- Music
- 03 Mar 15
The short film that got director Damien Chazelle the funding to make his highly acclaimed second feature film Whiplash
Director Damien Chazelle had big ideas for a musical drama about a tyrannical jazz band conductor and a driven student who endures psychological abuse at his hands in his quest to be one of the greats. Unfortunately, his vision was not originally shared by the powers that be and he could not secure funding for the film. Like his protagonist, though, Chazelle would not be defeated and made a short film called Whiplash that he submitted to the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. The short was well received, Chazelle got financial support, and the rest is, as they say, history.
Whiplash is now a multiple Oscar-winning feature film and one of the best received movies of 2014, but it all started with the short, and we now have a chance to see it online with Whiplash's imminent DVD and Blu-Ray release.
The 17 minute film shows a pivotal scene in the final movie where protagonist Andrew Neiman makes his practice debut in conductor Terence Fletcher's prestigious jazz band, ending in a certain confrontation over rushing and dragging. Those who have seen the film may note how remarkably similar the short is to the scene in the final film, in terms of dialogue and how it is shot.
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J.K. Simmons plays Fletcher in both the short and feature film, but the role of Andrew went from Johnny Simmons to Miles Teller, who ended up giving an outstanding performance.
See the full short below!