How does Christopher Guest do it?

[Tim Miller]

Does anyone know?

I have found a article or two talking to Guest and Eugene Levy, but nothing other then it is a improved movie with no script....but how, I have shot a couple of these but they have never meshed like his. Be it, he has pro actors and improvers, but HOW?

Anyone know or have guesses or have any links? Thanks

Tim Miller

formerly Zack Attack

 

[Zak Forsman]

there is a script. there has to be. you watch his films and there is a very clear structuring of events. there just isn't any pre-written dialogue. i happen to work in a similar way, although with dramatic improv rather than comedic. i work from an elaborate outline written in screenplay format. again, sans dialogue. in its place, the characters are given objectives and intents to play for each scene.

I'll copy and paste what Guest has said about his own process: "Our scripts are very detailed outlines that primarily provide exposition and information on what has to happen in every scene. Therefore the actors know what they have to get across, over and above anything else they might want to improvise, in order to move the story along. It's basically a scene-by-scene screenplay without dialogue."

...from this interview.

 

[Isaac_Brody]

Seeing the trailer for For Your Consideration, it looks like they get pretty standard two camera over the shoulder coverage of scenes. I imagine this style of working inhibits any fancy camera work. Be difficult to cover a scene over and over for continuity in editing.

Zak, how did you cover your scenes that were heavy on improv? Did you use several cameras? Or handheld and steadicam masters that followed the action?

EDIT: Just read that article.

At this point, Guest had two separate crews shooting at the same time: one crew using four film cameras and a second crew equipped with three video cameras shooting as if for television.

This is awesome.

Combining his role as a director and actor in unscripted, unrehearsed scenes can lead to some obvious complications.

One example is working with the camera operator or director of photography. Guest recalls one time when he had no other choice but to communicate via his foot.

"I had my foot on the cameraman's foot, and when I tapped his foot he would go to Gene (Levy), and when I tapped it again he would come back to frame me."

"There was no other way of him knowing when to do that in an improvised scene, when I was actually on camera in the scene."

 

[DC]

I also heard that Guest will not be making any more of these mockumentaries as he no longer finds them funny.

 

[Jason Ramsey]

Christopher Guest is the man. I know that much. And the rest of the folks from the 2nd city training center in Chicago, that he employes in his films are excellent as well. I love his work. Raw, but fairly precise and detailed. I love the naturalistic style

Jason

 

[Tim Miller]

I also heard that Guest will not be making any more of these mockumentaries as he no longer finds them funny.

My wife read that too, but that was after a Mighty Wind and before his current. But someone just told me he is working on another one though IMDB doesn't have anything.

 

[Zak Forsman]

Zak, how did you cover your scenes that were heavy on improv? Did you use several cameras? Or handheld and steadicam masters that followed the action?

first, the action was blocked and locked down for the actors and camera moves. then the scene was lit. it was all handheld except for a select few shots that needed to exhibit a grounded, stable frame to contrast the rest of the film. we often went to complimentary two camera coverage (a wide and a tight frame from the same perspective, or two over-the-shoulders, etc.) in dialogue heavy scenes. but the film's aesthetic also establishes jump cuts early in the piece as part of its "vocabulary". very similar in spirit to a film like 'breaking the waves', i'd say.

 

[DC]

My wife read that too, but that was after a Mighty Wind and before his current. But someone just told me he is working on another one though IMDB doesn't have anything.

Interesting . . .

 

[Cynic821]

I also heard that Guest will not be making any more of these mockumentaries as he no longer finds them funny.

i personally dont find any of them funny. but i admire the creation of them :thumbup: