Gilroy does something else in his stories that I wish were applied to every character in every movie. And that is: every character in the story (not just the main one) is the protagonist of their own story.
In the real world everyone is their own main character. There’s no one who is waiting around to sell you (and only you) a hotdog. There’s a guy whose job (or second job) has him standing outside in all kinds of weather interacting with all kinds of different people, selling them hot links. That person should act on screen like that is their day-to-day.
I love this scene from Michael Clayton (2007). Gilroy gives a masterclass in how to deliver information to the audience. It’s short, 30 seconds – have a watch.
The entire purpose of this scene is to tell the audience three things.
- Michael has been trying to get a meeting (not yet clear what for) with his boss
- His firm might be merging with another firm
- This merger could cost him his job
Bad exposition happens when a character simply says the thing the audience needs to know. It’s not how the real world works – the thing you need does not just simply appear in front of you. There’s ALWAYS a cost. Also it’s boring when there’s no struggle.
The battle in this scene is that Pam clearly wants to know if her job is safe. She has to figure out how to get that information from her boss who is unlikely to confirm it for her. This is how a real person in the real world would behave. And Sharon Washington’s performance is perfect. That look she gives Michael as the scene ends. Perfection.
As I was researching this I was reminded she also had a part in another one of this blog’s favourites: The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996).
The scene’s purpose is character background for Mitch plus a setup for a future payoff. In her 20 seconds of screen time Washington has to convince us that she was once married to Mitch and what that was like. Again, she nails it.
And to complete the trifecta, we have to talk about her part in this blog’s namesake.
In any big-budget action movie, a scene like this one can get drowned out in all the explosions and car chases. Here we have an incredible forty-second tracking shot (an eternity in modern movies) that introduces the five police officer characters where the (narrative) climax of the shot is delivered by Washington.
What a great performance. Notice how her breathing is that of someone who’s done no physical exertion but whose heart rate is up. Exactly like you would expect of someone who just spoke on the phone with a psychopath who detonated a bomb in a densely populated city at rush hour. I believe it’s small things like this – things you might not consciously pick up on – that build great, rewatchable movie experiences.
Die Hard Three 
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