Director Kenny Ortega
Music Supervisor Steven Vincent
Director Dan Trachtenberg
Supervising Sound Editor Robert Stambler
Composer Lee Holdridgephotos by Elisa Haber
On March 17, the DGA Special Projects Committee presented the latest 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 Music to My Eyes: Bridging Story with Sound and Scores, a seminar that explored the collaboration between Directors, Composers, Music Supervisors and Sound Editors as they make choices to enhance film and television projects.
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 Aline Brosh McKenna and Composer Tom Polce (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Director Kenny Ortega and Music Supervisor Steven Vincent (High School Musical 1, 2 and 3), Director Dan Trachtenberg and Supervising Sound Editor Robert Stambler (10 Cloverfield Lane), and Seidelman and Composer Lee Holdridge (Puerto Vallarta Squeeze).
In a conversation moderated by Seidelman and illustrated by video clips, the panelists discussed the power and usage of music and sound as storytelling tools. The final hour of the seminar included an open forum where the attendees could ask the panelists questions on these matters and more.About the Panelists:
 Director Aline Brosh McKennaBrosh McKenna co-created the Emmy Award-winning comedy series, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, with Rachel Bloom and serves as showrunner and executive producer. A DGA member since 2016, she directed the finale episodes for all three seasons of the show. Brosh McKenna is also known for her award-winning adaptation of Lauren Weisberger’s popular novel The Devil Wears Prada for the feature directed by David Frankel. She also penned the scripts for Anne Fletcher’s 27 Dresses, Roger Michell’s Morning Glory, and Cameron Crowe’s We Bought a Zoo. |
 Composer Tom PolceA trained multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, Polce is the staff composer/producer at CBS Television with over ten years of experience composing original music across all genres for various CBS-produced shows such as Rules of Engagement and America's Next Top Model as well as scoring Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. A native of Boston, Polce attended the New England Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
About the moderator
 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.
