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Improvisation can lead way to great moments in cinema. I’m not talking so much about comedy improvisation, but rather dramatic. Comedic improvisation can lead to some great laughs, but it can also at times be a way around having a great script. Just hire some funny people and let them fill in all the jokes.
When I’m talking about improvisation in a dramatic context, I’m talking about talented actors deeply engrossed in their characters, living truthfully in the moment. A well-known recent example is the scene in Django Unchained where Leonardo DiCaprio accidentally cuts his hand, and incorporates his own blood into the scene.
Going back further you can look to the quirky llama moment from Twin Peaks, or Dustin Hoffman’s headshake from Kramer VS. Kramer.
Oftentimes people tend to have a misconception that improvisation needs to happen right on set while the cameras are rolling, but that’s not true. Ideas can be improv’d on set before shooting, in the green room, or where the best improvisation often arises; during rehearsals, long before ever stepping foot on set.
The Twin Peaks llama moment was improvised on animal hospital set when David Lynch found…
