Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/798465
62 DGA QUARTERLY PHOTO: KEITH BERNSTEIN/NBC/NBCU PHOTO BANK VIA GETTY IMAGES forget, we came from radio." And it was a long time before it really took on a visual element. And now, what you see, it's modeled on movies, like what Kenny said. And I think Ed and Marshall have a lot to do with that because they were filmmakers. MM: TV now, especially with everything on Amazon and Netflix, it's sort of like what the '70s were to movies. But there is also the thing about being writer-driven. But Ed and Marshall, they did em- power us, and they did want it to be like a 45-minute movie, not a 45-minute TV show. And I think that one of the things that thir- tysomething did do was change the way single-camera, hour-long shows, comedies, dramedies, or dramas and procedurals look like. Q: Do you remember shots that you were particularly proud of ? MM: I remember I was directing Polly [Draper], and they wrote her a page monologue on the phone. So I was like, "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Thirtysomething did a lot of dance floor, too; they would put down all these boards, and they would mark it. And the camera would just move … Polly and I wound up doing 22 camera moves [for] a oner of her on the phone. The cam- era got close. It got behind her. As she turned into it, it was on her back. It was really complicated, but it was sort of all in the head of "Wow, what can we do?" TB: It was the first episode I think I did [where] I had flashbacks of Polly's character. And I went to [Ed and Marshall], and I said, "Hey, I want to shoot these handheld." And they went, "Oh." I said, "I want to shoot them black and white." And they went, "Oh." I said, "I want to shoot them at 30 frames." And they went, "Agh." And they went, "You know what? It's your movie." Q: How do you know when an actor is ready to direct? PH: I always have a test. What I say to the actor who wants to di- rect, and to see if it's a serious desire, I say I'm open to it. "Make a short. Let me see it." If they're willing to do that, I'm willing to look at the short and seriously consider them to direct an episode. TB: [As a director] I've sometimes given [opportunities] to certain actors because I wanted them to change their attitude and behavior on set. Actors who are chronically late and only think about them- selves create ripples in the harmony of our team. I'll give them an episode, they'd come to me and say, "Oh my God. I'm holding things up and I'm late!" And now, they're on time. MM: As an actor, you're on set all the time, so if you have any inter- est in it, you're paying attention to the shots. Q: Were there mentors who helped you? PH: I spent years before that following directors on set. I followed Brian De Palma around for a while and this director, Joe Sargent. And I'd follow them on a set and listen to them talk and then follow them into the editing room to see what they shot and what problems