Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521956
more focus on Sonny so that we can keep the audience in the room," Goldenberg said. "At that point, Matt is looking right at the camera and sort of pitching to the audience. That's one of the things that not seeing Michael directly in the film did: You felt like, in that moment, we're Michael and Matt's pitching us." O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , s h o w i n g h o w Jordan felt during all this without seeing his face was challenging, too. Goldenberg continued, "I was relying on body language — Michael shifting in his seat or resting a chin on his hand, looking bored — and using the mom and dad's reactions to know what Michael was thinking. So there was a lot of nonverbal storytelling, which was challeng- ing but really fun to do." Once the meeting was over, the Nike team had to wait for a few days while the Ben shot in a slightly different style — most- ly handheld to give you the feeling of being dropped into Sonny's world, like a verité feel, almost as if we're watching everything from Sonny's shoulder." When Sonny and Deloris talk in her backyard (after he drove all the way to North Carolina to sneak a meeting with her), the close- ups are mostly what Affleck shot, where "you're almost seeing into their souls, with the cameras right up against their faces. Panning back and forth between those perspec- tives helped with the pacing and made it feel like we're r i g h t t h e r e w i t h S o n n y," Goldenberg said. S eve ra l c r u c i a l s ce n e s take place over telephone c a l l s b e t w e e n S o n n y a n d David, and another with De- loris towards the end. Affleck chose to shoot these phone calls simultaneously, with three cameras on Messina and two on Damon. "Those scenes would never be what t h ey a re w i t h o u t d o i n g i t that way. The actors worked off each other as if they're in the same room — the body language, rolling your eyes, or pacing around. So you get that spontaneity and the real reactions. We did a ton of phone calls in 'The Insider,' also, with Al Pacino and Rus- sell Crowe on the phone together. The ones that were shot simultaneously were always so electric." When the Jordans visit Nike HQ for the official offer, Sonny delivers a riveting monologue. Originally, that scene was mostly his voiceover accompanied by Jor- dan's highlight reel. "But Ben and I thought that Matt was so good, why are we cutting away from him? That's when we realized it needed to be just snapshots of Michael's reel to give the audience glimpses of how the future would unfold, but with much Jordans made their decision. Originally, it went straight from the end of the meeting to Howard's call informing Sonny that the Jordans has gone with Adidas. There was no passage of time to convey any dramatic tension or sense of jeopardy. "When I real- ized it didn't work, Ben went out with Matt and shot the scenes where Sonny was getting his din- ner at the 7-Eleven, looking at the phone, and pacing around waiting for the call. It worked beautifully, but it wasn't there originally. Since I stay up to camera [edit in a single day what was shot the previous day], I was able to show them any issues right away," Golden- berg said. "Usually either Ben or Matt would think of something and run out to shoot something right away or the next morning. Everything was so immedi- ate, which was so much fun when we can solve problems on the spot." Fo r h i s n e x t p r o j e c t , Goldenberg is set to direct "Unstoppable: The Anthony R o b l e s S t o r y," a d r a m a b a s e d o n t h e 2 0 1 1 N C AA wrestling national cham- pionship winner who was born with one leg. Starring Jharrel Jerome in the titular role and with Jennifer Lopez playing his mother, the story is also "about overcoming incredible obstacles to become a champion, both in life and in sports," he said of his upcoming directorial debut with Artists Equity and Amazon MGM Studios. "Anthony is a very talented and char- ismatic guy. His is an uplifting story that shows you the power of positive thinking and hard work." ■ Su Fang Tham is a freelance writer covering film and television. Her work has appeared in Film Independent, Vanity Fair, and Movie Maker, among other publications. F E A T U R E 39 S U M M E R Q 2 I S S U E Ben Affleck as Nike founder Phil Knight in "Air." P H O T O : A M A Z O N S T U D I O S