On January 14, the Women’s Steering Committee (WSC) meeting was preceded by the panel discussion, Music & Sound: How they Influence Storytelling and How Directors Weave them into the Plot.
During a conversation moderated by Director Drew Ann Rosenberg, WSC Co-Chair Valerie Weiss and Directors Kay Cannon and Sanaa Hamri and 1st AD Geoffrey Hansen shared how Directors can collaborate with music and sound, both on set and in post-production to elevate storytelling, as well as their philosophies, creative practices, and the technical approaches that shape how music and sound become narrative tools.
Rosenberg kicked off the discussion by noting how music and sound influence storytelling by shaping how an audience feels, understands, and remembers a story — often more powerfully than dialogue or visuals alone — enhancing aspects such as: emotional guidance, subtext and meaning, character and theme, world-building and realism, pacing and structure, transitions and continuity, psychological perspective and memory and identity.
Cannon spoke about her experiences integrating music into her scripts and how she meticulously plans her shots accordingly. She highlighted through clips the impact the story’s connection to music has on the actors — specifically their ability to have fun while improvising in a scene.
Weiss described how music influenced the overall theme and tempo of her feature, Mixtape, as the songs corresponded with the main character's life experiences and connecting with her past. Via a clip from her work on the series Monarch, Weiss spoke of the limited time allowed for a TV series performance and how she was able to maximize this.
Illustrated by clips from her work on The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Hamri shared her main pillars for music and sound — timing, movement, design intention and silence — all of which went into each carefully planned, extremely complicated sequences she shot.
Hansen spoke about the advantages and disadvantages of lip synch versus live performance and the very different techniques each of the Directors he has worked with used in prep and on set and what he thought worked best.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
 Kay CannonCannon’s directorial credits include the theatrical feature Blockers, the musical movie for television Cinderella and the pilot of Don't Get High. She is also the creator of the Pitch Perfect film franchise and has been a DGA member since 2017. |
 Sanaa HamriHamri’s directorial credits include the feature Something New; the movies for television Lovestruck: The Musical, No Apologies and Studio City; the pilot of the series The Bondsman; episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Wheel of Time, 9-1-1: Lone Star, Empire; and numerous music videos. She has been a DGA member since 2004. |
 Geoffrey HansenHansen’s Assistant Director credits include musicals such as Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe, Chris Columbus’ Rent, Steven Antin’s Burlesque; other features such as Clay Kaytis’ The Christmas Chronicles, Jon Turteltaub’s The Meg and Ben Younger’s Bleed for This; and episodes of The Old Man, Heels, Runaways, Survivor’s Remorse and Rush Hour. He has been a DGA member since 1981. |
 Valerie WeissWeiss’s directorial credits include the feature films, Mixtape, The Archer, A Light Beneath Their Feet and Losing Control; the movie for television, An American Girl Story: Maryellen 1955 – Extraordinary Christmas; and episodes of It’s Not Like That, Ginny and Georgia, Watson, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Echoes, Monarch, Outer Banks, Why Women Kill, Suits and Impulse. A DGA member since 2016, Weiss serves as a Co-Chair of the Women’s Steering Committee and a member of the Sustainable Future Committee. |
 Drew Ann Rosenberg (moderator)Rosenberg’s directorial credits include the features Hole in One, Follow the Prophet and Sex and a Girl; episodes of the series Saints & Sinners; and the short films Daddy’s Eyes, Amy’s Gift and The Dog People. She has also worked as an Assistant Director on productions including features such as Curtis Hanson’s DGA Award-nominated feature L.A. Confidential, Rob Reiner’s film Misery and George C. Wolfe's DGA Award-winning movie for television, Lackawanna Blues. Rosenberg has been a DGA member since 1987 and serves as a member of the WSC’s Activities & Events Subcommittee. |
ABOUT THE COMMITTEE:
The Women's Steering Committee (WSC) was created to advance the professional interests of its members, and to heighten their visibility and career opportunities in the entertainment industry. The WSC currently promotes diversity through sponsoring net-working events, screenings and seminars, and fosters relationships between the members to provide support, mentoring and networking opportunities.
