliating.
Roger Michell: Not yet.

WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON
PHRASE YOU USE ON SET?
Greengrass: “Fuck the script/lighting/extras etc.
let’s shoot!”
Lee: To actors “Can you close the gap between sentences?”
Joe Wright: “Beautiful. One more.”
Clooney: “What time is lunch?”
Cuarón: “Vamonos!” and “Who’s not ready?”
Whedon (whiny voice): “Come on guys I’m the leader of
a whole movie...!” When I want people to fear and respect
me. Not wildly effective.
Payne: To the actors “Great now faster.” To the crew
members “If this were easy I would have hired a relative.”
Michell: “Okay how long will that take?”
Nolan: “Moving on.”
Spielberg: “Cut.” “That was brilliant.” “Once more!”
Soderbergh: This year? “Let me have the 18 on a stick.”
Edgar Wright : “Just one more.” Also I think my regular actors
can hear the lilt in the way I say “and cut” that either means
“That was great moving on” or “We’re doing that again.”
Bier: “What if...”

Coppola: “Okay great let’s do it again.”

Marshall: “Cut. That was great.” I think it’s always important

to give immediate positive reinforcement.

Fincher: “Shut the fuck up please.”

MUSIC OR NO MUSIC ON SET?

Spielberg: I’ve occasionally played music on set during silent

scenes. For the last scenes between David and his mother in

A. I. I played Morricone’s Cinema Paradiso.

Edgar Wright: Yes sometimes music to psych people up!

On Scott Pilgrim we would blast songs constantly. And on

World’s End the actors would have songs in their earwigs

so they could all walk in time to The Doors. I also remember

playing a Teenage Fanclub intro from my laptop shooting

a close-up of Paddy Considine pining for Rosamund Pike. It’s

fun to score the ends of scenes too give them finality.

Whedon: Never even occurred to me. Except during sweeping

crane moves — sometimes I hum a bit of some score during

playback to see if it’s having the effect I want.

Bier: Both. Obviously not at once.

Cuarón: Not often but I’ve played specific music for

particular scenes if it helped the actors get into the mood

on set. Chaplin used to always have a violinist on set. I’m

thinking of having Engelbert Humperdinck singing on

set for my next film.

Greengrass: None — though I once walked round

playing guitar for an hour when I was bored with what

I was doing...

Marshall: Well the majority of films I’ve done

are musicals — so more often than not I’m calling

“Playback!” as opposed to “Action!” But the truth

is there’s nothing like having music on the set!

It creates mood rhythm and emotion.

Lee: No.

Soderbergh: No music.

Payne: No music. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Fincher: No music unless it’s a club scene in which case

we will play music earsplittingly loud so that the actors

might speak to the level of the expected ambience.

Clooney: No music.

Coppola: Yes I like to play music on set.

Joe Wright: Always music and all the time. I have my set

rigged with the biggest sound system possible and have a mini

jack for my iPod attached to my director’s chair. I find playing

music is a very direct way to communicate with actors and

the crew especially those crew members who are on the

periphery of the set. I like dancing on set too it’s a good

way to release tension.

WHAT ARE YOUR ON-SET RULES FOR

THE CREW IF ANY?

Fincher: We are not here to witness but to participate.

Nolan: No phones. No phones. No phones.

Whedon: Play nice work hard move fast have fun.

Michell: Think ahead. Be kind. Skip lunch. Go home early.

Bier: No smoking. No small-talk. Always deliver bad news

with a smile and a joke. Also no smoking.

Marshall: Come to me directly if there’s a problem. That’s

what I’m here for.

Clooney: If anybody has a good idea speak up.

Lee: I just want it to be quiet and focused.

Edgar Wright: I have my own monitor away from video village

that is close to the camera. And I don’t like anyone standing

behind me talking. So my main request every hour or so is to

ask the AD to get the talkers away from me. No chit-chat