Crossroads Keeps the Story Alive for History Boys
Ben Taylor of Crossroads has been involved for the past few years with the critically acclaimed stage production of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys. Taylor has continually directed and shot film installments that pair and continue story lines throughout the play. Each narrative piece is actor specific and with each recurring cast change, new footage must be filmed. The most recent production is a run in Los Angeles at the Ahmanson Theatre which will utilize the original UK production design but has an almost entirely American cast. Taylor was called in to re-shoot for this current production, requiring more days of shooting and weeks in edit. He has been involved since the beginning, starting with the original London run, International Tour, and transfer to Broadway, where the acclaimed piece has received countless awards and nominations including six Tonys.
Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the play premiered in May 2004 to much hype and many extended runs. The coming of age story follows a group of adolescent boys in 1980’s England, preparing for their entrance exams into the prestigious Oxbridge University. Their education is taught in and out of the classrooms as they learn about life, loss, and sacrifice. The action of the piece is in the classrooms and staff rooms of the British Grammar School and lends itself to Hytner’s concept for the staging. It involved a series of 15 short narrative films, aggressively cut to 80’s music projected onto a large cinema screen above the stage. The films continue the action seen on the stage and show background stories previously discussed.
Taylor got an interview for the job because Hytner was looking for a young Music Video director with narrative experience and an ability to push tape formats as cinematically as possible. Taylor was a great match for the job, having shot a number of music videos for acts like McFly, Matt Willis, Crimea, Hound Dogs and Tony Christie. The project didn’t have a massive budget to begin with and even less time, so the actors and the crew ended up shooting 80-plus camera set ups in a single day and using almost entirely available light to make the fast paced schedule work. Ben comments on the ongoing project, “I’ve shot it six times now. It’s a bit of a Ground Hog day scenario creatively - quite bizarre recreating your own shots and sequences. But it does mean I’m slowly beginning to know what I’m doing!”
The Creds:
Prod Company: Centre Theatre Group / Crossroads Films
Director: Ben Taylor
DP: Pedro Castro
Editor: Nick Trowle
Producer: Dana Vasquez-Eberhart
Post/Effects: 101 Post
Sound Design: Colin Pink
Shoot Location: Lake Wood High School, LA, CA
About Crossroads:
A multimedia and content creation firm, Crossroads offers a clear vision, innovative leadership, and unparalleled reach into the entertainment talent pool. With headquarters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, and an affiliate office in Toronto, Crossroads has six divisions: Film, Television, Commercials, Music Videos, New Media, and Creative Services. All offer exclusive talent featuring some of the world’s top directors, show creators, writers, and producers.
Founded in 1989, Crossroads has been a consistent leader in the development and production of feature films and television programming, as well as producing award-winning commercial and music video content for top-tier brands, agencies and performing artists. For more, go to www.crossroadsfilms.com.
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