Steven Soderbergh
In a prolific career that has taken him from the indie landmark
sex, lies, and videotape to mainstream hits like
Erin Brockovich, the HBO movie
Behind the Candelabra, and now the cable series
The Knick, Steven Soderbergh has continually reinvented himself—all the while admirably serving the Guild.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Brooklyn Nine-Nine ADs Tony Nahar and Kenny Roth and their team keep the set relaxed and ready to go. They might even make the show funnier.
Gail Mancuso
When opportunity knocked, Gail Mancuso walked through the door, and she’s been directing hit comedies like
Roseanne,
Friends, and
Dharma & Greg ever since. With her recent Emmy for
Modern Family, she became the first female director to win twice for comedy direction.
Four Indie Directors Working on Studio Films
So your independent movie was a hit. What comes next? For some, it’s a leap to studio filmmaking. Here’s how four directors moved up, and what they found once they got there.
Orange Is the New Black
The popular Netflix series
Orange Is the New Black challenges directors with a large ensemble cast, nude scenes, stunts, child actors, and even insects. It may be hard work, but it’s never dull.
Independence Day
Roland Emmerich pushed the bounds of special effects by combining exploding models with digital images and live action in the still-rousing alien attack in
Independence Day.
Dee Rees
After the success of her first film,
Pariah, Dee Rees’ career is on track with a biopic about the legendary Bessie Smith—warts and all.
David Lynch
The mysteries of David Lynch are meant to be experienced, not solved. In works like
Eraserhead,
Twin Peaks, and
Mulholland Dr., he created a dream world of dread and beauty unlike any other.
Jean-Marc Vallée
With Jack Nicholson as the volatile R.P. McMurphy and Louise Fletcher as his nemesis Nurse Ratched, Miloš Forman’s
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest emphasized performance over style. And that’s still what impresses director Jean-Marc Vallée.
Jon Feltheimer
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer is not pining for the way the business used to be. Instead, he’s energized by the prospects of new content, new markets, and new media.
Film Noir
Influenced by German Expressionism and Old World ennui, Hollywood directors—many of them European émigrés—created the look and feel of film noir to express the fears and desperation of postwar America. It’s a genre that never dies—though its heroes often do.