Sorkin: Visual directing skill is innate, not learned

Aaron Sorkin believes the specific skills he lacks as a director are the ones that cannot be taught. The 65-year-old screenwriter made this assessment while discussing his latest film, The Social Reckoning, during an appearance at the Newport Beach Film Festival last week. He was receiving the fest’s Maverick Director Award for the project, which he also wrote. Sorkin said he is worried that his weaknesses lie in areas that rely on natural talent rather than study.

The film centers on Facebook and its knowledge of harmful societal effects. It follows a whistleblower played by Mikey Madison who alerts a journalist, Jeremy Allen White, to the issues. This creates trouble for Mark Zuckerberg, portrayed by Jeremy Strong. The movie is a sequel of sorts to The Social Network, a film Sorkin wrote 16 years ago that David Fincher directed. Fincher’s version of that earlier story received widespread acclaim. Sorkin noted that he would have preferred Fincher to direct this new film as well. However, Fincher has an exclusive deal with Netflix, while Sony owns the rights to The Social Reckoning.

Sony released The Social Reckoning nationwide on October 9. The film was made with a budget of $40 million. It has since grossed just $15 million worldwide. Critical reception has been mixed, with the film currently holding a 54 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Sorkin expressed disappointment with these numbers compared to the performance of his earlier work. He acknowledged that he was a second choice to direct the picture because of the studio ownership conflicts.

Sorkin has written movies for 35 years. His credits include A Few Good Men, The American President, Charlie Wilson’s War, and Moneyball. He won screenplay Oscars for The Social Network and a Golden Globe for Steve Jobs. He is widely considered one of the greatest screenwriters of his generation. Despite this writing success, his move behind the camera has drawn criticism. He directed Molly’s Game, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Being the Ricardos in the past decade. These projects have not received the same praise as his writing work.

During the interview for The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Sorkin compared his directing struggles to those of a football coach after a loss. He said the elements for a win were present but did not come together. He asked for one more chance to put those elements in the right order. He admitted that he was surprised by how little of the technical science of filmmaking he had absorbed. He stated clearly that he has no visual sensibility. This gap is distinct from his ability to work with actors, which he said is not his primary struggle.

Sorkin said he feels like he just entered the movie business recently. He often tells screenwriting students that some parts of the craft can be learned while others cannot. He believes the unlearnable parts are what define talent. He is concerned that his directing gaps fall into that unlearnable category. He noted that he has learned from working with directors like Rob Reiner, Mike Nichols, and Danny Boyle on his scripts. But he said the learning curve for visual direction was steeper than he expected.

Sorkin also discussed the changing landscape of movie budgets. He said that of his 11 films, only A Few Good Men would likely qualify as a theatrical feature today. He believes his other works would need to be streaming releases. The mid-range budget movie is disappearing from the industry. He mentioned a new Lincoln Center revival of A Few Good Men. He is rewriting the play, which was his first Broadway work. He said he is working on it now sober and clean, unlike when he was 25 years old.

The filmmaker remains interested in reviving The West Wing. He said he loves the characters and misses the show. However, he noted that the cast has aged and that he needs a strong story to justify a return. He does not want to just write dialogue for the actors. Sorkin’s comments on his directing career came as he accepted the Maverick Director Award in Newport Beach. He continued to express a desire to work with great directors in the future. He said he is not done learning, but he recognizes the specific limits of his current skill set.