Welcome to the second issue of DGA Quarterly. In November 2005, we launched our new journal hoping to shine a light on the thoughts, ideas and musings of directors and their teams about our craft. From the positive response received to date, it seems we made a good start.

There was high praise for the use of the first-person voice of directors and their teams. Hearing first-hand from a legend like Robert Altman on his filmmaking career, or how Peter Weir framed a sequence from Master and Commander or how five 1st ADs contributed to the making of summer tentpole pictures was what members found most compelling about the new magazine.

And this issue continues in that vein. The DGA Quarterly begins with a provocative In My Opinion piece by M. Night Shyamalan about his concerns regarding the negative effect that day-and-date releasing may have on theatrical distribution. It’s a controversial issue and not every director will agree with him, but it’s just this diversity of opinion from members about our craft we hope to reflect in these pages.

Another distinctive voice in this issue is that of the incomparable Clint Eastwood. I had the honor of presenting Clint the DGA's Lifetime Achievement Award at our dinner in January.

Clint's a “no frills” kind of guy. The directness of the man is in his work. The firm handshake and the clear-eyed unwavering look is the language of his films. His wry smile bespeaks his lightness of touch as a director–and his warmth as a man is in the humanity of his choices. And all of this is reflected in his DGA Interview.

But what really amazes me, and I'm no spring chicken, is that Clint's work only gets better as he gets older. Hard to think of many other directors, ever, who are raising their game when in their 70s. He must have done some deal with the devil because he hasn't stopped working since 1955, and in the words of a favorite poem, “age does not weary him, nor the years condemn.”

I hope you enjoy our second issue. And if there is something about it that you particularly like, don't like or want to see covered–email us at dgaquarterly@dga.org. We want to add your voice to the mix.

Best,

Michael Apted
President, Directors Guild of America