The Director's Cut - A DGA Podcast

Director Jon M. Chu discusses his new film, Wicked, with fellow Director Shawn Levy in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses his process of conceptualizing the musical sequences in conjunction with the stunt work behind them, conceptualizing his vision for Oz and the kinds of sets for his film, recording almost all of the musical sequences live and authentically on-set.

Based on the Tony Award-winning musical, the film is set years before Dorothy's arrival in Oz and follows the unlikely college-days friendship between popular girl Glinda and the misunderstood Elphaba. As their lives begin to take very different paths, an encounter with the famous Wizard of Oz puts their relationship at a crossroads.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/January2025/Wicked_QnA_1124

Director Parker Finn discusses his new film, Smile 2, with fellow Director Mike Flanagan in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses how he returned to the idea to explore the same concept through a vastly different lens, working with Actor Naomi Scott to bring the duality of her character’s public persona and isolation to life, and choreographing color-laden horror scenes for his pop star character in what he describes as “inspired by Wes Craven as it is Bob Fosse”.

The film tells the story of Skye Riley, a pop star about to embark on a world tour when she begins to experience increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, she is forced to face her past.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/en/Events/2024/Dec2024/Smile2_QnA_1024

Director RaMell Ross discusses his new film, Nickel Boys, with fellow Director Channing Godfrey Peoples in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses approaching his adaptation differently from the book while still trying to stay true to it, working with his actors and DP to capture his unique perspectives for the narrative, and his considered approach to imagery with this subject matter, given the historical imagery preceding it.

Based on the novel by Colson Whitehead, the film tells the story of Elwood, who’s sentenced to the brutal reformatory Nickel Academy in Jim Crow South after an innocent misstep. Upon meeting Turner, a seasoned ward of the reformatory, Elwood learns the fundamental tips for survival while striving to hold onto his humanity- and forms a powerful friendship with Turner.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/Dec2024/NickelBoys_QnA_1024

The 500th episode of The Director's Cut!

To celebrate, we are highlighting some of our most notable discussions over our nine years on the air. We'll be revisiting the futuristic dunes of Arrakis, the streets of 1970s Mexico City, the trenches of WW1-era Europe and more as filmmakers give insight into their process of building incredible cinematic experiences.

Thank you so much to everyone who has participated in our conversation series over the years, and to you, our listeners, for supporting our show and our member’s work since we started this podcast in 2015.

You can find links to our featured Q&As below, or you can check out our full catalog wherever you listen to podcasts:

Everything Everywhere All at Once

https://dga.org/en/Events/2022/May2022/EverythingEverywhere_QnA_0422

Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood

https://dga.org/en/Events/2019/Oct2019/Tarantino_OnceUponATimeInHollywood_QnA_0919

Lady Bird

https://dga.org/en/Events/2018/Jan2018/LadyBird_QnA_1117

Roma

https://dga.org/en/Events/2018/Dec2018/Roma_QnA_1118

Dune

https://dga.org/en/Events/2021/November2021/Dune_QnA_1021

BlacKkKlansman

https://dga.org/en/Events/2018/Oct2018/BlacKkKlansman_QnA_0818

Wonder Woman

https://dga.org/en/Events/2017/August2017/WonderWoman_QnA_0617

The Irishman

https://dga.org/en/Events/2019/Dec2019/Irishman_QnA_1019

The Shape of Water

https://dga.org/en/Events/2018/Jan2018/GuillermodelToro_ShapeofWater_QnA_1217

Bridge of Spies

https://dga.org/en/Events/2015/Dec2015/BridgeofSpies_QnA_1015

Director Hallie Meyers-Shyer discusses her new film, Goodrich, with fellow Director Max Minghella in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses creating the titular role with Actor Michael Keaton in mind, having audiences react in the way she hoped after modeling the film off of personal experiences, and assembling a crew that helped her craft her desired feel for the film.

The film tells the story of Andy, whose wife unexpectedly checks herself into rehab, leaving him to take care of their two young children. When Grace, his daughter from a first marriage, steps up to help him, she watches him evolve into the father she never had.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/Dec2024/GoodRich_QnA_1024

Director Jason Reitman discusses his new film, Saturday Night, with fellow Director Guillermo del Toro in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses originally conceptualizing the film as a one-take to play out in real time, recording the score live on set with the film's Actor and Composer Jon Batiste, and casting his Actors for how well they understood their characters' deeper interests over their recreations of sketch work.

Seen through the eyes of a young Lorne Michaels as he juggles equipment failures, actor fights and producers pushing for reruns, the film follows Lorne and his troupe of trailblazers behind the scenes leading up to the landmark show’s first airing.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/Dec2024/SaturdayNight_QnA_1024

Director Marc Forster discusses his new film, White Bird, with fellow Director Michael Pressman in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses the use of magical realism in the visuals of the film, filming in an empty Prague during the pandemic and working with young Actors to find character growth between the film’s time jumps.

The film follows Julian, who struggles to fit in to his new school after being expelled for bullying a student. When his grandmother hears of his expulsion, she attempts to transform his outlook on life by sharing the story of her youth in Nazi-occupied France.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/Dec2024/WhiteBird_QnA_1024

Director Ellen Kuras discusses her new film, Lee, with fellow Director Phillip Noyce in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses how her skillset as a cinematographer informed her directing, how she aimed to reach beyond the constraints of a typical biopic to create something more complex and working with Kate Winslet to capture Lee as a multidimensional character.

The film tells the true story of Lee Miller, who in the 1940s decides to abandon her career as a fashion model and become Vogue’s war correspondent during World War II. Capturing the extremes of the human experience in some of the most indelible images of war, Lee cements herself as one of the greatest war photographers of the 20th century.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/Dec2024/Lee_QnA_1024

Director Steve McQueen discusses his new film, Blitz, with fellow Director Barry Jenkins in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses portraying the hidden voices of all those affected by the real life London Blitz, casting the lead child actor as a silent vessel for the audience while being a distinctive character, and utilizing music and dancing throughout the film as a way to reclaim humanity in the face of war.

The film tells the story of George, a nine-year-old boy who is separated from his mother, Rita, amid the devastation of the London Blitz capital bombings. As George embarks on a journey to find the family he left behind, Rita embarks on her own journey to track down her son.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/Dec2024/Blitz_QnA_1024

Director Mohammad Rasoulof discusses his new film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, with fellow Director Ramin Bahrani in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses his utilization of modern online spaces in the film as a reflection of current sentiments, shooting the film clandestinely to avoid castigation, and using his own personal experiences as reference for events within the film.

Screened as part of the DGA’s Global Cinema Series, the film tells the story of Iman, an investigating Judge of Tehran’s court system who becomes increasingly paranoid after his gun goes missing. With his wife and daughters as the prime suspects, he grapples with distrust in his household as political unrest unfolds in the streets.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/Nov2024/GCSNY-SeedOfTheSacredFig_0924