In Praise of Chairs

Hi my name is Tony and
this is Every Frame a Painting.

Here’s a weird question. Have you ever
watched a scene and thought...

That’s a great chair.

I don’t mean the chair would be great
to own, though that would be nice.

Just that somebody took the time to find
the exact right chair for the story.

And that attention to detail
has paid off in some way.

-"There are five different types of
chairs in this hotel room."

-"Holy fuck what're they all doing here"
-"Five different types of chairs."

-"Get em outta here man."

Because in film,
a chair is not just a chair.

It’s a piece of production design.
And the type of chair you choose

can say everything about the person
and the world they inhabit.

-"You know, my papers.
Business papers"

So let’s shop around.

If you’d like to see the film names,
press the CC button below.

Let's say you’ve written a story.
What use is something like this to you?

Well the first, and most common use
of a chair is as extension of the world.

This is how you and I see them every day
as part of the environment.

But an audience can take
one look at them and tell

whether the world is bright and clean

or a little more run-down

Whether our characters
have very little money

or plenty of it

-"You can't sell leaf-tables
and no chairs..."

"Chairs, you got a dinette set.
No chairs, you got dick!"

Like all production design,
the right chair gives us

an entire world to imagine
beyond the frame.

-"Ugly old thing."

-"Yet it has a certain appeal."

-"The Lysa Arryn of chairs."

And it also offers a very
simple way to show power and hierarchy.

The head of the monarchy.

The captain of the ship.

Or the ruler of the whole empire.

-"Welcome, young Skywalker."

The 2nd, more unusual, use of a chair
is as extension of a specific character.

For instance, you might have someone
who’s weak and insecure.

-"I have so arranged that he will
always be looking up at you...

-"...and you looking down at him."

-"Mm hmm. Very good."

Who tries to keep other people down.

And yet his plans are always challenged
and he can never be on top.

-"Very interesting."
-"Yes, you like it?"

In other words, a chair can represent
the psychology of a person.

If they are vain...

If they lack inhibition...

Or if they really like joysticks.

And if you consider animation,
you can push this even further

by drawing chairs that
resemble the character.

Notice here how Carl’s square head
is similar to his chair

while Ellie’s round head and ears
resemble hers.

After she dies,
Carl keeps her chair nearby.

So that every time we see it, we’re
reminded of how much he loved her.

But the third option is probably
the most widely applicable

a chair can be
an extension of the situation.

-"And you believed that story?
You believed that?"

In this scene from The Godfather Part II
notice how Fredo tries to sit up

-"I’ve always taken care of you, Fredo"
-"Taken care of me?!?"

but his chair won’t let him.

-"You’re my kid brother,
you take care of me?!"

And the more he fidgets,
the more powerless he looks.

Francis Ford Coppola: "There was
something about that chair..."

"...that worked great for the scene.
He kept saying 'I’m your older brother!'

"...and stuff like that, and the chair
made him so limp and springy..."

"It just worked great."

The great thing about chairs is that

they change the posture of the actors.

Some chairs don’t let them
get comfortable at all.

Others let them get too comfortable.

-"Hello, Bernie."
-"Hello Tom, what’s the rumpus?"

And others encourage them
to be a little...

-"Blofeld"

...theatrical.

None of these are mutually exclusive.
In fact, the most fun happens

when you start with one thing
and end up with something else.

In this scene from Playtime,
listen to the sound the chair makes.

It’s a simple joke.
But a few minutes later

that joke gets extended,
with two people and two chairs.

And as the chair keeps re-appearing
in scene after scene after scene

it becomes a larger joke about how
people always buy the same damn chairs

This is what great
production design can get you.

That one detail that
pays off in unexpected ways.

And it doesn’t have to be a chair.
They're just very common & pretty cheap.

But the next time you have a scene
and you ask the actors to sit

Consider this:
what do they sit on?

-"This isn't real?"

And is there a way for that object
to be something more?