SCRIPT to SCREEN to PRODUCTION - BABY DRIVER

L to R: Jon Bernthal, Eiza González, Ansel Elgort, and Jon Hamm have just robbed a bank.

‘Script to Screen’ class presentations are an opportunity for students to take on the role of ‘teacher.’ And it gives me a chance to learn from them, to keep me current. Students can choose a particular scene from any film - and BABY DRIVER did not disappoint. Lots of great insight into character, relationships, shot selection, pacing, colour palette, and production design.

BABY DRIVER is exciting. And the chase scenes are spectacular. True technical achievements in the action genre. I hadn’t seen the film for over a year, so revisiting the opening was a treat. Honestly, when it first came out I didn’t know what to expect from the title, but I found the film thoroughly enjoyable. The lead is played by Ansel Elgort, who creates a believable and totally unique character who is born to drive.

The director, Edgar Wright, kickstarts his show with the throttle wide open. He crafts a music-driven bank robbery with the obligatory getaway chase - and what a chase it is! Watch it here.

The scene runs a bit over five minutes and his script covers four pages. Fairly accurate, given the thumbnail guesstimate of one page of script timing out to be one minute of film. Here’s the script link.

Edgar Wright wastes no words nor space on the page. Likewise with his visuals. His rendering is impressive, yet he makes it look easy. So easy, in fact, that I took a poll of the class asking, “how many days of production did it take to get all the shots for this chase?”

While the class mulled over the question and watched the scene again, I texted the amazing Assistant Director, Walter Gasparovic, to confirm the ‘script to screen to production’ dynamics. Fortunately for me, he responded within minutes - and when I read his scheduling info, I knew it was going to shock the class into a new understanding of production mechanics.

Walter Gasparovic #truth

My students thought the scene probably took two to four days. That’s because good directors and production teams make it look SO EASY! So, we talked about location changes, helicopter shots, re-setting blocks of streets with background cars and extras. I could see the wheels turning as they re-considered. This wasn’t a production class, but it gave me a clearer idea of what is missing in post-secondary film education.

Here is Walter’s text. Let it be a lesson to film students and filmmakers everywhere:

Thank you, Walter! We’ll be looking for you on BABY DRIVER 2.

My Most Mesmerizing Mentor: Graeme Campbell

Today, January 18th, I raise a glass in memory to one of my earliest and most influential mentors, the highly-respected actor, Graeme Campbell, who passed away on this day in 1992. I was blessed to be taken under his wing as an actor at the age of 15. He was a kind, generous, and impressive man who nurtured my development as a creative artist.

We first met in rehearsals for the theatrical production of Treasure Island in 1972. I played cabin boy ‘Jim Hawkins’ and Graeme was the formidable one-legged ‘Long John Silver’, hobbling across the stage with his crutch and a squawking parrot on his shoulder. His performance inspired everyone who shared the stage with him. He raised the bar.

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Meeting the right mentors is one of the most important steps in one’s life. Having that protective figure in your corner, someone with experience and authentic wisdom that you can trust, is a rare blessing.

Graeme was genuinely interested in my development as an actor. He listened to my concerns. He was enthusiastic about my goals and my life. He championed me. He taught me to believe in myself. I cherished our time together.

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Meeting Governor General Roland Michener and his wife, with Graeme Campbell and Director Paddy Crean following the opening performance of Treasure Island at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. (That’s me on the left)

We performed together a year later in the musical, Camelot. Graeme was unforgettable in the role of ‘King Arthur.’ I played ‘Tom of Warwick,’ the young page who dreams of fighting for the Round Table. In the powerful closing moments of the play, Tom is knighted with the King’s legendary sword, Excalibur. Then, Arthur instructs him to circumvent the pending battle, run back to Camelot, and carry out his commands.

There are moments in one’s life that one never forgets. For me, it’s the unique and magical few minutes of this final scene. Night after night, show after show. It was mesmerizing. Our characters would disappear. There was no stage. There were no costumes. Graeme would look down, his eyes full of love, like a father speaking to the son he never had: “For as long as you live, you will remember what I, the King, tell you.”

Recounting it here, many decades later, brings a flood of emotions. Thank you, Graeme Campbell, for your mentorship. Thank you for teaching me about greatness. I have never forgotten your words.

“Don’t let it be forgot
that once there was a spot
for one brief shining moment
that was known as Camelot.”

Graeme Campbell (Nov. 30, 1940 - Jan. 18, 1992)

Duel (1971): Script to Screen

DUEL, starring Dennis Weaver, began as a short story written by Richard Matheson who then transitioned it into a teleplay with Steven Spielberg directing. Spielberg went considerably over budget, going 3 days longer than the producer’s ten day schedule. The edited version for TV clocked in at 74 minutes. After excellent ratings and reviews, Universal brought Spielberg back to shoot more footage and create a 90 minute version for a theatrical release overseas.

The teleplay reads more like a shooting script with far more camera direction than most contemporary scripts. Spielberg made many changes to Matheson’s scripted vision, and that is the important exercise in going from ‘Script to Screen.’ Reading the script while watching the movie might wear out your pause and rewind buttons, but learning filmmakers can benefit from gaining a better understanding of how a great director lifts the words from the page and turns them into shots and sequences.

Spielberg is noted for strong planning and preparation. For DUEL, Spielberg created detailed sketches for how the production and shooting days would unfold. Screen direction was critical for storytelling, and driving stunts needed to be carefully worked out. But even with the best-laid-plans, there’s no guarantees that the show will be on time or budget.

I had a conversation about Spielberg’s visual direction with Tony Zhou (Every Frame a Painting) who told me that if you watch the film at 4X regular speed you can totally understand the story. I’m going to try that as an exercise with an upcoming class.

Download script: DUEL