The piece of direction that best encapsulates David Lynch’s genius
Many people have attempted to articulate what makes the work of David Lynch so captivating, with fans and critics describing the inarticulable mysteries and mesmerising visuals that slowly invite the audience into an entirely different state of mind.
From the hypnotic title sequence for Twin Peaks to the puzzling dream-like world of Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet, the director created a reputation for his ability to tap into our subconscious minds and create images that we wouldn’t otherwise see in our waking lives. His work is not meant to be clearly understood; it demands to be felt, encouraging people to switch off from the incessant need to find meaning/order and let ourselves simply float through his worlds and let it touch us in an indescribable and purely emotional way.
However, while many people attribute this skill of his to his world-building, colour palette or elusive narratives, perhaps there is another reason that allows his work to touch us in this way, with the director giving strangely specific direction to his actors that captures his true genius and ability to find feeling in a way that nobody else could.
Lynch is known for his close working relationships with his actors, forming a lifelong partnership and friendship with the likes of Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern and Naomi Watts. Each of them spoke about the effect he had not only on their careers, but also on their personal lives, able to see a hidden potential in them that they couldn’t see themselves, drawing on the best of their talents and encouraging them to see the true essence of their talents.
Years of working in the film business can strip you of your self-esteem and confidence, making you immune to recognising your own self-worth and the reason you started creating in the first place, becoming disillusioned after years of competition, rejection and nasty experiences with powerful people at the top of the Hollywood ladder.
However, Lynch worked in a way that reminded people of the true magic of filmmaking, with stories from his time on set reiterating just how unique he was and his one-of-a-kind approach to storytelling.
While filming the first season of Twin Peaks, there is a story that after calling cut for a scene, he knelt down next to two actors and held intense eye contact with them both before showing them his hand and very slowly, opening and closing his fingers. After doing this, he silently nodded to them and then went back to the camera to call action.
Instead of verbally telling them what he needed, he invited them to slow down with him, focus on the silence, shut out the noise, and allow themselves to relax in the scene. Where some directors might just tell their actors to relax, Lynch created the wavelength that they needed to tune into and put himself on the same level, creating an approach based on feeling rather than words. This perfectly encapsulates Lynch’s style and sheer brilliance, working with nothing but compassion and love for the art of filmmaking and those who worked with him, something that can be felt in every frame of his work.
