Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/798465
DGA QUARTERLY 51 PHOTOS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) JOHN FLEENOR/ABC; LANCE BURNS/FOX; ERIC MCCANDLESS/ABC like giving a note, and seeing if the actor can adjust to the note—see- ing in the room what the actor's range is." Nelli calls live sessions "mini rehearsals" and declares that the dynamic "levitates the show." Rodriguez adds that the process is "just logical," not unlike a meet- and-greet. "When they show up on set, you already know the person, so you will work better with them," she says. "You take that away, it's almost like having someone come to your house for dinner, and you have never met them before. Nobody does that." Compressed Circumstances In sitcoms, live casting has largely disappeared as a result of the compressed prep period. "The director's prep time has been cut back," as Nelli describes it. "Some shows only give us three days to prep. We used to get five days." And, even where online casting is used, some sitcom produc- ers often push the pace and priorities to such a point that they do not always structure time to give the director serious input on the available choices. "There is no attempt to get us all online to- gether," he emphasizes. "We do send emails, obviously, but I wish some casting tools had better ways to insert notes. For that mat- ter, people do Skype interviews all the time. There's no reason we couldn't have a live casting session where everyone could chime in over a live feed." Fellow sitcom director Ken Whittingham goes even further, sug- gesting that in the sitcom world, "They don't really fully collaborate with directors anymore [in terms of casting]. They don't always know week to week whom they are bringing back as a guest star or whom they will need. Sometimes, they write in certain high-profile guest stars depending on their availability, and make choices before we're involved. A lot of times, they lock the show on guest cast before we even get there. "Sometimes the director, especially younger di- rectors, won't complain," he continues. "You can understand why—they want to get asked back." The Takeaway So what solutions exist to reassert the director's creative prominence in the casting process? "There are some elements in the present [DGA] contract that address this, but essentially, those elements are ones of goodwill," Penn explains. "In other words, producers and studios acknowledge that in-room casting, as it were, with directors present, should occur whenever possible, or be 'encouraged.' But, of course, that de- pends on many things." So many things, Whittingham points out, that "no producers are going to jail" if they don't make every effort to include directors in casting decisions. Therefore, veteran direc- tors strongly encourage their peers to be as proactive as they can on the issue. For example, Nelli says, "I always call the casting director or showrun- ner early if I get an episode," while Gaviola adds that she tries to assert herself "to get the first look at links when they are sent out." Directors say the Creative Rights Committee is currently explor- ing ways to arrange more industry events with writers, producers and casting professionals precisely to discuss these kinds of issues. Getzinger, for instance, urges directors to actively engage show- runners and producers in conversations about the value of live cast- ing sessions. "I tell them, 'You know, you can have a casting session if you want one—it's your show,'" she says. "I think that the more people talk about the value of what [live] casting is, the more open they will be to doing it more often." Rodriguez emphasizes that "there is also a lack of education about the director's role. People do not necessarily understand what their rights are, and what is important to us as artists. Directors need to be educated about these things before we show up. Everyone should carry a [DGA] Creative Rights Handbook, read it, and know what is expected of us." As in many cases, wiser and more experienced heads can prevail. "It's incumbent on people like me, who have been directing a while, to speak up," Gaviola says. "We need to do it on behalf of di- rectors who do not have that economic freedom to put their neck on the line. Generally, the first people hired on a series are going to be more experienced directors. If 70 percent of those directors spoke up and said they really like in-person casting, then the next wave of directors would have the advantage of someone already speaking on their behalf. It can be a compelling economic argu- ment to not rock the boat, which is exactly why people who can rock the boat should rock it." ® Clockwise from left: Victor Nelli Jr. (left) says the fast pace of sitcoms makes live casting tough; Karen Gaviola says vets should speak out on behalf of younger directors on the matter; Ken Whittingham says sitcom episodes are often locked "before we even get there."