DGA Monthly

O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 I 2 7 See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. DGA Committee Events Roundup On August 19, the Disability Committee's (DC) meeting featured a conversation with Director Shoshannah Stern, as she reflected on the challenges and breakthroughs of directing as a Deaf woman in Hollywood and her groundbreaking work in deaf-led storytelling. During a conversation moderated by Co-Chair Ashley Eakin with the assistance of ASL interpreter Karri Aiken, Stern reflected on her journey and breakthroughs of directing as a Deaf woman in Hollywood, including her recent collaboration with Marlee Matlin on the documentary, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, and offered a behind-the-scenes look at her creative process on the film. She also advocated for more deaf and disabled people to be in positions of power — particularly as executives — for there to be systemic change to allow for more inclusion in our industry. (L-R) Director Shoshannah Stern, Disability Committee Co-Chair Ashley Eakin (moderator) and ASL interpreter Karri Aiken. Storytelling, Deaf Representation, and Creative Power A Disability Committee Discussion On September 2, the Women's Steering Committee (WSC) meeting featured the panel discussion, Spotlight on Documentaries and Ethical Storytelling, an intimate dialogue with esteemed Documentary Directors and mental health specialists with extensive experience around sensitive stories and participants. In a conversation moderated by Director Li Lu, Directors Alice Gu, Erin Lau, and Iliana Sosa, Producer and documentary community builder Malikkah Rollins and Licensed Psychotherapist & Production Therapist Candance Washington discussed ethical practices embedded in their work and urgent field-wide concerns. During the conversation, the panelists revealed how narrative Directors and AD/UPMs may bring Documentary filmmaking methods to support people behind the camera while working on set with actors, crew and scenes with sensitive/triggering subject matters. (Clockwise) Directors Li Lu (moderator), Alice Gu, Erin Lau, Iliana Sosa and Producer Malikkah Rollins and Production Therapist Candance Washington. Spotlight on Documentaries and Ethical Storytelling A Women's Steering Committee Discussion View more excerpts and interviews in the Visual History Collection via the link on the homepage of www.dga.org. Recent Visual History Additions The DGA's Visual History Program website contains hundreds of hours of videotaped interviews with Directors and Director's team members discussing their careers and reflections on all aspects of the creative process in film, television and other media. These interviews are indexed for quick retrieval of segments pertaining to specific topics of interest within a particular interview or across the entire collection. Director Dan Attias discusses his vast body of work across television, mentoring young Directors and how he adds depth to his stories with the little details. Attias on the little details in The Wire: "David Simon actually embedded in the Baltimore Police Department and brought in a lot of real life practices and habits of the police guys. One of them was that they drink beers after work and throw the cans up onto the roof as they walk to their car. An earlier episode, two years before, had shown this. The Wire really respected the audience and paid you off for paying attention. It didn't, 'Remember that time they did that? Watch this scene.' It doesn't do that. I thought how could I contextualize that this is happening in a kind of sacred space where cops, after duty, let their hair down? So I asked props, 'Can you get me hundreds of beer cans and bottles and can we get the camera up on the roof? And can I establish them at their car by sweeping along the whole roof of all these discarded cans, then just see them at their car drinking a beer?' I did that and I think it just added so that when these two guys have this conversation. It's like, we're having a real conversation here." Dan Attias interviewed by Thomas Schlamme Stage Manager Terry Benson discusses his work spanning the many areas of public television, the essential qualities of an effective Stage Manager and his decades of service to the Guild. Benson on working on Sesame Street: "Who could ask for a better first job than the second season of Sesame Street? It brought me into television. I had plenty of experience on a stage. You put me on a stage and I'm totally comfortable. [In TV] the technology's different. You're chasing boom shadows because we used booms at that point. You've gotta worry about camera angles. When you're giving a cue, you've gotta get where the artist can see your cue. Big Bird had a little tiny viewport through the feathers where he could see things, so I had to get to where he could see me if he needed to get my cue. Or you'd pull a string or you'd find some other way of cueing the action. [Jim] Henson and [Frank] Oz and Jerry Nelson, they were just fun guys. And when you were with them they would be talking to you with their character, you kept wanting to look at the puppet 'cause that's what you're drawn to. Yeah, that was a tremendous baptism into the business and into Stage Managing." Terry Benson interviewed by Scott Berger

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