On March 18, the LGBTQ+ Committee meeting presented an insight on the art of the interview during the panel discussion, Giving Good Meeting.
In a conversation moderated by Director/LGBTQ+ Career Advancement Subcommittee Co-Chair Jennifer Arnold, experienced DGA members who’ve been on both sides of the process: DGA Secretary-Treasurer Paris Barclay, Directors DeMane Davis and Peter Paige, and UPM Hilary Smith shared information about how you present yourself, tell your story, and connect with people who can hire you.
During the conversation, Barclay revealed that when interviewing prospective Directors, he looks for humility, energy, positivity, preparation, authenticity, gratitude, humor, and sometimes cooking skills. Elaborating, Barclay noted “It’s less about the resume and more about the quality of the person and whether I make a connection with them. I’m trying to figure out if they have the humility to do this job, whether they have the energy, a positive point of view, and I’m looking for some humor and some gratitude. People who have a little bit of a lift and look at life with a little bit of humor tend to stay in the room longer. Cooking is very important to me, because to me it’s very similar to directing. You have a recipe, and you can make it the way it was written, and it better come out okay because someone’s written it; or you can add a little something-something. You know, because you’ve made it before, that it will come out differently. It’s very much like the [directing] process.”
Davis recalled how an Actor once said to her, “I really like your style, I can tell that you watch the show.” Davis asked how she knew when Directors hadn’t watched the show and the Actor replied, “They ask me to do something my character would never do.” Noting that it’s imperative to watch and read the material, Davis asserted, “I don’t need a play-by-play, but I need to know you understand and you’re interested in the characters and the story, and the way that it’s filmed. And you feel like you can bring yourself to it but within the box we’re in. Every show has rules just like every show has its own culture. I’m not looking for someone who’s just ticking off things for their resume. I think it’s good to talk about what you’ve worked on but relate it with a personal story or a style around how you made the day; how you get things done.” Echoing Barclay’s analogy of cooking, Davis stated, “I’ve created a family, and you’re invited to the dinner table. So, I need to know you’re a good, kind, respectful guest who’s going to cook.”
“I think it’s great to pick a few signature things in the show and ask about them,” said Paige. “Then I know you’re paying attention and you’re aware of what’s challenging and what’s not, what’s special and what’s not, what’s worth it and what’s not. You’re trusting a Director to know what matters because almost no TV show has enough hours in the day to do everything. I’m hiring your judgement and if I don’t feel it’s aligned with mine, we’re off to a bad start. The one-word-answer thing is rough. Interviewing people isn’t easy. You’re in the middle of the day, shooting, or rewriting, in post, in the writer’s room, and then you get 20 minutes to sit down with somebody and have to switch gears and refocus yourself. So, if I lob you a question, give me something back. I want to know that you’re engaged and engaging because that’s the job. Keep the set moving, keeping things bouncing back and forth.”
Highlighting what she looks for when interviewing directorial team members Smith declared, “Positivity is absolutely one. We spend so many hours together and you want people around you who are positive, who will help you get through the day, particularly in the AD department. You want someone who’s firm, but pushing the crew and also loving, and has a good sense of humor. We can laugh and we get through it. There’s so much hard stuff that we do every single day, that if we can get through it with a little bit of laughter, that goes so far for me. I’d rather have a second-time 1st AD with a great personality than a jaded AD with a long list of experience. Just because you may not have as long of a resume as someone else, that’s okay. Never take yourself out of the running for something because that could get you pretty far. We are all looking for the same thing at the end of the day and to keep that in mind and remain positive and upbeat. Tell us about yourself and remain confident but not cocky, and all those things will be really helpful.”
Video from this event coming soon to the gallery below.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
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Director Paris Barclay
Director DeMane Davis
Director Peter Paige
UPM Hilary Smith
Director Jennifer Arnold (moderator)About the Committee:
The LGBTQ+ Committee was founded in 2021 as a provisional committee to explore ways to educate, inform, address the concerns of and create opportunities for members who identify in these categories. At the DGA National Board meeting on January 8, 2022, the Board voted make the LGBTQ+ Committee an official standing committee.The Committee is dedicated to empowering and advancing the professional interests of LGBTQ+ and to promoting and working for employment equity throughout the entertainment industry.
