Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1413959
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 I 1 9 See more detailed descriptions, additional photos, podcasts and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. DGA Events Roundup Eastern & Western AD/UPM Councils' 1st AD Committees Event Host 14th Annual 1st AD Event On August 28, more than 120 1st AD members came together online for the 14th Annual 1st AD Event. Jointly hosted by the 1st AD Committees of the Eastern and Western AD/UPM Councils, the virtual event was designed for members of this category to exchange information, share ideas and address relevant issues on the job via two panels: First AD Leadership Skills and Emerging Pandemic Response. Following a welcome from Western AD/UPM Council 1st AD Committee Co-Chairs Mark Hansson and Alan Curtiss, Eastern AD/UPM Council Chair Lyn Pinezich and Eastern AD/UPM Council First Vice Chair/ Eastern First AD Committee Co-Chair Joseph P. Reidy gave their remarks and introduced the first panel discussion, First AD Leadership Skills. The panel featured 1st ADs John Rusk, Chris Surgent, Jennifer Wilkinson and Michele Ziegler exploring that subject in a conversation moderated by 1st AD Donald L. Sparks. The topics they covered included skillsets on what makes a good 1st AD, decision-making on set and working with different personalities. During the second panel of the day, Emerging Pandemic Response, Reidy moderated a conversation with 1st ADs Carol Green, Francisco Ortiz, Artist Robinson and Laura Sylvester. There, panelists discussed their personal experiences working during the pandemic, how they dealt with implementing new safety procedures, and what practices they'd like to continue post-pandemic. Image: (L-R Top Row) 1st ADs Donald L. Sparks (moderator), John Rusk, Chris Surgent, Jennifer Wilkinson and Michele Ziegler. (Middle Row) Eastern AD/UPM Council First Vice Chair/ Eastern First AD Committee Co-Chair Joseph P. Reidy (moderator) and 1st ADs Carol Green, Francisco Ortiz, Artist Robinson and Laura Sylvester. (Bottom Row) Western AD/UPM Council 1st AD Committee Co-Chairs Mark Hansson and Alan Curtiss and Eastern AD/UPM Council Chair Lyn Pinezich. photo by Shane Karns Director Morgan Neville's Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain reveals how Bourdain went from chef at an obscure New York restaurant, to a career as a bestselling author, world traveler, Emmy-winning television writer and producer, and one of the most notorious and beloved figures in the food world and beyond. Following the Special Projects Documentary Series screening in Los Angeles on August 25, Neville discussed the making of the film with DGA Special Projects Documentary Series Subcommittee Chair Ondi Timoner and spoke about his style of directing. "I'm kind of a method Director, meaning I absorb my subject as much as you can. I just ask, 'What is their ethos?' Then I try to make a film that best represents that ethos... I read [Bourdain's] memos on edits to his episodes. It's pretty much break all the fucking rules, be punk rock. If you're doing something that's safe, you've failed. Creatively, push it as far as you can. So, I was like, 'Okay Tony. You're telling me to do this.' It's everything from the music to the editing to the deep fake." Photo: Morgan Neville speaks about the making of Roadrunner with Special Projects Documentary Series Subcommittee Chair Ondi Timoner (moderator). Documentary Series Screens Morgan Neville's Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain On August 17, the Women's Steering Committee (WSC) meeting featured the panel discussion, The Mandalorian: A Case Study in Virtual Production. 2nd AD Heather Wagner, DP David Klein, Editor Dana Glauberman and VFX Producer Abbigail Keller engaged in a conversation moderated by The Mandalorian's 1st AD Kim Richards, where they discussed into how virtual production is changing the landscape of how we direct and produce content and revealed how the ability to seamlessly merge live video footage with computer graphics creates a new workflow between the Director's Team, DP, Editor and VFX Producer. The discussion also covered topics including: what was developed during storyboard meetings with the creators of the show – Directors Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni – and other members of the team; creating the show ahead of time in Pre-Viz and how different team members prepare for that process; what to take into account during "soft prep" and who is involved; and how actors and digital creatures interact. Following the moderated portion of the conversation, the panelists fielded questions submitted by the online audience. Image: (L-R Top Row) 1st AD Kim Richards (moderator) and 2nd AD Heather Wagner. (Bottom Row) Editor Dana Glauberman, VFX Producer Abbigail Keller and Director of Photography David Klein. The Mandalorian: A Case Study in Virtual Production — A WSC Committee Meeting Event