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This was when I first moved to Atlanta.
So this was season 1 of when we were shooting and they were still in season 4.
Credit: Annette Brown/The CW
But it just sparked the idea and I just started asking around.
Later in the year, Id fly back and sit in with the editors for about three days.
I would go on the set ofContainmentand go onto the set ofVampire Diariesand see how certain directors operated.
Annette Brown/The CW
So, it opened up the door for me and Daniel [Gillies].
I shadowed Matt Hastings a lot because he was our creative director and always on set.
And Jeff Hunt, it was great to get his process.
Annette Brown/The CW
What did you learn from shadowing these directors?
That was the most interesting thing.
So it made my choices for me.
Annette Brown/The CW
But before, theres this phase when it seems like this big daunting task.
Youre like, Oh I can handle that.
I can work with that.
Each director was different.
He taught me a lot about transition.
So, he taught me the value of insert shots.
He kind of showed me that you could also creatively come up with something or trust your actors.
But what they all taught me is that they have their particular styles.
So I knew I would be ready when I could come in and say, This is my style.
This is what I like, as opposed to, This is what we should do.
This is what so-and-so did.
They were all fully realized as directors with their own style.
I was like, Oh, thats really cool.
I gotta figure out what my trademark is.
And, did you figure out what it was?Yeah, I did.
I took a look back at some of the things Id done and shot, and I loved rhythm.
And I like sound transitions, so I had her work in some audio transitions.
Did those skills inform your directing?Oh yeah, very much so.
Im still obsessed with rhythm.
And Im here in New York studying Shakespeare.
So rhythm was everything for me.
So I put a lot of weight into that.
It was a very, very conscious thing and something I still explore to this day.
I actually texted Carina afterwards and I said, Youre joking, right?
I was like, logistically, I cant even wrap my head around [it].
I go, Is there lighting everywhere?
Is there rain everywhere?
You guys realize this is my first episode?
She goes, Oh no, Charles, Im not holding back.
I love this episode.
I was like, So, youre serious, this is my episode?
I knew that time and money were also constraints.
So, I walked the sets and I imagined it in my mind.
We have a great, great crew of people in their departments.
[For example], the logistics of,is there a makeshift altar out in the cemetery?
Then, what are we going to make this out of?
Things started to fall in place.
But, like I said, the script and the show itself already set the rules.
Just turning it into sizable pieces that we could really digest.
As you mentioned before, Joseph directed for the first time last season.
I got to really discover what that really meant.
You know, different departments, by nature, are at odds with each other.
So, it was about making decisions and moving forward.
You wanna go?
Are you going to walk out?
I just go, Right, okay.
What was it like directing your fellow actors?It was great because they treated me like a director.
They really trusted me.
They looked to me in a way that was very open and receptive to direction.
They cared for my opinion.
They didnt fight me at all or anything like that.
And I would just go up and whisper in their ear.
When I liked something, I mean, everybody knew I liked it.
I would just cheer.
My job was also to be everyones biggest cheerleader.
Way to go Ian [Forsyth]!
Hopefully that shot will be forever remembered.
I will always seek to recreate that shot in anything I ever do again.
I didnt even direct him.
So, I actually got to talk to him as if I was a fan, which I am.
I really got to express that through direction.
How did you approach that storyline?
I had to find their arc.
But, its nice because now you see a different side of Hayley and Klaus relationship.
And the actors are really intelligent.
So, they knew how to bring out those levels.
Yeah, that was one of my favorite ones to shoot.
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