From May 14-15, thirty DGA AD/UPM members participated in the training seminar The Big Picture: Production Planning for Features and Television. Held in the Guild’s Los Angeles Atrium and taught by UPM Brian Frankish (King Kong, Field of Dreams) and UPM and AD/UPM Council West Chair Marie Cantin (Dante’s Peak, Collateral), this immersive course was designed to enhance and develop the management skills of working Assistant Directors and Production Managers.
Over the course of the weekend, Cantin and Frankish led the class through the ins and outs of scheduling and budgeting via demonstrations, hands-on computer work and group exercises. The participants then worked in teams to create a production plan that included critical assumptions, a shooting schedule and a budget that took into account related topics such as tax incentives, union agreements and risk management. As the class size was limited to 30 seats, attendees were selected via lottery. The third and final session will take place on May 21.
About the Council and Committee:
The DGA AD/UPM Council, West is the elected body that represents the 3,000 Assistant Director and Unit Production Manager members of the Guild who reside and/or work in film, television, commercials and new media the Western Region. The Council is chaired by Marie Cantin.
The DGA AD/UPM Council, West Education Committee is Co-Chaired by Phillip Goldfarb and Jennie O’Keefe with Cleve Landsberg serving as Vice Chair. The Committee’s members are: David Bernstein, Michael Beugg, Lee Blaine, Marie Cantin, Clark Credle, Alan Curtiss, Peter Dress, Elaine Dysinger, Buddy Enright, Brian Frankish, Victor Hsu, Mark Indig, Janet Knutsen, Bob Lewis, Rusty Mahmood, David McWhirter, Linda Montanti, Marc Newland, Luc OuYang, Richard Prince, Traceigh Scottel, Redelia Shaw, Dwight Williams, and Sally Young.