On March 18, the DGA Special Projects Committee presented the thirteenth installment in its Directing for Professionals series, which provides practical skills and techniques for Directors to work productively with their creative teams. Members gathered in the Los Angeles Headquarters Boardroom for Creating the On-Screen World: The Director/Production Designer Collaboration, a seminar that explored how these positions work together to develop the visual language for a story and bring the on-screen world to life.
After a welcome from DGA Special Projects Committee Directing for Professionals Subcommittee Chair Arthur Allan Seidelman, the attendees learned more about this subject from a panel of experts consisting of Director Peter Atencio and Production Designer Todd Fjelsted (Jean-Claude Van Johnson), Director Michael Goi and Production Designer Mark Worthington (American Horror Story), and Director Kimberly Peirce and Production Designer Catherine Smith (I Love Dick).
In a conversation moderated by Seidelman and illustrated by video clips, the panelists explored a variety of topics including: what is a production designer, how a production designer works with the director to bring a vision to the screen, and how directors communicate with the production designer to make sure they recognize the tone of the show. The final 30 minutes of the seminar was an open forum where the attendees could ask the panelists questions on these matters and more.
About the Panelists:
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Director Peter Atencio
An Emmy-winning director and producer with more than a decade of experience in feature films, television, and commercials, Atencio is best known for his on the Peabody Award-winning series Key & Peele, the feature film Keanu and the series Last Man On Earth. He is currently working on an original action-comedy series for Amazon, Jean-Claude Van Johnson. Atencio joined the DGA in 2011.
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Production Designer Todd Fjelsted
Fjelsted began his career as a fine artist and curator for galleries across the Southeast before seguing into designing sets. He has designed over a dozen features including Justin Barber’s Phoenix Forgotten, Pamela Romanowsky’s The Adderall Diaries and Gregg Araki’s White Bird in a Blizzard; as well as cable and network television series such as Netflix’s G.L.O.W. and HBO’s Looking; and collaborating with Peter Atencio on Jean-Claude Van Johnson. |
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Director Michael Goi
Goi’s credits include the feature films Voyeur and Megan Is Missing; and episodes of the television series Pretty Little Liars, Sleepy Hollow, Shadowhunters, and American Horror Story. Also known as an acclaimed cinematographer, Goi has compiled over seventy narrative credits and earned four Emmy nominations for his work. A DGA member since 2014, Goi also serves as Co-Chair of the DGA’s Asian American Committee. |
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Director Kimberly Peirce
Peirce made her feature film directorial debut with Boys Don’t Cry, earning numerous honors including an Academy Award for Hilary Swank. Her other credits include the features Stop-Loss and Carrie and episodes of the series American Crime, Turn, Halt and Catch Fire, Manhattan, Six, and Amazon’s forthcoming I Love Dick. A DGA member since 2004, she serves on the Western Director’s Council, and is an alternate on the DGA’s National Board.
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Production Designer Catherine Smith
Smith has worked for more than 20 years on television and feature films. After working as an Art Director on series such as In Treatment and True Blood, she moved into Production Design and received accolades for her award-nominated sets on the Golden Globe-winning series, Transparent. Her other credits as a Production Designer include: I Love Dick, A to Z and the FX pilot for Better Things. |
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Production Designer Mark Worthington
Worthington has received nine nominations from the Art Directors Guild for excellence in production design for television, winning the award four times. He has also earned six Emmy nominations for his work on American Horror Story and Ugly Betty. Some of his other credits include the series Lost, Once Upon a Time, and the pilot for Star Trek: Discovery. Worthington has also directed, joining the DGA in 2010 for an episode of Ugly Betty. |
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Arthur Allan Seidelman (moderator)
Seidelman has directed more than 50 films and 23 episodic television series including Hill Street Blues; Magnum P.I.; Murder, She Wrote; L.A. Law and Trapper John, M.D. His feature credits include The Sisters; Puerto Vallarta Squeeze; The Awakening of Spring; Walking across Egypt and most recently, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. Among his movies for television are A Christmas Carol: The Musical; By Dawn’s Early Light; The Summer of Ben Tyler; Grace and Glorie; Kate’s Secret; Miracle in the Woods; A Friendship in Vienna and Poker Alice. Arthur’s directing honors include two Emmys, five Emmy nominations, the Milagro Award for Best American Independent Feature, the Grand Prize from the New York Film and Television Festival, the Humanitas Award, Peabody Award, Western Heritage Award, three Christopher Awards, and a Writers Guild Award for I Love Liberty, which he co-wrote. Seidelman serves on the DGA’s Special Projects Committee and has been a DGA member since 1978. |
About this series:
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. Workshops and seminars on various film and television related topics are offered throughout the year.
See video from this event in the gallery below.