Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/760821
DGA QUARTERLY 81 PHOTOS: ERIC MCCANDLESS/ABC liked his work, so when the show was picked up, she gave him a call. His first episode had a Halloween theme, "Miracle on Dead Street." "He killed it," says Khan. "So we were like, 'How many more can you do?'" During one of his episodes, Jude Weng, who hadn't directed scripted television before, asked if she could shadow him. "She was professional, respectful, asked a lot of questions," Purple recalls of the experience. "What was great is that immediately, Natch [Khan] asked me about her. I said she was fantastic. Natch followed it up with, 'Let's give her a shot.'" S W I T H P U R P L E , it was a long time coming. After 10 years of theater directing in San Francisco, Weng moved to Los Angeles and worked in the music department at New Line Cinema. She eventually earned a scholarship to AFI's Directing Workshop for Women and went on to direct music videos and commercials all over the world. She then heard about a new TV series set to shoot in Borneo. "I interviewed for Survivor, and the showrunner said, 'Everybody and their mother wants to work on this show. Why should I hire you?' I said, 'My father is a former as- sassin for the Taiwanese government, and he's taught me all kinds of things, like knife fighting and pressure points, that may come in handy in the jungle.' Totally true." She was hired on the spot as a challenge producer, and quickly became co-head writer. Survivor won the first of seven Emmys, and Weng 's services were in demand. She produced a number of reality shows, directing all of her episodes. "You have to understand the narrative, the A and B and C storylines that are going to play out. That's really where I cut my teeth as a director." When people ask about the transition from reality to scripted, "I don't want to say it was easy, because it was challenging on a whole different level, but from a technical aspect, I feel like I was ready to be a single-camera director after directing 16 to 32 cameras." It took five years to make the shift. During that time, she went through the ABC-Disney/DGA and Warner Bros. directing pro- grams. "I'm absolutely a product of diversity programs, and I'm a firm believer in them." When it comes to scripted shows, Weng found the prep was no different from non-scripted. "I begin with the end in mind, really understanding where I want to end up, breaking down the script, figuring out what the super-emotional moments are." With half the cast members under 13, the directors figure their limitations into the schedule. Khan remembers learning the term 'pumpkining,' referring to when the kids vanish. Scenes are cross- shot whenever possible, to save time. "Sometimes when it's going to be super kid-heavy, we'll plan it with the first ADs and our producer to do their coverage first, because we're going to lose them," says Weng. "What I like to do with kids is to make sure that they know that there are no mistakes," Purple says. "They don't have to feel the pressure. If you have to say the line a thousand times, it's fine." That Khan directed the season finale herself is a result of a "natural evolution," she explains. It marked only her second time at the helm; her first was on Don't Trust the B----. Jokes Khan, "It turned out to be the series finale, but I hope it wasn't because of the directing." ®