Kevin Smith Answers Back
“What tips can you offer an aspiring filmmaker regarding the care and handling of actors?” –queenie
Handle actors and actresses like you’d handle your erogenous zones while trying to produce results: gently, but firmly. If you’ve written the script you’re directing, you have a reading of the lines in your head already. Make sure you get that exact reading before you move on to the next setup. It never hurts to ask (not demand) for one more take if you feel you haven’t gotten what you wanted.
However, the really great actors and actresses will surprise you from time to time and offer a reading that’s even better than the one you were aiming for.
Never be so myopic as to ignore the fact that the actors and actresses can sometimes have a better idea of their character than even you, the writer.
“How do you feel about 3 act structure?” –quetee
It’s fine for some films, but not all. Sometimes, it’s thrilling to break with convention.
I am curious of what you do when you find yourself empty and have writer’s block? –Deliveryman
I watch a lot of television and movies, and read a slew of comics. Chances are, I’m going to see or read something that inspires me: either because what I’ve seen or read is so good that it makes me want to excel as well, or because what I’ve seen or read is so bad that it makes me want to produce something better.
The dialogue in your movies blows me away. In your opinion, is this a talent that you either have or you don’t, or is it something that you can learn to do well? –jayej
I think a knack for dialogue is innate. I don’t think it can be cultivated. It’s a strength that some writers have – usually one that makes up for a weakness in some other area of the craft (as is my case). Are there any tips/exercises that you can recommend to help someone improve their dialogue writing skills? –jayej
You can always improve your dialogue by listening to how people speak. I don’t mean listen to what they’re saying and copy it down; I mean listen to how they say whatever they’re saying. Listen for their inflections, their lazy grammar, their colloquialisms.
How long should a comedy film of your style be rehearsed prior to shooting? –2Questionable
Always try for at least a month of rehearsals of dialogue-heavy flicks. As the dialogue and characterizations are your only special effects, it’s important to work on them as much as possible before you put it all in front of a camera.
How much do you rely on ad-libbing skills versus actual scripted dialogue…is it best to have everything written out? –2Questionable
I’m not an ad-libbing fan for two reasons:
1) Ego and Job Security – I’ve always felt I’m a writer first and a director second. If the actors are making up dialogue, they’re essentially writing the script. If they’re writing the script, that which sets me apart from other filmmakers is now being handled by someone else, and I cease to be an essential part of the process. If I cease to be an essential part of the process, I need not be there. If I need not be there, I have to go back to jockeying a register. And since I don’t ever want to go back to jockeying a register, I figure it’s always best to nip that nightmare in the bud early by allowing for no ad-libbing.
2) When you allow the actors to ad-lib, the film tends to go off the track a bit. I learned this on ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.’ Will Ferrell is an incredibly funny individual who I respect enormously. Because of that, I loosened up on my no-ad-libbing paranoia. The stuff Will came up with (off of the script, granted, but nowhere to be found in the script) had me in tears; I even blew a few takes by laughing out loud from off-camera.
But when we got into the editing room, Scott and I found that by leaving all of Will’s comic gems in, the story got derailed. Suddenly, you were taking time off just to listen to Will say stuff we thought was really funny, but didn’t advance the story one iota. However, the cardinal sin was that all the ad-libbing added to the flick’s running time – and time is your enemy in comedy. You always want to be as short as possible, lest the audience realize you’re tricking them into thinking what you’re showing them is entertaining. So we opted to simply stick with the scripted Willenholly (Will’s character) stuff, in an effort to keep things moving along at a brisk pace.
Then, at the two test screenings, it became apparent that we’d done the right thing, as any time Jay and Silent Bob were off screen for more than a minute, the audience got restless. I guess when your movie’s called ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,’ the more time you spend with Jay and Silent Bob, the better.
Ultimately, folks will get their chance to see all of Will’s ad-libbing on the DVD, though. So nothing gets wasted.
We’ll be waiting for that DVD, as it’s sure to be filled with more deleted material than even Dogma. Just a couple month’s wait, folks!
