Larry Charles

Directing Bob Dylan on Masked and Anonymous presented a unique wardrobe problem.

Working on Comedies

Over the years, it's the director's vision that has made many kinds of comedy come to life. In rare set shots, we capture filmmakers working on some of the most amusing movies ever made.

Directing The Late Show

After years of working on the Late Show, Jerry Foley and his team instinctively understand David Letterman's quirky humor. And it's a good thing they do.

Collaborating on Comedy

Judd Apatow and a group of like-minded directors have created a run of raunchy films that have turned R-rated comedies into big business.

Steven Soderbergh

Even on some premium HD cable networks, films are being mutilated. And the Guild's national vice president is mad as hell about it.

Blake Edwards

Inspired by the silent clowns, Blake Edwards created The Pink Panther franchise and some of the craftiest comedies to come out of Hollywood. But sight gags, mistaken identities and flying pies were not his only tricks.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Amy Heckerling recalls how she got the most out of her young cast, including Sean Penn as the legendary stoner Jeff Spicoli, in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
After directing three Austin Powers films and two Meet the Parents pictures, Jay Roach still doesn’t think of himself as a funny guy. But he sure knows how to make people laugh.
John Waters rhapsodizes about The Girl Can't Help It, and is not shy (surprise) talking about what he "stole" from it.

AD's and Child Actors

Child actors working on TV comedies just want to have fun. It's the 1st and 2nd ADs who make sure they get the job done.

Sitcom Roundtable

The Quarterly brings together six of the most accomplished sitcom directors to discuss the creative and commercial side of making funny shows.
Kevin Smith, who pioneered gleefully vulgar comedies with films like Clerks and Chasing Amy, reflects on how he learned his craft.
By not listening to traditional industry wisdom about how things should be done, Tyler Perry has invented his own brand of comedy-as well as his own brand.

More

The Joke's On Her

Lauren Corrao

Lauren Corrao, president of original programming and development for Comedy Central, talks about directing comedy and what you can get away with on cable TV.

The Complete Filmmaker

Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin is usually remembered for the oversized character he created. But he was also a director of sublime gifts, as his beautifully restored films on DVD confirm.

Animal Tamer

Animal House

John Landis works with a unique creature on one of the most successful comedies ever made.

Assistant director Tom Reilly's labor of love, a lifetime’s experience generously distilled into practical advice for assistant directors—tyros and old hands alike.

Michele Imperato Stabile

UPM Animal Instincts

A lifelong animal lover, Michele considered vet school before finding her niche in talking animal films such as Dr. Doolittle 2 and the Garfield and Alvin and the Chipmunks franchises.

In these interviews, well chosen by editor Steven Organ, Lean also addresses the perceived divide between his early, intimate British work and his later, expansive inter-national epics.

Throughout Phil Hall's survey, one is repeatedly struck by how many movies were independently produced: Griffith’s Intolerance, entire specialist markets ranging from “race movies” to Yiddish-language productions, and even James Cameron’s first Terminator.

Rich Gonzales

Versatile Second AD

Having worked on hit comedies such as The Office and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Gonzales credits his success to having filled a variety of roles in the industry.

The DVD columnist for The New York Times considers why modern comedy has for the most part abandoned the long shot.

Shawn Shea

Natural-Born AD

A veteran of Home Improvement and One Day at a Time, this 1st AD has had almost as many yucks behind the camera as when the red light went on.

Finally a biography of Hal Ashby, who made a series of remarkable movies during the 1970s before falling into disfavor and dying at 59. Ashby is the lost man of the Hollywood Renaissance.

DGA LAYOUT