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DGA QUARTERLY 31 "We're very organized, and you have to be," says 1st AD Lars Winther, discussing his process for prepping a Marvel fi lm. "Especially when you're doing a Civil War movie or Guardians of the Galaxy [Vol. 2, which Winther recently wrapped], there's a lot of very complicated stu and it takes time to fi gure it out." A self-described superhero fan who has worked on The Avengers, Ant-Man, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Winther enjoys the puzzle-like challenge of scheduling a fi lm during prep. "I have a B-plan and a C-plan, so if [Plan A] doesn't happen, then I'm prepared to go somewhere else." One such Plan B became essential during the fi lming of Captain America: Civil War, when the pro- duction team had to deal with sudden late-afternoon rainstorms that didn't show up on radar. "We ended up putting a stage on hold [with a] green screen," Winther recalls. "When the rain would come we would bail [on outdoor fi lming] and head to stage, and the rest of the day we would just shoot close-ups." Once the planning is done and shooting begins, though, Winther says the most important aspect of the job is optimism. "You've got to be positive," he says. "You're the AD; you're the pulse of the crew and if you're positive and upbeat, they'll be positive and upbeat. I'm a true believer in that." —BECCA NADLER Powlis: Wiz of a Stage Manager ANNETTE POWLIS » Stage Manager For Superhero Fan Winther, Backup Plans Are Essential LARS WINTHER » 1st AD Every fi rst Sunday in November, thousands of ea- ger participants wake up while it's still dark out and make their way to the NYC Marathon. That includes Annette Powlis. As the stage man- ager for the marathon's TV anchor booth for 22 years, she coordinates interviews with runners and cues the talent whenever the cameras start rolling. "Stage managing is all about timing and being cognizant of when you are on-air," says Powlis. "The job is to execute the vision of the director and producers," she adds, "taking into consideration all of the elements essential to the show." For more produced types of shows, she coordinates with the lighting and crew departments. Powlis ensures that props appear onstage at the right moment. She'll hasten hair and makeup along when- ever necessary. And she'll steer the on-air talent to whichever camera they should be looking at, "so every- one is on the same page," she says. The job can require some hand- holding. Like when she gave a petrifi ed celebrity a quick pep talk in the set's broom closet. "You're a veteran. You're going to do great," she told her. The gigs that excite Powlis the most are variety and entertainment programs. "I love the artistry," she says. "I love the fast pace. It's an adrenalin rush." For The Wiz Live!, she served on a team of stage managers, overseeing dozens of dancers plus stilt walkers from Cirque du Soleil. She arranged for their shoe fi ttings. She sched- uled rehearsals. She even certifi ed that all tattoos were su ciently concealed. "We had a chair just for covering tattoos." "It was amazing," says Powlis, de- scribing costume changes she had to guarantee were executed within 90 seconds. "The important thing," she says, "is to get the show o with- out a hitch." —ANN FARMER if you're positive and upbeat, they'll be positive and upbeat. I'm a true believer in that." —BECCA NADLER Every fi rst Sunday November, thousands of ea- ger participants wake up while it's still dark out and make their way to the NYC Marathon. That includes Annette Powlis. As the stage man- ager for the marathon's TV anchor booth for 22 years, she coordinates interviews with runners and cues the talent whenever the cameras start rolling. "Stage managing is all about timing and being cognizant of when you are on-air," says Powlis. "The job is to execute the vision of the director and producers," she adds, "taking into consideration all of the elements essential to the show." For more produced types of shows, she coordinates with the lighting and crew departments. Powlis ensures that props appear onstage at the right moment. She'll hasten hair and makeup along when- ever necessary. And she'll steer the on-air talent to whichever camera they should be looking at, "so every-