MOVIEMAKER.COM SUMMER 2019 13BOOK REVIEWS
TOP LEFT: PHOTOGRAPH BY SHIH-CHING TSOU / COURTESY OF MAGNOLIA PICTURES;
TOP RIGHT: PHOTOGRAPH BY CRAIG BLANKENHORN / COURTESY OF HBO
sure to make TV viewers sharper
and more engaged spectators, and
make storytellers more conscious
of the ideas and techniques that
can elevate their craft.THE TAKEAWAY: Is a collection
of TV criticism useful for
moviemakers? You may have
doubts, but Nussbaum’s
authoritative knowledge—
from her breakdowns of story
development to her defense of the
power derived from deeply flawed
characters—quickly makes clear
that it is. Making the case for how
a multitude of genres qualify as
so-called “prestige” entertainment
and even exploring the role of
fandom and its relationship to
content creators, I Like to Watch
affords moviemakers a wealth of
insight that will translate to truly
nuanced writing and directing for
any screen, silver or small.
— S.R.THE ART AND CRAFT OF
TV DIRECTING: CONVERSATIONS
WITH EPISODIC TELEVISION
DIRECTORS
Jim Hemphill
ROUTLEDGE.
164 PAGES
What do you do when your
career no longer fulfills you?
Jim Hemphill, an award-winning
screenwriter and director, faced
that question. After turning away
from directing independent films
for something that better satisfied
his creative itch, Hemphill redis-
covered his passion for directing
in episodic television. Determined
to fill the gap of available infor-
mation on the subject, Hemphill
began interviewing episodic
directors—culminating in the tips
and tricks they told him into a
how-to for aspiring TV helmers.
The Art and Craft of TV Directing
is divided into 20 chapters, each
a conversation with a directorCREATOR DAVID CHASE (L) DIRECTS STARS TONY SIRICO (C) AND JAMES GANDOLFINI (R)
ON THE SET OF THE SOPRANOS, ONE OF MANY GROUNDBREAKING TV SERIES COVERED IN
EMILY NUSSBAUM’S I LIKE TO WATCHdelving into their creative pro-
cess, methodology, and the ups
and downs of their career.
Hemphill is strategic in choos-
ing directors with experiences
across genres. He presents a col-
lection of methods and philoso-
phies to “demystify the process”
and increase interest in directing
for episodic TV.
Anthony Hemingway
(The People v. O.J. Simpson:
American Crime Story,
Underground) discusses the
challenges true crime directors
face when covering a topic that’s
already so widely reported and
how this differs from directing
a series with an established
tone and direction. Recalling his
struggle to decide “what story to
tell,” Hemingway says that his
“visual style needed to feel
grounded and able to integrate
some of the old news footage.”
On the technical side, Julie Plec
(The Vampire Diaries, Roswell,
New Mexico, Riverdale) describes
the difficulties of conveying emo-
tions in an episode and the im-
portance of creative framing and
composition to convey messages
to the audience. While directing
The Vampire Diaries Plec used
flight flares and overhead angles
to “represent a combo of who’s
watching you, who’s looking down
on you, and what is heaven.” Both
directors also stress the impor-
tance working as a team, which
often produces happy accidentson set. Plec recalls that when
filming Sheriff Forbes’ funeral
in The Vampire Diaries, her AD
staged the background and salute
so well that she turned what was
“just meant to be a five-second
bit” into a “gorgeous story mo-
ment” of two minutes-plus.
Many of the directors agree
that the differences between
directing for film or for TV stem
from time constraint. Actress-
turned-director Lea Thompson
(The Goldbergs, Mom) says the
hardest part about shooting
The Goldbergs is that her team
only has four or five days per
episode. She also highlights the
difficulties of balancing a variety
of angles when working on
a multi-camera sitcom—all while
in front of a live audience with
minimal time to prepare.THE TAKEAWAY: Most TV
directors don’t start out with the
goal of being a television director.
The opportunity often falls into
their lap—or better yet, they fall
into it. If you’re a moviemaker
who thrives in high-energy
environments, racing against
the clock to beat a deadline, then
TV directing might be for you.
Hemphill’s collection calls for a
reassessment to the old adage that
TV is a “writer’s medium” and
encourages future moviemakers
to consider the lessons that can be
gained from directing television.
— I.S. MM