Indie Directors Committee Reception
By David Geffner
Photos by Joe Coomber
DGA IDC member Director Miguel Arteta,
Tara Venarusso & Jacques Thelemaque.
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"I believe independent cinema is healthy," noted Michael Apted, at a June reception hosted by the Independent Directors Committee to woo indies into the Guild family. "As studios become more monolithic and big budgets are the order of the day, there's a huge gap in middle- and low-budget filmmaking that these big corporations just don't care about," Apted explained. "What frustrates me is finding distribution. The DGA can play a role in this area. We can be both active and advisory in bringing all the various sides together to help and get these films seen."
Being seen (and heard), if only for a few hours in a casual forum, was on the mind of one of the Committee's most celebrated co-founders, Steven Soderbergh. The Academy Award winner for Traffic and writer/director of perhaps the most influential film in American independent history, sex, lies, and videotape, was recently elected to the DGA's National Board. Soderbergh's election to the DGA's National Board lent powerful weight to words echoed frequently throughout the reception: "More than many other guilds, the DGA has truly embraced the contributions of independents.
"Eight years ago, when I was forced to join the DGA against my will," Soderbergh said with a smile as he opened the Saturday-afternoon reception, "my impression was of a corporate, monolithic place; and not without good reason. What's happened in the past seven years has changed all that. This Guild knows there are all kinds of films being made, by all kinds of filmmakers, and that each film can be addressed individually. The low-budget and ultra-low-budget contracts the Guild created benefited me directly a number of times. I was so impressed by their attitude that I've become much more active in the Guild myself, and not just on the Independent Directors Committee."
Director Steven Soderbergh
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Soderbergh went on to relay a story about being asked of his impressions following his first DGA Western Directors Council meeting. "I described it as a truss," the director laughed. "It's not pretty, but it really works. And that's accurate — not everything we do at this Guild is perfect. And I'm sure that eight or ten years ago, if I came up against a certain roadblock the DGA presented, I would have said: 'Oh, forget them.' My attitude now is that we are the future of this Guild. If you don't like something, then look to ten years from now when, hopefully, more of us will be in positions where we are the ones that can change things."
Michael Apted talked about the Committee's spearheading efforts to remove the NC–17 rating, a mark that has been punitive to independents.
Director Michael Apted
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Miguel Arteta, director of two Sundance success stories — Star Maps and Chuck and Buck — echoed Soderbergh about overcoming his stereotypes of the Guild's relationship with ultra-low-budget filmmakers.
"Three years ago," Arteta said, "I was making $100,000 films and believed the DGA was an institution that had nothing to do with that. I joined when I was directing a TV project, and much to my surprise, I found the DGA far more open minded about independent filmmaking than I ever imagined. I would urge you all to keep an open mind and consider this Guild. You really can make any movie you want here. And you will get special attention doing it."
Penelope Spheeris shared a few of her experiences about holding employers to the DGA's creative rights guarantees, then opened the gathering up to questions. Of the many concerns raised, number one on the list was non-employment; specifically, that joining the DGA would exclude independent directors from jobs where producers did not want to pay Guild residuals.
"That's a problem we're trying to resolve every day," replied Assistant Executive Director Elizabeth Stanley. "If you approach us early in the process — two to three months in advance, if possible — the Guild can crunch the numbers on the real potential of what a film will do in foreign release. The residual costs are often well below what the distributors estimate. The more time there is for discussion and negotiation on each project, the more likely that we will be able to make a deal."
DGA member Joe Russo
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Other concerns voiced by the nearly 100 attendees included: the protection the Guild offers against a distributor forcing editorial changes prior to release, real-life examples of the Guild making a difference to the ultra-low-budget director, the different methods of joining the Guild, cost of dues and membership fees, mentorship within the Guild, the amount of red tape involved for producers hiring under a DGA contract, and the benefits for documentary directors joining the DGA.
New DGA member Joe Russo left a mark with the younger directors in the room. "I grew up in a blue-collar family in Cleveland, with a grandfather who was a steelworker," Russo explained. "We're Sicilian and we jump at the chance to join any group because of the strength in numbers. I look around this room today and I see the future of filmmaking. If we can come together and forge something interesting, we can battle the corporations and sustain this creative alliance."
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