The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Director Joshua Caldwell discusses his new film, Mending the Line, with fellow director Bryan Woods in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Caldwell discusses how his own passion for fly fishing informed the making of the movie, how his research into PTSD and feedback from veterans affected the script, and facing difficulties while shooting in the Montana wilderness. T...

Director Laura Terruso discusses her new film, About My Father, with fellow director Paul Weitz in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Terruso discusses her personal connection to the film, how she portrays a character who is both funny and complex, and her experience working with a veteran actor on set. The film tells the story of a man who is encouraged to bring his...

Director Rob Savage discusses his new film, The Boogeyman, with fellow director Parker Finn in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Savage discusses how he storyboards his visual language as inspired by shots from other movies, working with child actors on set, and designing the creature with the aim of capturing genuine primal childhood fears. Based on the short story...

Director Eva Longoria discusses her new film, Flamin' Hot, with fellow director Patricia Cardoso in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Longoria discusses securing the project as her feature directing debut, maintaining Chicano authenticity throughout the story, and how the visual language of the film informs the development of the main character. The film tells the t...

Director Miranda Yousef discusses her new film, Art For Everybody, with fellow director Ondi Timoner in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Yousef discusses working with a vast array of archival material, navigating the true identity of Kinkade through accounts from friends and family, and applying her skills and expertise as an Editor in her debut as a feature-length...

Director Martin Guigui discusses his new film, Sweetwater, with fellow director Jeremy Kagan in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Guigui discusses the challenges of maintaining a sense of historical accuracy, finding Globetrotter authenticity in his cast and implementing his vision of how basketball creates a level playing field. The film tells the story of how the...

Director Davis Guggenheim discusses his new film, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, with fellow director Ondi Timoner in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Guggenheim discusses incorporating documentary, archival and scripted elements, making a movie about more than just Parkinson's disease, and overcoming expectations regarding a documentary about a famous individual....

Director Kyra Sedgwick discusses her new film, Space Oddity, with fellow director Bennett Miller in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, Sedgwick discusses discovering the film's locations and look, influences that affected the story's tone, and the movie as a love letter to earth. The film tells the story of Alex, who bewilders his family after he gives up on life on Ear...

Director Chad Stahelski discusses his new film, John Wick: Chapter 4, with fellow director Louis Leterrier in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Stahelski discusses the influence location scouting had on setpieces, the preparation required for stunts, and how his earlier work as a Second Unit Director and Stunt Coordinator informed his directorial style. The film fin...

Director Linda Yellen discusses her new film, Chantilly Bridge, with fellow director Mary Harron in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, Yellen discusses her use of improvisation in both Chantilly Lace and Chantilly Bridge, and utilizing footage from the original film to craft a memory piece and meditation on aging. Set 25 years after her groundbreaking Sundance hit, Chan...

Director Zach Braff discusses his new film, A Good Person, with fellow director Zoe Lister-Jones in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Braff discusses the personal inspirations for the film, the challenges in working with a tight schedule, and his desire to add comic relief to the story. The film tells the story of Allison, whose life falls apart following her involv...

Tone is probably the strongest element that defines a project and yet, surprisingly, is a topic that is frequently the least discussed on a feature film, pilot, or first season of a television show. DGA members interested in learning more about techniques for determining and subsequently communicating this ever elusive but critical aspect gathered in the Guild’s Los Angeles theater for Special Pro...

Director Matt Smukler discusses his new film, Wildflower, with fellow director Will Speck in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Smukler spoke about how the project transitioned from a documentary to a narrative feature, the challenges of making the shift in format and selecting a cast resembling family. Based on a true story about his extended family that inspired a...

Director Michael B. Jordan discusses his new film, Creed III, with fellow director Tim Miller in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Jordan discusses the challenge of directing himself, how the fight scenes were another language within the film, and how anime allowed the themes of the story to resonate. The film follows boxing champion Adonis Creed as he is forced to...

Director Alice Diop discusses her new film, Saint Omer, with fellow director Dee Rees in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, Diop speaks about finding ways to expand the court room visually, how her personal experience of watching the trial informed her direction, and relying on intuition to lead her through the making of the film. Based on true events, the film tells th...

Director Michael Showalter discusses his new film, Spoiler Alert, with fellow director Charles Rogers in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Showalter speaks about earning an emotional reaction to the film through technique, dealing with characters who use humor as a coping mechanism, and working with how an actor interprets a character naturally. Based on Michael Aus...

Director Sam Mendes discusses his new film, Empire of Light, with fellow director Karyn Kusama in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Mendes speaks about directing (recreating) scenes from his life, making films audiences can connect to, and relaying the cinematic experiences. Set on the South coast of England in the 1980s, the film follows Hilary, a lonely woman who...

Director Scott Cooper discusses his new film, The Pale Blue Eye, with fellow director David O. Russell in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Cooper speaks about his belief in the importance of restraint in period movies, his collaboration with Christian Bale, and what helps the audience give themselves over to a film. The film brings us the story of a veteran detecti...

Director James Cameron discusses his new film, Avatar: The Way of Water, with fellow director Guillermo del Toro in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Cameron speaks about working with Sigourney Weaver to develop her unique character, the innovative tech necessary for the film (and its upcoming sequels) and the groundbreaking process of underwater performance capture...

Director Damien Chazelle discusses his new film, Babylon, with fellow director Taylor Hackford in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Chazelle discusses the real-life figures who inspired the lead characters in the film, capturing the DNA of a "party movie" through the use of music, and crafting an atmosphere on set where life blends with art. The film chronicles the...

Director Darren Aronofsky discusses his new film, The Whale, with fellow director Greta Gerwig in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, Aronofsky discusses the motivation behind the film's 4:3 aspect ratio, the textual references between the play, his adaptation and the novel, Moby Dick, and his collaboration with lead actor Brendan Fraser. The film tells the story of Char...

Director Noah Baumbach discusses his new film, White Noise, with fellow director Todd Field in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Baumbach speaks about working with his actors during the month of rehearsal, the benefits of working with frequent and new collaborators, and how offering direction that includes physicality can be helpful to actors. The film unveils the s...

Director Marc Forster discusses his new film, A Man Called Otto, with fellow director Taylor Hackford in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Forster speaks about how he uses storyboards in his directorial process, his collaboration with Tom Hanks, and his approach to editing flashbacks in the film. The film tells the story of Otto, a cantankerous grouch who's given up...

Director Luca Guadagnino discusses his new film, Bones and All, with fellow director John Krokidas in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Guadagnino discusses working with frequent collaborators, his one month journey through the Midwest that prepared him to conceptualize the film, and making a film from the era rather than about the era. The film tells the story of M...

Director Werner Herzog discusses his new film, The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft, with fellow director Jeremy Kagan in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Herzog speaks about crafting the voiceover for the film during the edit, obtaining the groundbreaking footage shot by the two subjects, and modifying facts to resemble the truth. Screened as pa...