Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1413959
1 8 I D G A M O N T H L Y See more detailed descriptions, additional photos, podcasts and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. DGA Events Roundup photo by Elisa Haber In Director Destin Daniel Cretton's fantasy adventure, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a martial arts master must confront the past he thought he left behind when he's drawn into the web of a mysterious organization. Following the September 5 DGA membership screening in Los Angeles, Cretton discussed making of the film with Director Jon M. Chu. During the conversation, Cretton spoke about keeping the narrative in the martial arts sequences. "I was very nervous about that part of this film because I didn't want it to contribute to a cliché. [Supervising Stunt Coordinator] Brad Allen trained under Jackie Chan and came to us with a deep respect for the culture and the art form. He surrounded himself with some of the best stunt performers in the world. Most of them were Wushu champions before they even came into cinema. They're trained to know when to cut, how long you can physically hold a shot before a stunt performer or actor will shut down, and how many moves it takes. I wanted the storytelling to always be present and a clear narrative in every fight." Photo: Destin Daniel Cretton (right) discusses the making of, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings with Jon M. Chu (moderator). Destin Daniel Cretton discusses Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings photo by Elisa Haber Director Lisa Joy's sci-fi mystery, Reminiscence, tells the story of a futuristic private eye who helps his clients access lost memories. When an alluring new client disappears, he becomes obsessed with finding her and uncovers a violent conspiracy. Following the August 28 DGA membership screening in Los Angeles, Joy discussed making of the film with Director J.J. Abrams. During the conversation, Joy discussed working with her DP Paul Cameron to bring the film to life. "We have this way of talking about the film where he's technical, and I'll talk about color palette. I told him I didn't want this to have the harsh blues and whites of a lot of sci-fi. I wanted more warm, natural colors so the world could feel more tactile. The same thing with lenses — , we should use a lot of long lenses so it's like desire, infatuation. You're watching someone from afar, and they look so perfect, and you think you know them. As we come to see the characters, we creep into a wider lens, closer up, and you can see almost the ugliness in their faces, the asymmetries, the things that are off about them." Photo: Lisa Joy (right) discusses the making of her sci-fi mystery, Reminiscence, with J.J. Abrams (moderator). Lisa Joy discusses Reminiscence photo by Elisa Haber In Directors Aron Gaudet & Gita Pullapilly's comedy Queenpins, a pair of housewives hatch an illegal coupon club scheme that scams millions from mega-corporations and find themselves pursued by a loss prevention officer from a local supermarket chain and a determined U.S. Postal Inspector. Following the September 11 DGA screening in Los Angeles, Gaudet & Pullapilly discussed the making of the film with Director Cindy Chupack, and also spoke about their directorial style. "Our approach to directing and leadership is very different than a lot of people," said Pullapilly. "It is really about making sure everybody understands the goal at the end of the day, which to us was be in service to the story. For example, for our actors we would do exercises like identifying your core values and so Kristen and Kirby would do this exercise for who they are in their personal life and for their characters. When we were on set, it was a lot easier to understand character and story. It sped up the efficiency. If we needed something from story or performance we could quickly identify it based on each character's core values." Photo: Gita Pullapilly & Aron Gaudet discuss the making of their comedy, Queenpins, with Cindy Chupack (moderator). Aron Gaudet & Gita Pullapilly discuss Queenpins photo by Marcie Revens In Director Paul Schrader's drama, The Card Counter, a gambler and former serviceman sets out to reform a young man who is seeking revenge on a mutual enemy from their past. Following the September 12 screening in New York, Schrader discussed making of the film with Director John Patrick Shanley and revealed how his economical shooting style leads to more creative freedom. "I get the freedom to have final cut by being very lean. There's nothing in this film on the cutting room floor. This was shot in 20 days. In order to do that, you have to you know everything you're going to do within leaving room to be spontaneous in the moment. It's a way I could get a freedom that I couldn't get earlier. I need it now because the industry has changed. When I began, I didn't have final cut but that didn't matter because you were dealing with people who watch movies, who like movies, who came from movie tradition. But now we have a whole generation of film financiers that don't even care much for movies. I started realizing that you have to have final cut. Then I started realizing that you can have final cut if you work really close to the vest." Photo: Paul Schrader discusses the making of his drama, The Card Counter with John Patrick Shanley (moderator). Paul Schrader discusses The Card Counter