The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Taylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular Music
Directors Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman and performer Taylor Mac discuss their new film, Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music, with fellow Director Ondi Timoner in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, the filmmakers discuss including behind-the-scenes costuming and makeup to drive the narrative, the editing process of turning a 24-hour live show into a shortened recorded special, and telling a multilayered story within the confines of a live taped performance. The film captures the drag star’s exuberant, blatantly gay 24-hour musical performance, featuring skilled performers, creative costumes, and the American myth recounted through sailor's ditties, disco, and sugary pop numbers. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/August2023/0623_DocSeries_TaylorMac.aspx

Director Joshua Caldwell discusses his new film, Mending the Line, with fellow director Bryan Woods in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Caldwell discusses how his own passion for fly fishing informed the making of the movie, how his research into PTSD and feedback from veterans affected the script, and facing difficulties while shooting in the Montana wilderness.
The film tells the story of Colter, a Marine who returns to a VA hospital in Montana after being wounded in Afghanistan. There he meets a Vietnam vet who teaches him fly fishing as a means of coming to terms with his physical and emotional trauma.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2023/August2023/MendingTheLine_QnA_0623.aspx

Director Laura Terruso discusses her new film, About My Father, with fellow director Paul Weitz in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Terruso discusses her personal connection to the film, how she portrays a character who is both funny and complex, and her experience working with a veteran actor on set.
The film tells the story of a man who is encouraged to bring his immigrant father on a weekend get-together with his fiancée and her wealthy family. The eccentric gathering soon develops into a culture clash, allowing father and son to discover the true meaning of family.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2023/August2023/AboutMyFather_QnA_0623.aspx

Director Rob Savage discusses his new film, The Boogeyman, with fellow director Parker Finn in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Savage discusses how he storyboards his visual language as inspired by shots from other movies, working with child actors on set, and designing the creature with the aim of capturing genuine primal childhood fears.
Based on the short story by Stephen King, the film tells the story of a high school student reeling from the death of her mother. When a desperate patient of her psychiatrist father unexpectedly shows up at their home seeking help, he leaves behind a chilling paranormal creature that preys on families and feeds on the suffering of its victims.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2023/July2023/Boogeyman_QnA_0623.aspx

Director Eva Longoria discusses her new film, Flamin' Hot, with fellow director Patricia Cardoso in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Longoria discusses securing the project as her feature directing debut, maintaining Chicano authenticity throughout the story, and how the visual language of the film informs the development of the main character.
The film tells the true story of how a former Frito Lay janitor disrupted the food industry by channeling his Mexican heritage to turn Flamin' Hot Cheetos from a snack into an iconic global pop culture phenomenon.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2023/July2023/FlaminHot_QnA_0623.aspx

Director Miranda Yousef discusses her new film, Art For Everybody, with fellow director Ondi Timoner in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Yousef discusses working with a vast array of archival material, navigating the true identity of Kinkade through accounts from friends and family, and applying her skills and expertise as an Editor in her debut as a feature-length documentary filmmaker.
The film delivers a portrait of Thomas Kinkade, a complex man both celebrated and disparaged for his kitschy art style- and secretly plagued by demons. Following the discovery of a collection of unexpectedly dark paintings, an investigation is launched into the true personality under Kinkade's façade.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/July2023/Art4Everybody_DocSeries_0523.aspx

Director Martin Guigui discusses his new film, Sweetwater, with fellow director Jeremy Kagan in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Guigui discusses the challenges of maintaining a sense of historical accuracy, finding Globetrotter authenticity in his cast and implementing his vision of how basketball creates a level playing field.
The film tells the story of how the game of basketball was changed forever when the New York Knicks took the initiative to integrate the team with the historic introduction of Harlem Globetrotters player, Nathaniel ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2023/June2023/Sweetwater_QnA_0423-002.aspx

Director Davis Guggenheim discusses his new film, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, with fellow director Ondi Timoner in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Guggenheim discusses incorporating documentary, archival and scripted elements, making a movie about more than just Parkinson's disease, and overcoming expectations regarding a documentary about a famous individual.
The film follows the actor, diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 29, as his public life is unspooled alongside his never-before-seen private journey, and explores what happens when an unwavering optimist confronts an incurable disease.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2023/June2023/STILL_AMJFMovie_DocSeries_0423.aspx

Director Kyra Sedgwick discusses her new film, Space Oddity, with fellow director Bennett Miller in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, Sedgwick discusses discovering the film's locations and look, influences that affected the story's tone, and the movie as a love letter to earth.
The film tells the story of Alex, who bewilders his family after he gives up on life on Earth and begins training for a one-way trip to Mars. But an unexpected romance may force him to choose between an uncertain journey to the stars or an even more uncertain journey of the heart.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2023/May2023/SpaceOddity_QnA_0423.aspx

Director Chad Stahelski discusses his new film, John Wick: Chapter 4, with fellow director Louis Leterrier in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Stahelski discusses the influence location scouting had on setpieces, the preparation required for stunts, and how his earlier work as a Second Unit Director and Stunt Coordinator informed his directorial style.
The film finds John Wick forced to take his fight against the High Table across the globe as he seeks out the most powerful players in the underworld. With the price on his head ever increasing, he faces off against a new enemy with powerful alliances and forces that turn old friends into foes.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2023/May2023/JohnWickChapterFour_QnA_0423.aspx

Director Linda Yellen discusses her new film, Chantilly Bridge, with fellow director Mary Harron in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, Yellen discusses her use of improvisation in both Chantilly Lace and Chantilly Bridge, and utilizing footage from the original film to craft a memory piece and meditation on aging.
Set 25 years after her groundbreaking Sundance hit, Chantilly Lace, the film follows a group of lifelong, steadfast friends who reunite and discuss important issues that impact all women. Yellen brings back the same actresses for a story that traverses old and new films alike as old friends deal with the trials and tribulations in their lives.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2023/May2023/ChantillyBridge_QnA_0423.aspx

Director Zach Braff discusses his new film, A Good Person, with fellow director Zoe Lister-Jones in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Braff discusses the personal inspirations for the film, the challenges in working with a tight schedule, and his desire to add comic relief to the story.
The film tells the story of Allison, whose life falls apart following her involvement in a fatal accident. She is brought together with Daniel, a grief-stricken father who is also dealing with the aftermath of that incident.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2023/May2023/AGoodPerson_QnA_0323.aspx

Tone is probably the strongest element that defines a project and yet, surprisingly, is a topic that is frequently the least discussed on a feature film, pilot, or first season of a television show.
DGA members interested in learning more about techniques for determining and subsequently communicating this ever elusive but critical aspect gathered in the Guild’s Los Angeles theater for Special Projects Committee event, Creating & Talking Tone with Your Team. In a conversation moderated by Director Valerie Weiss, Directors Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, Karyn Kusama and David O. Russell spoke about what has worked and not worked on their productions.
In the conversation, the panelists discuss how the topic of tone is implemented throughout their projects and shared their advice on how to achieve tone through music, casting, opening shots and much more.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2023/April2023/SP-CreatingNTalkingToneWithYourTeam-0323.aspx

Director Matt Smukler discusses his new film, Wildflower, with fellow director Will Speck in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Smukler spoke about how the project transitioned from a documentary to a narrative feature, the challenges of making the shift in format and selecting a cast resembling family.
Based on a true story about his extended family that inspired a documentary of the same name, Smukler’s feature centers on Bea, the daughter of two intellectually disabled parents and a set of relatives that can't quite agree on the best way to help.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2023/May2023/Wildflower_QnA_0323.aspx

Director Michael B. Jordan discusses his new film, Creed III, with fellow director Tim Miller in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Jordan discusses the challenge of directing himself, how the fight scenes were another language within the film, and how anime allowed the themes of the story to resonate.
The film follows boxing champion Adonis Creed as he is forced to put his future on the line when a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy resurfaces after serving time in prison, eager to settle an old score and prove that he deserves his shot in the ring.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/April2023/Creed003_QnA_0323.aspx

Director Alice Diop discusses her new film, Saint Omer, with fellow director Dee Rees in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, Diop speaks about finding ways to expand the court room visually, how her personal experience of watching the trial informed her direction, and relying on intuition to lead her through the making of the film.
Based on true events, the film tells the story of Rama, a successful author living in Paris, who travels to the northern town of Saint Omer to attend the trial of a young Senegalese women accused of murdering her baby daughter. Rama's plan to write a book about the case unravels when she is forced to reckon with memories of her own immigrant mother as well as her impending motherhood.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/March2023/GCS_SaintOmer_0123.aspx

Director Michael Showalter discusses his new film, Spoiler Alert, with fellow director Charles Rogers in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Showalter speaks about earning an emotional reaction to the film through technique, dealing with characters who use humor as a coping mechanism, and working with how an actor interprets a character naturally.
Based on Michael Ausiello's 2017 memoir, Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies, the film follows the final 11-months of Manhattan photographer Kit Cowan's life from his terminal cancer diagnosis to his death, told through the eyes of Ausiello, his spouse.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/February2023/1222_QnA_SpoilerAlert.aspx

Director Sam Mendes discusses his new film, Empire of Light, with fellow director Karyn Kusama in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Mendes speaks about directing (recreating) scenes from his life, making films audiences can connect to, and relaying the cinematic experiences.
Set on the South coast of England in the 1980s, the film follows Hilary, a lonely woman who works at a seaside movie palace and is engaged in a boring affair with her married boss, Donald. When Stephen, a young new theater employee arrives on the scene, Hilary senses something kindred in him and they fall into a tenuous romance.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/January2023/EmpireOfLight_QnA_1222.aspx

Director Scott Cooper discusses his new film, The Pale Blue Eye, with fellow director David O. Russell in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Cooper speaks about his belief in the importance of restraint in period movies, his collaboration with Christian Bale, and what helps the audience give themselves over to a film.
The film brings us the story of a veteran detective who is hired to delve into the murder of a West Point cadet, but finds himself stalled by the cadets' code of silence. In order to solve the mystery, he enlists the help of one of their own, a young Edgar Allen Poe.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/January2023/PaleBlueEye_QnA_1222.aspx

Director James Cameron discusses his new film, Avatar: The Way of Water, with fellow director Guillermo del Toro in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Cameron speaks about working with Sigourney Weaver to develop her unique character, the innovative tech necessary for the film (and its upcoming sequels) and the groundbreaking process of underwater performance capture.
The long-awaited sequel to Cameron’s DGA Award-nominated feature, Avatar, The Way of Water is set a decade after the events of the first film and follows human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully, who must find a safe haven for his family when old foes return to ravage their beautiful home and destroy their harmonious way of life.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/February2023/1222_QnA_Avatar.aspx