DGA Monthly

4 2 I D G A M O N T H L Y The Women's Steering Committee (WSC) hosted their fourth annual celebration of talented women members of the Guild on October 26 in the DGA's Los Angeles theater complex. Under the title, Women's Day at the DGA: The Power of Genre Blending, the event featured a peer-to-peer round table panel discussion with Directors Lucia Aniello (Hacks), Thembi Banks (Unprisoned), Zoe Lister- Jones (Slip) and Jennifer Phang (Advantageous), moderated by Director/WSC Activities & Events Subcommittee Coordinator Amy Aniobi (Survival of the Thickest). Following a welcome from DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter and introductions by WSC Co-Chairs Shaz Bennett, Valerie Weiss and Shawn Pipkin-West and alternate Co-Chair Rachel Raimist, the panelists engaged in a lively and informative conversation that covered what it takes to pitch a movie that blends genres, how a Director balances presenting two genres to a studio — and to their actors — how to always lean towards emotional truth (no matter the genre), how genre blending can actually broaden your audience, and what the future of theatrical moviegoing looks like, keeping these new "genre rules for the box office" in mind. Aniobi kicked things off by framing the conversation around what the topic of genre blending meant to the panelists and how they were creating a new hybrid type of work. Phang discussed how her experience with genre blending in her film Advantageous. "Advantageous was a sci-fi family drama about a mom who was struggling to keep her daughter in prep school. The world she was living in was far into the future and it allowed us to make a science fiction movie feel like something that all of us can relate to. It is an exciting time to come off from this idea that comedy and drama have to fit into their own categories, otherwise it is wrong. It is not like that at all anymore." Aniello noted how her work blends comedy and drama. "Hacks is a dramedy – a comedy and a drama. I wouldn't say in equal parts. We believe we are a comedy first because it's about the world of comedy writing and it really enables us to use the characters to be the vehicle for jokes. We're constantly thinking about the levels of comedy versus drama. You never want it to be too broad and you want to make sure it feels real and find something that is equally communicative." Lister-Jones shared how she blends sci-fi and drama. "In terms of genre blending, and setting up those rules, as long as they [characters] have their motivations in emotional arcs, then they check out. In my experience with filming Slip, I was like, 'Are we tracking where this character starts and where they are ending in every episode and what is keeping the propulsion of her journey going?'" To Banks, genre blending is simply rooted in human behavior. "No one walks around being only dramatic and having dramatic things happen in their life. We all know most comedians pull from pain and sorrow in their lives and they turn that into laughter. It only makes sense that when you bring that to the table cinematically, you are pulling and bringing all of those elements in. When I am developing my projects, I always think, 'I know this will be an hour-long drama, but we are going to laugh too.'" Women's Day at the DGA: The Power of Genre Blending A Women's Steering Committee Event Photos: 1. (L-R) WSC Co-Chair Valerie Weiss, DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter, Director Amy Aniobi (moderator), WSC Co- Chair Shawn Pipkin-West, Directors Lucia Aniello, Thembi Banks, Zoe Lister-Jones and Jennifer Phang, and WSC Co-Chair Shaz Bennett and alternate Co-Chair Rachel Raimist. 2. DGA Members hear how the panelists blend genres in their projects. 3. Women's Day at the DGA: The Power of Genre Blending attendees enjoy the reception. 2 3 See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. DGA Events Roundup 1 photos by Elisa Haber

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