As a director, I feel that to some extent my most important role is to be the first viewer. I worry about shots and lighting and everything, but the key thing is if it feels right, if the emotional beats are getting hit and if it seems believable. You can tell when a scene isn’t working, and when you feel that, you’ve got to figure out a way to work with the actors and see what has to change to make it work. So, in that case, we can wind up improvising large portions of a scene, but that only happens occasionally.

As the project has gone on, I feel like I’ve gotten a better idea of the characters’ voices, to the point that I can basically hear them saying the lines as I write them. So, when Jordan and I sit down to write, we’ll throw lines around and basically know what feels right or not. What that means is that rather than just trying to get something down that will work and tell the story, we’ve gotten much more precise in what people say, which means that in the later days, we’ve been sticking closer to the script than in the early shoots.

A writer will spend a long time trying to get the right wording for something, so it doesn’t always make sense to just say whatever you think of on set; sometimes phrasing is specific for a reason. I’d never tell an actor they have to stick to the script exactly, I think that’s counter-intuitive and produces flawed performances, but there are times where there is a specific way that something has to be said, and I’ll tell them that.

The filmmaking process is really all about editing. You come up with an idea in your head that is probably not easily doable and as you write, you refine it to something shorter and more doable. Then, when you get to the set, you refine it again, changing lines that sound stilted and making sure that everything flows well. And, the stuff that doesn’t get refined on set gets cut out in the editing room, or smoothed over to make sure it flows well. I’m sure we’ve got a few clunker lines in The Third Age, but it always amazes me how some of the terrible lines in Hollywood blockbusters can make it through the hundreds of people involved in the creative process. Isn’t someone standing up to say this sounds terrible?

Article Author: Patrick

Patrick Meaney is a filmmaker/reviewer based out of New York. His films are available on RespectFilms.com, and writings at Thoughts on Stuff. His is also the creator of the webseries The Third Age.

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