On March 27, the Focus on Women Committee (FOWC) hosted the discussion Spotlight on Atlanta Women Directors. In a conversation moderated by FOWC Co-Chair Annetta Marion, Directors Angela Barnes (Atlanta), Lauren Petzke (Legacies) and Terri J. Vaughn (Unthinkably Good Things) discussed their careers and showed clips from their work.

During the conversation, Barnes shared her approach to blocking an emotional scene.“You have an idea of how you want it, but you have to be open to what the actors are going to bring to it. For me, I literally act out the parts during prep to see what my body wants to do, and then I block based on that, and hopefully, their body feels the same way.”

Petzke revealed how she preps for a stunt scene. “I approach it as any other sequence I would approach. It comes down to blocking, relationships, and what each character wants. While I do talk to the stunt coordinator in depth, you have to talk about who needs to get the power where, who needs to win, if there’s anything tonally. Is this a down and dirty fight or is it a polished fight?”

Vaughn spoke about the differences she’s encountered between directing movies for television vs episodic.  “For episodic, I’m a guest in their home. The cast and crew are already a family. I want to be respectful, but I also want to honor why I’m there, to lend my voice, my experience, taste, style and merge that with what they’ve already created. With TV movies, it’s all your visual; I now get to create what the visual will look like. I get to play in my space.”

See video from this event in the gallery below.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS:

Angela Barnes Barnes’ directorial credits include episodes of Atlanta, Loot, Mythic Quest, Blindspotting and the upcoming series Ironheart. She is also the creative force behind the 2020 viral voting campaign, Get Your Booty to the Poll, which she conceived, produced and directed. She has been a DGA member since 1996 and serves on the Eastern Directors Council.

Lauren Petzke Petzke’s directorial credits include episodes of Legacies, The Endgame, Sweet Magnolias, Walker, Gotham Knights and Roswell, New Mexico. She has been a DGA member since 2019.

Terri J. Vaughn Vaughn’s directorial credits include the feature film Unthinkably Good Things and Angrily Ever After; the movies for television ‘Twas the Chaos Before Christmas and So Fly Christmas; and episodes of Kingdom Business, Bunk'd and Tales. She has been a DGA member since 2018.

Director Annetta Marion Marion’s directorial credits include episodes of Oprah’s Master Class, Mission Juno and The 47th Floor. She recently produced and second unit directed Davis Guggenheim’s documentary, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. A DGA member since 2009, Marion serves on the Eastern Directors Council, as an alternate on the DGA National Board and as a co-chair of the Focus on Women Committee.

About the Committee:

Originally a sub-committee of the Eastern Directors Council, in 2020 the Focus on Women Committee (FOWC) was designated an official and permanent committee of the DGA National Board for women members residing in the Eastern Region. The Committee would like to remind members that while their events are designed with a special focus on women Directors, all DGA members are welcome to attend.

• For more about the FOWC and to see coverage of other events, click here to visit the Committee's webpage.