The West Wing 1x04 - Longest walk and talk scene
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 พ.ย. 2012
- The longest and most complicated Steadicam shot so far on The West Wing was four minutes long and took place at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The operator was Dave Commides [Chameides]. Del Ruth recalls, "It started out on the dance floor, went into the lobby, through the top-floor kitchen area, down two flights of stairs into the bowels of the kitchen and through the cavernous kitchen, where food was being prepared for a banquet. We worked our way through that area, went down another flight of stairs to where the laundry facilities are, then proceeded into the catacombs, all the way through the base of the hotel and out into the parking lot, where we ended up in a motorcade. The shot involved more than 500 extras and nearly all of the major cast members, and it was all done in one seamless Steadicam shot.
"Each take required one magazine of film, and the actors had to pass off dialogue from one person to another. It required quite a bit of orchestration. It was about a five-page scene and took us half the night [to shoot]. Dave was walking backward at full speed for the entire shot; on take 13, he almost collapsed!" - Thomas Del Ruth - บันเทิง
best moment: the Josh fan club shouting "we love you, Josh", and CJ responding by saying "It helps not to know him"
I just love the little "you love doing that" moment- Toby's laugh and the president's grin are so genuine.
I agree. Makes it all the more tragic that their friendship derails in mater seasons. I sometimes think that of all the White House Staff, Bartlett found his intellectual equal in Toby.
1:52 when the secret service agent to the left of screen looks back at Bartlet's line about Toby coming at him with a salad fork, such a subtle, clever little piece of acting or directing in that moment.
Holy shit that scene must have been a nightmare to get through. All my admiration to the entire crew.
You can thank the movie Rocky for inventing the steadicam.
@@joemckim1183 The movie Rocky didn't invent the Steadicam it was just the first movie to use it.
@Michael Moretti I think that Hardcore Henry is the first movie to utilitze a Go Pro for the entire movie.
My bet is that whenever you see a person or a pole wipe across the screen that's a cut. They used a similar technique in Birdman to make it look like one take. But it's only a guess.
faolan1686 this scene is one continuous take, no cuts
What a pro Steadicam Operator Dave Commides is. I think that shot ranks right up their with Larry McConkey's Copacabana "Goodfellas" scene. Even harder because Dave is switching actors. I own a Steadicam Flyer, so my lift is only 20lbs. I bet Dave was dealing with 75 to 80 pounds, supported by his core and back. Wonderfully inspiring work.
.... brilliant commentary on clearly one of the hardest shots not just during TWW, like you said..... it’s definitely up there.
I love the moment at 2:00. Toby and Bartlett usually have a professional, but to varying degrees, somewhat strained relationship. It's nice to them make each other smile for once, and it's rare to see Toby give such a genuine laugh.
From what I've heard, Martin had an innate ability to make Richard burst out laughing in the middle of a take, usually with an ad-lib or a line delivery, and this time they kept it in 😂😂
Scenes like this are why The West Wing is one of the best shows ever. Amazing cinematography, wonderful acting.
It's just downright atrocious that Sheen didn't win an Emmy for his performance as POTUS, considering just how he was, while fictitious, was one of our great Presidents.
It's upsetting. At least he walked away with a Golden Globe and two SAG awards.
I feel bad for the person who messes up their line in that scene.
***** I remember that scene. She is a trooper.
There's a couple of moments when it nearly derails I think. A couple of unnatural pauses in the President's conversation with Toby, and then after Toby says "well that's what my mother calls it too sir" you hear Martin Sheen go "uhhhh" before Dule Hill steps in to save him
Geoff Rose They parodied that scene/blooper on the show "Mom" starring Allison Janney (there, she - the president - was the one putting her jacket on and Richard Schiff was next to her and ducks).
How are things 6 years later?
Getting an Aaron Sorkin masterclass ad before this is just perfect.
incredible, amazing, wonderful, terrific. another proof of a simple statement: the best show ever seen on tv. ever.
Just started watching this show 23 years later and this shot is one of the best I've ever seen, kudos to the cast and crew. Remarkable doesn't even cut it
Just started? Where are you up to now?
"Well for the secret service restraining me sir."
Lol
it isn't just stupid and wrong that Martin Sheen never got an Emmy for his performance inTWW, it's down right unprofessional :/
It`s really UNBELIEVABLE...
Best show ever to hit the tv screen....I found a guy on Craigslist who sold me all 7 seasons in their original cases + boxes for....wait for it....$10...until i had them in my hands i couldn't believe it....BUT IT`S TRUE
+makeithap NO WAY ! 😱 I want my money back !
+John Doe whatever you paid for them.....its worth it
The West Wing full moooviee heereeee => twitter.com/28e6939923d472f6c/status/824453233552748544
“You're what my mother calls 'a pain in the ass !'” 😂😂😂
That's what my mother calls it sir.
Honestly one of the most brilliant pieces of film I've ever seen.
The outtakes from that scene would be priceless, knowing how much they would have to do over. Wonder how many total takes.
Sam: Hi there.
Mandy: Hi.
Sam: *Happy Days Are Here Again*?
Mandy: He likes it.
Sam: Who?
Mandy: The President.
Sam: We try to avoid letting the President make aesthetic decisions.
Mandy: I made the decision.
Sam: Right. And I do't mean to step on your toes, but you might want to rethink marrying the line *kids are dead--kids are dead* and *Happy Days Are Here Again*.
Mandy: It's optimistic.
Sam: I'll say.
Moira as Mandy was the only goof in casting, jimnsho...
*Sigh. Hes just wonderful. Martin Sheen has been my #1 celebrity crush since i saw Badlands when i was 14. Im 65 now, and on my 200th rewatch of the entire series. I still see things i havent seen before.❤
My favourite bit is when Charlie says about his back medicine "Mrs Bartlett seemed quite adamant, i'd describe her tone as..." "you don't have to describe her tone to me Charlie i've been married to her for 32 years" "Sir, i don't want to get in trouble with the first lady".
And there you have it, personal aide to the President more worried about what the first lady will say to him if the President doesn't take his medicine than he is about the President being leader of the free world. it's fun to imagine exactly what Mrs Bartlett said to Charlie and i'd imagine her being stern as if she's scolding her children.
It's also fun imagining what she said to him after he overdosed and became high as a kite
They totally could have managed to pull off Josh and CJ as actual siblings not just work siblings, they look very alike in this scene.
Would love to see outtakes when someone messes up at the end of a long scene like this.
I think it’s said they did either 13 or 17 takes to get it. Have heard both figures.
Amazing, AMAZING shot!
1:03 -- you can see the stedicam in the glass of the fridges.
Thanks for the background info. Really ups my appreciation of The West Wing!
That was quite an accomplishment & outstanding! I wonder how many takes they had to do to get such perfection.
1:01- 1:05 aside from falling off her own swimming pool, her iconic laughing fit with Marion Coatsworth Hay of Marblehead, the Jackal and Too Sexy dances, this is the best of Claudia-Jean Cregg. 😅😅😅
It helps not to know him lol
One of my favorite scenes! Thanks for posting!
Long shot! Sweet!
THE WEST WING"S Orson Welles moment. And, yes, I love the WEST WING.
That was a pretty impressive piece.... not just the acting but the logistics of getting it all done over such a long time and long distance
Nice to see a little dialogue for once.
On the DVD version (because the picture is clearer) right about the 1:04 mark on this video you can see the reflection of the steadicam operator in the glass.
That camera operator is a skilled dancer.....
damn...that scene took skill to film.
This scenen is just so much fun.
Cool how i came from parks and recreaction and Chris is in here lmao
The West Wing is excellent television...
This is the most Aaron Sorkin scene to ever Aaron Sorkin.
In the UK Sky TV are running the whole series of the West Wing. I missed it first time round. Really enjoying binge watching it. Great show.
@Michael Moretti That's nothing. My mum is currently on her 15th rewatch.
This has to be an homage to the Copacabana scene in 'Goodfellas'.
Very roughly that was almost 300 yards/meters of walking for that scene. Approx. 128bpm pace times 3 minutes of walking gives us around 384 total steps, times 2.3ft for avg human step length gives around 883ft travelled divided by 3 gives us 294.4yards or meters.
hey there fella!
2:05 - GUS! (Dule Hill)
Everybody say hi to the cameraman at 1:00
how did they get the sound?? did they have mics in their hair? especially CJ - no place to hide a normal radio mic, surely?
Nice to see how the relationship between te President and his staff has evolved over the years. Towards the end of the series his staff treats him more presidential than in serie one
Flub a line anywhere along the line and back to the square one. Can you imagine getting to the car and..oops!
I wonder how many takes it took. The multiple dialogues, every actor, especially Richard and Martin, had to memorize an awful lot of lines.
Extemporaneous.
At 1:04 you can see the steadicam operator in the reflection for a brief moment.
2:02 toby laughs!
President Davidson!
While a beautiful continuous shot, the one thing that bothers me is I highly doubt the Secret Service would allow the President to be that far from The Beast in a public arena.
To what are you referring? Are you talking about how far they have to walk to get to the car? Or the moment when he's getting in the car? Cause I don't see a problem with either
They didn’t wrap early that night
I mean damn
I thought the Secret Service didn't have POTUS going through the kitchen since Bobby Kennedy. Also, there would be next to no way that anyone who wasn't Secret Service or staff would be allowed in the area when the President walked by; they would have been cleared out of there before he even arrived. For the exact reason of what happened to Bobby Kennedy; having the path secure so no one can jump out and attack.
Had the same thoughts...
OK..Everyone back to one!...SHIT!
I know Sorkin is a master but, man, Tommy Schlamme isn´t any bit less than him.
Since I've been listening to the West Wing Weekly podcast I now know a little trick about these scenes - watch it again and pay attention to when someone walks entirely across the frame briefly - that's where they cut the scene and stitched them together. Doesn't make it any less impressive.
I remember that from TWWW too but I'm pretty sure they said this one wasn't done that way, it was one continuous shot. The only one they explicitly said was stitched was the very first walk and talk from 1x01. Plus this one only contains 4 moments where something passes across the frame: 2 are poles (1 blocks completely and 1 doesn't) and 2 are people, neither of which block completely. It could still be done without blocking completely but I really don't think this one was stitched at all.
Is it just me, or something goes wrong at 2:32-2:40? It seems that either Charlie or the President lost the ball. The dialogue was not smooth over there.
Yeah, seems like Bartlett was supposed to laugh or chuckle
+John Doe Bartlet actually messed up (he groans) but they mixed in sound from a previous take, because they were able to carry on despite the stumble
+David Mao I never noticed it first time but looking at it again; I think Martin Sheen is meant to immediately ask 'Charlie, did the first lady call?' but forgets his line, hence the groan. I wonder if Dule Hill's 'Mr President...' was in the script as it wouldn't fit logically, and it's said in a prompting tone which seems to remind Martin Sheen of his line.
1:02 - Why on earth would they block that moment in such a way where we can see the reflection of the steadicam? Why not stay behind them or get in front of them or shoot from their other side against the white wall?
The West Wing movie here => twitter.com/e807528950f1f72c3/status/824453233552748544
Several reasons: Because the cabinets are a more interesting backdrop. Because the camera was behind them on the stairs and needed to be in front to transition to Sam and Mandy. Because movement from left to right is seen differently to movement from right to left. Because the camera is barely visible and could be anything at all.
Came here from that one Family Guy joke
1:57 Homage to "Goodfellas"?
Pretty clear it’s an homage, I think. Reverse of from car to stage, through the kitchen...lovers kissing and the comment. Makes me love it even more.
You can tell they’re all stage actors first and foremost.
Movie actors wouldn’t be able to do this
I wonder how many takes that took
13 takes
Did they do this on first try? 🤣🤣
13 takes to get it- The West Wing Weekly
looks like many cuts for one scene
I love this scene. It's so complex, but so awesome. Some real humor in it, some great moments. That said...the bit at 1:57 is a bit jarring. Really? There are two making out in a hallway as the President of the United States is marched by, literally feet away? That doesn't seem safe to me. There are going to be people working, yes, and the USSS knows about them. But people wandering off into the path of POTUS? That seems like a big security breach. I wouldn't say anything, but they draw attention to it with President B's line.
After watching a few episodes, we finally gave up..I get dizzy watching all of them walk a mile and talk at the same time. Also, too much goofy talks amongst them. Do you think every staff member really get along so well?
I think it'd be hard to work that closely with each other for 4 years without getting along well
And at that very top, small circle , yeah, they are going to get to know each other pretty well and if they don't get along, they can't do their jobs well. But also this is the core group (with Leo McGarry and Donna Moss) that came out of Bartlet's first campaign.
And before that, Sam and Josh were friends from college/law school and Toby and J.C. were friends from working together before. And of course Bartlett and McGarry were friends from waaaaay back, even before Bartlett was governor of New Hampshire. (I don't think it's ever told how or when they met.)
Oh, and McGarry knew Josh's Dad and was already friends with Josh that way. McGarry brought in Josh into the Bartlett campaign and Josh brought in Sam. And McGarry brought in Toby who brought in C.J..
The only "new" member of that group is Charlie, he was hired Bartlett's second year in office (at the very beginning of the series.)
It is also noteworthy that Josh and C.J. butted heads a few times during the first couple seasons, so it was never all champagne and roses. And of course Toby butted heads with everyone at one time or another because he is Toby. And occasionally McGarry had to either reign Bartlett in or (metaphorically) kick his ass to get moving. They had a couple serious knock-down drag-outs.
I absolutely love this show and have since I was a kid but now that I’m older and more jaded, random things occur to me. For instance, how was the whole storyline of the episode not ridiculous people reacting to photos of the president being given drugs by a black man by taking them completely out of context?
Great scene.
But a waste of money.
This will bring in and hold, no viewers - because it cannot be sustained.
Great TV shows are about writing, producing, directing/the crew and acting (in that order - actors are a dime a dozen. Great actors - a dollar a dozen. Of course, the ignorant masses don't agree.).
This scene is nothing but the showrunner/director fulfilling a fantasy.
Still...a GREAT scene.
☮
01:03 Fail
FADO I had to look for it twice, so I'd say not a fail.
Dominic Sosa you don't see the steadicam guy? I'm a filmmaker, so it's a fail
Yes, on the Internet, everyone is an expert. I saw it, but I didn't see it when I watched the episode a week ago, I didn't see it when you first showed it to me. Its not that big a deal
+Dominic Sosa It's not thaaaaat evident. If you look really closely and pause that moment, you can notice a third person there, but since other people are walking through that corridor at that moment, it doesn't really stand out. You're just as picky as Toby is to the President :p
FADO love that film you made, what was is it again?