Movie Director Interview
Description
A world famous movie director (made up name given by audience suggestion) is interviewed on a movie based chat show by an interview about their recent movie, previous work and student films and trailers. At any point the movie director or the interview can ask for a clip of a film to be played, and they can also ask for clips to be paused, rewound or fast forwarded. They cover multiple clips during the interview. 2-3 improvisers play the actors in the movie clips, on the other side of the stage from the interview, and they do the dialogue, action sequences, CGI and all.
Example
Interviewer: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Movie Night with me, Graham Filmgeek. Tonight I’m joined by a very exciting director, Glenda von Stapler. Please give her a welcome!
Glenda: Thankz you zo much, I really do appreciate thiz warm English welcome.
Interviewer: Thank you Glenda, and I believe the warm English welcome is what inspired your first film?
Glenda: Thatz right. I have been here zo long now that I almost feel Englishz. So I made zis movie, A Russian in Morden.
Interviewer: Morden??
Glenda: Yez, itz my favourite tube stop, I zo love the culture there.
Interviewer: Well let’s see a clip.
We cut to the other side of the stage where three actors bring the film to life.
Morden Local: Welcome to Morden!
Russian: Hello I am from Russia, I have heard magnificent things about this place.
Morden Local: You have?
Russian: Yes! An amazing restaurant that serves the finest cuisine.
Morden Local: Kebaby?
Interview: Pause. Now was that product placement we just saw?
Glenda: Yez, I admit, my entire movie career haz been financed by a South London kebab shop.
Teaching Purpose
A fun way to teach group listening, teamwork and support. The director has to listen to the interview. The actors have to listen to the director. The interviewer and director have to listen to the actors. Everyone is listening to everyone else and finding it together.
It’s also a great game for Character and Spontaneity as the actors playing the movie clips will be thrown into situations on the spot and will have to jump into it without thinking.
Additional Tips for Playing
- Keep swapping between the interview and the movies getting played out, don’t just
- If you are one of the actors playing out the movie do the scene suggested by the interview but don’t just stop there, yes and past that point so you discover something new together.
- Listen to everyone, find it together as a group.
Variations
This game is similar to Movie Cards, Director’s Cut and Poetry Corner.
Show Introduction
“This game is called The Movie Director Interview. We’re about to interview a world famous Director about their recent movie and see clips from the film. Please can I have a suggestion for a made up Director’s name?”
Origin
No idea! It’s a very popular game so it seems to be played everywhere but we aren’t sure where it originally comes from. Maybe Whose Line Is It Anyway.
Hoopla courses we play this game in
Mostly in our level 2 course and also a bit in our level 1 course and super short-form course.
Categories
This exercise is in the following categories:
Listening
Spontaneity
Character
Support and Teamwork
Short-Form Games
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