BEHIND THE SCREEN // TALKBACK FOR "THE BIRDMAN" AT REEL PIECES

BY MATEO MORENO

In New York City, talk back sessions and movies screenings are about as common as finding a Starbucks in your neighborhood (if it’s not there yet, it will be by spring). However, Reel Pieces, the movie series at 92Y on Manhattan’s Upper East Side are always a little different. Moderated by Annette Insdorf, the director of Undergraduate Film Studies at Columbia University, the screenings and talk back sessions here feel much more “can’t miss.” Often at talk backs, a moderator can confuse his information when talking to the actor/director/writer or simply ask non-sensical, or simply bad, questions. That’s not the case with Annette. Well poised and well spoken, she always gives the audience a fantastic inside view into the creative process. At their most recent screening of BIRDMAN, OR THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE (now in limited release), Annette spoke to Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, and Zach Galifianakis who all star in said film. First, the audience was treated to an early screening of the exhilarating film (see my review HERE). The conversation following the screening was lively, intriguing, and felt like a wonderful DVD commentary live right in front of you. Among the highlights:

• How crystal clear Director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, Babel) was on how the film was going to work, making sure the cast were completely at ease (the film is set up to appear as if it is one continuous, 2 hour shot).
• Learning that the movie took only 30 days to make, which for a big budget feature film is nearly unheard of. Due to the way it was shot, the continued fast paced shooting, and elongated shots, it seemed to really help expedite the process (a standard time of a film being shot of this caliber can often be 2-4 months easily).
• How at ease the cast was, and how the moderator made them feel as if they could share silly and fun anecdotes. After each cast member spoke of how many takes they sometimes had to do and how hard that was to repeat being that the scenes could take up to 20 minutes without a cut, Galifianakis commented, “I never messed up.” And when Norton was speaking so highly of the creative process that making this film was, he responded that he signed on his first reaction was, “Okay, I just want to be clear. Once you say ‘Action,’ No one can interrupt me for the next 15 minutes?! I’m in.” He then goes on to compliment the director and cinematographer (Emmanuel Lubezki) for quite a while on their combined genius before finally Keaton chimes in, “You are aware that Alejandro isn’t here right?”
• The cast and crew worked without a storyboard but went into rehearsal (about a month) to figure out all camera angles and how the cameras would move around in the actual theatre (almost the entire film is filmed inside the actual St. James Theatre, at the time was between shows and is now currently prepping the Broadway Revival of Side Show). The rehearsal was so intense that they revealed that they had the exact spacing of the theatre in a sound stage in Los Angeles so they could practice in the exact spacing.
• Michael Keaton told a wonderfully random story where he was on the streets of Times Square shooting (in his underwear no less) and a crew member brought him up to a random New York man who showed them his tattoo on the inside of his arm: an incredibly detailed Beetlejuice. Keaton was floored and just thought it was the most amazing thing ever. The man himself looked unimpressed and once Keaton and the crew member were satisfied he hurriedly left, having no idea that the man who was so impressed with his Beetlejuice tattoo was in fact, Beetlejuice.

Having access to actors, directors, and writers talking about their craft, on how they filmed certain sequences, is a giant plus of living in a city like Manhattan. But the 92Y’s Reel Pieces film series seem to take it to the next level of care. Phones are turned off, photography isn’t allowed, so everyone is able to just sit back, listen, and let the moderator and cast go (in this case for over an hour). I highly recommend booking any event there (the talk back after the upcoming The Theory of Everything with Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones should be equally as refreshing). To finish us off, I leave you with a quote that director Alejandro González Iñárritu shared with moderator Annette Insdorf, which she then shared with us, about his view on filming such a massive, technical undertaking that BIRDMAN was.

“I didn’t want to create reality through fragmentation, but from a linear or monolithic reality. Basically the way we live our lives – no cuts. We just open our eyes and there we go, floating in a continuous steady-cam all day. The challenge is there is no room to improvise. The writing, design, blocking, rehearsal, plus all the technical aspects (lighting, camera movement) must be conceived, thought out, prepared in advance in order to flow with naturalness, truth, and honesty. It’s a process that demands the total awareness of the actors. It possesses the fear and adrenaline of the moment. You can’t fake it.”

Check out the entire talkback HERE

BIRDMAN, OR THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, and Zach Galifianakis, is now playing in select theatre in New York and LA.

About 92nd Street Y
Now celebrating its 140th Anniversary, 92nd Street Y is a world-class, nonprofit cultural and community center that fosters the mental, physical and spiritual health of people throughout their lives, offering: wide-ranging conversations with the world’s best minds; an outstanding range of programming in the performing, visual and literary arts; fitness and sports programs; and activities for children and families. 92Y is reimagining what it means to be a community center in the digital age, transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action both locally and around the world. More than 300,000 people visit 92Y annually; millions more participate in 92Y’s digital and online initiatives. A proudly Jewish organization since its founding in 1874, 92Y embraces its Jewish heritage and welcomes people of all backgrounds and perspectives. For more information about upcoming Reel Pieces events, visit: http://www.92y.org/reelpieces

Photo credit: Joyce Culver.

MATEO MORENO is an actor, playwright, and director in New York City. He owns and runs TheArtsWireWeekly.com and has had four of his plays produced, including BOHEMIAN VALENTINE, HAPPILY AFTER TONIGHT, WITHIN OUR WALLS, & LOVES ME LIKE A ROCK.