In “Anatomy of a Scene,” we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into creating key scenes in their films. Watch new episodes in the series on Fridays. you too Check out our collection of over 150 videos on YouTube And Subscribe to our YouTube channel..
A party game “Are you God there?” I become a source of dramatic tension? It’s Me, Margaret, a screen adaptation of Judy Bloom’s beloved coming-of-age novel.
In the series, Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) attends a party at a classmate’s house. When Nancy (Elle Graham) suggests a game for the group: Two Minutes in the Closet. Girls are given all the marks. The boys draw these numbers from a bowl. The two people who match the numbers retreat for two minutes to the closet, or in this case, the guest bathroom.
Director and screenwriter Kelly Fremon-Craig delivered the scene with aplomb, creating a thriller-like intensity while also playing key laugh-out-loud moments.
“Where I put all the actors was a conscious decision,” Craig said in an interview, “because it was important to me how far they had to walk to get to each other, how far Margaret had to go to the bathroom.” Had to walk. , all those things.”
In addition to the blocking, the scene comes together through a combination of performance, lighting and song choices, with Dusty Springfield’s hit “Son of a Preacherman” helping to elevate it.
“It was the luckiest I’ve ever had at the drop of a needle,” Craig said, recalling that he and his editor added the song spontaneously during the editing process. “It hurt that he scored the moment so perfectly that we couldn’t believe it. And in fact, we never moved him, not even a single frame when we first shot him. The bar was put inside.
read Review of “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”
Go behind the scenes of the film.
Sign up for the Movies Update newsletter. And get reviews, news, critics’ picks and more.
