HOW OFTEN DO YOU DO ONE TAKE
AND MOVE ON?
Spielberg: Iâll average one take before moving on maybe
twice a movie.
Michell: Never.
Coppola: Never.
Fincher: Never not once ever in 35 years..
Bier: Never. If you did youâd never get to see
Cuarón: Not very often. I tend to do long ta
a long time blocking and working with the a
time setting up and doing technical rehears
at the end of the day (sometimes this transl
It drives some producers/studios crazy.
Joe Wright: Very rarely. In the old days of
there was an insurance fi rm called Lloydâs s
got the take we needed a call would go up â
for Lloydâs.â
Marshall: Rarely. Even though I know I ha
I like to be safe just in case.
Soderbergh: As often as possible but you k
MAKES PEOPLE VERY NERVOUS.
Lee: Maybe once every three movies.
Edgar Wright: Very rarely. With stunts so
you might get only one take that works and
But I nearly always do a safety.
Whedon: Just enough to make executives p
Iâm usually after something specifi c and if I
I move on.
Greengrass: On Captain Phillips we only h
on the aircraft carrier doing a high-speed ru
Nolan: Not since the lab broke the film on o
on Memento.
Payne: It probably happens once or twice a
directors think it wise to do on the very first
the shoot so as to tell everyone that youâre s
Clooney: Always the fi rst shot of the first da
movie Iâve ever done then probably ten per
time after that.
WHATâS THE MOST TAKES
EVER DONE?
Spielberg: I did 50 takes on RobertShaw as
the Greener Gun on Jaws. The shark wasnât
but we all wanted to so I just kept shooting t
production report look like we were accom
something and to keep cast and crew from g
from boredom. It was a strategic indulgence
Soderbergh: 48.
Fincher: 107.
Clooney: 18.
Nolan: I never pay attention to the number
Edgar Wright: I donât think I have ever go
So maybe 20 or so... But itâs usually six or se
Payne: Probably around 26. Iâm normally a f
seven kind of guy but every so often when th
the operator the dolly grip and the assistant
must all work in sync it might take a while to
Marshall: I try not to do more than seven o
become counterproductive.
Cuarón: The long takes process doesnât allo
many takes. In the past I have shot over 50 t
diff erent shots. Sometimes you end up usin
sometimes take four.
Michell: Like current Australian batsmen...
double fi gures.
Lee: For acting 13. For action 36.
Bier: Twenty-fi ve I think. Which if youâre trying to get the
best performance is way way too much.
Joe Wright: Thirty-seven maybe canât really remember. Iâm
usually in the range of 12 to 16 unless itâs a very technically
challenging shot.
nât remember nothing too crazy because we
at much time in the schedule.
a very elaborate shot 30. On a bit of dialogue
one into double digits.
I donât count over ten.O YOU ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR
S ON SET?
have nothing in my pockets on the set. I donât
rying change into combat.
nd keys.
balm.
icant.
Cash.
of tea.
ff.
lm. Chewing gum. Phone although I never
t.
Sides (half-sized script pages of the scene being
ay). Liquorice Airwaves.
ht: Notebook pencil and beta-blockers.
um iPhone very close-up glasses.
nfortunately my cell phone.
ht: My shot-list for the day my storyboards
ending supply of black Sharpies. My one true
ng off my storyboards and shot-list with a thick: Short sides folded up with my notes scrawled
lways in my back pocket and a pen in my fronty headphone pack script pages and a pen. Thatâs it.
ossible nothing. I like to climb around like
ook for angles (and to pretend Iâm a monkey).ANY CUPS OF COFFEE A DAY?
reen tea or decaff.
: I never had a cup of coff ee in my life but I have
dozen cups of mint tea a day.
ht: Way too many hence the beta-blockers. I met
istant when she was working as a barista so we
esso machine in my offi ce â that was dangerous.
coff ee. Green tea in the morning white tea in the
ar too many.
nly tea âtil Age Of Ultron where I got hooked.
one or two. With tea in-between. Tea I can swillaybe three. I drink loads of herbal tea though
so. A pretty unexciting habit I know.
s: More than the most takes Iâve ever done!
hree tops or I become too caustic/vengeful.ee.
e in the morning. One at âtea timeâ. But always iced.
ny that I was forced to give it up and take up tea
ia.
Never had a cup of coff ee in my life. Dr Pepper is
elivery system of choice.
t three double espressos.
ht: Way too many. Once I had a potentially heart