Comments on: Leslie Dektor, inventing a camera inventing a culture

By: Scott Ellington

Scott Ellington — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:07:18 +0000

I'd like to make note of a certain similarity between your description of the Leslie Dektor approach to camerawork, and the manner in which David Milch approaches storytelling. In both cases, the creator works without an outline — a predetermined, conventional formula — producing an under-the-gun, in-the-moment shotlist or blueprint for blocking, narrative and dialogue — which very effectively precludes Notes and the suggestions/demands/ultimatums of special interests, like studio and network executives. Dektor and Milch have, if nothing else, proofed themselves (and, more importantly, their respective works) against micromanagement by PTB comittee.

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:35:10 +0000

I appreciate the comments of Dektor in your interview I feel that the line "dektor over to Sipowitz" clearly demonstrates that his creation has been reduced to a cliche.
The freedom that the previous poster (communicatrix) speaks to is the freedom to get from A to Z in a way that works best for the vision of the director as he establishes the edges for his actors. A camera technique that is meant to "find a moment" will have a hard time doing so with a cast that is limited in capability or ability to improvise and bring their uniqueness to a scene.
Basically what I am trying to say is that to focus on a camera movement and state that it is a source of "finding the moment" is short changing the other things that must be present to allow a moment to happen in the first place.
I respect what Dektor has done and feel that to simply "dektor over to Sipowitz" is really not in the spirit of what he creating. It is about the field that is created on the set that allows everyone involved - including a really good DP and camera operator to be in synch with the moments as they come.
I still love the post and the points that it raises.
Thank you

By: the communicatrix

the communicatrix — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:48:32 +0000

Leslie is a great director, and one of the more interesting that I've worked for/with.

It's pretty easy to reduce the "shaky-cam" technique to some kind of lowest common denominator of the ridiculous; plenty of people saw what Dektor was doing and did poor imitations of it, using it as a style rather than a tool, the way he did (or tried to do).

It may be of interest to note that of all the commercial directors I auditioned for, Dektor had a unique way of interviewing his actors. There were these strange monologues that had nothing to do with the commercial at hand, ever, and of which no one could determine the provenance. I remember seeing one once that looked suspiciously like something I'd read somewhere, but I never got confirmation on that.

Anyway, the reason his commercials usually had a more realistic texture to them was because of this crazy attention to detail, this willingness to explore new methodologies and an equally strong willingness to stick with what worked. Like the equally famous (if more infamous) Joe Pytka, Dektor tended to work with certain pools of actors over and over, and they were unusual, non-commercial actors for the most part. (I was lucky enough to straddle the line, although not fortunate--or perhaps, good--enough to work enough jobs to own The House that Pytka/Dektor Built.)

What a great interview to have in the collection, Grant! I love the way you think.

By: Amy Alkon

Amy Alkon — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:20:27 +0000

Thank you so much for doing this interview and posting it. I think, more than ever, people feel a need for stuff that's not overmanicured, but I think the suits running big companies are too nervous to let things be a little messy or to just hire a talented person and let them do their stuff and get out of the way.

By: peter spear

peter spear — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:47:17 +0000

grant
what a great find and a lovely taste of what's to come - very much looking forward to the book!