Last week, we were lucky enough to have The Trial of the Chicago 7 director and writer Aaron Sorkin join us in conversation with Amma Asante.
As well as answering questions from members, Aaron discussed his approach to directing such a large and brilliant cast, the things he has and hasn’t learnt from his many years in the industry, and his physical approach to dialogue.
If you missed the event or just want to re-live it, you can catch up via the collected live-tweets below.
Tonight’s very exciting Q&A event is about to begin. Keep watching as we live-tweet a discussion between Aaron Sorkin and @AmmaAsante #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Amma introduces Aaron and asks him how he decided that this was story was going to be the second film he directed #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Aaron explains that it began 13 years ago when he had a meeting with Steven Spielberg. Aaron is at pains to say that that isn’t something that happens every day to him! #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
He didn’t know a lot about the Chicago 7 then, but he agreed to do it right away because anyone would if Spielberg was pitching an idea to you! #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Since then, the film has gone through many hands. Lots of different directors were lined up but things fell through #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
But after Aaron had directed Molly’s Game, and Spielberg was sufficiently pleased with that, he eventually suggested that Aaron direct the Chicago 7 movie himself #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
So directing it wasn’t a decision he made - Steven Spielberg made it for him! #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Aaron has written and rewritten the script continuously over those 13 years. Scripts aren’t ever finished - they’re confiscated from you! #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
The demonisation of dissent is such a big part of US history and yet nothing could be more American. In a context of Donald Trump and Black Lives Matter, it couldn’t be more important to fight against that demonisation #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
And so the film became more timely than it would have been at any point in the last 13 years #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
One of the ways that they brought out that contemporary message was in not leaning into the 60s. That was one of his notes to all departments: score, costuming, production design #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Of course they remained historically accurate, but they didn’t lean into the period by drenching it in period detail or the big expected musical references #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
The one moment they were going to lean into it was right at the end, where he’d always planned to use Here Comes the Sun. But when they tried it in the edit, it just didn’t work #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Aaron explains that’s he’s never written a script knowing he was going to direct it. With both Molly’s Game and #trialoftheChicago7, he only stepped in part way through the process #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
So when he writes a script he doesn’t “see” it, he hears it aurally instead #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
The way to combat melodrama is to make casualize the language, and that mostly comes from repetition #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Aaron: I worship at the altar of intention and obstacle. That’s where drama comes from and how character is revealed. When someone wants something and either gets it or doesn’t, that when you find out who they are #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Aaron spoke to an actor he’s worked with many times, Jeff Daniels, and asked him ‘how much do you want the director in your face?’ #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
He said that in rehearsal, you can be in my face as much as you want. But once you get on set it should be minimal - instructions should come in 5 words or less #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
“Can you play it colder?” “Could you try it faster?” #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
The film is exactly as written. The interweaving storylines were exactly as scripted - which isn’t to take away from the extraordinary work of their editor, Alan Baumgarten #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
If you can tell a serious story with humour, then you’re doing yourself a favour. But sometimes you can’t do that #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
And one scene in particular had to be upsetting #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
What made it worse was that the quirks of scheduling, meant that the same actor had to film two particularly upsetting scenes on the same day #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
His first instinct was to go to the actor in between and ask how he was doing. But perhaps that wasn’t what he wanted - he’s a professional actor, maybe he wanted to stay in the moment #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
And so he asked him what he wanted. That’s something he’s learnt, that you should go ahead and ask actors how they want to be directed #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Aaron says that he’s less aware of the things that people think of as “Sorkinisms”. He doesn’t self-consciously think or write like that #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
The “damage” that was done to him in childhood was that he was taken to plays from a very young age - even plays that he was far too young to understand #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
And so he fell in love with dialogue, the rhythm and music of it, and so when he started to write, he just wanted to imitate that sound #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
He’s not really a screenwriter in a traditional sense - he’s writing plays #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Speaking about rhythm, Aaron explains that you do write to one, but actors like Mark Rylance perform to their own beat. That’s what you want people to bring to it! You can’t predict and write to that, you let them do their thing #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Aaron is a very physical writer. He moves around, performing it, even walking down the street! That’s the old actor in him, but he’s making sure that the script is speakable #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
The last thing he wants is for an actor to have to make it work - that isn’t their job. You owe them to give them clunky lines #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
When speaking to a production designer, he makes it clear from the outset that they’re speaking to someone who has no visual sense whatsoever and doesn’t even have the language to technically specify what he’s looking for! #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Aaron: I could not pick out a long lens in a police lineup - I just know that I like the effect it creates #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
So he doesn’t have that technical knowledge. Despite being on TV and film sets for decades, he just hasn’t absorbed that stuff #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
But technical people often have a fantastic ability to simply things, and so he works with brilliant people who help him achieve what he’s after #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
He worked with Mike Nichols on Charlie Wilson’s War and watched the way he worked on set and with actors, and he always kept everything simple #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Aaron Sorkin in conversation with @AmmaAsante, speaking about #TrialofChicago7 #DUKchicago pic.twitter.com/gdzz0ZYyNQ
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
There was plenty of things he’d like to change about the movie but there always is. He watches back and thinks why did I put a person in a white shirt against a white background? And he’s never written something he wouldn’t want to rewrite again #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Despite his many years in the industry, in many ways Molly’s Game felt like his first day at school. But what he learnt is that directing was a continuation of the writing process #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
He’s always written work to be performed and so seeing and directing that performance is the logical next step #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
The Trial of the Chicago 7 was another step up though. Molly’s Game had largely been people talking to each other in rooms - that’s what he writes and what he’s comfortable with. Suddenly he was having to direct riots! #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
Aaron never writes an outline. He never plans it out like that. He thinks about how to open the movie, but after that it’s like walking around in the dark with a flashlight #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
If you can see ahead a couple of scenes, then note then down on an index card and put them on the wall so you know where you’re headed. But even then, beyond that will remain in the dark until you get a few scenes further #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
He’s never written a script with particularly actors in mind. His philosophy is just to put good actors out there and good things will happen #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
And that’s a wrap! A huge thank you to Aaron Sorkin and @AmmaAsante for that fascinating conversation #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
#TrialoftheChicago7 is available on Netflix now: https://t.co/cTX2ucbmJ5 #DUKchicago
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 10, 2020
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