DGA Monthly

O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 I 2 5 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 Director Christopher Leone's action comedy, Code 3, follows a paramedic who is so burnt-out by the job that he is forcing himself to resign. On his last 24-hour shift, he must train his replacement, but what starts as a routine night quickly spirals into a chaotic, citywide odyssey as they race from one emergency to the next. Leone discussed the making of the film during a Q&A moderated by Director Etan Cohen and revealed how his background as a pre-vis 3D animator helped him storyboard the film. "I doodled the entire movie just as like stick figures. I was a 3D animator, so I did a lot of pre-vis and figured out how to shoot a lot of stuff for other Directors. But the theory of the movie was the camera is the fourth paramedic, so a lot of the camera decisions were based on that. For instance, in the beginning, I wanted the camera to feel as much like Xolo [Mariduena], the newbie. So, when that girl sits up and pukes, it pukes on us. It's puking right at us. And so that's forcing you to always be in that position with them. Forcing you to be in the back of the truck or hopping out the back of the truck. Drawing it helped me think it out." Christopher Leone discusses Code 3 photo by Shane Karns Photo: Directors Christopher Leone (right) and Etan Cohen (moderator) discuss the making of Code 3 following the Los Angeles DGA screening on September 14. In Director Justin Tipping's sports horror, Him, a promising up-and-coming young football player is invited to train at the isolated compound of a legendary almost- retired quarterback. But things turn chilling as he is taken on journey into the inner sanctum of fame, desire, power, and pursuit of excellence at all costs. During a Q&A moderated by Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Tipping revealed how he created the x-ray look featured in part of the movie. "We got a military grade thermal camera off of eBay and jerry-rigged it on top of our ARRI cinema camera. We tried to get them to line up so we could pull focus on both cameras and still operate them as A, B cameras. We were able to go handheld even. I mean it was so heavy — I'm so sorry [Camera Operator] Scott Dropkin wherever you are — but it was really like we were experimenting. We felt we were all like kids like, 'What if we did this?' The UPM's freaking out, 'We don't have time for this.' We don't even know how it's gonna look, but like everything in this movie we wanted to take the biggest swing we could at every turn. So, ultimately, what you're seeing is those two images merged together." Justin Tipping discusses Him photo by Elisa Haber Photo: Directors Justin Tipping (right) and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (moderator) discuss the making of Him following the Los Angeles DGA screening on September 13. Director Nick Rowland's thriller, She Rides Shotgun, tells the story of Nathan McClusky, a man who has made enemies after cutting ties with the powerful criminal gang he worked for while in prison. When the gang retaliates by putting a hit on his family, Nate picks up his shy eleven-year-old daughter Polly and must transform her from a timid little girl into a force to be reckoned with. Rowland discussed the making of the film with Director Michael Mohan and spoke about how the challenges of directing young actors affected his shooting style. "This film — the whole time we were making it — was described as a 'feathered fish' because it's not quite a drama and it's not quite a thriller and that was a tricky balance to navigate. I tried to keep things quite loose because Ana [Sophia Heger, who plays Polly] was ten years old. I did a couple of films with kids that similar age and you can't expect them to sustain a performance over and over again. Even an entire take, just getting them to focus to sustain can be tricky and that locks you into coverage or tighter shots or things like that. It's more about finding the moments. So, I guess getting the performance out of Ana dictated the style of shooting." Nick Rowland discusses She Rides Shotgun photo by Elisa Haber Photo: Directors Nick Rowland (right) and Michael Mohan (moderator) discuss the making of She Rides Shotgun following the Los Angeles DGA screening on August 16.

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