DGA Monthly

6 2 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 story behind the recording of a pivotal musical album is revealed in Director Scott Cooper's biographical musical drama, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. The fi lm chronicles the making of Springsteen's 1982 album, Nebraska, when the New Jersey rocker was on the cusp of global super stardom and struggling to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past. Cooper discussed the making of the fi lm during Q&As moderated by Directors Bennett Miller in New York and David O. Russell in Los Angeles. During the Los Angeles conversation, Cooper divulged how he collaborated with Springsteen — who isn't a fan of fan of music biopics — to make what Bruce called "a Scott Cooper movie" and show him at his most vulnerable and, how that led him to make the fl ashback scenes black and white. "Bruce said to me, 'I only remember my father in black and white.' Which is why the cover of Nebraska is in black and white. All the liner notes and the photography in the album were in black and white which is why I made the choice. Robert Frank's [photographic book] The Americans is a book that means a lot to me and to Bruce. I mean, sure, it could be cliche in terms of fl ashbacks, but that's the way Bruce saw the world and I made the fi lm in the way Bruce made Nebraska." Scott Cooper discusses Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere photo by Ryan Jensen photo by Shane Karns Photos: Director Scott Cooper with moderators Bennett Miller in NY on October 4 and David O. Russell in LA on October 19. When a single, unattributed nuclear missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond in Director Kathryn Bigelow's apocalyptic political thriller, A House of Dynamite. Bigelow discussed the making of the fi lm during Q&As moderated by Directors Bennett Miller in New York and James Gray in Los Angeles. During the Los Angeles conversation, she spoke about the unique way they shot their scenes for the fi lm. "I try to make it feel like it's very spontaneous and unraveling in the moment. But [Cinematographer] Barry Ackroyd shoots where he'll light the entire set. We have these three sets: Fort Reidy, the White House Situation Room, Strat Com, and they're completely lit. We don't use marks, and the actor basically must come in and do their job. It doesn't matter where the camera is other than, they're placed where their job would dictate. We have technical advisers who work with us on all the details of their day. But there's no marks and there's three or four cameras going on — except in Strat Com, at one point there were twenty-four cameras going on because there were digital cameras for the teleconference. It's a very fl uid process." Kathryn Bigelow discusses A House of Dynamite photo by Howard Wise Photos: Director Kathryn Bigelow with moderators Bennett Miller in NY on October 26 and James Gray in LA on October 11. Noah Baumbach discusses Jay Kelly photo by Marcie Revens photo by Shane Karns Photos: Director Noah Baumbach with moderators Todd Field in NY on November 8 and Nancy Meyers in LA on November 9. A famous actor and his devoted manager embark on a journey of self-discovery in Director Noah Baumbach's comedic drama, Jay Kelly. Baumbach's fi lm tells the story a movie star Jay Kelly and his devoted manager Ron Sukenick who take a whirlwind and unexpectedly profound journey through Europe. Along the way, both men are forced to confront the choices they've made, the relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they'll leave behind. Baumbach discussed the making of the fi lm during Q&As moderated by Directors Todd Field in New York and Nancy Meyers in Los Angeles. During the Los Angeles conversation, Baumbach revealed how many takes he does of a scene. "I do a lot of takes in general. Not of like a hand picking up a thing or you know, but I also do long takes often. Because I like to play out the scene. I design the thing so that there isn't really coverage so much as the things are, I guess you call it a movie master. They walk into the close-up when I want the close-up. A lot of times it does take a while."

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