DIRECTORS UNIT

From James Grissom on Facebook:

Jane Campion believes in rigorous preparation. When directing a film, she works sometimes for years to ready the environment — and herself. Before she began shooting her new feature, “The Power of the Dog,” she returned again and again to the mountain range in New Zealand she had chosen as a location, checking what the light was like at different times of day, in different weather, across seasons. She went to visit the ranches in Montana where Thomas Savage, who wrote the novel on which the film is based, grew up. She sent Benedict Cumberbatch — who stars as Phil, a vicious, hypermasculine rancher — to Montana as well, to learn roping, riding, horseshoeing, whittling, banjo and bull-calf castration.
But in rehearsals, her approach tends to be more oblique. For “The Power of the Dog,” she gathered the actors for a few weeks to hike, improvise and do exercises. They ate together, cooked together or just sat in rooms, in character, not talking. She asked Cumberbatch to write a letter as Phil to Phil’s dead lover, Bronco Henry. Then she had him write back as Bronco Henry. She asked Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons, who play brothers, to waltz together, to help them learn intimately how the other’s body smelled, felt and moved, visceral qualities that boys who’ve grown up together would know.
Campion also tried something new: She went to see a Jungian dream analyst out of Los Angeles, hoping to more deeply connect with Phil’s psychology, and she suggested Cumberbatch do the same. Campion normally doesn’t dream much, but soon she began having the same nightmare over and over. She was riding a black horse, beautiful and skittish, down a steep, narrow pathway along the face of a cliff. As they went farther down the trail, she realized that the path was vanishing into nothing, that the horse’s hooves would inevitably hit an angle too sheer to support their weight. We’ve got to back up, she thought. But the horse, too frightened and not yet trusting her, wouldn’t listen. It pressed forward, toward the vanishing point.
Oh, this is certain death, she thought, and she woke up.
“Of course Jane Campion’s dreams are so rich in imagery,” Cumberbatch joked on the phone. “Sexual, fantastical, spiritual, just exploding orchids of blood. Whereas I’m dreaming that I can’t quite climb the tree.”
The Power of the Dog Netflix The Academy

Jean-Marc Vallée, director of 'Dallas Buyers Club' and 'Big Little Lies,' dies at 58

When someone so young, so talented dies at such an early age, we always wonder the cause.
If anyone knows, pls respond

Ultimate Guide To Steven Spielberg And His Directing Techniques

While the Internet is filled with all degrees of information, good and bad regarding the craft of the Director. And even though we discovered this video on a site filled with misinformation about many of the jobs on a Film or TV set, we believe this guy describes the role and duties of the Director quite accurately!

What do you think?

DGA's letter to it's membership updating position in support of the IA's negotiating position with AMPTP

Dear member:

We write to update you on the status of the I.A.T.S.E.’s negotiations with the AMPTP. We are in regular and constant communication with the I.A.T.S.E. and our sister Guilds and Unions, and will continue to provide you with updates.

As you know, we have been very public in our strong support for the I.A.T.S.E.’s fight for quality-of-life improvements and living wages. These issues impact all production workers on set, and we urge the AMPTP to step up and make a fair deal addressing these critical areas.

Earlier today, the I.A.T.S.E. set a strike deadline of midnight (PDT) Monday, October 18. The strike deadline was set to put pressure on the AMPTP to conclude negotiations this week. It remains the I.A.T.S.E.’s goal to reach an agreement without a work stoppage.

The DGA’s focus continues to be on supporting the I.A.T.S.E. in their negotiations for a fair deal.

Sincerely,

Lesli Linka Glatter
DGA President

Russell Hollander
DGA National Executive Director

Interesting Casting Society of America, Facebook discussion on Deconstructing the Asian Narrative - May 2021!
While our entire entertainment industry is engaged in deepened reflection, rigorous conversation, and thoughtful, strategic action in order to stop acts of hate, CSA continues its work to uplift the Asian Community by sparking active dialog with our peers and colleagues in the field. . Deconstructing the Asian Narrative continues our necessary work and national efforts towards social justice. We are here today in solidarity with our community and allies - and, we are only just beginning. . Equity@CastingSociety.com

See: https://www.facebook.com/CSAEquityInEntertainment

James Cameron Ted Talk - "Before Avatar ... A Curious Boy"

James Cameron's big-budget (and even bigger-grossing) films create unreal worlds all their own. In this personal talk, he reveals his childhood fascination with the fantastic -- from reading science fiction to deep-sea diving -- and how it ultimately drove the success of his blockbuster hits "Aliens," "The Terminator," "Titanic" and "Avatar."

Homework..... Thanks to Elizabeth Spurlock Lambert on FB

Here's Glenn Weiss, the guy who proposed to his girlfriend as he accepted an EMMY, and who's won 14 EMMY Awards, six Directors Guild of America awards for running the Tony Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, and Academy Awards.

He ran the DNC event from his living room in Brentwood. He had pants on but no shoes.

Steven Spielberg On Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock & Martin Scorsese

Saw this Casting 'Society of America' video earlier and thought it might be of interest.
From Facebook Group: CSA Inclusion and Diversity