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LadyBirdscreeningandQ&AwithGretaGerwig—livetweetsandphotos
On Wednesday 6 December we hosted a preview screening of charming coming-of-age movie, Lady Bird. The screening was followed by a Q&A with the film's writer and director Greta Gerwig, who told us about her approach to character, her technique for making people feel comfortable on set and her decision to shoot the film digitally.
The events keep on coming! Tonight we're excited to host a screening of @LadyBirdMovie + Q&A with director Greta Gerwig https://t.co/upNyQu7jGx Non-members can follow #DUKLadyBird for all our live-tweets pic.twitter.com/SEKIm0tGn9
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Our screening of @LadyBirdMovie is about to begin! Join us afterwards as we live-tweet our Q&A with director Greta Gerwig #DUKLadyBird pic.twitter.com/byMtnDmLlR
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Well, that was the fantastic @LadyBirdMovie. Our Q&A with Greta Gerwig will start shortly #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
The session is being moderated by @filmnickjames #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Greta Gerwig is an actor, playwright, screenwriter and director. She has starred in a number of critically-acclaimed indie hits, including Frances Ha, Mistress America and 20th Century Women. She has co-written a number of those films, including Nights and Weekends, which she co-wrote and co-directed with Joe Swanberg. Lady Bird is her debut as sole director and writer.
Nick James is the editor of the BFI's Sight & Sound magazine.
Nick starts by saying that the film is one that we can all see ourselves in. So he asks Greta how autobiographical it is #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Greta: there are similarities with my upbringing - I’m from Sacramento as well #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
But then I never died my hair red or gave myself a different name. I was never a rebel #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
But Greta says that there’s definitely a lot of herself in there #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
When her mum saw the film, she nodded along throughout and recognised parts of their relationship #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Nick says that the film is quite atomised - was that intentional? #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Greta: Lady Bird is in some ways a bit of a loner and so to display the fullness of her life you needed to see all those parts #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
But there’s a through line in there - with her family and particular friends - that you can follow throughout the movie #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Greta explains that she worked on the script for a very long time before shooting #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
So while a few things changed during filming, most of it was locked down beforehand #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
That reflects the experience she’s had as an actor in most of her films, so that felt like a natural setup #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Greta tells us that she found a lot of the cast through the theatre. She goes to the theatre a lot because that’s her favourite place to see actors work #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Describing her relationship with Saoirse Ronan, Greata describes it as meeting the person she’d put down on the page #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Nick asks how Greta went about making the actors feel comfortable on set #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Greta: everyone on set wore name tags. As an actor you might only be on set for a couple of days & it’s very hard to get to know anyone #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
They also had a different question each day for everyone to answer and put on their name badge - things like ‘what’s your karaoke song?’ #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
She just wanted the set to be a comfortable environment for everyone to perform and work in #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
She also made the whole crew wear prom dresses and tuxedos when filming the dance scenes - including her #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Describing the look of the film, Greta says that she wanted each scene to look like a still life #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
“Plain and luscious” was the phrase she used to describe the film’s look.
Before moving on to questions from the audience, Nick asks the most important question of the night: what’s *your* go-to karaoke song? #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Greta: We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
It's no Little Red Corvette, but a good choice nonetheless.
Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire (Official HD Video)
Greta tells us about the various ways she prepared the cast before shooting #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
That included giving actors mixtapes and books that she felt summed up their character #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
And they also had some rehearsal time, which was really important in developing the way the actors interacted with one another #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Greta: I like films where it feels like the story unfolds without any actual plot, until the moment there’s a catch and you realise that there was #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
She prefers to leave a trail of breadcrumbs and let the plot come to the surface slowly, rather than signposting it from the beginning #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
But she has a number of readers that she really trusts to read her work and tell if she’s being too obtuse and hiding it too well! #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Greta explains that she wanted to shoot on film but the costs proved prohibitive - not the stock so much as the conditions they’d require & the extra time they’d need to clean up the footage afterwards #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
So instead they filmed on the Alexa Mini. But digital has its own imperfections and ‘grain’ as well so they made sure that digital noise was turned up and left in #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
In the end it may well have been easier to shoot on super 16, but she’s happy with the look they achieved #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
The film's DoP, Sam Levy, talks more about the decision to shoot with an Alexa in this interview with Collider.
Asked about setting the film in 2002, Greta tells us that she wanted it to reflect the beginnings of the internet, cell phones etc. but not be awash with it #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
The sea change had started but wasn’t entirely there yet #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Greta: I don’t know how you write films about kids these days. Their lives are defined by social media and phones & I have no idea how to portray that dramatically #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
That period was also hugely important in America - it’s just after 9/11, the middle class was beginning to get crushed #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
I wanted to portray the beginning of that time, a time that still very much defines us today #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Greta also sent a series of delightful letters to bands and singers, including Justin Timberlake and Alanis Morissette, asking if she could use their period-specific songs for the soundtrack.
Describing her approach to the comedy in the film, Greta just told the actors to perform it with sincerity and the laughs would come #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
There were times where she was tempted to go broader with the comedy but working with the actors helped her get the balance right #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Greta says that she doesn’t consciously draw on the roles she’s played as an actor when writing her own material #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
But she’s interested in some of the same things. She’s interested in women’s relationships with other women - whether mothers and daughters, or best friends #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
That will probably change as she gets older #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
She also wants to create characters, particularly female ones, with flaws that aren’t cute or quirky. Sometimes people have flaws that make them a bit of a jerk - and that’s interesting #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
That’s a wrap! A huge thank you to Greta Gerwig for joining us and for sharing her wonderful film @LadyBirdMovie #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Thanks also to moderator @filmnickjames #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
And make sure you go and see Lady Bird when it opens in the UK early next year #DUKLadyBird
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) December 6, 2017
Lady Bird is currently due for release on February 16.
Our members seemed to really enjoy the screening, and lots of photos were taken of Greta's fabulous dress.
Q&A with brilliant director Greta Gerwig #LadyBird who likes plot lines to be ‘like a trail of breadcrumbs’ not too obvious @Directors_UK 👏 pic.twitter.com/wIO5BOwhzm
— Hannah Berryman (@BerrymanHannah) December 6, 2017
The “plain and luscious” #GretaGerwig at the screening of her directorial debut @LadyBirdMovie for @Directors_UK pic.twitter.com/PEq7L65Vxs
— Lefteris Parasyris (@LParasyris) December 6, 2017
Great screening of #LadyBird this evening and a very intelligent Q&A with Greta Gerwig. A sweet, funny indie hit. @Directors_UK pic.twitter.com/sNmutGbyQn
— Jeremy Wooding (@JeremyWooding) December 6, 2017
Last night at the #SohoHotel @directors_uk #Ladybird #film screening followed by #qanda with #director #gretagerwig
— Rebecca Manley (@ManleyRebecca) December 7, 2017
A strong, assured directorial debut with memorable characters and emotive scenes. #film #movies #comingofage #story #saoirseronan #timotheechalamet @ladybirdmovie pic.twitter.com/kDRpkqHMSK
See some of our photos from the evening: