6/6/11
Q&A with Television Director Fred Toye
Fred Toye has been a director of – wait for it – THE GOOD WIFE, CHUCK, FRINGE, CSI:NY, HAWAII FIVE-O (the new one), MELROSE PLACE (the new one), LOST, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, GHOST WHISPERER, ALIAS – wow. As well as a producer of FRINGE and ALIAS. Fred’s new show, FALLING SKIES, begins airing in June on TNT.
Fred has taken my Acting for Directors course, and the Actor-Director Lab, and is a generous, loving person (who has sent me many prospective students!). He came to Two Lights Studio Monday June 6. It was a “round table” format – so Fred could give individual support and advice as well as answer general questions.
One of the things that has been most fascinating to me about our Q&A Series is that the television directors who have so generously shared their knowledge and insight with us, have such deep connections to their work that their advice and stories apply to film directors (and actors) just as much as TV directors.
Following are a few notes from the evening. Thank you, Craig Ouellette, for taking great notes and sharing them! I just typed them up, so the advice for directors and the advice for actors is sort of mixed in together.
Fred was a PA 5 years, and then an editor 15 years, before directing his first episode.
Actors he is drawn to in auditions have a certain measure of self confidence, which means: 1) be present, 2) have made a strong choice, 3) open to conversation. He wants actors that take ownership of role, and that love acting. If you love what you do, it shows.
Getting to know casting directors is still a good way for actors to get called in for roles in television.
Big part of casting for the director is fighting for casting choices. It’s the job of creative people to fight for the right person for the role. He always has a choice, plus 2 alternates. He wants to be in the room, not just look at a casting tape. He always remembers the good ones. He really wants every actor to give their best. Schedule and making the day are NOT the most important thing in TV. It’s telling the story through the actors’ performances. That’s why he goes to the mat on casting.
For him favorite part of his job is working with actors. He’s very confident of his work with camera images, cuts etc., but actors are where the magic happens. Understand story. Understand his tools and how to use them. Something magical happens with actors.
TV is exciting now. TV has deadlines, so it WILL get made. Getting the greenlight on a movie goes on forever.
When you are new, go in with positive, forward looking attitude. Sometimes a script is bad, what to do? He works on it until he turns his attitude around, to “This is going to be greatest thing I’ll ever do.” Once he understands the scene, what the coolest way to do this? What’s the coolest in the time we have? If you have to do 6 scenes in one day, blow the doors off the scenes that you can, but probably 2 will have to do more simply than you would like.
How to find patience – be in the moment, love what you are doing in every moment. Being present in the moment is key to life.
Shaping performance – not a lot, wants to collaborate, not tell actors how to do their jobs. Wants actors to bring it and he helps shape it.
He referred a number of times to the problems caused by “result direction.” Sometimes he used other terms for it. Sometimes he referred to result direction as “overdirection” or “ridiculous direction” or “overstating” (when you overstate your ideas to creative people it ruins things.)
Rehearsal: Even if there’s only 15-20 minutes, he tries to create environment of plenty of time. Always sends crew away, except DP, AD, script supervisor. 1) Sit and read scene. 2) Talk about it if necessary. 3) Share what he likes, what’s interesting, what it’s about. Be able to say what it’s about in a simple sentence. Stay relaxed. Let the actors feel it out and don’t step on their process. Give them chance to find it. Be aware that they might not get it the first time.
Before rehearsal, he has an idea of staging and blocking and shot list. Throw it away for rehearsal. Read scene. Watch humans do the scene and see how I feel when they move and block – do I believe this? Then start implementing ideas on blocking. Come up with shot list. After all that, he has the camera rehearsal. Take a few minutes with DP before actors come in for camera rehearsal. Tell DP what you have in mind, ask what he/she thinks, clear your ideas with cameraman before setting up the blocking. The tv episodics with bigger budgets have 2 DPs, some have one. If there are 2, you have time to prep with him/her, watch movies and clips together, talk tone and style; if there is only one, may not be time for that in-depth work with the DP. On set DP is your right hand.
The actors with the most experience who love what they do are the most open to direction.
Actors may be fighting with a role b/c there’s something too close to home. When actors have a problem, he doesn’t call the writers. If an actor says a line is stupid, he asks, “Why is it stupid?” Fish it out.
The fun of acting is being there. Convince them to play the moment. Especially in episodic - you don’t know how it’s going to turn out.
Working with small kids: kids have no inhibitions. Have to learn how to harness what they give. Overdirection (result direction) will kill a kid’s confidence. When directing kid actors, it’s even more important not to give result direction, they shut down. Cultivate what they’re doing. Don’t cast kids on looks; cast the right kids. Have lots of patience and keep shooting. Use action verbs. Be a kind, respectful, caring person.
Someone asked what Fred does to nourish his own creativity. He said he loves what he does and is excited to be doing it. Watches old movies for inspiration. In the old movies that are good you see the story so clearly.
Understand the story and tell it the best way you can with the tools you have.
Producing director. Can be an asset for freelance director, can go and back you up, and also shoot stuff for you. Runs gamut from non-existant to getting in the way. Always navigate with tact and gentle hand. The showrunner usually not on set.
Make a strong choice on how to tell a story and convince all to do it. Let material speak to you and come up with idea. Allow the material to speak to you. How is this going to come through me. Leave self open under any pressures to magical things to happen. Sometimes have to be alone, step aside to think.
What a director needs to accomplish: dramatize the moment and get inside each character’s head.
Prefers to be by the camera with handheld monitor to check shots. Actors want you present and there and want to know you’re watching. Even confident actors want to know you’re there, watching.
Tell editor what your POV of scene is, let them know you hope they’ll find that in the footage you’ve given them. Conversation about tone and what the plan was.
“If I don’t understand a story, I will fail.”
His prep process about understanding a story. 1) Read it, take it in. 2) 2nd read, make notes, every scene. Like it. Find connections. 3) Meet with showrunner and writers. Get them to tell “what is the point” in simple terms, for example, “a crime story about betrayal.” He was asked whether he uses Judith’s charts [from “Directing Actors”] as part of his prep. He replied that when first started directing, did all the charts, then it began to be easier and quicker and more streamlined.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, Fred – it was an inspiring evening, full of insight and positive energy and encouragement.