DGA Monthly

O C T O B E R 2 0 2 6 I 2 7 See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. DGA Committee Events Roundup View more excerpts and interviews in the Visual History Collection via the link on the homepage of www.dga.org. Recent Visual History Addition 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 Frank Oz discusses his 40-plus year career in features, his early career as a puppeteer alongside Jim Henson, his directorial filmography with features such as Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Death at a Funeral and insights into his directorial process. Oz on the mixture of practical effects and camera tricks used to make Audrey II come to life in Little Shop of Horrors: "There's a scene where Seymour is squeezing his finger in the basement and says, 'Grow for me' and nothing happens. He goes upstairs and laments. We stay down here and then we see the plant grows, the tentacles pushing out from the coffee can. That was done on the set. That was [Audrey II designer] Lyle Conway's brilliance — old- fashioned Hollywood. The coffee can was made of rubber and there were cables going up into the can. It was all perspective. If this is the little plant here in the foreground, what you don't see is that there's a track here. The plant was not here, the plant was up here, and it came closer in on the track and looked like it stayed in place, and it grew. It was an old-fashioned Hollywood trick. And then it got to where it was singing 'Mean Green Mother,' that was a ton. It was a guy in the head itself. What you don't see is behind the head was a steel girder that went to the back of the set and there were two guys moving that girder back and forth to the music. But because we were under-cranked, they didn't have to move it as fast. We were shooting 12 frames a second. And they were moving it so it was like a seesaw, shoving it back and forth. And then we under-cranked it, and it came back okay." Frank Oz interviewed by Rian Johnson From cast and crew relations, to budgeting and scheduling, there are so many things that can go wrong. On September 15, DGA members seeking ideas on how to get it all right received information during the LGBTQ+ Committee meeting discussion, How to Make Your Day and Get Hired Back, co-presented by the Proposals Subcommittee and Career Advancement Subcommittee. In a conversation moderated by Proposals Subcommittee Co-Chair Jamie Babbit, LGBTQ+ Committee Co-Chair Jennifer Arnold, Producing Director Patrik-Ian Polk, Proposals Subcommittee Co-Chair Alan Poul and 1st AD Paul Lindsay shared tips and divulged the inside story on how to execute your episode, while staying on schedule and on budget so that you can get hired back next season. In addition to these pointers, the panelists also revealed what they're looking for when it comes to making the hard decisions on who is hired back. (Clockwise) Director Jamie Babbit (moderator), LGBTQ+ Committee Co-Chair Jennifer Arnold, Directors Patrik-Ian Polk, Alan Poul and 1st AD Paul Lindsay. How to Make Your Day and Get Hired Back A LGBTQ+ Committee Discussion On September 3, the Women's Steering Committee (WSC) meeting featured the discussion, The Art of the Pivot: Generating Income, Opportunity & Creative Sustainability During Industry Contraction. In a conversation moderated by UPM Maegan L. Philmore, Directors Debbie Formoso and Rachel Raimist, 2nd AD Shanalyna C. Palmer and Career Coach Rachel D. Mark discussed how DGA members are navigating the current industry contraction while continuing to pursue directing, AD/UPM and production leadership opportunities. They also explored how members can generate income, expand professional opportunities, and sustain their creative identities during slower production cycles. They also identified bridge income sources, transferable skills, and adjacent opportunities that can support members financially and creatively while they continue building their DGA careers. (Clockwise) UPM Maegan L. Philmore (moderator), Directors Debbie Formoso and Rachel Raimist, 2nd AD Shanalyna C. Palmer and Career Coach Rachel D. Mark. The Art of the Pivot A Women's Steering Committee Discussion

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