So in that sense it wasn’t very cathartic.
I thought that would go away after making this movie and it hasn’t at all. I still have nightmares about going to a band rehearsal or going on a stage and not knowing the chart, or not having properly learned the chart. Was filming the movie cathartic?ĭC: Not as much as I thought it would be. You yourself drummed for many years and said that you had a high school band conductor who spurred you to become better and great. Simmons), as well as the young filmmaker’s own thoughts on how far someone can be pushed to achieve greatness.ĪFI: T he story is very personal to you. We sat down with Chazelle to talk about the making of WHIPLASH, the intensity of the chemistry between Andrew (Miles Teller) and Fletcher (J.K. In 2014, he returned to Sundance with the feature length version and took home the festival’s two top honors: the Grand Jury and Audience prizes.
The short won big at the Sundance Film Festival – essentially proving the power of the concept, and giving Chazelle the leverage to finally realize his full vision for the film.
The following year, Chazelle directed an 18-minute, condensed version of his script, highlighting the story’s aggressive central relationship between instructor and student. In 2012, the screenplay was featured on the Black List, the film industry’s annual catalog of the best unproduced screenplays.
Damien Chazelle’s WHIPLASH is currently drumming up excitement among audiences nationwide, but its road to the big screen was not an easy one – requiring of its director a dedication that mirrors that of his protagonist, a young musician determined to be one of the jazz greats.