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AASC Single Camera Directors Prep Program Wraps as an Unqualified Success
by Victoria Panzarella
photos by Robert Hale
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Welcoming sign from program
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The DGA's African-American Steering Committee (AASC) recently completed a successful series of ten seminars called the "Single Camera Directors Prep Program." The program offered select women and minority DGA members mentoring and instruction from some of the best one-hour episodic television directors.
Program coordinator, AASC Co-chair and DGA Third Vice President Paris Barclay (ER, The West Wing and who won the 1998 DGA Award for Dramatic Series Night with the NYPD Blue episode "Hearts and Souls"), contacted one-hour episodic directors and other entertainment professionals to be speakers, scheduling their participation as well as giving the participants assignments and guidance. Despite this busy schedule, Barclay also served on the Creative Rights Negotiation team during the recent contract negotiations.
On Sunday, January 27, the DGA held a reception to celebrate the completion of the program and to thank Guild members and industry executives who helped make the program so successful.
DGA President Jack Shea said, "I want to applaud ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC for their participation in and commitment to the success of this program. We urge you to continue to demonstrate your commitment to diversity by hiring and promoting more woman and minorities in meaningful jobs in our industry.
"It is the DGA's goal, and it is a goal we hope is shared by industry employers, to see that women and minorities are no longer underrepresented in the entertainment industry," Shea added. And the Single Camera Directors Prep Program is just one example of the fine work that can be done when we work together."
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DGA President Jack Shea (center) and DGA National Executive Director Jay D. Roth (right) with program graduate Rachel Harms
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Next, Barclay thanked Shea and the Guild for supporting the program. He also gave a special thanks to National Executive Director Jay D. Roth, saying, "Mr. Roth said that we will find the money to do it. We don't spend enough as a Guild on this and we absolutely can and will do this."
Barclay explained how the AASC decided to focus on single-camera directing after meeting with four executives of diversity for the networks and Fox studio and the DGA's other minority committees.
The program was open to women and ethnic minority members who had five hours or less of episodic television or a narrative tape. Each applicant provided a résumé and needed to be recommended by a Guild member.
The program received 50 applications that were sent to a panel of 12 judges. (Six single-camera television and film directors, three agents who represented directors in dramatic television. Among these directors they had directed more than 200 hours of television, directed and/or produced 30 pilots and three out of six of the directors won the DGA Award for directing.)
"A few surprises happened," said Barclay. "The first thing is that every single director, agent or writer that we called agreed to come and teach the class. We had about 30 people volunteer, and originally the class time was going to be 90 minutes turned into two hours. And then the class took on a life of its own. The members of the program wrote letters, asking people to be mentors, again DGA members responded and we received more people willing to be mentors than we actually had members in the class."
Among the directors who participated in the program were J.J.Abrams, Sara Pia Anderson, Jamie Babbit, Bob Butler, Roy Campanella II, Thomas Carter, Bill D'Elia, James Frawley, Lesli Linka Glatter, Charlie Haid, Helaine Head, Todd Holland, Kevin Hooks, Laura Innes, Randal Kleiser, Nick Marck, Ricardo Méndez Matta, Chris Misiano, Ken Olin, Michael Robin, Bethany Rooney, Michael Schultz, Mark Tinker and Jesús Treviño.
ABC Vice President of Talent Development Carmen Smith congratulated the class and praised Paris and the DGA for putting in place an incredible opportunity. "It is not only a foundation for us but it helps broaden the pool of directors that we can pull from. We are so proud and excited about the Single Camera Directors Program."
Former Robert Aldrich Award winner and alternate to the DGA National Board, director Robert Butler (Moonlighting, Hill Street Blues and The Division), inspired the class, saying, "You guys deserve the job; you're going to do better on the given job than anybody else is. You're going to believe that, and if you don't believe it initially you are going to start to behave that way because as you behave that way you will inculcate yourself with the belief that you are the main one for the job."
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Single Camera Directors Prep program graduates and instructors
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The evening wrapped as each class member was presented a certificate plaque and listened to final remarks from class member Monty DeGraff.
The DGA members who completed this program were Tanya Boyd, Henry Chan, Martha Cotton, Monty DeGraff, Karen Gaviola, Jenni Gold, Rachel Harms, Laura J. Medina, Linda Rockstroh, Keith Shaw, Millicent Shelton, Joseph Torres, Jr. and Rick Wilkinson. Joseph Perez and Joy Phillips also participated as ABC/DGA Directing Fellows.
Commenting on the many aspects of single-camera directing, Jenni Gold said, "We did everything from blocking to working with actors to understanding the way the business is structured and how it works, to just how to work with people along the way. It was really all-encompassing and I really feel that whereas having an independent feature background that the idea of me directing a television show before I did this program didn't seem real plausible, but now I feel that I'm prepared. And that's the biggest thing of all."
DGA UPM member Laura J. Medina said, "I found the class with five directors discussing acting and working with actors particularly useful. That is what I always am trying to get the most insight and information on. We broke down into small groups and each of us directed others in a scene and received coaching."
"We learned so much on specifics of the craft," said DGA director member Monty DeGraff. "How to stage actors, and specific things on how to work with actors, what they expect of directors, how you can get the most out of the preparation period before you do any episodic shows. Then there was the attitudinal stance of directors. Paris Barclay particularly focused on that. How to impress the producers and the crew and cast so that you're asked back, how to keep your energy up while you're doing a show so that you can move the production forward. That's an area that's harder. That's where experience really comes in. You can read books on craft, but the nuts and bolts of working with people is what I got a great deal out of."
DGA commercial director member Joseph Torres Jr. remembered the tips during interviews and meetings. "I got an agent through Kimberly Carver, who was one of the speakers, from Innovative Artists. So it's really already started to make things happen. I'm in the process of meeting with J.J. Abrams, another speaker, and I'm starting to set up meetings with other TV writers and producers."
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From left: DGA Assistant Executive Director Rodney Mitchell, DGA Special Assignments Executive Regina Render and Latino Committee Co-chair Ricardo Méndez Matta.
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"I come from the field of commercial directing," explained director member Rachel Harms. "In television commercials there's a very different way that from start to finish a project unfolds. I was completely unfamiliar with the protocols of single camera. The procedures, the politics, the methodology really of making one-hour drama, because as a commercial director you come in and you hire everyone. You are sort of the last voice before the agency. But in episodic directing — as I learned — you come into an existing team that's been doing a show for awhile and you have to, you have a very different kind of role."
DGA Special Assignments Executive Regina Render, who was instrumental in the success of the program, said, "This program shows our membership that we are willing to come to the table to help enhance the skills that they will need to take advantage of the opportunities as they open up."
Render announced that since this initial program was such a success, the DGA will also be sponsoring a series of seminars tentatively set for March 2002 covering "Multi-Camera Television," coordinated by director Ted Lange.
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