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At least the dance mix has a nice beat. (Don't listen to this at work sans headphones.)

I love how he keeps slipping between his American and British accents.

Jeff wrote:At least the dance mix has a nice beat. (Don't listen to this at work sans headphones.)

I love you internet.

It seems working with McG brings the worst out in some people, ask Bill Murray.

Can't McG show control over his cast ever? Since we're only getting the audio I'll reserve judgment, but by the sound of it the DP shouldn't have been doing what he was doing. Bale did give an exaggerated reaction though. Also on the financial front I'd be POed at the DP too.

McG's as perplexed as the rest of us as to how he finds himself on a movie set every day. He just wanted to go surfing.

You can only barely hear them, but McG and the DP do talk a bit.
The DP shouldn't have been walking in his line of sight during teh scene.
And Bale did completely over-react.
I read today that this was recorded a few days before charges were filed against him for assault by his own family. Clearly Bale was generally overstressed or coked out or something at that time.

That did sound strikingly unprofessional, and while I don't see any reason to make up a defense, I'm going to reserve judgement simply because for all I know he's been under so much pressure in his life, bouncing between big movies and whatever else, maybe not sleeping all that well, that he's just waiting to explode. Whenever I hear someone go off the deep end for minute, unaccountable reasons, my first thought is usually stress; and if he's always exploding over things this small you'd think he'd have a reputation for it by now.

On a lighter note, Bale's really good at freaking out. Reminded me of Kinski's blowouts on My Best Fiend. Think if he'd pulled this on the Rescue Dawn shoot Herzog for a moment might have thought he'd died and gone to hell?

I don't know, I have to say that Bale's complain doesn't sound to be without merit. A lot of attention is usually paid to anything in an actor's line of site, and during a take anyone on set is silent and motionless. Bale points out that Hurlbut has interrupted scenes repeatedly, and while it may not be Hurlbut's first rodeo, the quality of the movies the guy has done isn't exactly high. It's easy to jump on actors for flying off the handle, and certainly the outburst seems harsh, but I've never heard of a DP walking around looking at lights in the middle of a take, especially not in someone's eyeline.

Long hours + Unprofessional twerp DP who ignores requests not to do things that any crew member knows he or she shouldn't do + Idiot director who can't control his DP + Stress during emotionally important scene = blowup

It sounds like Bale is having other problems in his life at the moment, but I can't really blame him for getting pissed off at unnecessary distractions during a stress-inducing shoot. You don't go and tweak lights in the middle of shooting, especially if you're in the actor's line of site. Film shoots are high-stress environments. Of course Bale overreacted, but if you've tried and failed to get your point across to a co-worker, some strongly chosen words might seem like the only way to deliver the message.

I can't remember the source but someone said stuff like this happened on a good day on the Transformers set.

flyonthewall2983 wrote:I can't remember the source but someone said stuff like this happened on a good day on the Transformers set.

I'm sure stuff like this happens all the time on any given film. Bale was just unlucky that someone pressed "record".

nsps wrote:Long hours + Unprofessional twerp DP who ignores requests not to do things that any crew member knows he or she shouldn't do + Idiot director who can't control his DP + Stress during emotionally important scene = blowup

It sounds like Bale is having other problems in his life at the moment, but I can't really blame him for getting pissed off at unnecessary distractions during a stress-inducing shoot. You don't go and tweak lights in the middle of shooting, especially if you're in the actor's line of site. Film shoots are high-stress environments. Of course Bale overreacted, but if you've tried and failed to get your point across to a co-worker, some strongly chosen words might seem like the only way to deliver the message.

Honestly, I think it's McG who comes off the worst in that clip. A total douche, he didn't have the balls to defend his DP, control Mr. Bale, or take any responsibility whatsoever for the situation. The DP is a sacred position, he's not just some lowly crew member. There are NO circumstances whatsoever that justify Christian's epic disrespect for the DP. Like everyone else, he was just trying to do his job the best he could. A simple, "Shane, please don't go into my eye line during a scene, it's very distracting" would suffice. (Btw we don't know the circumstances - we don't know if the DP walked into his line during a take, or during a rehearsal, or during his fucking coffee break.

chaddoli wrote:Honestly, I think it's McG who comes off the worst in that clip. A total douche, he didn't have the balls to defend his DP, control Mr. Bale, or take any responsibility whatsoever for the situation. The DP is a sacred position, he's not just some lowly crew member. There are NO circumstances whatsoever that justify Christian's epic disrespect for the DP. Like everyone else, he was just trying to do his job the best he could. A simple, "Shane, please don't go into my eye line during a scene, it's very distracting" would suffice. (Btw we don't know the circumstances - we don't know if the DP walked into his line during a take, or during a rehearsal, or during his fucking coffee break.

I agree that McG comes off as a douche, not so much because he fails to defend his DP, but because, like you said, he takes no control or responsibility. He takes no side whatsoever. He could've said, "Christian, you're out of line, shut the fuck up!" or "Shane, why the hell are you moving lights during action?" If he'd shown some authority to begin with, the altercation might never have occurred.

I don't buy the not-knowing-the-circumstances line. Certainly some circumstances would reflect better on Bale and others on Hurlbut, but we can glean a bit about the situation by to Bale's comments on the tape (I only listened once and don't plan to again). It's clear that (1) they're filming an actual scene and Bale considered his latest take (and an earlier one) ruined, and (2) he'd already asked Hurlbut not to move around in his line of vision during filming, both on the scene in question and earlier in the shoot.

The DP may or may not be a sacred position—I'd say it depends on the DP—but it's certainly not an infallible one. Messing around in the actor's line of sight is something you don't do whether you're a PA or a DP or the director, unless it's been planned in advance. It isn't as if Bale took a massive shit all over the entire DP profession—he even commented that no other DP he worked with behaved like that. Like I said, Bale handled himself poorly and threw a nasty tantrum. For all I know, he could be a complete prick, but like you said, we don't know the circumstances. Everyone has their bad moments, and a film set environment brings them out.

EDIT: I hesitate to link to Knowles' hero-worshipping inside scoop, but my friend sent this over.

My favorite line: "It isn't news. And it certainly isn't cool news." Has that really ever been a litmus test for inclusion on AICN? Also choice: "I know this because I happen to be somewhere where someone that was there that day and for the shoot is."

Jeff wrote:Oh I know that DPs aren't involved in casting, but they often sign on to projects with stars already attached. If I was a guy like Spinotti, Deakins, Toll, Richardson, Savides, Lubiezki, et. al who have the luxury of saying "thanks, but no thanks" to everything they're offered, I would steer clear of Bale.

Lubezki shot The New World which starred Bale (although Bale may behave better when being directed by someone he admires like Malick or Herzog)

I forgot AICN still existed. Thanks for the laff.

Get your t-shirt.

Another defense of Christian Bale. If I had to guess whether Bale was being a diva or McG didn't have control of his set, my money's on the latter (not to say it can't be both).

It's very easy to defend the premise of Bale's rant, at the very least. No one should be walking around the set during a take. It's disruptive and indeed highly unprofessional, and the DP deserved a rebuke. I just don't think he deserved the one he got. But as others have indicated, if Bale snapped and yelled about it, it's probably because the people who should have taken responsibility weren't doing so. I wouldn't even be too hard on McG. On a major studio shoot, it's really not the director's job to keep a watchful eye on the crew, especially during a take, when they should be focused on the what the actors are doing. The ADs and the production manager are the people I would question, they're the ones who are supposed to make sure everyone on the set is doing their job efficiently. What the hell were they doing when the DP decided to mess with the lights during a shot?

I can't wait for the Entourage episode based on this.

I presume it will prove as timely as the episode where they claimed Joaquin Phoenix had pulled out of a Gus Van Sant movie due to a broken leg, just weeks after he had made headlines for retiring from acting.

jbeall wrote:Another defense of Christian Bale. If I had to guess whether Bale was being a diva or McG didn't have control of his set, my money's on the latter (not to say it can't be both).

Who'd want to read a first-hand account of working with Bale when they could get get the real inside scoop from a seasoned newsman who "happens to be somewhere where someone that was there that day and for the shoot is?" (Thanks for the link.)

While I agree with Kirkinson that McG isn't responsible for keeping tabs on his crew during action, he is responsible for the culture of his set. To be fair, however, sometimes people don't jive with that culture and outbursts like this might be unavoidable.

James Lipton reenacts Christian Bale.

jbeall wrote:Another defense of Christian Bale.

As the Producer of Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn I spent six months with this man and I want you to know what I know.

Is this the same producer whose shenanigans got Herzog on the most wanted list in Thailand?

It's fucking distracting: Steve Martin wanders into Colbert's eyeline.