Watch Ben Platt Perform in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ - Anatomy of a Scene.
Adapting the Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen” for the big screen gave the director Stephen Chbosky an opportunity to interpret some of the show’s themes in fresh visual ways.
In this sequence, the lead character Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) is struggling with anxiety on his first day of school. He sings one of the show’s signature songs, “Waving Through a Window,” as he walks the hallways. But the sequence isn’t choreographed or performed like a traditional musical.
“What is distinct about the scene,” Chbosky said, “is that if you look at what’s actually happening, even though he is singing, what the singing in this moment represents is a thought in his head.” So the character isn’t so much bursting into song as he is thinking into song.
Rather than “High School Musical”-style moves, Chbosky and his team instead went for a kind of visual choreography. That involved locker slams to the beat of the music and some quick cuts to represent Evan’s feelings of being both overwhelmed and ignored.
“It was really choreographed to his emotions,” Chbosky said. “That was always the main thing. Where is he living? What does this mean? How does it affect him emotionally?”
Read the New York Times review: nyti.ms/3o37F38
Subscribe: bit.ly/U8Ys7n
More from The New York Times Video: nytimes.com/video
----------
Whether it's reporting on conflicts abroad and political divisions at home, or covering the latest style trends and scientific developments, New York Times video journalists provide a revealing and unforgettable view of the world. It's all the news that's fit to watch.
‘How Do You Get a Job When You Can’t Take a Shower?’ - NYT Opinion.
Subscribe: More from The New York Times Video: ---------- Whether it's reporting on conflicts abroad and political divisions at home, or covering the latest style trends and scientific developments, New York Times video journalists provide a revea...
-
'If Anybody's Listening, We Just Want a Place to Go' - NYT Opinion.
If you live in one of America’s cities, you probably see homeless people all the time. You might pass them on your way to work. Maybe you avoid eye contact. If they ask you for money, maybe you pretend you didn’t hear, and walk on by. But what if ...
-
Watch a Sniper Scene From ‘Civil War’ - Anatomy of a Scene.
In this sequence from the writer and director Alex Garland’s latest film, “Civil War,” about a modern-day conflict that has broken out in America, journalists making their way to Washington, D.C., stumble across a field set up with Christmas decor...
-
Watch an Elaborate One-Shot Montage in ‘Música’ - Anatomy of a Scene.
What’s the best way to narratively portray a life that has become nearly impossible to manage? How about with a one-take montage sequence that seems nearly impossible to pull off? That’s what Rudy Mancuso goes for in his debut feature, “Música” (s...
-
The Deep State Is Awesome - NYT Opinion #shorts #deepstate.
Subscribe: More from The New York Times Video: ---------- Whether it's reporting on conflicts abroad and political divisions at home, or covering the latest style trends and scientific developments, New York Times video journalists provide a revea...
-