The Filmmaking Experience "Killing Lawrence" Part 3

By 3:40 p.m. the crew has moved into the gym area where the boxing ring is. Most of the people who were there earlier have left so the background noise and distractions are less. The actors in the previous scene are changing into their boxing outfits. Frankie comes in with a logo on his t-shirt. Steve has him take it off and turn it inside out. The reflectors have been moved and setup to bounce light into boxing ring. The first series of shots will be with Jim Brucke . The activity is focused around him. Microphone placement and lighting elements are being adjusted.

2ND CREW MEMBER: So how's the backlight on him?

STEVE MOON: Ideally? I think you can drop the backlight out.

2ND CREW MEMBER: Ok. The only thing I can do is just ahh, move it. Is that better?

STEVE MOON: It's too much.

2ND CREW MEMBER: Ok. (adjust light)

STEVE MOON: I don't think we need it.

2ND CREW MEMBER: Ok.

STEVE MOON: I honestly don't.

2ND CREW MEMBER: Alright.

STEVE MOON: I don't think we do.

2ND CREW MEMBER: Your decision then. (adjust light)

STEVE MOON: Wait, no we do, bring it up some, he's got too much, can you take it down a little bit? (light adjusted) A little more, more, right there.

2ND CREW MEMBER: Ok.

Steve talks with Jim and Michael the technical consult for the boxing scene.

STEVE MOON: This is the boxing coach scene. Some of the dialog that I have might not be the dialog that they would use in boxing.

MICHAEL: Right.

STEVE MOON: Trying to coach him on staying on your toes, side to side, that kind of thing. So maybe feed him [Jim] what he should say while they're in there boxing. We've already shot the boxing so just imagine they're in there. Main thing I want on him is Frankie is real heavy on his feet cause he just came back from the military.

MICHAEL: Right, right.

Michael discusses the boxing nomenclature with Jim. Steve and a crew member work with the microphone placement for the scene. The actors bounce around sparring in the boxing ring to kind of loosening up for the scene.

STEVE MOON: Airplane (character name) part of your training would be allowing DJ to get his butt kicked.

Jim and Michael go over the lines for the scene. Patrick and Frankie work out the sparring moves for the scene. Later Steve discusses the particular moves and shots with them. A while later Steve is ready to film the scene with Jim.

STEVE MOON: Alright Jim... (to the actors in the ring) Y'all stay still. Quite, I'm going to roll.

JIM: Glasses on or off?

STEVE: Off.

2ND CREW MEMBER: QUITE ON THE SET!

STEVE: (to the actors in the ring) Na, he's just kind of watching y'all right now. Alright, rolling.... anything that Mike was telling ya... just kind of watch them....

Jim looks at the ring as if watching the actors spar. Steve feeds him some lines. Jim continues.

STEVE MOON: Alright cut.

One of the actors speaks, "We need a pocket timer so that he can look at it."

JIM: Wish I had brought my pocket watch. I didn't.

STEVE: Don't worry about it now, let's do the lines, you got your lines ready? What's your first line Joey? ' who's the chump ', alright, hold on. I'm rolling, QUITE ON THE SET. Action.

Joey and Jim play out a line

STEVE MOON: Alright, let's do that again. We'll start with ' who's the chump '. Look over in that left hand corner, that's where he's going to be standing.

JIM: Alright.

STEVE MOON: Alright, action.

Jim and Joey play their scene again.

STEVE MOON: Alright, let's do it again. Ahh. Let's start from there, when he says ' let's get ready for some real though ', he's going to walk into the ring (some children come into the gym and make some noise) you just follow him with your eyes as he goes into the ring.

JIM: Ok

STEVE MOON: Action.

Jim and Joey start the scene, Jim pretends to follow the character DJ walking into the ring. Some more background noise from the children. Jim goes on to the next set of lines.

STEVE MOON: Alright, let's keep going, let's keep going, let's go to the next set of lines.

Steve and the actors confer about the lines.

STEVE MOON: Alright, then round two commences, .. alright I'm good.

JIM: Is that out of sight down there?

STEVE MOON: Oh yea. .. Alright, what just happen is DJ has just been hit by Lawrence (the children make some more noise in the background). You don't mind... Steve talks with the actors some about the motivation of the character.. He's trying to scare you.

JIM: Coaches are usually very.. ahh.. they don't joke at all, they're very serious about everything. No horseplay.

STEVE MOON: That's defiantly a no horseplay kind of moment after this, ' I told you this guy was though ', alright rolling. Quite, action.

Jim and Joey go through their lines.

STEVE MOON: Go back into the ring, round two starts..... I'm gonna look at the script again, y'all just keep going. Jeremy will you take the script and feed him his lines, can you do that. Walk him through it once just to refresh.

JEREMY: Alright.

Jim and Jeremy rehearse the lines for a minute or so.

STEVE MOON: Kind of raise you voice at him this time, cause you don't have time for him, ... alright, action.

Jim and Joey go over their lines for the scene. Then some discussion about the action that was happening. Steve talks about the next scene.

STEVE MOON: You've had it with DJ, DJ has not been.. he's been kind of a slacker, he's not your best boxer that you have, he takes his eye off his opponent, so ' DJ last time, next time it's over for you.

JIM: Um humm.

STEVE MOON: You're going to take away his ring time .. Alright, here we go, action.

Jim reacts to the fight.

STEVE MOON: This is after the breakup. This is after he broke you up.

Joey and Jim go though their lines.

STEVE MOON: Ok, let's do that again, start from your chair.

2ND CREW MEMBER: Also did you get the microphone in the shot.

STEVE MOON: (glances at the mike) Lets try it again, here we go, I'll just go in tighter, here we go. Action.

There's a slight confusion over who starts the scene. Joey picks up the first line. Jim responds, Steve prompts him a little, Jim keeps going, Steve directs him as to where the actors will be coming in for the opposing angles.

STEVE MOON: Alright, now Airplane (character name) you're watching them box around, now they're start too slug it out. You're going to get them to break it up. ... I don't want you laughing too much though.

Jim goes through the next set of lines for the scene. Joey goes through his lines, Steve prompts and directs him.

STEVE MOON: There we go. Ok, that's good for now, that completes that.. does that complete it though?

JEREMY: I think so, yes.

STEVE MOON: That complete .. ahh .. Airplane's part. I'm going to get some static shots of him watching. (to the other actors) y'all can go ahead and change now. Let me see where we are. (Steve looks at a script) This one yours.

Steve reviews a script with Jim.

JIM: ...page 29...

STEVE MOON: Oh yeah, wait, we didn't get it all.

JIM: Um humm.

STEVE MOON: We didn't get it all. Alright, Jeremy I still need you, you want to get back. We didn't get it all, he's got a few more lines. (to Jim) You can hold on to your script cause I'm going to do this closeup.

JIM: Alright.

STEVE MOON: This time we'll go in tight enough and you look directly above his head and point straight down, from the side.

JIM: Like that?

STEVE MOON: You can go it even more. Alright, I'm rolling, action!

Jim goes through another set of lines.

STEVE MOON: Is that it?

JIM: Uh huh. You want to go through it again?

STEVE MOON: I thought you had another line before that. I apologize, I haven't read the what we were shooting this week so....

JIM: Well, I'm not real prepared, I got another line, Lawrence says something, and then there's ...

JEREMY: Something about ' the rent '.

JIM: Yeah.

STEVE MOON: Oh, yeah, that's the line I was looking for, ' of course I'd take you rent '

JIM: Yeah,

STEVE MOON: Alright. And this time you're going to be kind of sarcastic, ' and of course I'd take your rent '

JIM: Um hmm,

STEVE MOON: And I'm rolling.

JIM: Just go through the whole thing again?

STEVE MOON: Might as well.

JIM: Alright.

STEVE MOON: Action!

Jim goes through the next set of lines until..

STEVE MOON: Alright, hold on. Somebody feed him that line, ' of course we pay you rent ', I want him to react to that one.

JIM: Um hmm.

Jeremy reads the lines as practice.

STEVE MOON: Just remember to look up here when he gives you the line. Alright, action.

Jim goes through the lines but makes a mistake.

STEVE MOON: Alright let's do that again. That was real good, don't change a thing.

JEREMY: Except look towards the ring.

JIM: Yea.

STEVE MOON: Look at my hand right here, action.

Jim and Joey start their lines, Steve stops them.

STEVE MOON: Alright let's do that again, look at the hand right up here when you give that line, action!

Jim and Joey start again.

STEVE MOON: ...and, cut. Use the first take on that one. Is that everything on that.

JIM: On that.. ahh, yea.

STEVE MOON: Let's do 27 through 29 while they're getting ready, and I can get your reaction.

Steve and Jim move to the 'office' room to film the closeups of the boxing coach.

cont.

The Filmmaking Experience- "Killing Lawrence" Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5