Getting Going on a New Season

by Andrew Bernstein (Director, episodes 201 and 202)

I directed the first two episodes of season two. My first day on set was what most first days are like: exciting, stressful, chaotic, and creative, as we all tried to figure out how we work and who likes what and what the pace of the shooting will be. I didn’t know the cast and hadn’t worked with much of the crew, so the first day is always a learning process.

Each actor is different: their process, how they like to work, what makes them tick. I don’t really feel like I did anything differently than I normally try to do: tap into the story and help the actors, “direct” them towards that goal. There was one scene where Eric Roberts (Seth Blanchard) had to speak Spanish and Eric was coming off a tough film and a little tired, and was having a hard time speaking Spanish. Julie Warner (Andrea Schillo), who was sitting across from him during the scene, had to maintain a straight face throughout the scene as Eric tried his best to speak proper Spanish. I remember laughing a lot, which of course didn’t help Julie, when the director is laughing!

Dennis Hopper (Ben Cendars) would improvise on occasion, usually to great effect, and Eric Roberts would as well. Sometimes if an actor would go off in another direction and it was great, we would get that as well as the scripted words. Sometimes, for me, the best takes or moments are the unscripted ones, the “mistakes.”

I was blown away by Dennis. His energy and power, but most importantly how smart he is and how he really knows what works in a scene and what doesn’t. Where the dramatic moments are and how to mine them. I had seen it in his work, but it was a pleasure to see up close and personal. Also, Jocko Sims (Anthony Adams) is an amazing actor and I hadn’t seen much of his work. But Jocko had such ease with the character, like he had been playing that part for years. And Ross McCall (Kenny Battaglia) was an amazing collaborator. He could find a way to make a scene work when all appeared hopeless. That is a lifesaver for a director.

We had to find if and how the characters played off each other. Who had chemistry? Who was better with a lot of words, and who was better with just a look or a reaction? Every cast member had their own strength.

As with so many television shows, there was not enough time and lots of work, especially launching a new season with new characters. We had a lot of people who stepped up and really worked their asses off to make this show work. Also, we shot two episodes together so it was 16 days of continuous shooting. We were together a lot, and that brings people closer. I think out of chaos and confusion and banging your head against the wall can come great creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. Not to say I would like to do it that way all the time, but I think it might have helped us here!