Fincher: day and a half on one scene
David Fincher shot a single scene with Timothy Olyphant for a day and a half on Adventures of Cliff Booth, with the actor doing up to 30 takes.
Where this was said
Director Notes: Kasdan, Soderbergh, and the Fincher Method
At 48:40 · chapter starts 43:40
The conversation turns to director relationships and the art of the performance note. Olyphant recalls Larry Kasdan walking up and delivering perhaps the most clarifying note he's received: 'Tim, there's a joke there, but we wouldn't know it because you keep fucking it up.' Clear, usable, devastating, and correct. Then the contrast: Steven Soderbergh gave Olyphant essentially no notes across 3 months of filming — their one performance exchange was Soderbergh rating a take '7, maybe an 8' in a car. Terrifying in its own way. Then there's David Fincher, who ran Olyphant through a day and a half of takes on Adventures of Cliff Booth. The surreal psychological toll: after 30 takes, you start doubting even the great ones. Bateman adds that Fincher's strategy is to exhaust actors out of performing so they just say the lines — and that pure, unadorned delivery is sometimes exactly what he's after.
Larry Kasdan's Blunt Director Note
Director Larry Kasdan walked up to Olyphant after multiple takes and said: 'Tim, there's a joke there, but we wouldn't know it 'cause you keep fucking it up.' Blunt, useful, and — as Olyphant concedes — completely accurate.
Larry Kasdan's blunt director note
Director Larry Kasdan told Timothy Olyphant there was a joke in the scene but no one would know it because Olyphant kept messing it up.
Soderbergh's Three-Month Silence
After working with Steven Soderbergh for 3 months, Olyphant received essentially one performance rating in a car: '7, maybe an 8 out of 10.' No other notes. The contrast with Fincher's hyper-detailed approach reveals two polar-opposite directorial philosophies.
Soderbergh: 3 months, 1 performance note
Timothy Olyphant worked with Steven Soderbergh for 3 months and received essentially one performance note — a 7 or 8 out of 10 rating said once in a car.
Sean Hayes's One-Man Show and the Brutal First Note
After completing his first run-through of a one-man show in New York, Sean Hayes told director Leigh Silverman he felt like he was 'just saying words.' Her response: 'Yeah. It looks like that.' Devastating — but exactly the kick he needed.
David Fincher's Fraternity: 30 Takes and Losing Your Instincts
Shooting for a day and a half on a single scene for David Fincher, Olyphant describes the surreal psychological effect of doing 30 takes: you start to doubt even the great ones. Fincher's strategy is to run actors out of tricks so they just say the lines — and that bare authenticity is what he's after.
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