Christopher Nolan has built a reputation as a director who commands respect through restraint. He doesn't rely on micromanagement. Famously, he prohibits the use of phones on set and favors working in close coordination with his actors, avoiding the use of video village. And he's gotten some great performances from his casts over the years, so if we can dissect how he does it, we can all be stronger collaborators on set. Actor Gary Oldman worked with Nolan for seven years across three Batman films, and in all that time, the director gave him maybe two notes total. That restraint teaches us something valuable about directing actors, but the content of one note Oldman remembers is important, too.During an appearance at the 92nd Street Y, Oldman told host Josh Horowitz about one of the best notes he's ever gotten from the director. - YouTube youtu.be Oldman said that during one Batman scene, Nolan approached Oldman with feedback that was simple. "Let's do that one more time. There's more at stake." Just a few words, no long explanations or detailed breakdowns, which Oldman immediately got and implemented."I went, 'Yep, got it, all right, let's do one more,'" Oldman said. "That's a fantastic piece of direction. I don't need to know the ins and outs of the whole universe. I just need to adjust the volume on it—not vocally, right, but the energy or the dynamic of it."Effective directing often uses concise notes. Nolan's "There's more at stake" gave Oldman a clear,...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Today