On June 14, the DGA Special Projects Committee presented the ninth installment in its Directing for Professionals series, which provides practical skills and techniques for Directors to work productively with their creative teams. Since 2008, this series initiated by Directing for Pros Subcommittee Co-Chairs Arthur Seidelman and Gene Reynolds has focused on many areas key to developing one's craft as a director, ranging from strategies for casting and working with actors to making the best use of prep, music, storyboarding and previs.
Most recently, for the session on "The Director’s Vision," members gathered in the Los Angeles Headquarters Boardroom to learn how to create your unique vision and how to maintain it while working with all your creative collaborators like cast and crew, as well as the producers and studio and network executives. The panel of experts consisted of directors John Badham, Mary Lou Belli, and Mark Travis, who explored this subject in a forum moderated by Directing for Pros Subcommittee Chair Arthur Allan Seidelman. The final hour of the seminar included an open Q&A period in which attendees could bring their own questions to the discussion.
A DGA member since 1970, Badham currently leads the Directing Program in the Graduate Conservatory of Motion Pictures at Chapman University. His works include the feature films War Games, Saturday Night Fever, Blue Thunder, Stakeout, and Whose Life Is It Anyway?; and episodes of the television series The Event, Psych, In Plain Sight and Crossing Jordan; and a Prism Award-winning movie for television, Floating Away. Badham is also the author of the books: John Badham on Directing and I'll Be In My Trailer: The Creative Wars Between Directors and Actors.
Belli is an Emmy Award®-winning Director for over 20 years on series such as Wizards of Waverly Place, Charles in Charge, Girlfriends, The Game, Monk and Hart of Dixie. She has also directed web-series such as Jenifer and Shangela and the Logo Award-winning 3Way. Belli has been a lecturer at the Chautauqua Institute and teaches at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. She is also the co-author of three books: The NEW Sitcom Career Book, Acting for Young Actors and Directors Tell the Story, which she co-wrote with fellow DGA member Bethany Rooney. Belli has been a DGA member since 1987.
Travis is an instructor and consultant on film directing worldwide. His “Travis Technique” method of directing and his unique “Interrogation Process” approach to developing characters, earned him invitations to teach in film schools, institutions and film festivals around the globe. He is also the author of The Director's Journey, Directing Feature Films and The Film Director’s Bag of Tricks. A DGA member since 1983, Travis’s episodic directing credits include Going Under, The Facts of Life and Family Ties.
Seidelman has directed over 50 films including the features Puerto Vallarta Squeeze, The Awakening of Spring, Walking across Egypt, and most recently, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. His filmography also includes the movies for television By Dawn's Early Light, The Summer of Ben Tyler, Miracle in the Woods, A Friendship in Vienna and Poker Alice; and 23 episodic television series including Hill Street Blues; Magnum P.I.; Murder, She Wrote; L.A. Law and Trapper John, M.D. He has been honored with two Emmy® Awards, five Emmy® nominations, the Humanitas Award, and a Peabody Award. Seidelman has taught and guest lectured at UCLA, USC, NYU, Columbia and many other programs. A member of the DGA's Special Projects Committee he joined the Guild in 1978.
The Directing for Professionals series is designed to keep members up-to-date on developments in the industry and deepen their understanding of their craft. For more information or to view previous seminars, please contact Special Projects at 310-289-2088.