Bethany Rooney has directed more than two hundred thirty episodes of prime-time network television, most recently Law & Order: Organized Crime, Chicago PD and Station 19.  Her credits include many critically-acclaimed series such as Desperate Housewives, Ally McBeal and Brothers & Sisters, and the American long-running classics NCIS and Criminal Minds. For two seasons, she was the Producing Director of the CBS drama Bull, following her earlier stint in that position on the CW drama The Originals. She serves on numerous committees at the Directors Guild of America (DGA), including co-chairing the Diversity Committee, which implemented the first Directors Development Initiative in 2016, including a mentorship program for rising directors.  Bethany’s enthusiasm for the craft has also fueled her long-term dedication to teaching the intensive Warner Brothers Directing Workshop. Her book (co-authored with Mary Lou Belli) “Directors Tell the Story: Master the Craft of Television and Film Directing” is the preeminent authority at multiple studio and network diversity programs, and in directing classes on many university campuses.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What an acting class taught her about directing: understanding what they go through and the vocabulary actors use

• Tips for actors to make better self tapes

• Advice for actors in auditioning and the process in which she is involved in casting

• Being in the Dick Wolf family and working on shows like Law & Order, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, etc. and which one is her favorite

• How advocating for herself led to her being let go from her first job, but how it all worked out

• How she started working with her first agent

• Her process for directing an episode of an already established show: read at least 5 previous scripts, every script needs to be fully understood, blocked and shot listed by Day 1

• Wrote a book Directors Tell This Story

• Why she loves directing TV: She gets to shoot more, she is energized from hopping around from show to show, she gets to elevate scripts and tell different kinds of stories

• Directing 8 episodes of primetime network 1 hour shows in this season alone

• How it’s exciting to get a C script and elevate it to a B+ episode

• What happens if a showrunner has a different select for a role than a director

Guest:

IMDb Wikipedia Twitter

Website & Blog

Book - Directors Tell This Story: Master the Craft of Television and Film Directing

Host:

Instagram: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneMiller

Twitter: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneM

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Website: www.michellesimonemiller.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle