On November 27, DGA members and their guests gathered in the Guild’s Los Angeles Theater for the Special Projects Committee event, An Evening with Director Don Mischer, where the ten-time DGA Award-winner engaged in a one-on-one conversation moderated by Director Kenny Ortega (Julie and the Phantoms).
Following a welcome from Associate Director/Special Projects Committee Member/Associate Board Member Julie Gelfand, the audience enjoyed a clip package that highlighted several of the iconic cultural moments Mischer has captured on live television.
Accompanied by a standing ovation, Mischer and Ortega then sat down for an entertaining conversation that covered subjects ranging from his illustrious career in live television to the publication of his new memoir, :10 Seconds to Air (My Life in the Director’s Chair). During the conversation, he revealed that his love affair with television began when he was nine years old and attended the first broadcast ever aired by the local TV station in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. Although he went on to study other disciplines, he ultimately found himself being pulled in by his passion for live television.
Mischer and Ortega spoke about how they each balanced their personal lives with the demanding, ever-constant world of television, both saying that they had to make sacrifices, but admitted, they would do it all over again.
“There’s always challenges,” said Mischer. “You get addicted, I think, to the process of rolling the dice every time you do these things, especially when they’re live. It’s like you’re daring it to go right. There’s always a challenge, and it comes out of nowhere! Sometimes you can anticipate these things and other times you can’t. The Prince Superbowl in the rain, for example. Based on the weather forecast and based on the act as we were rehearsing it — rain was coming. There was no question about it. Rain was coming. Prince was playing four live electric guitars. Would they stay in tune? Would they short out? Just as we were counting down to start the halftime show, the heavens just opened up. I talked to Prince and I said, 'Man, I just want to give you a heads up. It’s really coming down.' There was a pause, and he said, 'Can you make it rain harder?” He saw the rain as a challenge and as a result he rose to that occasion and delivered one of his best performances and it turned out that it was spectacular. Because the rain would hit the lights, it created an ethereal smoke and it kind of just drifted across the stage. Water hit the lenses. They made those hexagonal stars that you get. And the whole thing turned out to be magical when I was dreading it! That’s the fun part about the business.”
Reminiscing about the times they have worked together, Ortega thanked Mischer for being a mentor and shared how Mischer taught him how to design choreography for the camera and how to drive the story forward using music. In answer, Mischer shared a bit of his directorial philosophy and said, “Good directing is not coming in and just shooting something. Good directing is getting into the meaning of it, working with the creative team that has put it together. ‘What’s the message? How can we convey it? How do we get the most emotional traction with it?’ Those are the challenges. And you have to work with everybody. If you’re trying to create a magic moment, every variable contributes. And one variable that’s out of sync, can sink it.”
The conversation concluded with a second standing ovation from the audience, who then joined Mischer in the atrium for a book signing reception for his new memoir, :10 Seconds to Air (My Life in the Director’s Chair), a captivating look behind the curtain at the creation of some of television’s most celebrated live events.
Mischer’s diverse body of directing experience includes some of the most widely viewed live television events, ranging from political ceremonies — We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial; musical specials — Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever; and sporting events — Super Bowl halftime shows and the opening ceremonies of the 1996 and 2002 Olympic Games. He has served as Executive Producer for the Primetime Emmy Awards seven times and has directed the 83rd, 84th and 85th Academy Awards ceremonies. He has been recognized by the DGA with 18 DGA Award nominations, taken home a record 10 Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, and in 2019, was the recipient of the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Television Direction. A DGA member since 1971, Mischer has served two terms on the Guild’s National Board and as the Chair for the annual DGA Awards ceremony.
See videos from this event in the gallery below.