Transitioning between different forms of filmmaking can present unique challenges. One director found an invaluable guide in Robert Redford,who helped her bridge the gap between documentary and narrative film.

The director described the experience as transformative. “It’s like part therapy, part religion – the Sundance religion that I worship at the altar of. It is both of those things wrapped into one.”

The Most Valuable Lesson

When asked about the most valuable lesson she learned, the director emphasized trusting her own voice and tapping into her existing skillset.Initially hesitant about directing actors, she realized her background in documentary filmmaking provided her with unique skills.

“my most valuable lesson was really to trust my own voice, and also that I had a skillset that I needed to use and tap into. Coming from documentary, I was like, “Well, I don’t know how to talk to actors.” But I realized that I actually had amazing skills because I had been dealing with real people, and these were trained actors. They’re like machines you can calibrate. And it was Bob Redford, who was my advisor. He was with me in rehearsal, he was with me on set, he was with me in the edit, and would come to the edit room. We would have lunch together. He really taught me how to utilize those documentary skills to work with actors.”

“Who else in the world can have Bob Redford storyboarding your sex scene and blocking it out with you?”

The director recounted a specific instance were she was preparing to film a challenging scene. “There was a moment when we were sitting in the cafeteria having lunch,in the mess hall,and I was saying I was about to tackle the sex scene in my film. I was very nervous about that scene as in the lab, Ilyse [McKimmie] and Michelle encourages you to pick scenes that are going to be challenging to you and are arduous for you, so you can work through those. He actually sat with me and drew out the storyboards for the scene. And then, we went to set, and he blocked it out with me. I was like, “Who else in the world can have Bob Redford storyboarding your sex scene and blocking it out with you?” I framed those storyboards with pages of the script, and I have Redford’s hand-drawn storyboards of my sex scene hanging in my office. It’s insane.”

She added, “It’s invaluable. It’s amazing, and I think it was one of the last labs that he actually worked with a filmmaker on. I just so value that time with him and how he was so incredibly encouraging, but he also really gave me this really practical – I mean, he’s just like the god of filmmaking. To have that time with him was unbelievably life-altering and life-changing.”

Finding the Language

Robert redford’s guidance extended to helping the director find the right approach to communicate with actors.He drew parallels between interviewing documentary subjects and directing actors, emphasizing the importance of honesty and vulnerability.

“So, he said, “What is your goal when you are interviewing a documentary subject?” I was like, “For them to get to a place of honesty and vulnerability.” He’s like, “And how do you do that?” I said, “Well, often I will use myself. If I get to a place of vulnerability and honesty, they will feel safe enough to share that with me.” And he’s like, “Well, that’s the same way you would do with an actor.” I was like, “Really? oh my God. I never thought about that. I thought it was secret code language.”  And I was like, “Well, I can do that. Do you mean I can actually talk to an actor like a person, and talk to them about my own experiences or their experiences to get them to a place that they identify with the material?” Yes.”

The director also described how Redford provided real-time coaching on set. “And we would walk through and roleplay the characters that were in the scene I was shooting,and how I would talk about that to get them there. Then,he would be on set with me,and as I was talking to the actors,he would be in my ear. He’d be literally in my ear and say, “Remember what we talked about at lunch?” He goes, “Try this,” or “Try that,” and I had Bob Redford in my ear on set.I was very lucky.”