Damien Chazelle's psychological drama Whiplash (2014) starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons is studded with long-running jazz performances where drumming plays a major part. The story revolves around a young and aspiring jazz drummer Andrew Neiman (played by Teller) who is coached by an aggressively strict instructor, Terence Fletcher (Simmons) at Shaffer Conservatory.
Fletcher's method of teaching is cruel and often pushes his students to the edge. One of them even commits suicide as a result of his ruthlessness. When Neiman (who is ready to do anything to become a great drummer one day), learns about his harsh methods' consequences, he testifies against Fletcher.
As the plot unravels, we see a tense showdown between Neiman and Fletcher at the JVC Jazz Festival. Whiplash is filled with several intense drumming sequences where Teller's contribution is noteworthy. As confirmed by editor Tom Cross:
"He did probably 99% of the drumming."
According to him, there was proper synchronization in Teller's drumming when Whiplash was being filmed. Moreover, he also has previous experience of playing the drums, per reports.
Did Miles Teller play the drums in Whiplash?
Movie editor Tom Cross has confirmed in his interview with The Hollywood Reporter that 99% of the drumming seen in Whiplash has been done by Miles Teller himself. However, for some of the intense sequences, editing has been done to add finesse.
Cross' input in the filming has made the drumming look more authentic, with some of the close-up shots of a drum double edited as required. However, the star reportedly found it difficult to hold the sticks with the unique jazz technique.
But his efforts were later appreciated by jazz drummer Peter Erskine, who played an important role in the stand-in as well as pre-recorded sequences.
Was Miles Teller actually a drummer before playing his part for Whiplash?
Miles Teller reportedly has told Fallon that he got his first drumming kit at the age of 15 and has been a 'self-taught drummer' over the years. He was quite a decent percussionist before he got his role in Whiplash.
As Teller was not familiar with jazz drumming, the crew booked pre-filming drum lessons for him. Using his 12 years of music experience and additional support from the production team, Miles Teller was able to do justice to Andrew Neiman's character.
Did editing play a role in the film's success?
Not only did Whiplash receive an Oscar for J.K. Simmons' character Terence Fletchds but also it got recognized for the accurate editing by Tom Cross. The film won the award in the category of 'Best Film Editing'.
The way Cross has cut the scenes of Miles Teller actually on the drum with a double playing the instrument is quite commendable, especially in the intense and complex sequences. His brilliant input in the editing made the audience believe that Teller was actually at the drums throughout the movie.
The climactic build-up along with Teller and Simmons' performance has done justice to the movie. The authentic look of the musical play-throughs has been a crucial factor in the film's success.
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