DGA Monthly

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 5 I 3 7 Photo: Directors Ari Aster (right) and Tim Blake Nelson (moderator) discuss the making of Eddington following the New York DGA screening on July 20. A standoff between a small-town sheriff and a mayor pits neighbor against neighbor in Director Ari Aster's dark comedy western, Eddington. Aster's film takes us back to May 2020 when a clash over lockdowns and mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic polarizes a town in New Mexico. Aster discussed the making of the film with Director Tim Blake Nelson and spoke about how he approached the film without being judgmental of the characters. "I wanted to approach this from something of a sociological stance. I wanted to understand all of these people and, for me, they're all kind of gripped by this yearning. I wanted the movie to be really sad. It's supposed to be funny — and I hope it is funny and exciting and inscrutable and I hope it's something you have to wrestle with while you're watching it — it was important to me that I not judge these people, that I understood all of them and I felt like I did. I see myself in all these characters in one way or another." Ari Aster discusses Eddington photo by Marcie Revens The first family of superheroes – Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and the Thing – face their most daunting challenge yet as they defend the Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic herald, the Silver Surfer in Matt Shakman's superhero action-adventure, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. During a Q&A about the making of the film moderated by Director Edward Zwick, Shakman spoke about what he gets from listening to his crew. "Famously the key grip on your movie has made more movies than you have. That's always the story. So, you have to listen to the good ideas. I prepare as much as I can and then I show up being open to a new idea, a better idea. I feel like that's how you have to do it. That's the great thing about making a new movie, it's so collaborative. You work with all these talented people. The role of Director is to articulate what the tone is, what the story is, what the style is so everyone is pointed in the same direction. So, when you get all these wonderful ideas, they're all additive." Matt Shakman discusses The Fantastic Four: First Steps photo by Shane Karns Photo: Directors Matt Shakman and Edward Zwick (moderator) discuss the making of The Fantastic Four: First Steps following the Los Angeles DGA screening on August 3. Membership Screenings Q&As listed in alphabetical order by Director. See more detailed descriptions, additional photos & podcasts online at www.dga.org. DGA Screenings Q&As A birthday sets off a chain of unexpected events in Director Derick Halliman's dramatic thriller, Life of Mike. The film tells the story of Mike Smith, a thriving real estate tycoon who experiences a day of reckoning and is confronted with the stark reality of his life when his wife Celeste makes a heartfelt attempt to show him love on his natal day. Halliman discussed the making of the film during a Q&A moderated by Director Christine Swanson and shared his different philosophy when it comes to the shooting schedule. "It took us thirty days to shoot. I'm trying to have a philosophy of more days, smaller crew. These days, most people are going with fewer days, larger crews. I don't want to take that philosophy. I'd rather pay the talent, locations, or set design and things [to] work in more days. Because I feel like when you have actors that you're trying to shoot ten pages in a day, they can't get into it. So, I'd rather spend a little bit more money on sets or locations and then have the actors focus on shooting a couple pages at the time." Derick Halliman discusses Life of Mike photo by Quintin Lundy Photo: Directors Derick Halliman and Christine Swanson (moderator) discuss the making of Life of Mike following the Los Angeles DGA screening on July 26.

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