With multiple large group dance numbers including the show’s biggest one yet with over 200 performers!
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How long have you wanted to direct an episode?
It just felt like it all fell into that place.
Sergei Bachlakov/NBC/Lionsgate
This is the right time."
It was kind of this weird, synergistic thing.
It all happened for a good reason.
How did you approach directing this episode?
Basically, I was just like, “I need to turn it up a notch.
I’ve already worked 14 hours a day creating everything dance-wise for the show!”
But when you direct, you’re obviously thinking of 42 minutes.
The workload just expands.
The way you block a dance is very similar to the way that you block the scene.
It’s all tempo and timing and emotion and narrative and feel.
It was nice that it transitioned pretty well.
A lot of people say choreographers make for really great directors.
And now being through the process, I can understand the correlation.
It is really similar.
You’re physicalizing something that’s on the page.
Working so closely with Austin, he and I are two peas in a pod anyway.
So it’s really nice to feel like he trusts my vision.
And Austin thought it was so funny when he came up with it.
He’s like, “Yes, I’m really going to challenge you on this one!”
It would have been amazing if you pulled that off under normal circumstances, let alone during COVID.
Yeah, it was great.
It really goes to show how well production works together and creates systems.
It was just so wonderful.
We had so many meetings about how to logistically make that happen.
We worked really hard on that one.
Was that done in one take?
Skylarreallynailed it that night.
It was late at night.
It was really, really well done.
Did you plan on doing all these wildly difficult scenes just to see what you could pull off?
I was given a really great script as well, so I’m very thankful of that.
I just really tried to push the envelope with some things.
I thought, “I have nothing to lose,” right?
And you’re free to learn so much from taking those big swings.
I might fail really big but at least I tried.
[Laughs] And luckily, it paid off.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlistairs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
