Often with this project I look for a particular day where I would want to be on set. So much has changed in the last 30 years that any day on this gritty cult film would be an eye-opening education, but there is one particular set story that is legendary. Here it is described by Wikipedia…
By using three cameras that she sometimes left running for hours, May captured spontaneous interaction between Peter Falk and John Cassavetes. At one point, Cassavetes and Falk had both left the set and the cameras remained rolling for several minutes. A new camera operator said “Cut!” only to be immediately rebuked by May for usurping what is traditionally a director’s command. He protested that the two actors had left the set. “Yes”, replied May, “but they might come back“.
From a modern production angle, this indulgence is a waste of time and resources, but letting the cameras role on the hope that something magical may happen was more common back then. Some filmmakers would brag about the amount of footage shot and left on the cutting room floor, specifically male filmmakers. This very technique was done by a female filmmaker and it became a cautionary tale. Justice for Elaine May.
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