Barry Sonnenfeld

I don't want them to worry about anything but performance.

Can you light it so they can stop anywhere?

So I say, sure, give me 14 minutes.

Now here's something else you should learn.

Never give estimates in round numbers.

By saying 14, 11, 17, or any other arcane number, you really sound like you know what you're talking about.

So I lit another 67 feet.

See where I went with that?

67 feet, told Rob we're ready, and Rob says, well, will it still look pretty bare?

Will it still look beautiful?

I said, well, it won't look as beautiful, but now they can stop wherever they want.

Rob says, we don't want not beautiful, we want beautiful.

Where do they have to stop where it will look beautiful?

Back where they stopped during rehearsal, Rob calls the actors over, says, guys, stop where you did during rehearsal, slow down your walk.

At that moment, I learned something.

I let it be Rob's decision to get what I wanted.

So later that night, I'm shooting Meg Ryan's close-up.

Meg was great fun to work with, but she didn't always hit her mark.

So tonight, with this newfound information, I said to Meg, Hey, Meg, it doesn't matter where you stop, but if you land right here, you look gorgeous.

She hit her mark every time.