DGA Monthly

2 4 I D G A M O N T H L Y 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 The Coleman family is at it again in Director Nisha Ganatra's body swap comedy, Freakier Friday. In the follow-up to 2003's Freaky Friday, Ganatra's film finds mother, Tess, and daughter, Anna, discovering that their identity crisis past may be repeating into the next generation some two decades later. While engaging in a Q&A about the making of the film moderated by Director Adele Lim, Ganatra revealed how she helped her actors play each other's roles and the audience keep track of who was whom for the film about women who undergo a magical four-way body swap. "When you watch them, they're doing really sophisticated acting because it's four actors playing eight parts. And that part became so important. We had rehearsals and made sure to work with the costume designer and the production designer so that you had no doubt when Jamie [Lee Curtis] was in Jamie's body because she was more of a fashionista. And the actors really worked together to get each other's mannerisms." Nisha Ganatra discusses Freakier Friday photo by Elisa Haber Photo: Directors Nisha Ganatra (right) and Adele Lim (moderator) discuss the making of Freakier Friday following the Los Angeles DGA screening on August 24. Two young men forge a relationship in the early 20th Century in Director Oliver Hermanus' historical romantic drama, The History of Sound. The film follows the relationship between Lionel and David, who meet in college and bond over music. Years later after World War I, they reconnect, leading to an impromptu journey through the backwoods of Maine to collect traditional folk songs. This unexpected reunion and the music they preserve will shape the course of Lionel's life for decades to come. During a Q&A moderated by Director Mike Mills, Hermanus discussed the making of the film and revealed his process for deciding what shots they're shooting on any given day. "I don't do storyboards. I don't do shot lists. I sort of — it's very frustrating for the DP — arrive very early on the day. I walk around. I think about it. I also think about what's already been shot, how is it stylistically coming together? Then I'll make the plan in my head that morning and I'll walk the DP through it. But every day is a new day." Oliver Hermanus discusses The History of Sound photo by Quintin Lundy Photo: Directors Oliver Hermanus (right) and Mike Mills (moderator) discuss the making of The History of Sound following the Los Angeles DGA screening on September 6. In his reimagining of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film High and Low, Director Spike Lee's drama, Highest 2 Lowest, tells the story of a music mogul faced with a life-or-death moral dilemma after he is targeted by a ransom plot when he is on the verge of saving his flagging empire. Lee discussed the making of the film during a Q&A moderated by Director Jim Jarmusch and revealed how he decided to reunite with actor Denzel Washington for their fifth feature collaboration and the advantages that come with that working relationship. "It ended up in Denzel's hands. He called me up out of nowhere and said, 'I'm sending you the script FedEx.' I said, 'Alright' and before long, I knew I was doing it. [Our last collaboration] Inside Man was 19-20 years ago. I didn't even know that until a journalist pointed it out. Denzel and I… the first day of set was like the final day of Inside Man. We didn't have to go through learning each other and that bullshit. We were just, 'Let's go.'" Spike Lee discusses Highest 2 Lowest photo by Marcie Revens Photo: Directors Spike Lee and Jim Jarmusch (moderator) discuss the making of Highest 2 Lowest following the New York DGA screening on August 17.

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