Larry Trilling

LARRY TRILLING, producer and director of hugely successful television shows, came to our studio, to speak and answer questions at a free event on January 12. Larry is co-executive producer and a director on the new Ron Howard/Brian Grazer TV show PARENTHOOD. He has been co-executive producer of PUSHING DAISIES and INVASION, supervising producer on ALIAS, and producer on FELICITY. Larry’s directing career is equally inspiring. He has directed episodes of all the shows on which he was producer – 5 episodes of PUSHING DAISIES, 6 of INVASION, 15 episodes of ALIAS, 14 of FELICITY, and will direct 4 of the first-season PARENTHOOD episodes. He has also directed episodes of DAMAGES, MERCY, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, LIFE, NIP/TUCK, and many other TV shows, as well as 3 feature films, THE GROUP, PORN ‘N CHICKEN, and DINNER AND DRIVING.

Larry has been a generous supporter of my classes and books ever since the first class and consultations he took with me in 1996. He has stayed in touch regularly ever since then, and has probably referred more directors to my classes and books than any other single person. It was so sweet of him to take the time from his packed schedule for this Q&A event – it was invaluable for directors and actors! Everything Larry said was useful and inspiring – concise, articulate, on-point – and profound – delivered with humor and grace, and with great generosity and total love for his craft and for actors and crew.

Larry brought sneak preview clips of scenes from his new show PARENTHOOD – they were wonderful, poignant, funny – don’t miss this show!! And he described how he made his scene analysis preparation for these scenes, and how he worked with the actors in shooting them – making clear that each scene was really about what’s not being said (subtext).

Now – here are a few notes that I put together (with the help of Craig Ouellette – thanks CraigO!). Some of them are for actors, some for directors.

A director on series TV can bring new energy to the show – in fact, that’s your job. In the first season of a TV series there’s a lot of discovery; by the fourth season, there may be malaise, but a director can bring in new specific ideas to infuse the actors of a long running show with simple energy and purpose.

After Larry calls, "Cut," he goes first to the actors, before going to the camera people. If the take was good and he has no adjustments for the actors, he’ll tell them to trust what they’re doing, or at least tell them that he’s not giving a note because it’s going well.

What he looks for in actors (when he is casting): confidence, vulnerability, fearlessness, openness. And they need to look good on camera – but what that really means is that they are able to have an intimacy with the camera (which is more important than perfect looks).

Advice for actors during an audition. Don’t stop in the middle. If you flub a line, keep going. Make a choice.

As a producer, he wants the series regulars to tell him right away if they have a problem with script, not wait until director comes on the project.

When dealing with television actors/series regulars who don’t trust the director because they have been burned by bad directors, Larry says: Encourage them. Give them notes anyway. He always lets the actors know he’s paying attention to what they’re doing.

A TV director should bring a point of view to the show. How to find your POV is to ask yourself, what am I interested in? Is it here? In TV episodics, a director can still bring a lot, can tell the story of this episode, can find something that the producers didn’t think of.

Commit to every bit and every choice.

Once hired as a director on a TV show, find out who runs the show – it might be the creator, it might be one of the other producers, or a certain writer, it might be the star. Go observe a show before you work on it, see who is in power. Talking to the AD is usually helpful. Meet the actors informally while you are in prep.

If you come in as a director on an established series, you should understand the tone of the show.

Preparation. Get the script to make sense to you. Know the script better than everyone, including whoever wrote it. Be prepared, VERY prepared, then let go.

Larry shared with us his Scene Analysis template, which includes places to make notes about:
the scene/moment preceding this scene;
the scene/moment after this scene;
visual transition into this scene;
blocking/business;
intention/objective of each character (multiple options);
obstacles;
real/imagined backstory;
secrets/juicy information;
tone;
camera movement;
props/set dressing;
other

[JW: I couldn’t help noticing this list has many similarities to lists/charts in my book “Directing Actors”…]

He recommended that directors take Judith’s Rehearsal Techniques class, which he took a number of years ago [now called the Directors Rehearsal Intensive].

Speak to actors in the language of permission. Give ownership of the parts.

Blocking. Find a way to get on the set the weekend before shooting and block all the scenes. Draw a set diagram. Then abandon your diagram when the actors show up with ideas.

How to get crew support. First, know their names. Just because there is a chain of command, doesn’t mean there should be a chain of respect. Treat EVERYONE with respect. You want them to feel a part of something. He always gets along with crew, always. He won’t hire jerks; he won't tolerate any yelling; he insists on a basic level of respect.

Be excited to be there, don’t complain; a director’s energy is infectious. It’s okay to not know stuff, to enlist others, to ask, how do we figure it out? Don’t pretend you know anything if you don’t – ask for help and they’ll help you.

Be present. Make a choice even if it’s the wrong choice.

In order to make the day. Ask the AD, Given the crew here, how long do we have for each scene? When you prep with the AD, make sure the first scenes are ones you can nail. Then hit the tough stuff. Be proactive to schedule show. Let them know you’re involved with each scene and what you need. Find out, how serious is this show about making the days? (it’s real important for some shows, for others, it’s not) If you want something for a scene that is difficult and/or costly, decide how important the scene is and then how hard you want to fight for it. That specifically means you need to have some ideas how to make the following scene easier.

In casting sessions, directors should be encouraging to all auditioning actors. Make note of good actors you meet in casting sessions even if they’re not right for this role – they might be right for future things.

Using more that one camera. The creator of PARENTHOOD also created FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, which uses 4 cameras, no marks, no rehearsal. In PARENTHOOD they light the spaces, not the actors, that gives a lot of freedom to actors. Overlap talking is okay. Naturalism. PARENTHOOD uses 2 cameras. PARENTHOOD is more scripted than FRI NIGHT LIGHTS.

He tries to stand next to the cameras during takes as much as possible. It’s better.

After a take, he asks the actors if they’re good with the take. Maybe he’ll say, "I’m good with that, are you?" Maybe he’ll say, "Let’s do one more for fun, because we have it. Let’s rock and roll."

If actors are having issues, you can take 5 minutes to clear set to have time with actors.

Larry loves the AS IF adjustment.

All of the people who have come to speak at these Q&A’s are hard-workers – and all of them are actively open to the input of others. The way Larry talked about his work made it clear that the foundation for confidence is a strong work ethic. Also listening to the ideas and needs of all your collaborators. His enthusiasm and commitment was indeed infectious to all of us present. So generous. And did I mention that he was funny? It was a glorious evening! Thank you, Larry!!!