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Chuck Workman began his career right out of college at Du Rona Productions in New York where he worked his way up from production assistant to editor on commercials and independent film productions. Workman left Du Rona to pursue a career as an editor, briefly working at a radio company before establishing Calliope Films, which focused on featurettes, commercials and feature trailers. It is during this time that he established himself as a successful trailer editor, working on trailers for such notable features as Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Nashville to name a few.

Best known for his Academy Award winning theatrical short film, Precious Images (1986), which was commissioned by the Directors Guild of America on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary, Workman went on to direct feature documentaries including Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol (1990), The Source: The Story of the Beats and the Beat Generation (1999), Jonas Mekas and the (Mostly) American Avant-Garde Cinema (2009), What Is Cinema? (2013) and Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014). He is also well known for his Primetime Emmy nominated work on Academy Awards telecasts, including the short 100 Years at the Movies (1994).

An active DGA member, Workman served on the Western Directors Council from 1989-1996 and the National Board from 1991-1999. He is currently a member of the Special Projects Committee as well as the chair of its Documentary Subcommittee. He has been a Guild member since 1973.

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On Precious Images

Director Chuck Workman discusses the Oscar-winning short film he directed entitled Precious Images, from its inception at a Special Projects Committee meeting to the editing choices he made during the making of the film.

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On Editing the Montage

Workman breaks down his process when editing a montage and talks about what he considers when making certain cuts.

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On Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

Workman talks about his film, Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles, and his attempt to explore the many facets of Welles’ careers in ways not typically seen.

Visual History Interviews by Chuck Workman

1 Interview(s)

by Chuck Workman

Jul 22, 2009

DGA LAYOUT