Envelope Directors Roundtable: When a scene doesn't work

What does a director do when a performance just isn't working? Recasting the part could be "calamitous," one filmmaker says.

How honest should you be when a scene -- or an entire performance -- just isn't working? Do you go with honesty is the best policy or soft-pedal the hard truth a little?

For one director, it all comes down to this: "Don't cast a brain surgeon to play a brain surgeon."

At the Envelope Directors Roundtable, Ben Affleck ("The Town"), David Fincher ("The Social Network"), Lisa Cholodenko ("The Kids Are All Right"), Ethan Coen ("True Grit"), Darren Aronofsky ("Black Swan") and Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech") addressed those questions, with some often entertaining answers.

RELATED:

The Envelope Directors Roundtable: Actor-director relationships

The Envelope Directors Roundtable: Ben Affleck on being an actor-director

The Envelope Directors Roundtable: Shaping the story [Video]

Envelope Directors Roundtable: The managed compromise

Envelope Directors Roundtable: Fighting for your film

-- John Horn

 

Comments

[Ken]

Apparently, Tom Robertson has never seen Animal House.

[Angelo Mateo]

Christopher Nolan should have been included in this roundtable.

[Tom Robertson]

Fascinating. David Fincher could not finish a single thought without starting a new one. This is a guy who tells actors what to do? It's absolutely hilarious to watch the other directors being completely confused by what Fincher is saying as he tries to explain how to make things less confusing for an actor. Hey, and what's with the pretentious hoodie that Fincher is wearing? It actually has the word "college" printed on it. Does anybody realize that the guy actually never went to college. How friggin' pretentious is that?

[John Meyer]

It must have been difficult directing a movie about such a vile person as Mark Zuckerberg.

[Shlomo von Glickstein]

And WAITING FOR SUPERMAN, the propaganda hit piece on teachers and their unions WASN'T EVEN MENTIONED, the Academy responding that the film was an exaggeration of the benefits of charter schools...

I guess the Academy is more aware than I thought, for poor ol' Davis Guggenheim has been shopping THIS TURKEY around for a nomination since AUGUST!

Quelle dommage, Davis -- YOU LOSE! Try a REAL documentary next time -- and stick to climate change science... NOT corporate funded hit pieces on teachers and their unions....

[Rico]

I would just like to thank whoever was responsible for putting this discussion online. In my opinion what these people do is some sort of wizardry and, although I will never comprehend it completely, just getting a glimpse of their minds and their thoughts about it was entertaining and informative.

I am a big fan of the Coens and Aronofsky, so it was great to see and hear them talk about 'the process'.

thanks again,

rico

Oaxaca de Juarez

[Big Sam]

If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Over analyzing why something works or does not work will just cause all of the participants of these round table discussions to end up like a bunch of Woody Allens.

[Jack]

I second, PLEASE post the full video. This is such an invaluable learning piece.

[JTag]

Like last year, I am going to beg for you to post the full movie of this roundtable after you finish with this "excerpts" nonsense. Last year's clips really left behind a lot of the banter and interaction that was so clear in the full printed transcript.