N.14 | "The Hateful Eight" (Lincoln letter stagecoach scene), Jason Reitman on shooting in one shot plus more

JOURNAL ENTRY

Nov 17, 2024: This week I had a bad feeling. I was working on my 4th micro film’s script and storyboard and I felt like I’m doing things in a rush. I don’t like that.

I think that’s because I want to make another micro film before Christmas. I want to get my 12 “bad” movies out of me (following Rodriguez’s advice). Maybe, in my mind, I’m thinking that if I do that “I’ve done my job as a practitioner” and I might start making better films after I make 12 of them. But that’s not how it works.

I have to make an effort to make great work now (mindset), even though those 12 will be shit anyway. My first two micro films are unwatchable. They’re actually “unlisted” on youtube. My third nano film is kind of the same, maybe slightly better than unwatchable.

So, for the next one, my 4th micro film, I want to see incremental improvement … even if I go beyond my before-Christmas deadline. And that’s how I want to work from now on.

FILM STORYTELLING

The Hateful Eight (Lincoln letter stagecoach scene)

I love this scene from The Hateful Eight because it’s a standalone story. If you watch it from start to finish, it’s a short film on its own. Tarantino is a master storyteller and his characters are often telling a story in his films. And this scene is no exception.

We start with an intro: John Ruth asking to see the letter. Watch the video and take note of his behavior and of what he says. His demeanor adds depth to the scene immediately (the acting is crucial). He knows that Major Marquis Warren is not gonna get the letter out of his pocket easily. Tarantino establishes high stakes, right from the get-go.

We move to the middle: the letter is gently handed over. John Ruth holds it with care the whole time. They chat as to why this letter is so important and precious. Tarantino raises the stakes even higher in anticipation of the climax.

We move to the end of the scene, which is the climax: Daisy Domergue spits on the letter and Major Marquis Warren punches her in the face. The left hook makes Domergue and John Ruth fall from the fast-moving stagecoach together, because their wrists are chained. The whole scene has been building up from the intro for this moment.

The end is an incredibly funny u-turn I was not expecting, and that’s why the scene is so memorable. In fact, if you remove the end (Domergue spitting), the scene wouldn’t be the same at all.

CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS

Jason Reitman discusses his new film with fellow Director Guillermo del Toro

I was listening to Jason Reitman discussing Saturday Night, and I found the following point very interesting.

Reitman originally had the idea to shoot the movie in one shot. His father, director Ivan Reitman, advised against it.

After the discussion with his father, Reitman abandoned the idea of shooting the movie in one shot. As he says in the podcast, “editing is directing.”

Source: From The Director's Cut - a DGA podcast - episode 498 (paraphrased and/or quoted).

FILM STORYTELLING

Eyes Wide Shut - an example of analogous complementary harmony color scheme

I like how Stanley Kubrick uses color in this scene from Eyes Wide Shut. What’s the meaning here? I don’t know … thinking like Kubrick is above my pay grade. But, let me refresh my memory on color theory while looking at this shot.

Analogous harmony means that the hues sit close to each other on the color wheel. In this scene we have the reds, oranges and yellows (inside the room). These hues don’t stand out from one another and don’t clash with each other. When you put these colors together, you achieve a pleasing and relaxed picture.

But then we have the addition of the blue hue (bathroom window).

The blue from the window makes the color scheme into an analogous complementary harmony scheme. The blue hue directly opposite to the adjacent hues (reds, oranges and yellows) is just an accent, but it makes quite a difference.

The presence of the blue accent makes the scene more vibrant, especially with that saturation.

TIDBIT I’M PONDERING

Start with chaos and restore order

In the book On Directing Film, David Mamet talks about chaos and order.

As a filmmaker, your job is not to create chaos or confrontation. Your job is to create order. Start with a disordering event, and let the beat be about the attempt to restore order.

Consider the situation in which your character wants such and such. That’s enough chaos for you to start your film. Your character has an objective, and they’re going to go out there and get it.

The drama, the story, the movie continues until the disordered state has been brought to rest. And don’t you worry about making the film interesting by creating problems for the protagonist.

Mamet’s says:

Source: From On Directing Film by David Mamet (paraphrased and/or quoted).