Daily Dialogue — October 27, 2016

Terence Fletcher: Were you rushing or were you dragging?
Andrew: I-I don’t know.
Terence Fletcher: Start counting!
Andrew: Five, six…
Terence Fletcher: In four, dammit! Look at me!
Andrew: One, two, three, four.

Fletcher slaps him the face.

Andrew: One, two, three, four.

Fletcher slaps him again.

Andrew: One, two, three…
Terence Fletcher: Now, was I rushing or I was dragging?
Andrew: I don’t know.
Terence Fletcher: Count again.

Andrew: One, two, three, four.

Slap.

Andrew: One, two, three, four.

Another slap.

Andrew: One, two, three, four…
Terence Fletcher: Rushing or dragging?
Andrew: Rushing.
Terence Fletcher: [yelling] So, you do know the difference!

— Whiplash (2014), screenplay by Damien Chazelle, based on his short film

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Discipline.

Trivia: For the slapping scene, J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller filmed several takes with Simmons only miming the slap. For the final take, Simmons and Teller decided to film the scene with a real, genuine slap. This is the take that is in the film.

Dialogue On Dialogue: This early scene in the contentious relationship between teacher and student is Fletcher’s way of getting Andrew’s attention, and instill in him the disciplined necessary to achieve greatness.