The Filmmaking Experience "Killing Lawrence" Part 5

The time is 5:20 p.m. Steve is now setup for a second angle on the boxing ring. The actors are practicing their lines and sparring moves. They consult the script. Patrick continues getting more angry during the interchange with Frankie. They pause and discuss with Steve then move on. Patrick gets riled, more intense. He ends he asks calmly to Steve..

PATRICK: You want me to do that again?

STEVE MOON: (laughs) I dunno but I loved every bit of that, that was good. Except the only thing is, it was more like an order, you were looking at them, you should have been looking at him. It was more like an order, he was the one that gave you the order.

PATRICK: Alright.

STEVE MOON: If you can take it from the top, take it from the top, the top of that scene.

2ND CREW MEMBER: Also he missed ' chain of command '.

STEVE MOON: Yeah, missed 'chain ', that's right. I've got ' chain of command ' somewhere I can put in. Alright, here we go.

Patrick starts then pauses. Steve prompts him. Patrick goes on until he misses a line.

STEVE MOON: ' Only the lieutenant chicken out like the coward that you are ' .

PATRICK: (restarts shouting) You're just a rookie! You know nothing! I follow the order of a commander that knows nothing, you're scared.

FRANKIE: You're no solider!

PATRICK: Solder! What! I'm not a solder! I followed an order, a direct command of my commanding officer and you call me not a solider!

FRANKIE: No! Take off your panties boy!

PATRICK: Lieutenant! I followed the order of a coward!

FRANKIE: I've got your coward!

STEVE MOON: Alright, we're gonna... we're gonna... I've got what I needed.. got what I needed.

Some adjustment on the camera position. Steve is going to shoot through the ropes to frame the shot differently.

STEVE MOON: I need ahh umm. Alright Frankie, Jeremy can I borrow you real quick. Alright, you're going to call him a coward, like the lieutenant gave an order or whatever like ' the coward that he is ', ' the coward that you are ', alright. Joey, go just outside that room, where I can't see you. Frankie, take the red rope... and lift it just a little bit.

Steve uses the rope to block out some of the background and frame the shot.

STEVE MOON: Higher, come closer on this half. Alright a little lower. Alright, right-hold, hold, little higher, little higher, hold it right there. Alright Joey let me see you walk in. Let me see where you are. Boom. What you just did, I want you to lower your head just a little bit and look inside the ropes, ' where are they, what are they doing '. I tell you when you're just right- there, a little higher right there, go lower, lower, I want to tell you exactly where you are. I've got you framed in between two ropes. So that's where your head should roughly be.

And so when you're looking through the ropes you're looking to Frankie and then you're going to look at him (Patrick). Alright then you're going to walk off this side and just grab a seat anywhere. Alright that's...

Go back into your place and we'll do it. Raise the rope again just a little higher. Just like that. Alright raise the rope higher. Hold on, I'll tell you when I'm rolling. Alright. I'm rolling, action!

PATRICK: (angrily) ' I was there to follow orders only the orders were from a coward! '. (Joey comes in during this line)

STEVE MOON: That'll work. That's good enough. Alright. Now we can get Frankie and then we'll do the boxing scene.

At 5:33 p.m. Steve has moved the camera for the third setup in a reverse angle again shooting between the top and middle ropes to frame the scene, he discusses the action with the actors and rehearses with Frankie. Steve wants to see Frankie bounce a little on his feet as he says his lines.

STEVE MOON: I want to see you bouncing while you doing this. Bouncing and you hit with your fist. You're ready to tell us all about it. Totally ready for this moment. Start from the top.

PATRICK: Are you ready?

STEVE MOON: Uh-huh.

Frankie goes through his lines again with Patrick, off camera, feeding him his lines. Steve says it's good. Patrick and Frankie continue.

STEVE MOON: (to Frankie) Now he's pissing you off.

Frankie continues getting more angry his voice rising during the interchange with Patrick.

STEVE MOON: Alright, hold on, hold on. Go back to ' are we going to, ahh, talk or fight '. Tone it down a lot because he's caught your number now. He's got your number, he's totally gotcha.

FRANKIE: Alright.

STEVE MOON: Alright, get the line before that. You're pumped right now, totally pumped.

Patrick and Frankie restart the scene and continue.

Dialog and sparring take up the remainder of the time. Michael the technical consultant advises them about hitting the solar plexus. Patrick and Frankie spar in the ring. Some discussion about placement due to the framing of the ropes. Eventually Frankie's character is hit and goes down to the mat. The hit and fall is filmed from several different angles. During one sequence of shots Joey who is sitting at the side gets up and looks at Frankie when he hits the mat close to the edge of the ring.

The filming ends Everyone relaxes for a few minutes and talks. Steve and Jeremy break down the equipment and pack it into the cars. Cast and crew talk outside in the darken parking lot about the next planned shoot and eventually get into their cars and leave. It is around 6:45 p.m.

cont.

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