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Meet the Nominees: Feature Film Symposium

February 6, 2016

A standing room only crowd packed the DGA’s Los Angeles Theater on Saturday morning, February 6, 2016, as all five nominees for the Guild’s 2015 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film Award – Directors Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight), Adam McKay (The Big Short), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road), and Ridley Scott (The Martian) – discussed the making of their films with moderator Jeremy Kagan during the 25th annual Meet the Nominees symposium.

In his welcome to the audience, DGA President Paris Barclay looked back at the quarter-century history of directors sharing their stories at this event and said, “Just think of all the tales told by the more than 70 directors who have joined us over the years to illuminate the process behind the artistry. There may be other events on the awards circuit where directors will gather together – but this symposium is the true grand-daddy of them all.  This event has always been an opportunity for DGA members to hear the inside stories from so many mavericks about how they took risks, broke rules, and brought their films to life.  As you can tell from the overflow crowd, it is also one of our most popular member events of the year.  Sit back, relax, and get ready to be intellectually stimulated.”

Following the traditional screening of a clip from each film, Kagan led the nominees in a lively roundtable discussion about the myriad aspects of the creative process that go into the making of a feature film worthy of a DGA Award nomination. As each revealed some of the struggles they faced in getting their films made and offered entertaining and illuminating behind-the-scenes stories from their various sets, the spirit of camaraderie and mutual respect was evident. Although, in a matter of hours, only one of them would be able to take home this year’s DGA Award for Feature Film Award, it was clear that they were all winners.

 

Below find a photo gallery and video highlights from each of the directors.

Meet the Nominees: Feature Film Symposium:

  • Directed by: Jim Drake
  • Director of Photography: Chad Wilson
  • Stage Manager: Tracey Smith Baumert

Pictures & Video

photos by Howard Wise & Alberto Rodriguez

View slideshow
Watch Highlight
FULL TALK (2:41:12): Jeremy Kagan leads a discussion about the directorial process with the five nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film on the morning of the 68th DGA Awards.
Watch Highlight
DGA President Paris Barclay welcomes the audience to the 25th Annual Meet the Nominees: Feature Film Symposium.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Alejandro G. Iñárritu speaks about losing a critical location because of severe snow and how he staged the film's final confrontation between Hugh Glass and John Fitzgerald despite the obstacle.
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HIGHLIGHT: Tom McCarthy talks about how he was able to elicit a particularly emotional performance from a woman from the Boston area who'd never acted before, but lived through the time depicted in the film and was familiar with the events.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Adam McKay discusses his method of directing and how he directs actors to stick to the script, but also gives them the opportunity to improvise and discover during the scene.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: George Miller describes his editorial process and why Mad Max: Fury Road was challenging to cut together because of the film's immense action scenes.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Ridley Scott describes how he brought out an emotionally poignant performance from lead actor Matt Damon using a sound recording he played on set during the scene.
Directors Adam McKay (The Big Short), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight), Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road), and Ridley Scott (The Martian) speak about the making of their films during the 25th annual Meet the Nominees: Feature Film symposium.
DGA President Paris Barclay welcomes everyone to the 2016 edition of the Meet the Nominees: Feature Film symposium and introduces the nominees.
The 2015 Feature Film Award nominees receive a standing ovation as they enter the DGA theater.
Directors Adam McKay (The Big Short), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight), Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road), and Ridley Scott (The Martian) join the Meet the Nominees: Feature Film symposium moderator Jeremy Kagan on the stage.
Director Adam McKay explains why he was driven to make The Big Short.
Director George Miller describes how he made some of the important creative decisions for Mad Max: Fury Road.
Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu relives an instance from the making of The Revenant.
Director Tom McCarthy expains how he filmed a sequence for Spotlight.
Director Ridley Scott describes how he overcame a problem while making The Martian.
Moderator Jeremy Kagan asks a question.
Iñárritu listens to Miller’s answer to a question.
McKay cracks up McCarthy with a story from the set of The Big Short.
Iñárritu acknowledges someone in the audience who rendered valuable assistance during the making of The Revenant.
Miller hears how Scott approached a creative problem while making The Martian.
Moderator Kagan and the nominees hear about McCarthy’s approach to tackling the sensitive issues examined in Spotlight.
DGA members and guests fill the Guild’s Los Angeles Theater One for one of the premier events of the year.

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