Ms. Maisel Meets Goodfellas: Steadicams and Dance Moves choreographed

With Gilmore Girls, creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino defined their show with a dialogue that presented a distinct cadence and a spirited spirit. Using the extremely limited resources of the CW series, the duo dedicated the limited time they had to long master shots in which the rhythm of the scene resulted from the stimulation of performance.

"Gilmore Girls" was like the biggest concert in the world, "said Sherman-Palladino when she and Palladino were recently invited to the IndieWire Filmmaker Toolkit podcast," We were a little crazy about Warner Bros. We were really alone and we had to really refine and develop our narrative style and pace, but we've never had a dime. "

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With "The Wonderful Mrs. Maisel", the team was determined to present the show only if it had the resources to create a world in which most of its dialogue could be fully translated into images. "We have never had the opportunity to go further, and one of the reasons I wanted to do something back then and something in that genre, We wanted to have a chance to stand out, "said Sherman-Palladino. "We wanted to do something very external and build a world. Something very colorful and lively, with all the bells and whistles. "

When an initial proposal had turned the show in Los Angeles with only a few days of production in New York, the creators said they would walk. In the end, Amazon is pleased, offering the production of leading collaborators that would allow them to realize their vision and allow them to experiment by translating their words into visual elements.

Behind the scenes of the shooting of "The wonderful Ms. Maisel" Season 2

Nicole Rivelli

Series director David Mullen told IndieWire that the scripts did not often indicate camera movement, but he instinctively felt the flow of a long rhythmic catch in their writing. "Filming is never short of motivation," said Mullen. "It's usually the result of the action, but in a less nuanced way. He turns often, catches something, goes back and turns again. So, it looks more like a dance movement. But I think it fits perfectly with the scenes.

That makes sense for Sherman-Palladino, a former dancer ("I lead like a dancer," she said) and Mullen knows how to light a scene to support a 10-page moving film. "Many DPs do not want to do that," she said. "They want to put you in a corner and that everything looks like a Madonna and that lamellae of light go through it. We do not do this shit, so [with David it’s]"How do you make it look good as they walk down the street, then go to a club and then go on stage?"

Mullen knows that he can not allow the stylized lighting of the show to be an obstacle; it allows camera movements developed at 360 degrees by anticipating them. "I try not to say anything, but to sit and understand," he said.

Easier to say than to do. Mullen is limited in the number and type of lights he can use; There are also a limited number of options where it can suspend the lights of the swirling camera. The most complicated part of his job is often finding the exact speed and pace of movement that Amy and Dan have in mind.

Alex Borstein, Amy Sherman-Palladino, "The wonderful Ms. Maisel"

Arnold Turner / Invision / AP / REX / Shutterstock

"They have something in mind that they want to do in a certain way, and then I need to determine what tool can achieve that goal," said Mullen. "And to do that, I have to talk to [steadicam operator] Jim McConkey and [key grip] Charlie Sherron, but also Jim's brother, Larry. "

Larry and Jim McConkey are legends of the world of steadicam operators. you know the work of Larry in "Goodfellas" and in the films of Brian De Palma. Like Mullen, they prefer to find a solution – often tinkering in Larry's garage – rather than restricting the vision of the creators.

"McConkey is great," Sherman-Palladino said. "Looks like a macho like" I have a big machine on me ", kind of thing, but what? [steadicam] it's really music. It's an instrument, and a great steadicam operator has music in them and they feel the music. McConkey has all kinds of strange sounds that he does, you know how to breathe. In this regard, Palladino imitated the yogic sound of McConkey's rhythmic breathing, almost like an actor warming up. "It only works with sound," she said.

The first film of season 2 is a perfect example of the collaboration between the performances of the Maisel team. Here is a split screen – the actual shooting and behind the scenes sequences – of the complex choreography.

1. The S2 Opening Oner

"Amy wanted the camera to get off the table with Midge on her wheelchair and she was worried that the steadicam would not be able to follow her," Mullen said. "Basically, the speed of a human being moves his arms as fast as he can."

A plan that required going faster than a human operator would require a cable-cam system, which would involve cutting off the ceiling of the stage and recreating visual effects of post-production. Mullen did not want that; he also feared that the accuracy of his list A operator did not fail him. "I trust a person to do more than just a machine," he said.

Mullen did not know if his solution would find the desired speed by the creators until the repetition. Professional dancers played with the other switchboard operators. "When we attended the rehearsal, we were even more confident to be able to follow Midge and his chair," Mullen said. "The distance from one end of the console to the other end of the room was only six feet."

2. A night dance in Paris

Helping translate "Maisel" scripts is not always linked to dizzying speeds. The slow dance of Abe and Rose in front of Our Lady in Episode 2 of the second season is a perfect example. You can watch the clip below:

"If possible, [Amy] wanted to do it in an elegant gesture, "said Mullen. "She wanted us to have the impression of looking at fuzzy dancers and we see Abe and Rose through these fuzzy shapes. And as they join the dancers, we retire and reveal that they are people dancing on the Seine. "

Mullen realized that it would be a shooting beginning with a shallow focus telephoto lens and a transition to a wide angle that would provide the depth of field to reveal the river and its iconic environment. However, most zooms are not "fast" enough (that is, they work in low light) to film the night scene. "I have to take this picture in the available light, pretty much," said Mullen. "I have some lights, but I'm in balance with the background of the city of Paris and Notre Dame Cathedral."

Mullen then remembered using a Fujinon zoom on "Westworld", which could shoot at a T2 stop. "It's like the fastest and sharpest zoom I've ever used," said Mullen. "So I had to find one in Europe."

3. The wide shot of Catskills

In season 2, episode 4, you'll see an incredible wide view of the Midge family moving into their summer home Catskills. Here, the creators refuse the movement of the camera and it almost sounds like an experience of how the sound and choreography can create their rhythm and sharpness. "

"You do more, you lead more, you learn more," said Palladino. "So, as it was our film school because we did not go to the film school or to the university, really."

4. Editing: Susie unloads the telethon

Dating from "Gilmore Girls", Palladino and Sherman-Palladino love their original shots. Sherman-Palladino, in particular, insists on the actors who seek to find the internal rhythm and speed of a scene during rehearsals and to translate them in one go. "We pay a lot of attention to the masters," said Palladino. "We repeat a lot for the master and we always do it first. The actors always know that if it works really well, we will use a large part of the master – or even the whole master, without doing any cover at all. "

This opening scene of episode 9 of season 2 is an incredible example of how the energy of fast-paced scenes arises from the marriage of dialogue and the beautifully executed, carving time and the space.

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