Dare Dreamer Magazine

Posted on July 26, 2012July 25, 2012 by Ron DawsonIve been shooting (or helping to shoot) a lot of scripted films lately. Im excited to share them with you. But Ialso want to illuminate any lessons I learned during their making.

We recently wrapped filming a 3-part promotional film series for Cross Pointe Church(http://crosspointechurch.com) in Duluth, GA. We created a comedy series to promote the churchs All incampaign. This was a campaign to get the congregation to be all in as it relates to volunteering, communityservice, tithing, etc. The videos were to be funny and relate to the topic of being all in.

(http://bladeronner.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/tailormaids_cast.jpg)

This is actually one of the scenes left on the proverbial cutting room floor.

The third and final piece is called Tailor Maids. It is best described as church-friendlyBridesmaids (it isdefinitely inspired by that film). It explores what happens when a bride is having trouble getting into her dressthe morning of the big day. I knew I wanted the actors to have free rein in their execution of their roles.Improvisation would play a big part in the success of the piece.

Improvisation in filmmaking is nothing new. Christopher Guest (the filmmaker behind A Mighty Wind, Thisis Spinal Tap, and Best in Show) is one of the best known filmmakers for producing improvised work. Whenyou have the right cast, the right story, and the right script, you end up with an overall experience that istranscendent. I highly recommend filmmakers explore this aspect of the craft.

Here are the top four tips I can provide when shooting highly improvised scenes and/or scripts.

4 Tips for Filming ImprovisedScenes

1. Start with the Right Cast

Successful improvisation falls largely on the shoulders of the actors who will be improvising. They not only haveto be able to act well, they also have to in essence be good writers. They have to take what youve written,expand on it, and even come up with completely new stuff. All on the fly. We had a wonderful cast for TailorMaids.

(http://bladeronner.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/maryellen_cheater.jpg)

Mary Ellen Fiddler in Cheater

The Bride (Mary) was played by Mary Ellen Fiddler. She gave an amazing and emotionalperformanceinthe short film Cheater (https://vimeo.com/42890913), written and produced by my biz partner Phil Stevensfor his Pressure Points (http://www.indiegogo.com/pressurepoints) film series (he and I co-directed thepiece.) When you get a chance, check it out. The contrast between her in that film and this is a testament toher talent.The pregnant bridesmaid (Ana) was played by Ana Bright. Again, another terrific talent. She gave a tour-de-force emotional performance in Angry (https://vimeo.com/41007578), another film from the PressurePoints series (directed by me and written, produced and even starring Phil).Miss Bossy was played by Abigail Dont Call Me Abi Williams, a local drama coach. This was my firsttime working with her, and she nailed the character.Finally, Mona Man-Hands was played by Simone Luke-Forbes. You may recognize her as the wife frommy marriage spoof Lawn (http://daredreamermag.com/2011/11/28/for-all-you-married-couples-out-there/).

2. Create a Backstory for the Actors

This was going to be a very short script. It could really play as a scene in a longer film (something Im seriouslyconsidering). Since there is nothing else for the actors to play on but whats in the short script, I created abackstory for them to take into consideration when playing their characters. Heres what I came up with:

This is a small wedding. Brides family doesnt have a lot of money. Father of Bride is kind of a penny-pincher to boot.Mary couldnt decide on a maid of honor, so she made her three closest friends all maids of honor. This didnt sit well withMona or Abi who each think they should be the sole MOH. They dont like each other and never really have. Ever sincechildhood theyve been rivals. Mona feels Abi thinks shes all that because Abi gets any guy she wants and shes from awealthy family. Abi secretly has severe self-esteem issues and envies Monas strength and self-assuredness. Ana is totallylaid back and thinks theyre both silly.This wholemarriageis happening rather quick. The bride and groom have only known each other six months, but knew fromthe get-go they were right for each other. Ana was already 3 months pregnant when asked to be a fellow maid of honor(there was no way Mary was NOT having her in her wedding). But, given the circumstances, Marys having secondthoughts given Ana could pop at any moment.The actors could use this background info to play on each other, think up new dialog, or react in a way thatsuggests something deeper is going on.

3. Use Multiple Cameras

You absolutely should shoot with at least two cameras when filming improvised scenes. There are two mainreasons for this:

1. Since the dialog and action could change from take to take, its going to be difficult matching cuts from twodifferent angles of the same scene shot with only one camera. Mona might say one thing during the time thecamera is on her, but say and do something entirely different when the camera is on whomever shes actingagainst in the same scene. If you roll two cameras simultaneously (one camera for each actor), then for eachtake youll have the paired performances, making it easy to cut back and forth in the editing if you have to.

2. You never know when youll get an amazing line of dialog or hilarious action from an actor during theimprovisation. It would suck if you had only one camera and it wasnt on the person who did that amazingthing.

(http://bladeronner.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/tailormaids_set2.jpg)

4. Let er Roll

Once you start shooting, let the cameras roll. Dont be afraid of long takes. If an actor flubs a line, keep goingwith it. Improvising is kind of likeexercising. It may take a while for everyone to get warmed up.

Compare the Finished Product to the Script

Below is the finished film. Compare it to the script(http://bladeronner.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/the_dress_v2.pdf) and see how close they are, where the actorsdiverged, and even the scene we cut out. Most of the improvisation comes in the beginning. I hope you enjoy it.(Script is copyright Dare Dreamer Media. All rights reserved.)

Are there any tips you can give that I may have missed?

"Tailor 'Maids"from Ron Dawson | Dare Dreamer Media PLUS

02:24

A few of my favorite improvisations:

Abi trying to clasp the dress from underneath and Monas reaction.Monas line about crisco the Anas follow up about baby oil.Monas last line before the URL shows.

Tags: Acting, Casting, Christopher Guest, Filmmaking, Improv, Improvisation Categories: Client Work,Film & Video

7 thoughts on 4 Tips for Filming ImprovisedScenes

RANDOLPH SELLARS says:July 26, 2012 at 12:02 pmGreat article Ron! Excellent advise all around. One suggestion I would add. If possible, have someone takingscript notes who can write fast or take shorthand. Inevitably, something may need to be matched and it willhelp to know what the improvised line or action is. Of course, one can always play a clip back, but thatalways seems to take too long. Often its important to keep the shooting pace quick while the actors are hot.

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In addition to shooting long takes as you suggest, if possible, consider shooting with an improvised movingcamera. A skilled steadicam or handheld camera operator could capture a master shot that continuouslyevolves motivated by the actors movement. This is not easy to do (lighting, etc), but the results can beincredible. Check out Rachel Getting Married, directed by Jonathan Demme, for a brilliant example of anentire feature with all improvised scenes.

Ron, thanks for suggesting improv as a directorial approach. I would also suggest that filmmakersincorporate improv as a pragmatic tool for casting and rehearsal. Auditioning is always awkward for actorsbecause they are usually still on script. Often they are too focused on getting the words right so they arenot in the moment with the other actor. Every director wants to hear the dialogue from the script, but if onereally wants to see how well actors act, take away their scripts and ask them to improvise the scene. You willthen see how well the actors truly listen to each other as well as their intention choices.

Judith Westons book Directing Actors has amazing techniques for using improv to bring life to a scene aswell as other brilliant insight into the art of directing actors. A must read for all directors who really careabout performance.

RON DAWSON says:July 26, 2012 at 12:37 pmGreat advice Randolph. Particularly the part about improvising during casting and rehearsal.

Your points about having a script supervisor are also on point. I think this is a a role that often getsoverlooked on low budget shoots. But he/she can be a huge help in keeping shots consistent andproviding feedback that will help the editor.

Thanks again for adding to the conversation.

RSELLARS says:July 26, 2012 at 12:50 pmMy pleasure Ron. Im an avid follower of your blog. You provide thoughtful articles that that areunique in content and focus. You cover a perspective on the filmmaking process (both business andaesthetic) that is refreshingly different from the rest of the filmmaking blogosphere.

RON DAWSON says:July 26, 2012 at 12:55 pmAw shucks! Thanks so much. We aim to please.

PHIL STEVENS says:July 26, 2012 at 3:44 pmGreat advice Randolph. Im buying that book now. Ive got a whole series to comb through where Icould use this info. Thanks bro.

RSELLARS says:July 26, 2012 at 5:34 pmYoure welcome Phil. Ms. Weston has also written a second book The Film Directors Intuition.But read Directing Actors first. She is an amazing teacher the very best I believe at teachingdirectors how to best work with actors. She has had some very famous directors as alumni of herworkshops. Ive taken two of her workshops in LA as well. Not cheap but worth every penny.Definitely worth exploring: judithweston.com. Good luck with your project!

LIVEWIREFILMS says:July 27, 2012 at 4:25 pm

Great article Ron! And great advice Randolph. I will also be purchasing that book and maybethe 2nd one as well. I just finished competing in a 48 Hour Film Project here in Minneapolis andthe backstory could have really helped our production, I think we kinda did a backstory but itwas accidental if anything, so a little intentionality would have great benefits! And I need tostart to have a script supervisor on my shoots, that would save the time of surfing throughfootage because you couldnt remember what someone said and when they said it. Keep up thebrilliance guys!

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