On April 10, 2010, the Eastern AD/UPM Council presented the panel discussion The Director’s Team: Keeping the Vision on Budget in the boardroom of DGA offices in New York. DGA members shared their experiences and advice about fulfilling the vision of the Director while staying within budget limitations.

The panel featured Director Norberto Barba (CSI: NY), UPM Kathleen McGill (Frost/Nixon), 1st ADs Amy Lynn (Fringe) and Michael Steele (Morning Glory), and Location Manager Trish Adlesic (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit). Director/UPM Michael Smith (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) served as moderator.

The panelists emphasized the importance of adequate prep and effective communication among the Director’s team and department heads. They also stressed the value of reading the script carefully for content before going through budgeting and scheduling process in order to understand the overall vision of the project. All agreed that an understanding of the creative vision enabled the Director’s team as well as the crew to function successfully, and offered their own proven strategies that helped them stay within budget limitations.